Depression and anxiety are mood disorders that send negative feedback to the brain. While depression may cause feelings of sadness, lack of enthusiasm, or hopeless, anxiety on the other hand creates an apprehensive uneasiness, nervousness and tension mixed with fear and doubt in the mind of a person.
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Most people tend to develop anxiety feelings or become depressed as a result of life's societal and cultural situations that govern our world, especially in Africa and precisely, in Nigeria. These may include: inflation, high cost of living, work stress, death and widowhood.
The high level of inflation in the country has been a major factor that aggravate feelings of depression and anxiety in the minds of people, both old and young. The extreme increase in the cost of products, good and services has led to the inability of most men to cater or care for their family as expected. The man of the house is seen as the head of the house who is supposed to care for his family and attend to their needs. The inability of a man with five children for instance, to cater for his children's responsibilities may further result to him being depressed as he may see himself as not good enough.
Secondly, an individual may develop negative emotions due to demanding work conditions such as heavy workloads, tight deadlines, job insecurity, or lack of control over one's work. This can negatively impact the overall well-being of such a person if not properly managed. The pressures and challenges encountered in the workplace can be hectic especially if it has to do with private organisations.
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Most private organisations believe that since you are being paid for your work, therefore, you have to work efficiently and with hardwork even at the detriment of your mental health. Also, the salaries paid to workers are not commensurate to their efforts and the workload being done. All of these may tend to cause feelings of depression and anxiety in such a person.
Finally, the cultural barrier towards females who just lost their husbands can be a factor that causes this mood disorders. Some Nigerian cultures, especially the Yoruba culture, believe that when a woman loses her husband, she must be placed in a state of mourning for a period of time. This period of mourning involves her putting on black clothes, being isolated from friends and families, and many others. As a result of this isolation and loneliness, the bereaved woman may develop feelings of depression overtime as there is no one to share her grief and sorrow with.
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Thus, we see that different issues combine to trigger feelings of depression and anxiety. These persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest, or nervousness can further lead to a range of behavioural and physical effects such as lack of sleep, loss of appetite, low energy level, lack of concentration, low self-esteem or even thoughts of suicide.
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