I was having a conversation yesterday and wondered what more people thought.

Do you think if you are depressed (not like a little bummed out but persistant, sometimes suicidal depressed) that you can cheer yourself up without help or medication? Some people have deaths of friends and can function great but some people are chronically depressed. Are the depressed just lazy or pathetic then?

clinical depression? or just everyday depression? theres catergories of depression thats really serious and say subject should seek treatment... such as bipolor, post-trauma, ... but theres also that kind of depression where they just some motivation and a fire lit under their ass...

i think most americans are the ladder... stop getting fat and do something about. yaddamean? most of the times when my friends come to me with somethign thats hard in their lives... i show emphathy but i also tell them that ifs its easy, eeveryone would also do it. so if its hard, its probably worth doing.

Depends.

I've been depressed since high school, but it has been a developing depression where past problems just get repressed right under the newer problems, thus the main focus is on the new problem, but I'd be depressed either way. It's hard to explain. For me, it's repressed depression and depression due to social ineptness and somewhat of a misanthropic cynical view of everything. I don't even look to some kind of a treatment for it. I just learn to accept it 'cause nothing would change in my life anyway. I'd rather not even tell anyone I know about it either, since it doesn't matter in the end. So, if I was going to commit suicide, I'd probably most likely do it without leaving behind a note.

yeah.

ive been depressed since like uhm..
i was 12. treatment doesn't really work.
pills don't work. well..it depends what kind.
perhaps its all the drug abuse also. >_<
so i just try to keep myself busy.
do my daily things. n try not to cry out of the blue
n get into fights.

i think that your question is only trying to define the far left and the far right. everybody deals with things differently. if you're talking about a person getting depressed over some event then the healing process will be different for all people. just think about what cultural, gender, social, biological, environmental etc roles play in how a person may deal with things


also, it almost seems like you think that in order to be depressed a person needs to have something happen to them; like, they need something to get over. thats not true. although this may be a common way of people either thinking that they're depressed or actually being depressed, many people get depressed just because.

I re-read my post and I see that I wasn't clear. I meant that some people are depressed (the clinical variety) and can't get over it, as you said "just because" but then other people (not clinically depressed) can function well even while greiving.

In the conversation we were talking about someone we know that has always been depressed; they had their first suicide attempt at 7 years old. The person I was talking to about the person said that they had just had a friend die and a grandparent fall ill so the depressed person needed to just get over it and stop being down all the time.

i still dont get what you mean. are you talking about like emo kids who have nothing better to do so they act depressed? or find every little reason to be depressed? you know, those people who never met their mom's uncle's son's daughter's grandfather, but when they hear of that person's death, they like attention so they act like they cared about that person.

someone who is just always down, cries and doesn't know why, weight fluctuates a lot, very touchy/sensitive, loner, past suicide attempts (also i think was molested as a child, raped as a teen, one physically abusive parent, one alcoholic parent), pushes people away type.

^you think? do you have a vague memory or is this something that was 'repressed' and then recalled?

it seems that the family environment would be enough to explain much of the other symptoms--are you currently living at home?

i think some people can. the problem is most don't want to.

i'm not talking about myself.

i say "i think" because this info was from another friend.

ah ok



No.

Depression that is organic in its source seems to be out of one's control, so any sort of moral approbation doesn't apply. Depression (or the feeling of sadness) that is a reaction to some event is not completely under one's control, and it's best not to make form such a preconception of people who are feeling sad.

Hello people.

Well, being depressed, a professional will tell you to go to a clinic.

And as a professional psychologist, go seek treatment. If it doesn't work in the long run, you would have to change your daily habits in order to help you get rid of your depression.

New users should read the rules and introduce themselves in the pinned thread.

Hey,

I think you're thinking about clinical depression.. so not just " oh, I feel so depressed right now. "

When I was in high school I have no idea about depression whatsoever, but my sister got it. I didn't understand back then and thought she just overreacting, being lazy, pathetic and all of those things. But then, I fell into depression last year and I finally understood how she felt and I felt really really bad for minimizing her problems at that time.

Both of us were okay right now, and thank God for that. I am a Christian, so I guess my faith really helps me in handling my depression. But it was really awful at the same time, because sometimes I got that feeling that people around me wanted me to be stronger and just get it over with. So I pretty much tasted my own medicine..

