Mental Health Has anyone else had this epiphany about depression?

[nuttynutskin]

About how much of their depression is situational? Don't get me wrong, I suffer from bipolar depression regardless of what's going on in my life to a degree, but I've only just recently realized how much of it is really situational. Anyways sorry if this is short but I wanted to make this before I fell asleep since I would forget later.

 

[cripkeeper]

I hear you. I've dealt with a lot of depression. IDK if this is what you mean per se but only recently has it occurred to me that a lot of it is due to poor choices I've made in life, treated people who love me wrong.... and the other part I can't fix. My mother has cancer, my gma was diagnosed with Alzheimers. Not exactly depressing but stressful, I can't find work, my girl decided to move on, blah blah blah. Things like that. Maybe I'm way off?

 

[-=SS=-]

Perfectly natural response to shitty life circumstances. I really dislike anyone or authorities who try to spin it around and make a person feel guilty for being depressed. If life is a bit shit, then it's a bit shit, that is not your fault. Even the choices we sometimes make that lead us in "bad" directions.. we forget about the life we had that led us up to that point of making the bad decision, and just how powerful our environmental context is on affecting the choices we make.

The worst thing we do is take it out on ourselves, and I believe society/culture/authorities have programmed us that way.. you know, so we don't start pointing fingers at the big players who perhaps deserve some scorn.

 

[cripkeeper]

Exactly. If we had diabetes, or a broken leg, no one would blame us a bit... we'd prolly be empathized with and have a helping hand offered to us left and right. But when mentally we are down, depressed, really sick mentally, there's no sympathy. It's our own fault... its up to the person to decided to get better. and yeah like you said, we tend to listen to the assholes and kick our own ass.

 

[PerfectDisguise]

I believe there are 3 types of depression; Situational, Biological, and then a combination of the two(I'm not including bipolar or other subtypes). There are so many people that seek out treatment after a major breakup, family death, etc. Then there are those who genetically have altered serotonin/dopamine levels, and more often than not these types of people self-medicate with all sorts of drugs which ends up making things much worse (I certainly fall into this category..). Personally I would say it is mostly an inherited gene for me, as well as all the terrible decisions I've made while depressed as well, causing a vicious cycle. Genetics play a big part for some, while situational depression is even more common in my opinion.

 

[nuttynutskin]

I hear you. I've dealt with a lot of depression. IDK if this is what you mean per se but only recently has it occurred to me that a lot of it is due to poor choices I've made in life, treated people who love me wrong.... and the other part I can't fix. My mother has cancer, my gma was diagnosed with Alzheimers. Not exactly depressing but stressful, I can't find work, my girl decided to move on, blah blah blah. Things like that. Maybe I'm way off?

In my case it's mainly living with a negative family member with their own mental problems. I don't HAVE to live with them but right now I have no other option other than to be homeless. But it could be anything really. I can definitely relate to the things you mentioned.

I really dislike anyone or authorities who try to spin it around and make a person feel guilty for being depressed.

I know all about that but I'll try to refrain from mentioning family member names.

The worst thing we do is take it out on ourselves, and I believe society/culture/authorities have programmed us that way.. you know, so we don't start pointing fingers at the big players who perhaps deserve some scorn.

It's hard not to point fingers sometimes, and sometimes I wonder if it isn't justified although either way I suppose it doesn't do any good.

Exactly. If we had diabetes, or a broken leg, no one would blame us a bit... we'd prolly be empathized with and have a helping hand offered to us left and right. But when mentally we are down, depressed, really sick mentally, there's no sympathy. It's our own fault... its up to the person to decided to get better. and yeah like you said, we tend to listen to the assholes and kick our own ass.

Yup, it disgusts the amount of stigma that mental illness still has to this day. Part of my sarcastic nature would say for people to not get help or admit that you have a problem because a lot of people will never look at you the same. That's bad enough but whats even worse is to have your mental problems used against you.

I believe there are 3 types of depression; Situational, Biological, and then a combination of the two

Don't forget seasonal. Makes for a nice double whammy, or triple?

Genetics play a big part for some, while situational depression is even more common in my opinion.

Yeah I read or heard somewhere the amount of people that get treated for depression at some point in there lives is actually pretty high, yet there's still such a huge stigma. It's fucking retarded.

 

[cj]

I've thought a lot about this question as well nutty. I think I fall into the catagory of both biological and situational depression right now. I often get caught up in the thought that this is just who I am and how I am supposed to feel. Trying to fix that seems like a losing game. But my depression is mild I guess. Like I have no problem getting out of bed showering going places ect. So I think whether or not you should throw the pharmacological kitchen sink at your brain so to speak depends on the severity of your symptoms.

The real irony is that I started using heroin because I thought I was depressed. Did that for 6 years but now that I am stable on methadone I realize that my addiction to it was causing most of my depression. So it was just a cycle of use because I was depressed than be depressed because I used and had to do shady stuff for money.

 

[herbavore]

So many things contribute to depression--even in the same person at different times of life--that I think it is difficult to pin it on anything singular. I remember when I first started taking supplemental hormones after menopause and I was shocked to find out that lots of very stressful situations in my life that had been making me depressed were suddenly a lot easier to put into perspective. Still, having said that, I stand behind what I trulyt do believe about depression: it is fed by thoughts and thoughts can change. When the life you are living does not nurture and energize you, and that goes on long enough to become normal, depression ensues. Negative thoughts, especially about oneself, take root and the situation compounds.

 

[manboychef]

I have major depressive disorder...in conjunction with some anxiety disorders. I need medicine to feel okay, however this is only one piece of the puzzle. Herbavore is right. You need to make some changes in your life, or you are just sitting in the problems and letting them get worse. I had to stop cooking for a while. I get too wrapped up in what critics think that I add to my already crazy level of anxiety and depression. I am working on different coping strategies so I can make a return and blow those bastards tastebuds away! The problem is I have depression and anxiety....in concert with the situation of getting a negative review, or not having my books full was a recipe to become even more depressed. I cut that out of the equation for the time being so that I can learn how better to deal with those problems.