Harassment and depression

For people, who don't take care of the problems connected with harassment, the interdependence of depression and harassment may seem strange. It seems obvious, that harassment may cause indignation, irritation, the sense of humility, etc. All these types of reaction are immediate and don't last long. As for depression, this feeling is prolonged and must have deep reasons. These reasons may be physiological (poor health, diseases, etc) and psychological (nervous shock, breakdowns, etc.). If we consider harassment and its consequences, it seems to us that it can't cause a prolonged negative experience, strong shock and so on. It is rather a superficial view.

Harassment can be the cause of depression for women with different types of character. No matter how strong willed they are. Try to imagine yourself in this situation.

When your boss or colleague makes you dirty hints or indecent proposals, it means that he doesn't respect your personality. By means of these hints he gives you understand that he is not interested in your efficiency, job performance, etc. He regards you only as a sexual object. Regarding you as a sexual object is not bad itself. There are different ways to demonstrate interest in you. It may be done in a refined way and rudely. The first way is even likely to raise your self-esteem and self-respect. The second will humiliate you and make you feel upset. People who prefer to choose the second variant are usually indifferent to feelings and the personality of their victims. They are extreme egoists and think only about their down-to-earth wishes and desires. They don't bother themselves with concerns whether you feel humiliated after their vulgar hints and remarks. In such situation many women lose heart. They don't know what to think of themselves. Because, if nobody is interested in their inner world, efficiency and merits but regard them only as sexual objects, they begin to doubt in their common level of development, their abilities for self-actualization. Gradually they lose self-confidence and self-respect and plunge into depression. This depression can sometimes last for rather a long time and even changing of a job may fail to improve the situation.

Even when a woman changes job, she goes on thinking of this terrible experience. In general it is very easy to deprive a person of self-confidence, but it is very hard to restore it. No matter how strong willed you are, you are exposed to the influence of the surrounding atmosphere. For example, even if you think that you are very clever, but everybody thinks that you are stupid, you are likely to think so too after a certain period of time.