Anyways, I would say if you are clinically depressed, then seek help.It doesn't necessarily have to be psychiatrist or psychologist... it can also be counselors or any other form of support group. Based on your story about your friends, I would guess that the cause of her depression were probably what happened to her in the past. So I would think counselling would REALLY REALLY help... ( my cause of depression was some family problems that I've been dealing with for the longest time..)

I think people who are depressed will always have the tendency to be depressed. Just remind your friend that our mind is the battleground. It all started from your mind. Sometimes when I feel really tired physically, i started thinking depressing thoughts like how useless I am, how life sucks and things like that.. but I shake it off, and telling myself that it's not true! Because I know if I keep mulling over those thoughts, then soon I will fall into depression again.. so you have to battle against your own mind...

Depression is not something that can be battled by the person who's depressed him/herself. If you are a friend with this person, then support him/her in any way you could. Most importantly, if s/he's a loner, push him/her to get out and have some fun.. it's so important!

Soo.. ahhaha.. i know it's a long post, hopefully this help. PM me if you wanna talk more about it =D

-G

How can you tell whether you're depressed enough to go and seek professional help? Where do you draw the line?

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know anything about that.

actually yes. scary to say i suffered from depression in the past. i never came home all i did wuz run till i couldnt run ne more because i hated being depressed but i realized i had to snap out of it and just started thinking positive and it got me out. it wuz hard but if u just think positive about life it really helps

Here's my comment.

Y'all need Jebus.

I was never diagnosed. Everyone has their bad days, bad weeks, bad months... phases. When I get in mine, I try to tell myself that I should be thankful for everything I have. There are people over in Iraq getting bombed, people in China starving, people with disabilities, diseases, etc. etc. I am better off than they are and look at how happy they are! Look how they can manage to get up everymorning, brush their teeth, do what they have to do.

I watch Rocky (the latest one) where he tells his son what life is about. That's a great speech. Also, listen to the Any Given Sunday speech with Al Pacino, thats motivating.


If you aren't happy with your life change it, afterall, it IS YOUR LIFE. Dont just sit there sulk, blame (yourself or anyone else), be proactive, exercise (it helps), go outside and get some sun. Thats my 2 cents.

I feel better when I'm around people that listen to me or share common similarities as me. Unfortunately, people like that are rare to find.

Ah, that's my depression! Sometimes it's really bad suicidal depression but at least I always could over it.

I could feel better if I could start to singing then dancing, but the problem is I don't like to listen any up-beat songs when I feel depressed, the depressed will be more and more because I like to listen sad songs on that situation.

I always try to get over it by myself, probably it will be much easier if I have a shoulder to lean on....


SG Hwaiting!
xxx

Who knows. Depression has become one of those things that gets thrown around ubiquitously - like the word ubiquitous. Who can gauge whether or not you're truly "clinically" depressed?, whatever that means. It's not like you go to the doctor and they scan your brain and tell you you're depressed. They ask you questions and observe your behavior, which really isn't reliable.

I'm not saying clinical depression absolutely doesn't exist, but I think society's getting a little carried away with this "oh you must be depressed, take some pills or go see a psychiatrist" thing. People just need to feel sad if they feel sad, even if they're sad for a month, without worrying about the threat of them being depressed and it being a bad thing. There are some exceptions but depression shouldn't be as debilitating as people make it sound. People "magically" learn to cope with depression all the time and are able to live normal lives.

I'll relate with a story of my own. All throughout high school, I thought I was depressed. Most days I just wanted to never get up and I thought all kinds of comforting "I wish life would just end" thoughts for hours and hours. Nothing was fun for me, everything just sucked and I hated everything about everything. I wasn't able to function, and my life was quickly going downhill.

Then, over the course of several months after I graduated high school, I got tired of feeling this way. More precisely, I got tired of other people feeling this way (I lived with depressed people). So I started trying to change - it was scary and difficult at first - I mean, that depression bubble is just soooo comfortable once you're in it. I realized that I wasn't going to let some stupid emotion (something I should be able to more or less control, since it was part of me) take over my life. I made adjustments. I learned to find happiness in certain things, and force it when it wouldn't come. I made myself want more out of life.

So yes, for the most part, I think people can get over depression, or at least learn to deal with it. People grow, people learn. We humans didn't survive in this unforgiving world for thousands of years because we were depressed and we didn't want to live anymore. Humans ALWAYS want more - we always hope, we always live.

I guess the only difference is...we have a few too many ways to hide from it, and a few too many ways to kill ourselves nowadays.

