The silent monster

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Recently, I read about the tragic story of DJ Lithium, a popular DJ on Capital FM in Kenya who committed suicide at his work place. It is heart breaking to read about a young man who had so much ahead of him take his own life. The sad part is that, this is one of many. We have a silent monster amongst us, it is like a vampire, it sucks out everything from within. It turns laughter into hidden tears, it turns hope into hopelessness, it turns worth into worthlessness, it turns sleep into sleepless nights, and it turns love into hate. This monster is moving in our society and stealing young lives. This monster is called Depression. It comes in different forms, it can be major, bipolar, postpartum, persistent, premenstrual, psychotic and seasonal. It is like a snake slithering through the grass, waiting to pounce on its victim without warning or mercy.

People experience depression in different ways, it can interfere with your daily work, it can influence relationships and for some, it might cause them to develop chronic health conditions. You might not know its depression until you look closely at yourself or seek help.

Depression does not look at tribe, country or race. It is out to take and take. Take your smile, take your relationships, take your joy, and take your love. Sadly it also wants to take your life. "What can we do to stop this silent monster?" We can get ahead of it through seeking help and talking about our challenges. Talk about your feelings without fear of discrimination or what people think. Talk about your emotions. 

We have seen high rates of suicide among young men because society has told them that crying is girlish, talking about your feelings is a sign of weakness. But no one told them that keeping things hidden inside is the actual weakness. Strength comes from confrontation and not running away. 

God took time to make you, you cannot give up that easy. The road is still long and full of possibilities. We have a duty as a society to be our brother and sisters’ keepers. We have become too busy to care. We have become money minded and success hungry that we don’t notice the pain our loved one is going through. We don’t see past ourselves anymore. We are drunk with self-centeredness and have lost sight of love and empathy.

This silent monster called depression has for years been hidden but no more shall we stay silent. We take a stand to care and to listen. No judgment and no bias. If you are going through depression, seek help, you’re not alone. We shall defeat this silent monster together.


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