Are you depressed? Or do you know someone that is?

in #depression8 years ago

Depression sucks. There's no other way to describe it. Depression is one of the biggest killers around the world and yet I feel not enough people are truly aware of the impact this scourge is on humanity.

I hate depression.

Mainly because it's made me reliant on medication for the rest of my life. And yep, I will probably be in my 80's popping pills like they were sweeties in the old folks home reminiscing of a time when life was grand. Or was it?

See, sometimes we can't tell we're depressed. Sad to say but some people spend years of their lives depressed and don't even know it.

I did.

I spent at least six years clinically depressed and not knowing what the hell was wrong with me. The boredom, the lack of libido, I was never satisfied and I was always in and out of jobs. Life, it never seemed to suit me. Until I realised of course. And then I was put on the medication.

And the sad thing is that my Doc said, 

"Yeah, take these, these should help" Nothing else. Just sent me on my way.

And you know what? They did. They helped a damn lot. And my feeling of helplessness was lifted above the gutter. Just a bit, though.

But you see, pills are only half the battle. The other half is setting things right with yourself. Some people are naturally predisposed to depression, like me, and others need that little bit of help to realise their true worth. Instead of y'know, staring at four walls and never engaging with anything.

I know that's what happens. It was me in a nutshell.

The first thing I did was going out for walks. Nothing like a brisk walk on my own to naturally clear my head of clutter. It seemed stupid at first, but after a while it became necessary, and before I knew it I was stopping to sniff beautiful bright flowers. No reason, only that they were beautiful

Beautiful. I hadn't thought that word in a while.

And then when I started to experience the outdoors I felt a strange need to connect with people. I was already quite lonely, but this was a different connection. Not because I felt I had to, but because I wanted to. So I looked up groups in the area and started a hobby.

We helped people in the area with varying degrees of computer problems, and as a volunteer. I LOVED it. We connected with others and each other. We shared stories and had fun and became good friends. We even LAN gamed on quiet nights. Wow :)

And by then I decided it was time to take myself off to college. Because I loved what I did. I wanted to get paid for it.

And the rest my friends, is history.

So perhaps depression isn't something that can be cured by just taking a pill. But you can take control of your life to make it SO much easier.

Good luck. And I hope this has been useful to you.

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Interesting, I used to be depressed a while ago, for me starting to do some hobby was the cure. I started jogging and a little bit working out and it had done wonders.

So true! Different things work for different people. So I'm glad that you found what worked for you! Keep it up :D

Thanks, for example in my opinion the depression pills are not useful, they only pump people up and become a zombie for that day.

A more natural approach for me did the job very well.

Exactly! For me it's inbuilt, though. So the pills keep me on balance - but to keep happy and positive I need to integrate positive stuff in my lifestyle :)

Exactly! I've managed to eliminate negativity from my life. Perhaps that may be my next article. Eliminating negativity and the positive benefits this process has :) We'll see!

Whatever works for you, just keep a positive attitude and try to focus less on the negative things, that gives you a nice path to take, and eliminates hesitation and depression.

Great article. I think many people are clearly depressed but I feel that an even larger number of people are somewhat depressed which is also not good. I wonder if it's a product of our society. Although we are more connected (via internet) in some senses I wonder if we are further apart than ever. I know so many people that don't really have any physical friends anymore. Any they have are people online who are literally hundreds or thousands of miles away. Close physical friendship even with just one person I think can be a great cure for depression. Thanks.

I agree. I never like to throw around the word cure, personally, but certainly don't want to detract from your experiences.

I've seen people with the largest followings admit to me that they are the worst kind of lonely. And you're right, human interaction helps amazingly.

Pardon me if this sounds ignorant and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a strong possibility that people are depressed for good reason? Many have become slaves to their debts and life looks like an endless tunnel. Perhaps it's the cheerful ones that suffer from mental dysfunction.

Oh, in this article in no way am I trying to detract from the factors of depression, so I'm sorry if it felt like I was doing so. I have met people that are depressed because of factors they possibly cannot control, and that's the hard thing.