There was a thread in this real world section of similar nature that really changed my perspective on the ideas of depression.
Some of the posts I saw completely trivialized my concept of depression so I would definitely agree with the concept of different types of depression. Im just glad that I just sometimes have my down mental states... the ones where you should stay away while I scream for attention. I guess the important difference is what we consider the cause the source of our problems. That totally didn't make much sense but I can't say im in one of my good mental states.

i completely agree with you there. i've always believed that society treats sadness as something that should be rejected and reviled. that should not be the case. i personally don't think it's normal to be so happy all the time-- it's unnatural. almost everyone has difficult moments in their lives, and sometimes they may experience depression and emptiness, but i see these things as a part of life that all people go through and being sad is a natural, genuine sentiment. we shouldn't try to suppress it so badly but rather believe that things will resolve with time. if people experience acute depression (leading to suicidal thoughts)that doesn't resolve eventually, then this is a good indication that they need to make significant changes in their lives, not to resort to pills.

New users should read the rules and introduce themselves in the pinned thread.

I have major depression and i've had it since I was a kid. I don't take medication for it because I choose not to and I've been told by the doctor, that my choice isn't a wise one. I think that any kind of depression you have it can make you not want to do anything, but then each person is different. Some can get motivated just by something someone says to them others it takes alot more to motivate that person and even still they really don't want to do anything.

how about if youre moods are normal but when something bad goes down all hell breaks loose(emotionally)?

Well... depending on how much sh** you had bottled up for the last few months can depend on how big the episode is. If you exercise regularly, eat healthy and live a healthy life style... stress levels can be controled. Buy a punching bag, go running/hiking, shopping (I dont advocate this one, because can lead to more stress later due to financial issues), etc. etc. Find a way to channel that stress out and the next breakdown won't be as bad.

For me.. it was God...

I was not diagnosed btw.

I mean, friends can do so much.. I didn't take medication but yeah - after a point in time I realized to just move on with life with a positive outlook.

for a long time i've wondered if i was depressed or if i just have a very particular personality.
there are many times when i feel like "what's the point?", and that no matter how hard i try nothings going to improve for me.
there will always be people who are better looking, richer...people that don't care about the feelings of others, etc.

but i can't just give up and lie there because my family depends on me to help them (emotionally and financially).

so, i just do what i can.

if you're only focused on yourself and not others, then i can see how it can linger.
why quit? i don't want to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing me down.

Finally a similar story. No one ever understood, and I've been really frustrated, and then nonchalant, and I've finally given up the thought of anyone really understanding.

I have really strange problems, and I don't really think the psychologists and counsellors that I've been seeing really understand/want to help me. Every day, I beat myself up mentally about stuff that I do wrong, and then I can never face those problems. WHenever I get close to thinking about them, I go into mental arrest and run away from them. Finally, when a new problem comes, it blankets the old ones, and I feel relief and pain at the same time..relief of the old problem, new problem entering.

I did really badly this semester in school, and I got severely depressed about marks. I used to be a "tough kid" who never shed a tear while all my friends who crying their eyes out for Pearl Harbor, etc. but I ended up crying myself to sleep and when listening to a sad song/MV almost every single day this semester. Now school is over and I'm working/preparing for grad/professional school entrance exams, and I'm still crying every once in a while. It makes me puzzled...to see myself do a 180. I used to be so emotionally distant and tough, and now I'm so damn vulnerable. Now you stick 'sad' movie in front of me and out comes all the tears. I think there's honestly something wrong w/ me based on the way I'm acting, but I've tried to seek help, and it just didn't end up working.

I have a pretty bad view of the world...there's so many days during the week, month, year that I just stare blankly and wonder what the hell the point of everything is. Sometimes, I eve question myself about existence. But I would never commit suicide, because of my parents and grandmother and only because of family. Otherwise, I wouldn't give a crap because I don't like living every day without a true purpose or motivation. But if soemone asked me if I could 'go' in an accidental/random way, I would probably say yes, I would like to give it all up.

There's so many different types of depression, and I don't even know what mine falls under. I know I don't have enough bad things happening in my life for my depression to be justified. For instance, I have really awesome/loving parents, doing ok academically (not as well as I would like, but meh, at least I'm not failing), have some good friends, never abused, etc. Yet, I feel so sad/depressed all this time and I have no idea why.

