Which Classic Asian Drama Character Are You?
POST-SERIES DEPRESSION
Ever since I read my first Harry Potter book at the age of nine, I have considered it to be a part of my life. Harry Potter still is, after all those years, like a home to me – a world where I’m always welcomed back. About five years ago, when the final book and movie were released, I remember feeling extremely down. The story was now over and there was nothing to wait for. Harry, Ron and Hermione had finally grown up and said their last farewells. But I was still here, I was cruelly left behind.
In a smaller scale, I usually encounter very similar feelings after finishing a drama. I can feel a bit down, even empty or depressed sometimes. My own life seems dull compared to the fictional one. I notice myself coming back to the drama even days or weeks after I have completed it. As I scrolled through some desperate Yahoo posts and forum discussions, I found this to be a surprisingly common problem to many drama fans. Why do we encounter such feelings after finishing something that’s only fictional - something that’s supposed to bring us joy more than sorrow? In this article I’ll share some general information as well as my own and others’ thoughts of what can be the causes of so called post-series depression (here also referred to as “PSD”) and how we can deal with it.
WHAT IS A POST-SERIES DEPRESSION?
The widely-accepted but non-clinical term for feeling down after finishing a series is called a post-series depression. Even though the name suggests that it’s a depression, we should remember that the medical depression is something completely different and should not be confused with PSD. As post-series depression can be described as more of a mood than anything else, whereas a clinical depression is a mental disorder, diagnosed when either the depressed mood or the loss of interest lasts two weeks or longer and causes significant distress or impairment in every day functioning, according to DSM-5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association). Milder, passing feelings of depression are instead natural for humans, as are the feelings of happiness, sadness or any other emotion. Even though it can be considered a natural phenomenon, the depressive mood can be at times very exhausting and hard to deal with. These feelings can actually be so powerful that they might disturb everyday life. In spite of the seriousness of these symptoms, PSD still hasn’t been studied much – judging by the limited amount of information that I could actually find about the subject. The only thing we actually know for certain is that it’s surprisingly common.
CAUSES
As I scrolled through the forums and discussion threads, many of those suffering from PSD were suffering from varying negative feelings ranging from emptiness all the way to sadness and distress. It seemed that the better the drama was rated by the viewer, the more negative thoughts and feelings it triggered after the drama was finished. Why do dramas affect us in such way?
Is it because of the reason why watch dramas or rather the way we watch them?
The many causes of PSD may actually lay in the very causes we watch dramas in the first place. Sometimes our lives are so hectic, problematic or unsatisfying, that we rely on dramas to offer the comfort and satisfaction that our lives are currently lacking. We need a break from the reality for a moment – and dramas, with memorable characters and emotional plots, can certainly offer that. Dramas can give us hope, they can calm us and make us feel better in general. But at the same time, when we eventually finish the drama and return to the real life, the bubble breaks and we become even more depressed than before, realizing how different our life actually is from the fictional ones. It’s like waking up from a very good dream. To dream about something that we haven’t got or something we are not is very human. And that’s what books, series, and dramas offer us – ready made dreams for us to delve into.
There can also be something in the way we do things. Many of us watch dramas intensively episode after episode which can cause the drama to fill up our minds, leaving little room for anything else. When we then suddenly put an end to this intensive marathon, after we have given all of our energy and soul to it, it’s quite understandable that we might feel a bit empty inside. Preparing for a big event, reading for an exam or renovating a house, for example, are reported to be such life events that can cause depressive mood after they’ve been finished. It might be the very same process that triggers the depressive feelings after one has finished a drama.
Being emotionally involved in the dramas
It’s also noted that people experience distress when they watch series or movies mainly for companionship. When we watch dramas we, in a way, live through the characters: we share their most intimate moments and deepest thoughts, we become part of their lives, experiences and relationships. The feeling of belonging and acceptance is something I often encounter when watching a drama. Unlike people in the real world the characters in the drama can’t judge me. They let me be who I am, and that’s very comforting. When the drama inevitably comes to an end, the characters literally vanish out of your reach. You can comfort yourself with the idea of the happily ever after but even if the characters get what they want, you are cruelly left alone. And it surely can make anyone feel extremely sad.
But why do we care so much of those who don’t actually exist in real life? They are, after all, only fictional characters, who don’t and physically aren’t able to know that we exist and consider us their friends.
