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The Microphone - SAY ANYTHING. - Speak your mind. Tell your story. - Page 2

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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.

Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others. Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behaviour. Once that level is fulfilled the next level up is what motivates us, and so on.

This five stage model can be divided into deficiency needs and growth needs. The first four levels are often refered to as deficiency needs, and the top level is known as growth or being needs.

The deficiency needs are said to motivate people when they are unmet. Also, the need to fulfil such needs will become stronger the longer the duration they are denied. For example, the longer a person goes without food, the more hungry they will become.

One must satisfy lower level deficit needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. When a deficit need has been satisfied it will go away, and our activities become habitually directed towards meeting the next set of needs that we have yet to satisfy. These then become our salient needs. 

However growth needs continue to be felt and may even become stronger once they have been engaged. Once these growth needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.

Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by a failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences including divorce and loss of a job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy.

Therefore not everyone will move through the hieracy in a uni-directional manner but may move back and forth between the different types of needs.

Maslow noted only one in a hundred people become fully self-actualized because our society rewards motivation primarily based on esteem, love and other social needs.

Maslow's original five-stage model

 

 

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.

Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, freedom from fear.

3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, trust and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating, being part of a group (family, friends, work).

4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

Maslow posited that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy:

'It is quite true that man lives by bread alone — when there is no bread. But what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically filled? 

At once other (and “higher”) needs emerge and these, rather than physiological hungers, dominate the organism. And when these in turn are satisfied, again new (and still “higher”) needs emerge and so on. 

This is what we mean by saying that the basic human needs are organized into a hierarchy of relative prepotency' (Maslow, 1943, p. 375).

 

The expanded hierarchy of needs

 

It is important to note that Maslow's (1943, 1954) five stage model has been expanded to include cognitive and aesthetic needs (Maslow, 1970a) and later transcendence needs (Maslow, 1970b).

 

Changes to the original five-stage model are highlighted and include a seven-stage model and a eight-stage model, both developed during the 1960's and 1970s.

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.

3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, trust and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating, being part of a group (family, friends, work).

4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.

5. Cognitive needs - knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration, need for meaning and predictability.

6. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.

7. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

8. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self actualization. 

 

Expanded Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Human Needs, Self Actualization, Humanistic Psychology

 

Self-actualization

Instead of focusing on psychopathology and what goes wrong with people, Maslow (1943) formulated a more positive account of human behavior which focused on what goes right. He was interested in human potential, and how we fulfill that potential. 

Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that human motivation is based on people seeking fulfillment and change through personal growth. Self-actualized people are those who were fulfilled and doing all they were capable of. 

The growth of self-actualization (Maslow, 1962) refers to the need for personal growth and discovery that is present throughout a person’s life. For Maslow, a person is always “becoming” and never remains static in these terms.  In self-actualization a person comes to find a meaning to life that is important to them. 

As each individual is unique the motivation for self-actualization leads people in different directions (Kenrick et al., 2010). For some people self-actualization can be achieved through creating works of art or literature, for others through sport, in the classroom, or within a corporate setting.

Maslow (1962) believed self-actualization could be measured through the concept of peak experiences. This occurs when a person experiences the world totally for what it is, and there are feelings of euphoria, joy and wonder.

It is important to note that self-actualization is a continual process of becoming rather than a perfect state one reaches of a 'happy ever after' (Hoffman, 1988).

Maslow offers the following description of self-actualization:

'It refers to the person’s desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially.

The specific form that these needs will take will of course vary greatly from person to person.

In one individual it may take the form of the desire to be an ideal mother, in another it may be expressed athletically, and in still another it may be expressed in painting pictures or in inventions' (Maslow, 1943, p. 382–383).

Although we are all, theoretically, capable of self-actualizing, most of us will not do so, or only to a limited degree. Maslow (1970) estimated that only two percent of people would reach the state of self-actualization. He was especially interested in the characteristics of people whom he considered to have achieved their potential as individuals.

By studying 18 people he considered to be self-actualized (including Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein) Maslow (1970) identified 15 characteristics of a self-actualized person.  

Characteristics of self-actualizers:

  1. They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty;
  2. Accept themselves and others for what they are;
  3. Spontaneous in thought and action;
  4. Problem-centered (not self-centered);
  5. Unusual sense of humor;
  6. Able to look at life objectively;
  7. Highly creative;
  8. Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional;
  9. Concerned for the welfare of humanity;
  10. Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience;
  11. Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few people;
  12. Peak experiences;
  13. Need for privacy;
  14. Democratic attitudes;
  15. Strong moral/ethical standards.