I tried to blend a bit of positive thinking into depression. It's hard, yep, but there are things people can do to otherwise distract from the cause if it's outwith a persons control, like try for a hobby or learn, which in itself is hard to do when life seems like an endless tunnel of despair.

@stellebelle wrote a secret writer about my story depression sucks!

I shall go and have a read :)

Aaaand I can't find it - can you paste perhaps? :)

Great article - I can relate to a lot of that. I had a ton of addictions and impulses. Gambling, alcohol, sex, pornography, drugs and a lot of it for me was to feel alive. To push that self-hatred down as far as I could and feel more of the rush from the other stuff.

What helped me was working on the self hatred. As soon as that began to heal then the need to "feel the rush" and suppress my emotion became lighter - until I gave it all up. You might think I'm lying but I did. All gone.

But it was because I asked for help, and every day I was like, ok, what barrier now? Lets tackle this fucker. And sometimes I wanted to run. Run far away and hide and cry, but I always had someone I could talk to. It helped

Really like how you posted about mental health. I myself am focused on psych I have a nice series going on psych 101 I post about mental issues and psychology that is part of the human mind. My latest talks about how we represent another person in cyberspace could be due to depression or a wanting to be accepted. I would love to chat more and maybe due a combined post on your thoughts. Might want to check out some of my posts to see where I am coming from @carlidos. Cheers

Sure! I'll have a look. Thanks :)

@kushed I would love for you to go and read them as well :)

Great piece! And your pro-active conclusion really hits the nail on the head, because you have to 'do' depression, it requires both energy and commitment - so the solution also requires such a commitment.

I posted a piece just yesterday on deeper causes and solutions to 'depression', which you may find contributes something useful...
https://steemit.com/life/@kain-jc/identity-is-everything-how-to-enslave-people-with-victim-hood-and-sickness

That sir, was a quite awesome post.

If that was intended for me, @lifeisawesome, then I thank you. I really like what you said about working on 'self-hatred', given that a common psychological perspective on 'depression' is that it results from aggression/anger/hatred turned inwards and directed at the self.

In fact, where there is depression you will always find frustrated aggression. And it must be understood that there is absolutely nothing wrong with healthy aggression - it is necessary for survival, self-protection, self-advancement and evolution and growth.

When the environment in which one is in blocks this essential drive then the resulting experience of stasis and stagnation is 'felt'as depression. The key then is to understand and remove the blocks to healthy aggression and creative-expression.

Don't treat the depression; treat the impediments to your frustrated energies! Should you succeed in dismantling the blocks to your vital forces then these will surge as they intend to and the depression will evaporate.

Some threads that resonate well here. I am challenged with what the cognitive therapists call a "low frustration threshold". When things do not go quite right and frustration builds the step into a sense of failure is very close => and there lies the gateway to depression.

Add in a little judgement from the people around you and the journey to "acute stress-induced depression" is complete. This is a whole lot simpler than any other form of clinical depression because it is so totally coming out of your head. Your thoughts are creating the same chemical flows that trigger depression.

My path out of this had a few parts. 1. Get away from the sources of the stress. 2. Go easy on yourself when you get frustrated - find a distraction and have another go later. 3. Find 2 people to talk to every day - I used to go to the shops every day and talk to the check out clerk and the person behind me in the queue. Their smiles add value to your life. 4. Find a way to get positive chemical flows going - I use cycling; I use photography; I use orchid spotting. When someone likes a photo I have posted I feel good and the chemicals get smacked by friendly chemicals.

So true - also, once you realise that you too can add value to the world by smiling at other people and give back what you receive, then you add that "giving back" effect - this is such a great thread, thank you so much for adding your thoughts :)

I totally agree with you there. You shouldn't see Depression as a symptom, but as a result of your combined symptoms - like the body is trying to tell you "I'm not happy here in this environment"

As someone who worked on the front lines in a mental health facility for three years and has experienced short, periodic bouts of depression himself, I totally agree that getting up and finding something to occupy your time that you enjoy is important. I've seen many patients who would take the pill but would continue to isolate themselves from the world and wouldn't attempt to "find" any enjoyment in life and they usually didn't get much better. I know this can be hard, though, for people with serious depression. I'm glad you found happiness!