Humans are considered as social animals. We have very complex social systems, just like apes, dolphins and elephants, to name a few. We have an essential need for others and that’s why isolation and rejection can have very negative effects on us. A social surrogacy hypothesis suggests that we are prone to seek the sense of social belonging from technology when we can’t find it in real life. TV-series can be one source among the many. Through dramas we create faux relationships with the characters by becoming personally invested in their lives, like we would do with friends in real life to ease our longing for relationships with other people. Even though the name “faux relationship” can sound negative to many, watching series and forming these kinds of relationships have actually shown to be effective in fighting against the feelings of depression and loneliness. It has also proved to protect us against the negative psychological effects that are caused by the lack of meaningful relationships in the real life. It is then very understandable that we become depressed after finishing a drama that we are emotionally very involved in. Even though those relationships are fake they can feel very real to us.
Not only can we create relationships with the characters, but as humans we are also able to relate to the characters. Just seeing another person exhibiting emotions, such as pain or delight, can make us feel the same way. This can be explained by mirror neurons that have been found in several animals’ brains and are also believed to be found in the human brain as well. They mirror the behavior of the other animal or human and activate the part of the brain which would be activated if the animal behaved the same way or felt the same way. The benefit of the mirror neurons are explained by evolutionary psychologists as a way of learning. A person who sees someone get sick from a specific food, for example, won’t try it themselves and thus won’t get sick. This can explain why we are able to feel so strongly what the characters in the dramas are going through.
I also think that while watching dramas, we become part of the characters, more or less. We want to be with them because we feel that when they are with us, we are accepted by ourselves. We are a bit stronger, a bit better. We can observe others and even feel what they are feeling, as described just now, but it’s different from a phenomenon called “experience-taking”. In experience-taking one is so immersed in the story that they lose their identity for a moment and they feel the emotions and thoughts of the characters as if they were their own. The phenomenon seems to be so powerful that it can actually have a real impact on our lives, at least on a short term. So, maybe if we relate to the characters that go through the same hardships as we do, it can actually help us go through our own problems in real life. It is noted though that the experience-taking happens only if we really relate to the characters, that is, they have to be quite similar to us. We have to also be able to put ourselves aside and immerse in the story completely.
Being able to feel what the characters feel in the dramas and being able to lose one’s identity for a moment are certainly things that can cause a huge emotional rollercoaster. It’s surely very understandable that we feel exhausted and depressed when everything is over. Everything, that we are very emotionally attached to, can cause us a huge amount of pain when we lose it.
Withdrawal symptoms?
In some cases the reason for the depressive mood after completing the series can be the addiction to dramas. Although addiction to TV series hasn’t been recognized as a real psychological disorder (yet), it is recognized as a wide problem. Just like addiction to drugs or gambling, addiction to TV series can cause real withdrawal symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. Addiction is characterized by spending a lot of time with the activity, and having thoughts of reducing the time spent with the activity but being unsuccessful. The addiction also disturbs the social life and causes withdrawal symptoms.
I mentioned Harry Potter in the beginning of the article as a series that caused me some PSD symptoms. Let’s take it as an example again here. I found an interview about addictions with psychology professor Jeffrey Rudski who has been studying addiction to Harry Potter. He found out that among some fans the addiction interfered with the appetite and sleep patterns and caused irritability after the series was completed. He says that any addiction is no different from the another, such as Harry Potter addiction here, or maybe even a drama addiction for us drama enthusiasts. The interesting part of the study is the finding that not all the addicted experienced the negative symptoms of the addiction. Those who were most creative with the fandom, such as writing fan fiction or doing fan art, experienced the least amount of withdrawal symptoms, although they remained addicted.
These findings tell us that the addiction may be one of the main reasons for PSD. It seems though that even the negative consequences of the addiction, such as withdrawal symptoms, can be avoided.
There’s certainly a lot going on behind the post-series depression. Next we are going to find out if there’s anything we can do about it.
IS IT PROBLEMATIC TO ENCOUNTER SYMPTOMS RELATED TO PSD?
Well, certainly it doesn’t feel nice. I am not someone whose words should be taken as set in stone, but I think that as long as the depressive mood is controllable, isn’t overly distressing, or doesn’t create problems (such as disturbing sleep or concentration), one shouldn’t be too worried. If you think that it causes you impairment in your everyday life and is clearly causing you distressing emotions or thoughts that are hard to handle, you should always seek help. (If seeking help feels hard, it’s always good to talk about your feelings with someone who you trust.) Passing, mild depressive thoughts and feelings are natural, though not something to be understated by yourself or others.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT PSD?
For those who might need a helping hand with their PSD, I have listed some of my ideas below. Of course I realize that not every PSD is cured by simple tricks that are suggested in a random article. And while some advice would suit, say you and me, they might not be suitable for someone else. But if there’s even one person who finds these ideas helpful or they help them to create their own solutions, it makes me extremely happy! Feel free to share your own ideas of coping with the PSD in the comment section below. Remember, as I said just now, if the feelings of depression become uncontrollable and disturb your everyday life, you should always seek help. I also want to remind you that I’m not a professional so, as said before, my words should not be taken as the one and only answer. You should always try to find the coping mechanisms that work best for you – we are all individuals after all.