Behavior leading to self-actualization:

(a) Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and concentration;

(b) Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths;

(c) Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of the voice of tradition, authority or the majority;

(d) Avoiding pretense ('game playing') and being honest;

(e) Being prepared to be unpopular if your views do not coincide with those of the majority;

(f) Taking responsibility and working hard;

(g) Trying to identify your defenses and having the courage to give them up.

The characteristics of self-actualizers and the behaviors leading to self-actualization are shown in the list above. Although people achieve self-actualization in their own unique way, they tend to share certain characteristics. 

However, self-actualization is a matter of degree, 'There are no perfect human beings' (Maslow,1970a, p. 176). It is not necessary to display all 15 characteristics to become self-actualized, and not only self-actualized people will display them.  

Maslow did not equate self-actualization with perfection. Self-actualization merely involves achieving one's potential. Thus someone can be silly, wasteful, vain and impolite, and still self-actualize.  Less than two percent of the population achieve self-actualization.

Maslow's (1968) hierarchy of needs theory has made a major contribution to teaching and classroom management in schools. 

Rather than reducing behavior to a response in the environment, Maslow (1970a) adopts a holistic approach to education and learning. Maslow looks at the complete physical, emotional, social, and intellectual qualities of an individual and how they impact on learning. 

Applications of Maslow's hierarchy theory to the work of the classroom teacher are obvious. Before a student's cognitive needs can be met they must first fulfil their basic physiological needs.

For example a tired and hungry student will find it difficult to focus on learning. Students need to feel emotionally and physically safe and accepted within the classroom to progress and reach their full potential.

Maslow suggests students must be shown that they are valued and respected in the classroom and the teacher should create a supportive environment. Students with a low self-esteem will not progress academically at an optimum rate until their self-esteem is strengthened.

Critical evaluation 

The most significant limitation of Maslow's theory concerns his methodology. Maslow formulated the characteristics of self-actualized individuals from undertaking a qualitative method called biographical analysis. 

He looked at the biographies and writings of 18 people he identified as being self-actualized.  From these sources he developed a list of qualities that seemed characteristic of this specific group of people, as opposed to humanity in general. 

From a scientific perspective there are numerous problems with this particular approach.  First, it could be argued that biographical analysis as a method is extremely subjective as it is based entirely on the opinion of the researcher. Personal opinion is always prone to bias, which reduces the validity of any data obtained. Therefore Maslow's operational definition of self-actualization must not be blindly accepted as scientific fact.

Furthermore, Maslow's biographical analysis focused on a biased sample of self-actualized individuals, prominently limited to highly educated white males (such as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, William James, Aldous Huxley, Gandhi, Beethoven).

Although Maslow (1970) did study self-actualized females, such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Mother Teresa, they comprised a small proportion of his sample. This makes it difficult to generalize his theory to females and individuals from lower social classes or different ethnicity. Thus questioning the population validity of Maslow's findings. 

Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to empirically test Maslow's concept of self-actualization in a way that causal relationships can be established.  

Another criticism concerns Maslow's assumption that the lower needs must be satisfied before a person can achieve their potential and self-actualize.  This is not always the case, and therefore Maslow's hierarchy of needs in some aspects has been falsified. 

Through examining cultures in which large numbers of people live in poverty (such as India) it is clear that people are still capable of higher order needs such as love and belongingness. However, this should not occur, as according to Maslow, people who have difficulty achieving very basic physiological needs (such as food, shelter etc.) are not capable of meeting higher growth needs.

Also, many creative people, such as authors and artists (e.g. Rembrandt and Van Gogh) lived in poverty throughout their lifetime, yet it could be argued that they achieved self-actualization.

Psychologists now conceptualize motivation as a pluralistic behavior, whereby needs can operate on many levels simultaneously. A person may be motivated by higher growth needs at the same time as lower level deficiency needs. 

Contemporary research by Tay & Diener (2011) has tested Maslow’s theory by analyzing the data of 60,865 participants from 123 countries, representing every major region of the world. The survey was conducted from 2005 to 2010.

Respondents answered questions about six needs that closely resemble those in Maslow's model: basic needs (food, shelter); safety; social needs (love, support); respect; mastery; and autonomy. 

They also rated their well-being across three discrete measures: life evaluation (a person's view of his or her life as a whole), positive feelings (day-to-day instances of joy or pleasure), and negative feelings (everyday experiences of sorrow, anger, or stress). 

