Bleak: A silent short film on Depression

I have heard patients describing depression as a dark cloud that hangs over the head.  There are also periods of intense sadness and spontaneous bursts of crying for no reason.  Depression is a harrowing mental condition that saps one's energy, motivation and will to do anything useful.  

It is said that 'depression is an inability to construct a future'.  I would suggest that this is so because of the extreme preoccupation with the past events that occurs in depression, although it is not always necessary for depression to occur as a result of past adverse events.

Patients also experience negative automatic thoughts such as dichotomous or black-and-white thinking, that is, everybody/everything viewed as being either good or bad. 

Low self-esteem, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness and the ominous threat of suicidal ideas further compound the problem. 

Bodily symptoms such as loss of appetite leading to weight loss, sleep disturbance often presenting as early morning awakening, and loss of libido/menstruation are often present.

Credits
Featuring: Aadya Pawar
Writing/Direction/Editing: Deepak Pawar

[Currently only showing in Festival Circuits]

In this silent short film on depression, I have attempted to depict these very signs and symptoms in a young person, although depression can occur at any age.  I hope medical/paramedical students will find this video useful in identifying the clinical features of depression.

I have experimented with colour tones, imagery, sound and pacing to symbolize the bleakness, misery and desolation that go with depression. 

The purpose of this video is not to scare you, but to motivate you to seek timely professional intervention.  Treatment in the form of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy/counselling ensures that depression can be treated and controlled.

Please don't forget to rate/review Bleak on IMDb.

Film festival selections for Bleak:

1. Lift-Off Global Network First-Time Filmmakers Sessions:

https://liftoff.network/ft-filmmaker-sessions-may-2022/

2. Black Cat Award International Film Festival:

3. Quarter-Finalist: Aakruti-My Creation International Film Festival:

Resources:

Background music: No.8 Requiem, Esther Abrami

Quotes: Attributed to William Styron, Side Effects, Netflix

My spouse’s mood changes all the time... Is she/he BIPOLAR..?!

Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD - previously called Manic Depressive Psychosis) is a complex mood disorder characterized by the lows of depression and the highs of mania, and everything in between.  

More prevalent in the higher socioeconomic population, it is a chronic, potentially lifelong illness that needs constant care and attention.  People with BPAD are prone to mood swings, although not the circumstantial dysphoria and irritability that people usually make the mistake of attributing to the illness (as in labelling someone 'bipolar').  That is to say, the mood changes occur subtly over several days, and not dramatically within minutes. 

BPAD, to me, underscores the fact that everything in the universe is in a state of balance: too much or too little of anything is unsustainable.  

So it is with the human body and mind.  Too much of blood sugar is termed diabetic, and too little, hypoglycemic.  Too much of sadness is depressive, and too much of happiness is manic.  

BPAD often affects creative people, and patients even attribute some of their creative outbursts to the early phases of mania when thoughts are racing through the mind, and there is a restless need to create.  

Everyone experiences highs and lows of mood, but the extremes of BPAD affect quality of life and relationships, and therefore require intervention.  Indeed, if a patient develops mania, it is the family that seeks professional help because the patient lacks insight into the seriousness of his/her mental condition. 

I talk about the signs and symptoms, risks associated, and the treatment of BPAD in this video in three languages:

English: https://youtu.be/l2tpxeEiOHg

Hindi: https://youtu.be/qk4D5unqe28

Kannada: https://youtu.be/icB_KSBpDWk

Also read my review of the book on BPAD, Em and the Big Hoom.

Resources:

Background music: 7th Dimension, 

Pictures: https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8451/7996124566_5b4d08ecaf_z.jpg

How can I reduce SUICIDAL THOUGHTS?!

If you are affected by the goings on in the world or in your personal life, and are contemplating taking the extreme step, then please take a few minutes to watch this video.  

Whether it is the COVID-19 pandemic that has upended lives across the globe, or the economic crunch that each one of us is facing in its wake, there are reasons galore to feel the blues.  Even if these are not the burning issues in your life, there are always others - breakups, bereavement, failure in exams, job loss, and the leading cause for completed suicide in India: being in debt.

While this video is no panacea for all the woes that you may be facing, it is an attempt to help you change your outlook and mindset so that you consider the larger issues of life, and take a step back from making an impulsive decision.

 

How common are suicidal ideas?

What are the causes for feeling suicidal?

What are the risk factors for suicide attempt?

What should you do if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal?

What are the religious and spiritual connotations of suicide?

Find out in in this video in three languages:

English: https://youtu.be/08i4_FGRmB8

Hindi: https://youtu.be/2w346GDm79w

Kannada: https://youtu.be/Qjg98TRvt-A

Please note that the National (Indian) Suicide Helpline number is: 9152987821 or 022-25521111 (by iCall).  

If you are in and around Bengaluru, you can also reach out to the counsellors of Arpita Foundation (NGO) through their helpline: 080-23655557 (7 am to 9 pm, all days of the week).

For information on suicide care and suicide helplines, please click external link in my earlier article. 

Resources/references:

Quotes (all translations into Hindi/Kannada by me):

• Suicide is a sin... and for many points from the 'larger/spiritual issues' section of the video (also, I recommend reading the book): The Laws of the Spirit World, Khorshed Bhavnagri 
• Man is a Soul... Attributed to Sri Yukteshwar Giri, Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda
• All that we are is... Attributed to Lord Buddha, Thought Power, Swami Sivananda
• Those things that hurt... Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, In The Road Less Travelled, M. Scott Peck
• Be in the world... Osho, Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic
• He who has a why... Attributed to Nietzsche, Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl
• While there is life... Brief Answers to Big Questions, Stephen Hawking
• Om... I am Saakshi... Thought Power, Swami Sivananda
• Punarapi jananam... Moha Mudgara (Bhaja Govindam), Adi Shankaracharya [with Sanskrit to English translation from: bhakthi.in and sanskritdocuments.org]

Music: Sunflower Field, Mocha Music

Pictures: 

https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/overwatch_gamepedia/thumb/8/81/Spray_McCree_Noose.png/100px-Spray_McCree_Noose.png?version=4419c49da3cea03efc5fa76c5139e1e8

http://media.pn.am/media/issue/266/075/photo/339x226_thumb_photo_266075_76f1cfd77.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Bhisma_fight_in_Swayamvara.jpg/250px-Bhisma_fight_in_Swayamvara.jpg

http://www.indianetzone.com/photos_gallery/77/2_Battle_between_Shikhandi_and_Bhisma.jpg

https://archive.org/services/img/GarudaPuranaGitaPressGorakhpur

 

Are antidepressants safe?

"I have been diagnosed with depression/anxiety. My doctor has recommended antidepressant tablets." "Should I take them?' "Are there any side-effects?" "Are they addictive?"

Find out the answers to these and more questions about antidepressant therapy in three languages:
English: https://youtu.be/tKBWRvifYRk

Hindi: https://youtu.be/iVUi79gp-gQ

Kannada: https://youtu.be/RezGamhA_Ak

Also read an earlier article of mine about pragmatic use of antidepressants. 

Resources:

Pills picture: www.truthinsideofyou.org

Music: Sunshine on Sand, Unicorn Heads

A short descriptive video on depression

An early brief introductory video to depression with my comparisons and references to Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cYwQANYAy4

Article on stress

What is stress?  How can it be reduced?  Find out in this medical educational article:

http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/health/how-to-beat-stress

Article on indiscriminate prescription of antidepressants

While antidepressants are required in depression, over-prescription may be harmful.  Find out how in this medical educational article:

http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/health/overprescription-of-antidepressants-and-its-impact