Dealing with Post-Avatar Depression

Depressed after seeing a movie? You bet. Post-Avatar depression or PAD has become a phenomenon according to a report I watched on CNN. Director James Cameron's technologically ground breaking 3-D movie with CGI effects so successfully transports viewers to the world of Pandora that some, upon taking off the 3-D glasses and returning to the real world after their 2 1/2 hour trip to Pandora, find Earth gray, lifeless, and well, depressing. It's a shame because Cameron wanted his movie to move people to discover the beauty we have within ourselves and around us.

It's easy to dismiss those suffering from post-Avatar depression as pathetic, obsessed weirdos, especially with fan site posts that read, ". . . the sick realization that Pandora isn't real- and trying anything to just escape this reality and live there instead, even trying to put myself into a coma so my dream world would be Pandora." (1)

15 years and $200+ million in the making, Avatar has grossed over $1 billion worldwide and doesn't appear to be slowing. One fan posted that after seeing Avatar, life had lost its meaning. One Avatar fan forum has over 1,000 posts on how to deal with post-Avatar depression.

So are these people nuts? Perhaps. Nevertheless, depression is real and depression after seeing a movie is not uncommon. After seeing a romantic movie, for example, some people become moderately depressed for a short time if they do not have a romantic relationship as depicted in the movie.

However, post-Avatar depression runs deeper and lasts longer. James Cameron's world of Pandora inhabited by the blue Na'vi is stunning with its mix of dinosaur-like creatures and exotic plants. The Na'vi "have developed a sophisticated culture based on a profound spiritual connection to other life on their moon, each other, and an encompassing "spirit" they call Eywa." (2) Compared to Earth, Pandora can seem like a paradise where one can achieve Nirvana. Of course, Earth offers its own version of paradise - it's called Bora Bora. But changing geography is not a solution because wherever you go, you take you with you. What these depressed folks don't seem to realize is that Nirvana is an inside job. The Buddha described Nirvana as "the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger and other afflictive states. The subject is at peace with the world, has compassion for all, and gives up obsessions and fixations." (3) Sure, Pandora is gorgeous and I might like to tame a dragon-like creature and fly around on its back too. However, that's never going to happen. What can be achieved right here on Earth is the spiritual connection of the Na'vi. Native Americans have been doing it for centuries.

Suggestions for Battling Post-Avatar Depression

It seems that those most at risk for post-Avatar depression are those who are lonely and do not have much going on in their life, especially with the economic downturn. Instead of dealing with a problem, they want to escape and after seeing Avatar, they focus on a fantasy they can never attain. Such focus is doomed to failure. If they, instead, turn their attention to a fantasy that can be achieved here on Earth, the depression can lift. The necessary focus change can begin with a list - describe the perfect job, the best mate, your own "bucket list." Simple changes can do a lot - adding moderate exercise has long been attributed to reducing depression. Rearranging furniture, getting a haircut, adopting a pet so the focus is on the needs of something other than self all tend to lift depression as well. Volunteer work will solve several problems. Volunteering gets one out of the house, around other people (decreasing loneliness), focused on others instead of self, grateful that the person is likely in better shape than the people aided by the volunteer organization, and feeling better because the person is helping others (self-esteem boost).

Dr. Stephan Quentzel, psychiatrist and Medical Director for the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, asserts that "creating relationships with others is one of the keys to human happiness, and that even if those connections are occurring online they are better than nothing." (4) Thus, many of the post-Avatar depression afflicted are coming together on online forums (Avatar Forums) and Avatar fan sites such as Naviblue. Within the Avatar fan community, suggestions offered to battle post-Avatar depression include "playing "Avatar" video games or downloading the movie soundtrack, in addition to encouraging members to relate to other people outside the virtual realm and to seek out positive and constructive activities." (5)

Sources:

(1) http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2010/01/avatar-forums-are-hilariously-pathetic

(2) http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Na%27vi

(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana

(4), (5) http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html