The results of the study support the view that universal human needs appear to exist regardless of cultural differences. However, the ordering of the needs within the hierarchy was not correct. 

"Although the most basic needs might get the most attention when you don't have them," Diener explains, "you don't need to fulfill them in order to get benefits [from the others]." 

Even when we are hungry, for instance, we can be happy with our friends. "They're like vitamins," Diener says about how the needs work independently. "We need them all."

References

Hoffman, E. (1988). The right to be human: A biography of Abraham Maslow. Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.

Kenrick, D. T., Neuberg, S. L., Griskevicius, V., Becker, D. V., & Schaller, M. (2010). Goal-Driven Cognition and Functional Behavior The Fundamental-Motives Framework. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(1), 63-67.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human MotivationPsychological Review, 50(4), 370-96.

Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper and Row.

Maslow, A. H. (1962). Towards a Psychology of Being. Princeton: D. Van Nostrand Company.

Maslow, A. H. (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company.

Maslow, A. H. (1970a). Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper & Row.

Maslow, A. H. (1970b). Religions, values, and peak experiences. New York: Penguin. (Original work published 1964)

Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2011). Needs and subjective well-being around the world. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2), 354.

How to cite this article:

McLeod, S. A. (2016). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

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15 Habits Of People Hiding Their Depression

15 Habits Of People Hiding Their Depression

Depression is a very serious mental illness that often goes unnoticed for years. People with concealed depression are battling demons within themselves all on their own. They are not sharing their struggles and do not want to burden those around them.

You see, for most people wounds are not something we are open about. We tend to bottle things up and attempt to remedy them on our own. If you are reading this then you must know someone who you feel you need to better understand or you relate to this yourself. The following 15 habits are some of the most common I have noticed in people dealing with concealed depression.

  1. The are often quite talented and very expressive.

Alot of famous people have suffered from mental illnesses, and this suffering gives them deeper emotions. If you really think about it, this is in some form a source to their greatness. While we cannot always see it, their struggles are often reflected in their works. These people are able to bring something beautiful out of the darkness that consumes them.

  1. They tend to search for purpose.

We all need a purpose in this life. We want to be sure that we are in some form doing meaningful things. People suffering from hidden depression are not exempt from this. They too want to know the reason for their existence. They are much more susceptible to feeling things like inadequacy and anxiety which leaves them searching for something they can never seem to achieve in their own minds.

  1. Sometimes they make muted cries for help.

Sometimes we all need help. When we are not expecting someone to feel weak or to be down in the dumps, we don’t see their cries for help. However, if you notice their cries and can help them in any way, you are creating a very close and trust filled bond with them.

  1. They interpret substances differently.

Someone who is dealing with depression usually knows what it is they can take to ease their pain in a sense. They know that caffeine and sugar will raise their mood and that some medicines can help them. They actually have to put a lot of effort into feeling better, unlike most people. It is not as simple as taking a Tylenol when you have a headache.

  1. They often have a very involved perception of life and death.

People suffering from depression often face their own mortality in moments of despair and seek answers to life’s deepest questions. They tend to shift from one terrible mindset into another. Sure, not all depressed people deal with suicidal thoughts, but some do.

  1. They have strange eating habits.

People with depression may not be able to eat much or at all when they are at their worst. That being said some of them may eat more when at their worst. It varies from person to person.

  1. They have abnormal sleeping habits.

People with depression will often sleep for what seems like or may literally be days. Sleep at times can be impossible while other times could be the only thing left that the person can do. When a person is depressed they are dealing with a state of helplessness that will rock their world.

  1. They have abandonment issues usually.

If you have dealt with abandonment then you know how terrible it can be. When someone walks out of your life it can be a devastating, but this impacts those with depression much more than other people. It causes them to be more and more secretive about their feelings and creates a fear within them of being abandoned by their loved ones.

  1. They are professionals at coming up with ‘cover-up’ stories.

They are able to come up with believable elaborate excuses for the things they are going through. Like if they skip an appointment or don’t return your calls for days. They can easily change the subject when things like this come up and turn the attention away from their pain.

  1. They might have habitual remedies.

There are several different lifestyle changes a person can make as an attempt to ease their minds. For instance, these people may do things like exercise, listen to music, go walking, and so forth.

  1. They are aways making efforts to seem happy.

People suffering from depression learn to fake moods. They will often come off as happy and normal on the outside. When they let their inner struggles appear on the outside they feel as if they are bringing others down.

  1. They seek love and acceptance.

People with hidden depression are not hiding their depression because they want to be dishonest, they are just working to protect their hearts. These people want to be loved and accepted just like everyone else.

