Black Dog & Grey Cakes
A bake sale featuring only grey cakes will be held in Ipoh on January 12th and there will be a competition for the most creative and original Depressed Cake. It's the second Depressed Cake shop in Malaysia. The first held an impressive sale of grey confections to raise awareness about depression last September in Kuala Lumpur. Emma Thomas started this movement in the United Kingdom last year and more than thirty Depressed Cake shops have popped up all over the world.
Depression is also compared to a black dog which a person can't do away with but have to manage. How many of us actually admit to being depressed?. Acknowledging and openly telling others about one of the most common mental disorders is unheard of. People are ashamed of the stigma that comes with being labelled mentally unstabil. Others will look at a depressed person with pity or stay away from them altogether. The fear of being completely ostracised by family and friends overrides the need to seek help. Harsh reprimands like, " Get over it", "Others have it worse" often pushes the depressed person further into a tunnel of despair where helplessness and loneliness reign. Without the proper help and support, a depressed person can hardly lead a normal, healthy and happy life.
Depression can strike anyone at anytime and it isn't confined to people who have suffered loss or are undergoing grief of some kind. Stress that is out of hand can trigger a depression and so can the need to always fulfill expectations. It is crucial to be able to identify the symptoms and quickly seek help. Talking to persons who have undergone depression and overcame it successfully helps tremendously as they will be more sympathetic and can empathise better. It's very important to ensure that a depressed person is not left alone as it will only aggravate their condition.
The fact is everyone today has or will go through depression because of the lifestyles we lead. We just need to know how to handle it and help someone else cope with it. Awareness is the first step.
Everyone loves bright and colourful cakes but a grey frosted cake will get one thinking, no?. Underneath that grey icing is a cake like any other.
A person with depression is the same except with an affliction that is treatable with proper counselling and sometimes medication prescribed by a certified practitioner. Depressed persons also need tender loving care, understanding and compassion from their family and friends to manage and carry on life as normally as possible.
Remember, the black dog is there with each of us and can visit at anytime without prior warning. So, be gentle with depressed people. It could be me, you, a loved one or someone we know.
Depression is also compared to a black dog which a person can't do away with but have to manage. How many of us actually admit to being depressed?. Acknowledging and openly telling others about one of the most common mental disorders is unheard of. People are ashamed of the stigma that comes with being labelled mentally unstabil. Others will look at a depressed person with pity or stay away from them altogether. The fear of being completely ostracised by family and friends overrides the need to seek help. Harsh reprimands like, " Get over it", "Others have it worse" often pushes the depressed person further into a tunnel of despair where helplessness and loneliness reign. Without the proper help and support, a depressed person can hardly lead a normal, healthy and happy life.
Depression can strike anyone at anytime and it isn't confined to people who have suffered loss or are undergoing grief of some kind. Stress that is out of hand can trigger a depression and so can the need to always fulfill expectations. It is crucial to be able to identify the symptoms and quickly seek help. Talking to persons who have undergone depression and overcame it successfully helps tremendously as they will be more sympathetic and can empathise better. It's very important to ensure that a depressed person is not left alone as it will only aggravate their condition.
The fact is everyone today has or will go through depression because of the lifestyles we lead. We just need to know how to handle it and help someone else cope with it. Awareness is the first step.
Everyone loves bright and colourful cakes but a grey frosted cake will get one thinking, no?. Underneath that grey icing is a cake like any other.
A person with depression is the same except with an affliction that is treatable with proper counselling and sometimes medication prescribed by a certified practitioner. Depressed persons also need tender loving care, understanding and compassion from their family and friends to manage and carry on life as normally as possible.
Remember, the black dog is there with each of us and can visit at anytime without prior warning. So, be gentle with depressed people. It could be me, you, a loved one or someone we know.
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