Alright friends, I want to have an open discussion on this topic. Recently it's all I've been thinking about: is depression just an emotion that we all have the ability to feel and some just choose to give into it? I genuinely want to hear from those of you that either agree or disagree with this post.
Ok, I think the United States is made up of quick fixes and band aid treatments. I think we can all agree on that. There's stress around every corner, people betray you, you lose your job, a loved one passes, and the list goes on and ON. Life SUCKS sometimes right? Sometimes life sucks MOST of the time. It's completely normal to not want to deal with life's hardships and we'd much rather stay in bed and scroll through Instagram and wish we had someone else's life. I've been there too and no one deserves to feel that way.
Now onto my point, I do know some people are born with a higher chance to experience depression. Basically you're born with poor-er coping skills. Your family has a history of depression and the moment you feel sad your family assumes "Oh, yup, must be depression." Now you're labeled as such and at least one other person has made this your truth by confirming it. I believe this can be a self fulfilling prophesy. Depression becomes how you define yourself.
How do most people get diagnosed with depression? They go to a doctor, tell them how they're feeling and a doctor looks at a list, checks some boxes, and boom you "have depression." Now you have a justification to let it consume you. You "don't have balanced hormones." A perfectly balanced brain DOES NOT EXIST. We all feel sadness and I believe it just comes down to how we choose to process it.
When people say "Try eating balanced whole food meals for a week and put on some sneakers and go for a run." that sounds ridiculous, BUT did you try it? Did you believe that it could help you? Or did you brush it off as bad advice and "they just wouldn't understand?" I'm truly asking this. I want to hear stories from those of you that disagree with this and I want you to tell me why I'm wrong.
I want to understand. I'm an extremely open minded person and I will not disregard emotions and honesty! I'm empathetic and understanding and I promise this is a safe place to express your thoughts. These kind of discussions are what spark ideas and inspiration.
Thanks for you post! I agree depression is today “trendy“ in a way, and many claim having it. But I also believe this is a true desease that needs attention and treatment. However, as you stated the mindset is important and irrespective of any diagnosis people have to understand they are in control of their lifes and you can fight it back as often as needed as hard as you can. Stay positive is a vacine against depression and look for help when you feel you cannot bear it alone!
"Trendy" is a really good way to describe it right now. I totally agree that people must understand that they're in control of their lives! I'm curious though, how is it a disease? Extreme sadness doesn't seem like a disease, it's definitely something I don't wish upon anyone, but I believe we can all get through that naturally. It takes time of course. You have to learn how to get out of a funk on your own or you'll never be able to do it and you'll always depend on some prescribed treatment. Let me know your thoughts!
The brain 🧠 is an organ and can suffer from pathologies as other parts of the body. Our brain is programed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. When we are in normal status, of course we can have ups and downs and be happy some times and sad other times. However, for some reason the brain will create patterns that mostly bring the person the pain and less reward - which translates into people that don’t see fun in any activity: family, friends, job - think this becomes a desease because the person normally cannot escape the loop (alone). Considering that our “circuits” are synapses working via chemistry .... some rebalance is needed that is why psychiatries call it a pathology and treat with therapy and/or pills. Of course think those are minority of cases and to normal life it is okay to be sad for a while and work for learning and changing the situation - so agree with you we should be in control!!!!!!
Thank you for all of that information! It's all very interesting, I also believe extreme situations like that are the minority of cases. It's now become the norm to assume just because you're sad for an extended period of time, you're "depressed." I think that comes form a place of wanting to be understood and have someone put a label on you. It goes against us wanting labels, but I think we get some sort of satisfaction from being able to give what we're feeling a name. Thank you!
good point!
I was thinking of writing an article on this very topic and I came across yours. I think you've worded it perfectly. In my opinion, which is totally based on my own experiences and I'm not generalising, I think it's all in the mind.
A doctor, who has spent just 30 minutes talking to you and ticked some boxes isn't the right person to label you as depressed. But you believe him when he tells you that you need help. Why give so much importance to someone else's opinion of you?
The only person who is good enough to label you though, is you. But the problem is, we let everyone else and their lives label us, but we never allow ourselves to think of what and who we really are.
Most of it comes from comparison. In this age of social media, we have let ourselves run into this race of comparison where we can't actually accept the fact that someone else is happier than us, and just be happy for them. We start comparing their instagram/snapchat stories to ours and end up thinking how sad our life is. We start comparing our salary to theirs. Our boyfriend/girlfriend to theirs. Our family to their family.
Now the thing is, the comparison itself is wrong. The only person you need to compare yourself to, is the person you saw in the mirror yesterday. And if the person that you are today is better than the person you saw yesterday, there is nothing to be sad about.
So I believe it's all about the way you think.
If you train yourself to start thinking if things differently, if you start looking at the glass as half full and not as half empty, it builds a certain kind of mentality and thinking which makes you defeat any kind of disorder. It's all in the mind. And no pills can control your mind, only you can.
Thank you so much for your thoughts! I completely agree that another person shouldn't have the power to label you. I also believe it has a lot to do with one of the Four Agreements. If you've never read into it I think you'd be fascinated by it! The one I think this connects with is basically about making Word into your Truth. If something you think is confirmed by even one other person this becomes your truth and you build your opinions and ultimately your life around that truth.
For example, say you're young and you sing for your parents, one tells you you're great and the other tells you that you aren't. If you decide to follow the opinion that you're great it will cause you to sing more, believe you can be famous one day, take the needed steps to improve because you believe you can be great. Or you can believe that you aren't great, this becomes your truth, and you never sing again and tell confirm that you are not. This is a rough analogy, but it's such a huge idea it's difficult to sum up in a comment, but I hope you see where I'm coming from with that!
I think a doctor confirming that you "have depression" justifies your emotions and gives you an excuse to continue on and hope someone else can make you "better."
I haven't read the Four Agreements yet, but I surely will in the coming days. Based on what I understood from the point you were trying to make, I remembered a short story that I read some time back.
So there is this 30 year old man, who is diagnosed with cancer. The doctor tells him, he is not going to live for more than 12 months. And eventually, the man dies in 12 months.
The same doctor now, in a similar case, predicts that a 5 month old girl, is not going to survive for more than 12 months. The girl lives for 5 years. And 5 years later, the girl dies, but not off cancer.
Now the difference between the two cases is that the 5 month old girl was too young to understand life, death and truth. Whereas the grown man, had accepted the doctor's truth as his truth and had made himself believe that he was not going to survive for more than 12 months.
And I agree, this is a huge idea. It could actually make or break your life.
YES!! I love that short story. That's exactly what I mean, it truly can make or break your life. Thank you for this!