Theater and Anti-Depression Therapy

Theater-going may be an effective therapy in the fight against depression

Christine Leșcu, 19.12.2018, 13:07

While for many
of us winter celebrations are times of joy, for many others, they are a reason
to fall deeper into depression. A psychological disease that people have
suffered from since times immemorial, depression seems to have gained significant
ground in the modern times, probably because of the many challenges we are
faced with these days. The situation is rather serious, because, according to
the WHO, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting one
in every six people. In Romania, one million cases of depression were reported
in 2015 alone. As there are no other, more recent, statistics, we can only
imagine its incidence. Still, although for many years Romanians were reluctant
to talk openly about depression and to seek treatment, the situation seems to
have changed lately, according to psychologist Flori-Ana Buzila:

There
is still reluctance in relation to this matter, but, at the same time, I have
noticed that the psychologist has started to be more accepted as a social
figure. People seem to be more open
towards psychiatrists, but even in such cases there is a lack of understanding,
because many believe that only crazy individuals should resort to a psychiatrist.
But it may happen that our brain gets into a state of unbalance that upsets our
normal functioning, and proper medication may be the only way to come back to
normal. Otherwise, we may just carry on our shoulders a disease that is
perfectly curable, but which will get worse unless treated, affecting the
quality of our life too.

Depression is characterized
by symptoms that are common to other diseases as well, such as sadness,
therefore a physician’s diagnosis is of utmost importance. Still, it often happens
that the very people who are affected by depression are not aware of what is
happening to them. They just feel tired and unable to focus for a long period
of time, and may also experience sleep disorders and loss of appetite. Here is
Flori-Ana Buzila again:

These
symptoms may not disappear for more than two months. When reaching this point,
we need to be responsible and ask for an assessment, for our own benefit, to
see if depression is the cause, or to intervene and help a person dear to us
who may experience such problems. Other symptoms include lack of
concentration and inability to make
decisions that were easy to make before. Feelings of worthlessness,
self-disparagement and guilt (I feel guilty for everything) may expand to contemplation
of death and suicide, as a solution to escape this painful state. And this is
where specialized intervention is needed, because it is quite clear that the
person experiencing such feelings cannot help themselves.

In order to help
those affected by depression understand what is happening to them, and
especially for the healthy ones to empathize with those who suffer, theatre can be of help. Inspired from the
experiment known as ‘Schrodinger’s Cat’, conducted by the physicist Erwin
Schrodinger to demonstrate the paradoxes of quantum mechanics, Alexa Bacanu
wrote a play, with the same title, staged at Unteatru by Alexandru Berceanu. A
cat is put into a box, together with a closed poison vial. If there is
radiation in the box, the vial gets
broken and releases the poison that will kill the cat. According to quantum
mechanics, if the box is sealed, until it is opened, the cat is both dead and
alive. Here is Alexa Bacanu about the paradox of her own text:

I have
used Schrodinger’s anecdote as a metaphor: when you’re affected by depression
or anxiety you are both alive and dead. We’ve tried to do something to bring this
topic into the spotlight. It has also been sort of therapeutic for the artists
involved in the project to get to understand these problems better.

In Romania,
mental health problems are overlooked more than in other countries, says Alexa
Bacanu. This reality has also been highlighted during the meetings of the focus
groups used in the documentation stage. A theatre play can bring into the
spotlight not only a topic that has been neglected, but also the sufferance
that people around you or even yourself may experience, without being able to understand
it very well. That is why, Schrodinger’s cat is an invitation to empathy.
Alexa Bacanu explains:

Sometimes, healthy people have the tendency to minimize other people’s suffering,
if it’s not obvious. Depression and anxiety are not obvious. They can have
physical symptoms, but not necessarily in every case. The play is, indeed, an
appeal to empathy. We hope it works. Also, it is important for the people fighting
depression to understand that they are not alone and that it’s not the end of
the world, although it may seem like it. Truth is, the situation can be
improved provided that people experiencing it ask for help.

The idea that
theatre can be of help has proven to be correct, as Alexa Bacanu told us:

I was
happy to see the play stirs laughter among the audience. We did not want to
make spectators feel depressive, even though we talk about depression. We
wanted the performance to be funny too. A number of people in the audience told
me at the end of the play that they had lived some of the experiences
presented. People think they are the only ones to experience certain things and
they are ashamed to discuss them or to ask for help. So it’s been a relief for
many spectators to see that other people are going through the same thing and
to understand that this condition can be cured.

Of course,
theatre cannot replace treatment, but it can help us understand ourselves
better, psychologist Flori-Ana Buzila says:

Speaking strictly about theatre, its contribution to depression-related
problems consist in raising awareness about it. If I see a play in which the
characters behave or say things that are very familiar to me, if I know that
certain characters suffer from depression or have symptoms of depression, then
I understand I’ve been going through the same thing for quite some time. For
this reason, theatre as an instrument of raising awareness about this problem
has its role, but it does not treat the disease. So I must act responsibly and
find the best treatment for myself.