  1. They have trouble shutting off their brains.

These people process everything going on in their lives at a fast speed. They over analyze the good and the bad making everything impact them much deeper. Their brains are like sponges absorbing everything that comes their way.

  1. They hurt when other people hurt.

When other people are suffering it brings them down to their worst points. This sort of thing often triggers their emotional pain and can be crippling.

  1. They always think of the worst-case scenarios.

While this is very stressful it can be beneficial from time to time. A high intelligence seems to be linked with depression, and they are able to respond to anything that comes their way. This makes them good problem solvers for the most part.

If you or someone you care about is suffering from concealed depression either get help or offer a helping hand. Fighting this alone is not easy or productive. The world can be a wonderful place if you get the help you need nothing can stand in your way. You are not a burden to others and the people who love and care about you want to help you, let them.

 

If you, or someone you know need help, call LIFELINE: 13 11 14

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26 Facts About Human Psychology That Will Blow Your Mind

26 Facts About Human Psychology That Will Blow Your Mind

 

  1. Any friendship that was born in the period between 16 and 28 years of age is more likely to be robust and long lasting.
  2. Women generally prefer men with deep husky voices because they seem more confident and not aggressive.
  3. The people who give the best advice are usually the ones with the most problems.
  4. The smarter the person is, the faster he thinks, and the sloppier his handwriting is.
  5. Our emotions don’t affect the way we communicate. In fact, the very opposite is true: the way we communicate has an influence on our mood.
  6. The way a person treats restaurant staff reveals a lot about their character.
  7. People who have a strong sense of guilt are better at understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings.
  8. Men are not funnier than women: they just make more jokes, not caring whether other people like their humor or not.
  9. Shy people talk little about themselves, but they do this in a way that makes other people feel that they know them very well.
  10. Women have twice as many pain receptors on their bodies than men, but they have a much higher pain tolerance.
  11. Listening to high-frequency music makes you feel calm, relaxed, and happy.
  12. If you can’t stop your stream of thoughts at night, get up and write them down. This will set your mind at ease so you can sleep.
  13. Good morning and good night text messages activate the part of the brain responsible for happiness.
  14. Doing things that scare you will make you happier.
  15. The average amount of time a woman can keep a secret is 47 hours and 15 minutes.
  16. People who try to keep everyone happy often end up feeling the loneliest.
  17. The happier we are, the less sleep we require.
  18. When you hold the hand of a loved one, you feel pain less keenly and worry less.
  19. Intelligent people tend to have less friends than the average person. The smarter the person is, the more selective they become.
  20. Marrying your best friend eliminates the risk of divorce by over 70%, and this marriage is more likely to last a lifetime.
  21. Women who have mostly male friends stay in a good mood more often.
  22. People who speak two languages may unconsciously shift their personalities when they switch from one language to another.
  23. Being alone for a long time is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
  24. Travel boosts brain health and also decreases a person’s risk of heart attack and depression.
  25. People look more attractive when they speak about the things they are really interested in.
  26. When two persons talk to each other and one of them turns       their feet         slightly away or repeatedly moves one foot in an outward direction, this is a strong sign of disagreement, and they want to leave.
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Apps To Help With Mental Health- Finding One That Works

Online tools and apps like Snapshot and MyCompass are increasing access to online therapy and support, with the benefits of 24/7 availability and the possibility to access help anonymously.

The explosion of smartphone health apps has led to a huge number of apps for mental health and wellbeing – but how good are they?

To try to understand the quality of apps for mental health, we surveyed the range of publicly available apps for bipolar disorder and suicide prevention.

For bipolar disorder we started with 571 apps identified in searches of the app stores – although most of these apps weren’t actually related to the disorder or were not relevant for people managing their own condition. This left 82 apps, which we downloaded and fully explored.

The most common type of app was symptom and mood monitoring (43%), followed by apps containing information about the condition (38%). Unfortunately two-thirds of the mood monitoring apps used mood scales that weren’t specific to bipolar disorder; and information apps only covered 2 out of 13 evidence-based guidelines.

When we looked at apps for suicide prevention, 1271 apps were initially identified on the app stores – and we downloaded 123 for review. The apps contained a broad range of strategies, including information for the general public, psychotherapy for people at risk of suicide, and help for people following a suicide attempt.

Most apps encouraged users to reach out to friends and family when feeling distressed (55%), or supported making a suicide safety plan to help stay safe (29%).

