Author : Lawal Morountodun
In a society where social media play a major role in our lives, and as beings of comparison, we like to compare ourselves with others, forgetting that everyone has a good side and bad side, but most times show only the good to the world. Depression is a major problem, Infact, it is recorded that in every 40 seconds, a person comits suicide globally and every suicide case, 98 percent are caused by a mental illness. They say that when you are depressed, one of the symptoms are feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide. Well, here are people In history who were depressed but still did not give up.
1. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Abraham Lincoln, who is an iconic figure in politics and also among the best United States Presidents, had what we would call in the modern society "clinical depression". He was so chronically depressed, that his Law partner, William Herndon said "his melancholy dripped from him as he walked". You could say that his melancholy was like a shirt he wore everywhere he went and was known for. Born into a family of 5 and being the only person alive apart from his father by his early twenties, it was believed that he was biologically prone to be depressed since his mother and some of his father's relatives suffered from the same disease. He openly spoke about committing suicide, and at a point, people in his community feared for him and his mind. He was so overwhelmed with depression, he never carried a pocket knife for he was afraid he would take his own life. Despite all this, he still didn't take his life.
His living was a constant reminder of this suicidal thoughts and he felt that life was generally hard and sad which he expressed in his poem "The suicide's soliloquy". Yet, With all these, he still had the desire to accomplish something. Not that he was motivated to work or had a "big dream". He willed himself to having something to live for before he was eventually killed, and now, forever remembered.
2. CHARLES DICKENS: As the second of eight children, he was brought up in a poor society, and was eventually forced to work in a boot factory as a young boy when his father was arrested. Leaving his education behind, he still became one of the most famous authors in which his book is still read till this very day. He understood the concept of depression and expressed it well in his various characters like Oliver in "Oliver Twist" and Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol".
Apart from being possibly bipolar and sleep deprived, he seemed to plunge into a state of depression every time he started a book, going deeper into it and shutting himself from everyone but towards the end of the book, he would come out of it gradually until he is in a happy and gay state.Towards his end, his depression stopped him from being creative.
3. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Although, it is not recorded that Shakespeare suffered from any form of depression, we can assume that he understood depression and might have probably experienced it at one point in time. It could have been temporary since he was a talented writer, writing away his misery as a form of therapy. He inflicted some of his characters with depression. Some of which are Antonio and Portia in "Merchant of Venice", the new king in "Macbeth", and Hamlet in Hamlet, where he actually suggests suicide in the phrase To be, or not to be.
Although these people knew and understood what it means to be depressed, they still tried to face life. Anyone can be depressed and it is not something we choose to have. Still, our lives are in our hands. Fight for it, seek help
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