Arecent survey revealed that almost 12 percent of Hong Kong people suffer from depression, to some degree. So, for every eight people you know, at least one will probably feel depressed today. Not just sad, but clinically depressed.

This is a big deal. Depression is not simply a matter of feeling sad for a few hours, or a few days. It's far worse. If a person is depressed, they'll have no energy to do anything. They can't work very well, and they can't learn very much. Just getting through a day can be a real challenge. It can get so bad that a person may feel their life is completely pointless. So they decide to end it, just as the famous comedian Robin Williams did a few months ago

The scary thing is that depression can affect anybody, irrespective of income level, life success, and environmental conditions. There is a saying that goes, "money doesn't make you happy, but try living without it!" If you're depressed, and have a hundred million dollars to your name, in the depressed mind that can be 100 million more reasons to be unhappy. I know very wealthy, successful people who have suffered deep depression.

The problem with depression is that it is a self-reinforcing loop leading to a downward spiral. A depressed person gets mentally confused and fuzzy, and sees more and more of their world as a reason to get more depressed. From this state, help from friends and family is often rejected, and friends and family often make it worse with comments like "you don't have any reason to be depressed" or "cheer up, it'll pass". Because, in the depressed mind there is nothing beyond the darkness and the feeling that this state is forever, and there is no way out.

So, let's be clear, depression is nasty because it creates more of itself. It has the potential to suck the life out of a person, and hang them out to dry. And, from inside this state it is very difficult for a person to find a solution without the necessary skills or support.

The good news is that depression can be cured. The cycle simply has to be broken. There are four points of leverage that will achieve this - a belief system, emotional experiences in childhood, family relationships and the bio-energy system of the body.

When I say belief system, I don't mean religion or politics. Rather, I'm talking about the packages of personal beliefs that most people carry around in their minds. Things like "I'm not good enough", or "I'm stupid" or "I can never do anything right". If you have a bunch of these in mind, it's very easy to experience a normal event on a normal day, such as making a small mistake, and using that as evidence to prove just how bad and unworthy you are. Addressing these sorts of beliefs can be a powerful way to break the depression cycle.

Another common link in the depression cycle is some negative emotional experience in childhood. For instance, I know a CEO who was depressed about his own exemplary work performance. Every day, for no reason, he felt like a complete failure. Why? Because when he was three years old, he failed a kindergarten entrance exam in Hong Kong. Why anyone would think an entrance exam appropriate for kindergarten, I do not know. But, somebody did. And so, aged 48, a fantastic CEO became depressed about his work performance. Things like this need healing.

We also need to understand that depression also acts as a signal that something is wrong. If our body's energy system is out of balance, it needs correcting. Depression can be the signal saying "you need to take better care of me (the body)". Advice to exercise more to combat depression truly does make sense in this context.

And, finally, we have relationships - especially family ones. If our family relations are bad, this can trigger, and even create, depression. Biologically, we need to belong to a family group or tribe. If we begin to feel that we don't belong in our family group, we unconsciously experience alienation from the tribe. Feelings of anxiety can definitely be experienced as depression.

Normally, as someone descends into depression, all four factors come into play to some degree, and each factor responds to other factors in a self-reinforcing loop. The way out is to get professional help, and develop skills, to identify limiting belief systems and heal negative emotional experiences. Relationship skills training and good, balanced, exercise will also contribute to healing depression.

At the end of the day we need to understand that depression is a chronic imbalance of the mind-body system. Correcting four main points of imbalance is really the only sure way of returning to full happiness and engagement in life.

(HK Edition 03/06/2015 page10)