About 10 years ago my grandmother became depressed because she had some issues with my uncle, her oldest son, in which he refused to ever talk to her again. This event caused her to become extremely sad and depressed, this being a response to past loss – when my uncle cut all ties with her. She came to have a major depressive disorder and all of its symptoms. I was very little when this happened but I remember clearly my parents talking about how worried they were because she wouldn’t go anywhere or talk to anyone.
As it is known, depression slows people down and restrain risk-taking. And that happened exactly with my grandma. She stopped driving and going places she once enjoyed going to. She wouldn’t even want to leave her house to go grocery shopping. She had these symptoms and more. My grandma complained about being tired all the time, this being an excuse to stay at home. She did not have an interest in going anywhere, even if it was to see her family or friends. And whenever she did see someone and they asked how she was she would immediately say how insignificant and worthless she was feeling.
Now referring to the issues my grandmother had with her son, everyone knew that she was, in fact, the right one in this matter and that he was dramatizing something that should not have become so big. Either way, my grandma went through this stressful experience when they were fighting, and after that period and when they stopped talking to each other she started to blame herself for that outcome. She then entered into a depressed mood that lasted a long period of time and her behavior changed completely as I mentioned earlier. This cycle of depression kept going on for about a year or so.
After a while of much insistence from my family, my grandma finally decided to seek professional help. She went to various sessions, and still goes until today but not as much as before. She has gotten way better but she is still very sensitive about my uncle. All of us in our family avoid this topic as much as we can because we know that she can go back to the depressive cycle she was in.
I think this is a really good depiction of depression. It’s so sad to watch someone you love go through this— the pain, the reluctance to do anything, the feelings of insignificance. I imagine this was a very hard thing to go through as a family, and it perfectly exemplifies how loss can cause depression. When your grandmother lost contact with your uncle, she spiraled into a depressed state that left her at the hands of this mood disorder. It can be really challenging to convince someone with depression to seek help, but I’m glad your grandmother eventually did. Not that I’m an expert by any means, but I’ve watched people I love go through therapy, and I’ve seen just how effective and wonderful it can be for them. I wish the best to your family!