The main types of depression I've experienced were due to in no particular order:

1) no relationship ~ I get sad when I see movies and drama, and it's something that I think would really make me happier, but I think I value my own pride a lot, and I refuse to accept this as anywhere near a valid reason for depression..but if I was being completely honest, I think it makes me very depressed/sad to know in my heart that I'd likely end up with a guy I don't really 'love' given the harsh realities of life and the fakeness of dramas and movies...but I think I'm still hoping for someone special

2) marks ~ I've always done exceptionally well and graduated at the top of my class in high school. I started to slide in university and now I'm at a point where I'm just 'average' in my program. But I'm in a relatively competitive program, and I'm aiming for a professional school that's one of the hardest to get into...so I guess I'm not doing THAT bad, but it's something that has whisked away almost my entire self-worth and confidence, and pained me greatly. I don't accept this as a valid reason for depression either, because I like to think that I'm a strong person and can handle anything and will conquer my ultimate goal despite obstacles. But I don't know if this is just a false hypocritical view of myself that I keep planting in my head.

3) uncertainty about future ~ If I just graduate with a B. Sc., then I doubt I'll have a bright future. When I was little, my family immigrated to Canada and we were relatively poor. I don't know the exact reason, but I always wanted more money, and I still envy with a certain air of hatred at those who are more well-off than me. I vowed to become one of the rich and I still want to, but I just somehow feel that I'm not going to be cut out for it, and this depresses me.

I am tired of typing...and I'll continue this later. Well, I think I've said way too much, and I hope it's still on topic, but this is good therapy. I used to keep a blog, but somehow I"ve become so nonchalant over the last few years that I gave it up along with trying to make any attempts to sort through my personal feelings.

Some ppl suffer from depression and really have nothing they can do about it themselves. Im no doctor so I cant explain it but when an individual suffers from depression, it doesnt make them in any way lazy or pathetic. There must've been something traumatic that happened or a list of things that added on to drive them over the edge. Those people are in serious need of help.

You can look at depression from a few different perspectives. The medical perspective is that you have a chemical imbalance in your brain that makes you feel certain way and act a certain way - that it is a medical illness. Others will say it's your environment that makes your life look grim and hopeless. There is still a taboo regarding depression since it is still considered part of "mental illness" as opposed to "physical illness". Most people see their family physician for depression rather than seeing a psychiatrist/psychologist because of this reason. it's easier to say to your co-workers that I have to leave work a little early for a doctor's appointment rather than to go see a shrink.

I like to view depression as either influenced by external circumstances or those that are not. If there is a death in the family, or you go through a break-up in a relationship or you get into a car accident and stay in the hospital for several weeks, you can see there are reasons why someone is depressed. Many people with external circumstances do recover from depression without outside help (medications or counseling). Usually the situation improves and with support of family and friends you get back into your normal self and life.

However there are others who fall into depression without any clear external reasons. They may be prone to it because of family history, where you live (where the sun never shines) or from an unstable family life growing up as a child. I think these types of depressions are harder to treat or improve on their own. They may have recurrent episodes of depression even after the symptoms improve. I would think medication and/or counseling would be helpful in this situation.

Anyway, I don't think it is a sign of weakness to seek help for dperession or any other illness (whether for mental illness or physical illness). Men tend to be seek medical care much less than women. Whether this is because of the macho image or because they are more often the bread winner and find it difficult to take time off from work to make an appointment, I don't know. But depression is a real illness and it affects a lot of people. It affects their work performance, social interactions and all aspects of their lives. If you have a friend or colleague that you suspect is depressed, you can always be supportive in being available for that person in case he/she needs your help for any reason.

i see depression almost similarly as adrenaline. Both are derived from situational/environmental experience. The both starts mentally, and your mind triggers a change in the body.

adrenaline starts when you're in an emergency situation, your body tell you that you need to do something that's urgent, and basically, your heart starts pumping and you could literally lift a car off the ground if you're amped enough. after the situation ends, your body normalizes.

it's similar to depression in that once you think of something, your mind tells your body to cause in action. Unlike adrenaline, depression tells your body to falter. For myself, when i think of a traumatic experience, my body tells me to sleep. For some others, you it might cause yourself to gorge in food, or not eat for a week.

The part that I hope everyone can see is that once your traumatic experience dies down or you're able to move away from it, your mind won't tell your body to crash. Basically, I think depression stems from various traumatic events in one's life. Just identifying what's bothering you, may be a big step to moving away from it.

I definitely had depression for two years. I think when I understood and accepted the bad things that has happened, my depression slowly lifted and I haven't had it since. When I was depressed, I was sleeping as much as 16 hours a day. I'm pretty much up and running everyday including weekends with just 7 hours now.

