The light at the end of the tunnel

World Suicide Prevention Day today

By Dr. D. Anirudh

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, carried an invisible weight that few could comprehend.

A nation torn by Civil War, a personal mission to unite his people and end slavery. These dreams felt impossibly distant. He was drowning in depression, the kind that makes every breath feel borrowed, every task insurmountable.

At his lowest point, Lincoln considered taking his own life. But something shifted. His friends stood by him. His family held him through the darkness. With their support, he chose to try one more time. He brought the abolition of slavery and the end of the Civil War. A man who once stood at the edge of despair became a beacon of hope, not because his pain vanished, but because he reached out, accepted help and moved forward, one step at a time.

Depression is a thief. It steals your energy, your joy, your sense of possibility. If you are struggling right now, the weight you feel is real. The hopelessness is profound. But it is also treatable and you are not alone.

Depression does not whisper. It arrives like a mountain of weight pressing down on your entire being. So crushing that you cannot see past it.

It seeps into every corner of your day. Your energy dissolves, leaving you unable to face even the simplest tasks. Activities that once brought joy become colourless and distant.

Sleep abandons you or consumes you, depending on the day. Your appetite shifts and becomes unpredictable. Work suffers. Relationships strain. The future, once full of possibility, becomes nothing but a dark tunnel with no end.

And in this darkness, a thought takes root: There is no way out.

You feel trapped in a cycle where every step forward drags you back twice as far. The guilt is overwhelming. The hopelessness feels permanent. This is depression’s cruellest lie — that it will always be this way.

But here is what depression does not want you to know: The way out is real and it begins with a single choice to reach out.

Seeking help is not weakness

Right now, people in your life care about you. Your parents. Your friends. The people you interact with daily. They are waiting for you to let them in. Seeking help is not weakness. It is the bravest thing you can do. It is an act of defiance against the lie that you must face this alone.

The first step is often the hardest. Confide in someone you trust: A parent, a friend, a teacher, anyone who makes you feel safe. Break the silence. Tell them what you are feeling. This single conversation can change everything, because it reminds you that you do not have to carry this burden alone.

Next, reach out to a mental health professional. A psychiatrist or therapist is trained in the language of depression and despair. They understand. They have helped countless people climb out of the exact darkness you are in right now.

Therapy and medication are not admissions of failure. They are tools, like crutches for a broken leg, designed to hold you up while you rebuild your strength.

No overnight recovery

Recovery does not happen overnight. It happens in small, almost invisible steps. One week, you find the strength to get out of bed. The next week, you take a walk. A week after that, you attend a class or meet a friend for tea.

Slowly, you begin to piece yourself back together. There will be setbacks. There will be days when the weight feels as heavy as ever. But with each small victory, you are proving to yourself that recovery is possible.

Life moves in cycles. What goes down eventually rises. The lows you experience now, as unbearable as they are, are not your final destination. They are part of the rhythm of being human. And here is what depression cannot tell you: These depths, these moments of complete despair, are often the foundation for your greatest resilience. The pain you feel today is gathering momentum for the strength you will find tomorrow.

Lincoln did not eliminate his depression. But he did not let it define his legacy. He moved forward, broken and hurting, and changed the world. You do not need to be healed to move forward. You just need to take the first step.

If you are in crisis right now, if thoughts of suicide are overwhelming you, please reach out immediately. Tell someone. Call a crisis helpline. Go to the casualty. Your life matters. Your presence in this world matters. There is help and it is waiting for you.

You are stronger than you know. You are more resilient than your mind will allow you to believe right now. Help is real, recovery is possible and you deserve both.

Hailing from Mysuru, the author is currently a Resident Doctor, pursuing an MD in Psychiatry at Bhaarath Medical College and Hospital, Chennai.