A black dog named depression

Imagine you woke up in the middle of the night and found an unexpected guest lingering by your bed, a shadowy creature that follows you everywhere you go. No matter how you try to get rid of it, it sticks and hangs around your neck like a heavy fog. This is the feeling experienced by a depressive patient, and this unwelcome guest has a familiar name called depression. For many, it is referred as a big black dog (Johnstone, 2005).

Picture from Depression and anxiety in long COVID: Why interdisciplinary treatment is needed. (2024, June 10). Yale Medicine. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/depression-and-anxiety-in-long-covid-why-interdisciplinary-treatment-is-needed

Meeting the black dog

The “black dog” depression is not a one-size-fits-all kind of creature, instead, just like real dogs, takes many forms and characteristics. For some, it can be quiet but lingers around the corner and slowly sapping individual’s energy, while for others, it can be more intense and aggressive, devour every thought, and overwhelm every actions. Although it appears differently across individuals, there are some common characteristics that appeared in majority of people and its effects are real and unignorable.

What does the Black Dog commonly do?

1. Sapping your energy: Just like the actual dog that knock you over in its excitement, depression can leave you the feeling of drained and exhausted.

2. Affect your focus: Depression can make you hard to concentrate, they are like playful dogs that constantly trying to get your attention, leaving your mind scattered.

3. Isolation: Depression can make you feel loneliness, keep you distanced from the surrounding people.

4. Guilt and helplessness: Oftentimes, the black dog stares at you with accusing eyes, keeping reminding you of your "mistakes", filling you with worthlessness and self-doubt.

Getting to know the Black Dog

It sounds awful to have this black dog walking around, but the good news is that there are ways to find peace with it and manage it.

How to comfort this Black Dog?

1. Acknowledgement: First of all, accept it presence. Acknowledge it as a visitor, not a permanent resident. Sometimes, when black dog comes, tell yourself that"Today is a black day", may relieve some stress and frustraction, making it less harmful.

2. Maintain a health lifestyle: "Black dogs" are nasty in the sense that they bring you a down mood, leave you with no appetites in living the way you want to be. But we won't make their wishes to be true! We can frustrate depression by eating healthy meals and engage in physical activites regularly. These would boost mood positively.

3. Building support network: Reach out to people you trust, it can be friends, family or a psychologist. Just like sharing responsibities of taking care of a real dog with others, share you feelings with people you trust, this can lighten the heavy burden.

What if the "Black dog" keeps grow larger?

There may be case where the "Black dog" grows larger, affecting significantly our daily life. In this case, seek for profession support, such as therapy and counseling, can be crucial. Reaching out is never a sign of weakness, and there is absolutely no shame about it, it is normal and essential in managing the Black dog.

Finding lights beyond the Black dog

While "Black dog days" are sometimes overwhelming, we can find ways to calm it down. With time, social supports, one can living peacefully alongside with it and not in fear of it. Don't let the "Black dog" define who you are or how you shall live. The black dog may be around from time to time, but there are ways in which we can each try to walk with it, instead of run from it.

References:

Depression. (n.d.). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression#:~:text=Difficulty%20concentrating%2C%20remembering%2C%20or%20making,not%20go%20away%20with%20treatment

Depression and anxiety in long COVID: Why interdisciplinary treatment is needed. (2024, June 10). Yale Medicine. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/depression-and-anxiety-in-long-covid-why-interdisciplinary-treatment-is-needed

Johnstone, M. (2005). I had a black dog: his name was Depression. https://www.amazon.com/I-Had-Black-Dog-johnstone-matthew/dp/1845295897