These in-depth reviews of apps can give a useful snapshot of what apps are available at any given time, but the app stores are a fast-changing environment with apps being added and removed all the time.

When we looked at depression apps over a period of time, we found only 40% were still appeared in the search results after nine months – an app was removed on average every 3 days.

Given this rapid turn-over in apps, what’s a good way of finding a good mental health app?

  1. Don’t just look at app ratings – high star-ratings or numbers of downloads might indicate the popularity of an app, but this doesn’t equate to mental health quality.
  2. It sounds obvious – but look at who developed the app. Do they have experience and a good reputation in mental health?
  3. The humble privacy policy – it might not be glamourous, but it’s important to check that one exists. With health apps, it’s important to know how your data is protected.
  4. Look for evidence – try to determine if there is any evidence that the app is effective in achieving its goal. While few apps will be tested, the core principles should have an evidence base.

The use of apps and other digital technologies for mental health is rapidly developing, and offer the possibility of reaching many more people than ever before. To keep updated with our research developments in this area, visit our Digital Dog research page or follow us @blackdoginst.

This article was first published on 
HRzone.com.

If you are in crisis and need immediate support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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8 Behaviors Of People Who Are Silently Depressed

8 Behaviors Of People Who Are Silently Depressed

Depression is more than just being sad and gloomy. It’s a chronic overwhelming feeling, self-loathing, and a feeling of helplessness. Almost everyone feels depressed at some point of their life, but not everyone talks about it or seeks treatment. The fear of judgement and criticism force them to bury their true feelings deep down, pretending to be someone totally different on the outside. You may have a dear one who is doing just the same at the moment, and you have no idea about it. But how does one identify or read the signs? Here are some characteristics of people who are silently suffering from depression. Keep your eyes open for these.

1. Personalities That Seem Happy

A major sign of people who are depressed secretly is that they don’t reflect any signs of it. They appear to be extremely happy and content with their lives. They smile a lot, and laugh a lot. Looking at them, you you would never guess that deep down they hate themselves and are silently suffocating in self-loathing. You have to closely examine their defenses and desires to see what they fear. Check for quirks, or small triggers that causes them to reveal their true selves- it may be hard to do so, but not impossible.

 

2. Their Brains Are Tired From Overthinking

People who suffer silently from depression or anxiety cannot shut their brains down. They are constantly talking to themselves in their heads, unable to shush their minds. They might not remember the last time their mind was at peace. It is always one pointless debate after another. One endless argument after another. One fine day the brain will snap, tired of working continuously.

3. Their Greatest Fear Is Judgement

A major reason most depressed people don’t talk about what’s going on in their heads is because they hate being judged. Our society is to be blamed to a great extent for this fear as mental illness is still considered to be a taboo by majority of the people even today. They are scared of being linked to the prejudices and stigma linked to depression and other mental disorders. What they do not realize is that depression is an illness similar to any other illness in the world- there is nothing to be ashamed of.

4. They Want To Refrain From Hurting Others

It is natural for depressed people to snap at trivial things. When this happens, their empathy kicks in hard and they start seeing themselves as monsters who are capable of hurting everyone they love. So they try to hide it from their loved ones, without even realizing that doing so would cause everyone more pain and suffering.

5. They Hardly Trust Anyone

A common sign of depressed people is that though they will have tons of friends, they will trust only a handful. They might act like social butterflies, but deep inside, they feel lonely. Only few hold their confidence. In worst cases scenarios, not a single soul would hold their confidence, causing them to feel more and more lonely and sad.

6. They Are Hard To Read And Impossible To Get Close To

Another difficult trait seen in people suffering from depression is that they are awfully closed up. You may talk to them everyday, but you will hardly know anything about what is actually going on in their lives. They hardly reveal their innermost thoughts, and always stick to general topics when you talk to them. They always have a mask on, and you keep getting the feeling that there is so much more going on underneath all the layers they choose to hide behind.

7. They Are A Smart Lot

Being depressed and being silent about it makes them smart and strong. To endure pain in silence is not a simple thing. It makes a person mentally and emotionally strong and transforms them into something else. It takes a lot of mettle to suffer silently and act cheerful on the outside- not everyone can do it.

8. They Mess Up Things For Themselves

They struggle to be normal, but they can’t. They are genuine, they carry other’s woes, and they don’t seek attention. This makes their life a difficult one to live. This is how most depressed people behave. The last thing they want to do is trouble others, so they try to deal with things on their own, only to make matters worse. If only they knew it is completely okay to reach out for help!

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