1. Watch bloopers: Some series provide behind the scenes material, such as bloopers, which are (often very funny) deleted scenes of the movie or the series. These might ease your longing for the drama and its characters but at the same time, break the “illusion” of the story and bring you softly back to the real life.
2. Distract yourself: When feeling depressed, it’s advised to, if one is just able to, to do something to distract you from the depressive feelings. The mind is an extremely powerful tool and your thoughts can easily make the situation seem worse than it actually is and, at the same time, make you feel even more depressed. It’s a good thing to try and force yourself not to think too much about your depressive feelings and thoughts while they last.
3. Find other coping mechanisms or interests: If the dramas cause you depressive feelings that are too much to handle, you can try to find some other ways to make you feel happy. Our hobbies shouldn’t make us feel sad, right? You don’t have to abandon the dramas totally, just reducing the watching time a little bit or taking a break from them for a while, can do the trick. If the underlying reason for the PSD is your own life or your feelings, maybe finding other coping mechanisms can also be worth trying. Sometimes you need a break from your own life and watching dramas, or anything that makes you happy is more than acceptable. But delving too much into something and forgetting to live can cause depressive feelings as well.
4. Change your way of thinking about your life: If you often feel dissatisfied with your life and yourself when you compare them to dramas, try to break away from the “life is so much better in dramas” thinking pattern. Consider the following: is the drama world really as perfect as you think? Is your own world really as bad as you think? Actually, if you think about it, it’s quite a relief to be living in the real life and not in the dramas. Most dramas have, as the name already suggests, drama. I’m sure everyone has some problems, even quite serious ones, but so have the characters in the dramas. In reality, some scenarios that are considered romantic or wonderful in dramas might not be that in the real life. Which leads us to another fact to consider: the people in the dramas are not real. They are only characters and the actors behind them are just like you – they can also be insecure about themselves. You are enough the way you are. Real human beings are much deeper – and much more beautiful than any fictional character has ever been.
5. Finding the good sides: Another thing to consider: concentrate on what positive things the drama gave you and not on what you've lost when you finished the drama. Everything comes to an end, but it doesn’t mean that nothing good can happen in the future.
6. Treat the addiction: Acknowledging the problem is the first step. You should also find the reason for why you are addicted – what are the underlying reasons for you to seek consolation from such things as dramas. Addiction can be a coping mechanism for something that causes you distress. That’s why you shouldn’t give up the coping mechanisms completely but try to find some new ones to replace the coping mechanism that makes you addicted at the moment. There is lots of information on how to overcome an addiction all over the Internet and also probably a lot of self-help books in case you are interested in trying this approach to the problem. Remember though that drama addiction doesn’t necessarily have to be “a bad addiction” if it doesn’t clearly disturb your everyday life. Compared to drug abuse, for example, drama addiction can offer you many good things such as a community and new friends.
7. Create: Write fanfiction or draw your favorite characters. You can also read fanfictions, search for fan made pictures and drawings and listen to the soundtrack.
8. Find peer-support: There’s nothing greater than being able to discuss with a person who knows exactly what you are going through. Mydramalist is a great source for finding others in the same situation as you.
9. Being here and now: For actual clinical depression, a relaxation method called “mindfulness” has showed some actual evidence for treating the disorder. It might also be helpful here. If you are interested, check it out on the Internet or find a book to read – it’s quite a trendy thing now so there should be lots of material available. You can very well do it home, with friends or alone and it takes only a couple of minutes a day.
Remember as well that PSD, when it is just PSD and not a clinical depression, is only a mood, suggesting that the feelings will eventually pass, so you can also comfort yourself with that idea in mind.
In the end, I think that it’s a great thing to have something that can offer us consolation and companionship in the time when we need it the most. Dramas are a great way to relax and cheer you up. Just as long as they don’t cause overly negative side effects, I think it’s a great hobby to have! Anything that makes you happy in your life is something to be valued, in my opinion. And, it’s a beautiful thing to be a human – being able to feel for those who aren’t even real. I think that that is a beautiful gift! ^^
So the good news: the emptiness will pass. At least when starting a new drama.
(This is Regine! I hope that you liked my article and that it didn’t make anyone feel even more depressed. >.< I have many other article ideas in mind so let’s see if I'll ever have enough time and energy to finish them! :D Thank you for everyone who reads this article – it means a lot to me. ^^
And thank you for my sister and my friend who helped me to write this article. I love you!)
