Oral ulcers: causes and treatment

ORAL ulcers are small, painful, round to oval sores inside the mouth.

- R C J JOHN

He knew she was going through a phase of depression. He lost interest in everything he once enjoyed.

She felt like weeping over even minor frustrations. She lacked the energy to do anything. The work she previously loved was becoming a burden.

Friends wondered why she had been avoiding socializing and lighter moments for nearly a month. Everyone was shocked when she died by suicide.

As with every suicide, wild speculations about the reasons were aired. The focus was on work stress and deadline pressures. Nobody cared to talk about her depression. Had it been identified and given scientific attention, she might have been alive today.

I am reminded of an extraordinary case when a one-year-old was referred from a pediatric unit for evaluation. He was continuously crying and refusing feeds. He was sleepless at night.

The infant had recently been adopted by a childless couple. Abandoned by an unwed mother, he had been reared in an orphanage. He rejected the love of the adoptive parents.

The authorities at the orphanage reported that the child had been cheerful and pleasant under the care of a particular caretaker. When this lady walked in, the child immediately stopped crying and showed signs of emotional connection.

The child was going through anaclitic depression due to the sudden loss of his mother figure.