Thank you, and you're right - it's hard to find happiness in the world when all you want to do is hide under the covers and blot away the world - but in my experience people tend to want to be at the end stage from the start.

"I want to be happy"

When in fact they should be looking at baby steps. Really small. Like

Step 1: Get out of bed for 2 hours per day
Step 2: Try for 4 hours per day
and so on :)

@lifeisawesome thank you for sharing your experience, something which many people find rather challenging.

The truth about prescriptions for treating depression is that a pill will never cure the condition, all it can ever do is mask the feeling and essentially create a feeling of numbness which is pretty much akin to the condition itself in various ways.

The clearance of depression hinges around the achievement of raised self-esteem and a degree of calmness in terms of feelings toward the self. Through getting a hobby most people are able to achieve a degree of relaxation, and then as they progress with their hobby they begin to find positive beliefs about themselves, finding joy in what they have done or created. Thus creating positive self belief, and resultingly raising their self-esteem.

Provided the cycle is able to continue it then perpetuates, with the person being able to find more and more positive things about themselves. Then as the amount of positivity increases cumulatively a point is reached where the depression finds it impossible to remain and it basically disappears. The result being the person being able to live happily again. Which is a very beautiful thing.

The only thing that is required to get this process rolling is the decision to do something about it. So many people believe that depression is hard to get rid of and takes years and years, yet the truth is it can be gone incredibly quickly. Full kudos to you for clearing it in this way, definitely a wonderful thing to have done! I always recommend meditation and Ho'oponopono for creating the belief change that precipitates change, also good for maintaining and enhancing the positive experience of life. It looks like you are doing incredibly well now though. Very happy for you and may your happy state be lifelong!

Peace to you.

What a lovely thing to say, thank you very much :)

My absolute pleasure @lifeisawesome! :D

I stopt popping pills .
Now wen i feel it comming , i use micro dosis of psilosybine . lots of cannabis .
Taking evry day antidepresives is adicting to you body . And wil not work any more .
I know pills works butt only for a chort time.
grts

Hi @lifeisawesome, thanks for sharing. If you're interested in an alternative (and somewhat controversial) perspective on mental health, I recommend checking out my recent post entitled, You do not 'have' Depression or ADHD or PTSD or [insert mental 'disorder']: https://steemit.com/psychology/@invisiblegorilla/you-do-not-have-depression-or-adhd-or-schizophrenia-or-ptsd-or-insert-mental-disorder

Regarding medication for depression, I would also recommend you take a look at Irving Kirsch's great book, The Emperor's New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth: https://www.amazon.com/Emperors-New-Drugs-Exploding-Antidepressant/dp/0465022006/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471930513&sr=8-1&keywords=emperors+new+drugs

I can't honestly say that was very controversial in my eyes - it's the theory I based my recovery model on. As soon as I stopped telling myself "I have Bipolar type x" then the will to change myself for the better became stronger. As a young man I was taught to be proud of my illness and own it, yet as I grew older I realised that by brandishing myself as "x type of crazy" then the easier it was to slip into these labels.

"Sorry that I do that - it's my "x""

Whereas it should be,

"Sorry I did that, I will try harder next time"

I've always felt that removing labels from diagnosis' has allowed me to move forward. The doctor tells me I'm recovered now, by the way.

That's wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing. I wish you'd shared this comment in my post, yesterday. It may have led some of the naysayers to pause and ponder for a moment, before firing off their emotionally-charged reactions.

I'll keep a look out! - I only saw your post when you pasted it to me. Good stuff, though! :)

I don't think anyone can truly know how debilitating depression can be unless they experience themselves...

Thanks for the topic!

Like everything in life, experience is the best form of "knowing" :)

I have been there... not once but twice. First time when I had a Break up and then when two people who were close to my heart passed away. I remember that emptiness and that lost feeling. I was lucky I managed to come out of it with Doctors help and support of my close friend. But not all get lucky. Many even end their lives. Depression really sucks!

