For some time, I have not seen her.

Then one fine day, she called the clinic at about noon, sounding positively depressed and desperate. Apparently, she had swallowed 30 tablets of tranquilisers and was beginning to feel numbed. She was trying to take her own life. She had tolerated a life of misery with her husband who was verbally abusive and treated her with disrespect. She said she could not take it anymore.

Over the phone, I tried desperately to persuade her not to end her life, to consider her children and what her action could do to them. I tried to get her to tell me where she was but she would not divulge her location. She claimed she was calling from KL and was in her car - parked, I presumed. After a while, she hanged up.

Immediately, I contacted the police and gave them information about her that I knew, including her handphone number and her address. In addition, I digged up her files and found her sister's address and phone number but when I tried calling, neither phone was on. Not able to get in touch with any of her relatives, I made a trip to her home but the door was locked from the outside. No one was home. 

Since I have not seen her for some time, it is possible that her address and phone number may have changed. Perhaps her sister's too for when I drove over to her sister's house, the tenant there said she had moved. Her whereabout was unknown. 

I am not trying to entertain you with this story. I want to stress a point with it.

Depression can happen to anyone. In fact, almost everyone would have had some experience with depression at some point in his or her life. A person who is deeply depressed DOES NOT have good insight. She has a sense of total hopelessness and see life in the most negative ways. She see no way out, no escape. In such a situation, she is dangerously suicidal and may actually carry out her suicide plan.

Thus it is important to be able to recognise the symptoms of depression in ourselves and in our loved ones. When detected early and with medical treatment, most depression can be successfully treated. Left to its own, it may get worse to a point of no return.

How can you recognise a person in depression?

A depressed person feels persistently lethargic and without energy. She may have loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping. She does not look forward to a new day, dreading to get up from bed even after waking up. She feels a sense of hopelessness and despair. She keeps to herself and avoid companies, even people closed to her.

If you're unsure, ask your doctor.