I did it on my own and came out of it. The only problem left is that I don't know where to go from here. But anyway yep, it's possible to self-cure if your family and friends are supportive and lends a listening ear. Just remember life is not all so bad... while there are many ugly sides to this world, there are simple pleasures in life that can still be beautiful and enjoyable.

...--- e d i t e d o u t ---...

I've never been a fan of using drugs for depression, but I had a summer job one year working at a psychiatric hospital for kids (pre-teen mostly). The screaming, the shrieking, the sheer terror those kids felt at whatever it was that was being done to them... I went from disliking the use of drugs to absolutely despising it and feeling it just about the most evil way of dealing with mental problems. Absolutley horrifying. Just say NO to drugs.

never diagnosed with depression but i know im depressed..2.5 yrs and sometimes i still think about suicide alot of times and cut myself before...not somethiing that you can do alone. you need people who really care about you to be there for you when you need them

I think that everyone has depression but that each person reacts to it in a different way, some can overcome depression by themselves but others need people around them to support them, depression takes a long time to overcome but you just need to be patient everyone only has one life to live therefore we should live it and not turn to drugs or self inflicting pains

well said When I'm depress I usually like to just be alone and really think things through. I tend to get edgy when ppl are around me when I'm down.

There is a major difference between "feeling depressed" and having Depression.
Depression is a topic that the vast majority of the public has very little education on and the labelling of someone as having 'Depression' sadly still contains a certain amount of stigma.
I'd like to post more about this later, but it's late right now and I don't have time to read all the responses tonight.

omgg depression!!! i just failed my driving test cuz i accidentally hit the back cone when i was backing up to get outta the spot. i had the prallel parking PERFECT! my mom made me practice it too much...
so sad
==;

To be honest when you think you are depress you're the only that made yourself that way and you're the only one that can get you out of it. It doesn't matter if a girl broke your heart and now your depress because you're still the only that got yourself that way. You can try use medication to help you but it's just a false help because medication only give you false help. what i mean is how can you rely on something that only makes you happy when deep down you can get that on you own.

i think i am mildly depressed. everytime when i wanna go to sleep, i would spend time thinking about my failures that i just can't get over with. i feel so scared to face them and cannot imagine what others might think of me... until i came upon a phrase "failure is an EVENT, NOT A PERSON"

so...... since its an event, i should try to get over it. i've been telling myself that i'm not a failure and that those failures are just some bad events that happen in my life....

i think the best way to curb depression is by telling and comforting your own self. talk to your self. believe in your words. everytime when you're feeling depressed, say " no, i can't go crazy. i will not go crazy. it's not going to happen to me. buck up. stop thinking so much!"

i agree and disagree with you

having dated two people with clinical depression i can kind of understand what you're saying. i think the difference between the two was there's someone who wants to get better and someone who can just go on moping forever. our lifestyles spoil us. if it were the old days we wouldn't have time to mope whine cajole and cry we'd be hard at work hunting/gathering/farming/finding our next meal, laboring away...but yea some people have too much time and are just spoiled in life. but your friend sounds like she may haave some genuine psychological troubles

It's about whether the person is able to find happiness around them. They're not lazy, they're just always "not in the mood" for something. It's really hard to explain unless you experience it. I dont' think medication or therapy will help because it's the person themself that control what he/she think.

i think i was depressed ever since i came outta high school, my life seemed so pointless, i was forced to go into something i didn't wanna do, i had to share my room with 2 of my siblings, my parents hover 24/7 , i wasn't allowed to go out, and the only time i did was for school and family trips, i do not know what came over me... it was... not good; i wasnt suicidal or anything, just...empty. i acted happy and fun all the time in front of people, but at home i was angry towards everyone---i singled myself out completely. , but inside i was so empty. and i finally got over it for a while, a year or so later i started seeing someone, i moved out, but now that i moved back in now, its all starting to sink back in; im starting to control it better, deal with my problems head on.

i think that depression is one of those things that can be taken lightly...like when someone say their depressed verus those suffering from depression......i think we should pay more attention to those with it.

I don't know if you're talking about "clinical depression" or just being down, pessimistic, sad occasionally.
Depression is not about laziness. So there's no need to feel ashamed or guilty about it.

You should check out this book called "Happier" by Tal Ben Shahar. It's really really really easy to read.

A lot of the things he says seem like common sense. But sometimes, a simple idea can be insightful or even change the way you approach life. Like all things, just reading it won't be enough. You have to put it into practice.