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I really appreciate that. And, glad you came out of it, that in itself is an awesome achievement :D

Iv been suffering from depression for years so I went to my doctor some time ago and was prescribed an SSRI (celexa) for said depression and anxiety. I found they made me feel almost crazy and had horrible nightmares so I stopped 3 weeks in. My doctor wants to start me on effexor but Im apprehensive about trying it considering how the other one made me feel. Anyway this post really hit home for me and I know exactly what you mean when you mention constant boredom and inability to be satisfied it really does suck. I cant remember the last time I wasn't tired or simply felt content. After reading this and seeing that medication among other things helped you I think it may be time to give the effexor a try... cant make it any worse and my self medicating has taken quite a toll at this point... so yeah... thanks for writing this.

Hey. Thank YOU for telling me this, and I'm really glad my post helped. Think of anti-depressants as a "what works for you" type thing. There was one type the doctor tried me on and I had such bad night terrors that I woke up punching my bed head-board. But what I am on now works for me. It's a bit of a trial and error at the start.

Nice story but pills can be really dangerous and as far I know you can become addicted

Depends on the type of pills through my experience. The anti-depressants I take are super easy to stop, because there's days when I nearly forget to take them.

But then there's valium, and tramadol, and temazepam and various other nerve suppressants and muscle relaxants that can have you hooked very easy. I don't take any of those

Meditation is lucky boredom what make is not boredom anymore. Depression is unlucky boredom...what is realy boredom.

Yes, I'm highly depressed; but I think it's sometlmes an adaptive response.

I used to take pills, but for me it caused poor judgement and unrealistic thinking.

I cope through comedy; making people laugh. Even if I cant improve my own situation, if I can make someone elses day, I feel a lot better.

Whatever works for you - if that works for you, and it alleviates your symptoms, then awesome. Glad that it works. :)

Depression is indeed a bad situation of every human being but if you willing you could avoid or alleviate it. This feeling will try to avoid social engagement because they are not comfortable but for some instance social engagement could be right solution for you. Go out, socialize, talk with friends and family members.

Yup! The more positive people you surround yourself with, the better :)

Rest assured in the hands of things, try to travel

Travelling is awesome - a great healer

Psych drugs are not the answer or even part of the answer. Have you had your B levels tested?

They work for me to keep a healthy balance. However what works for me may not necessarily work for you - so go with what rocks your world :)

Good article!

great story! something similar happened for me: I was depressed for many years, sometimes with dips into terrible lows, but often just prolonged isolation periods that left me "passing the time", not living. and just as for you, it started with small changes I had to think up. may be one day I will write those out too, but sure enough - walking (preferably in nature) and contributing to others in some way thus building a meaningful connection was very important. I also took some adaptogen herbs and changed my diet drastically, but it all helped a lot. good luck with your school - you sure deserve good things to happen to you!

Thank you - such an inspiring snippet! My diet has improved immeasurably. Mainly because I learned to cook well. And it's helped too!

very touching story, thank you. take care.

Use ayahuasca a few times and that will enable you to get off of the pills.

Not too sure I want to take that lol. I had to google it - I'm not too good with hallucinogenics.

Magnesium is good for depression and anxiety.

It's very couragous to tell about your depression openly. It is a big step and will help many people out there who are also dealing with depression.
I think that the pills were only a little part of what made you feel better. But it is you who really pushed yourself for living a happy life and also to see the little, beautiful things that life can show you. You only have to open your eyes to see the positive.
I'm happy for you that you found your own, right path and wish you the best for now and the future!

Good article. I can really relate because I had severe depression for several years. I've mostly got past it but there are bouts every now and then when I start working too much and I don't get to workout, go for runs, or just have enough leisure time. I never sought a doctor because I knew exactly what it was and never took medication. It was tough. Thanks for the post.

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"clinically depressed" the words that sell more dope than street pharmacist combined.

I'd need some more info on this - I think I know where you're coming from, though :)