A post describing depression as a “state of low mood” on the official Twitter handle of the Health Ministry was slammed by users for “trivialising” the issue, as some users termed the definition as “highly inaccurate”.
The tweet, posted on June 26 by the @MoHFW_INDIA, read, “Depression is a state of low mood that affects a person’s thought, behaviour, feeling & sense of well-being. One must take up activities that keep him or her boosted in order to cope with depression (sic)”. A poster listing out activities like eating fruits, staying clean, practising yoga, travelling and thinking positive also accompanied the tweet.
A psychiatrist tweeted that the post “trivializes depression and makes it feel like it isn’t an illness... (sic).”
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The users slammed the tweet for failing to mention that one should seek therapy or clinical help for treating depression. “People with depression cant think positive. That’s the definition of depression. Telling them to do so, is like telling a person with cataract to open his eyes and see clearly. Seeking help in depression, which is life saving, is not a part of this, why? (sic),” an user said.