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Post by MaybeNever on Sept 30, 2011 17:50:42 GMT -5
Some people say you have to choose to be happy. Bollocks. Let's see how happy you are when you lose your job, friends, your home, and having your heart broken all within the space of about six months. That's like saying people choose to be gay. It's nonsense to say it and is just insulting to people with depression. No. It really isn't like that. It's more like saying you have to choose to drive to the store. There are plenty of things that can get in the way - no car, no gas, no time, et cetera - but without the individual wanting to get behind the wheel there's no driving that'll take place. Happiness is not simply some set of external factors the come together outside the control of the individual, but a complex relationship of factors both internal and external. Of course someone isn't going to be all smiles when in the depths of depression, or right after a nasty break up or losing his job or whatever else. Those things cannot be ignored. But if a person isn't willing to invest in his or her own happiness, it will never happen no matter what else comes along. |
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Post by andi on Sept 30, 2011 19:14:40 GMT -5
That's like saying people choose to be gay. It's nonsense to say it and is just insulting to people with depression. No. It really isn't like that. It's more like saying you have to choose to drive to the store. There are plenty of things that can get in the way - no car, no gas, no time, et cetera - but without the individual wanting to get behind the wheel there's no driving that'll take place. Happiness is not simply some set of external factors the come together outside the control of the individual, but a complex relationship of factors both internal and external. Of course someone isn't going to be all smiles when in the depths of depression, or right after a nasty break up or losing his job or whatever else. Those things cannot be ignored. But if a person isn't willing to invest in his or her own happiness, it will never happen no matter what else comes along. Basically, this. Sure, you don't choose to become depressed, but you can make the decision to try and improve your mental health. Nobody is saying it's going to be easy as snapping your fingers. Hell no. It's just like working towards any other goal - it takes time and effort. I think that the dangerous part about being depressed is that after awhile it starts to feel like the safe and easy way to go, especially if you've been depressed for a long period of time. It's pretty hard to tear down the wall that protects you from the world around you. And it's things like that that prevent people from driving to the allegorical store. You can't expect to see and experience the awesome things and people that are out there, not if you don't take the effort to seek help first. Hell, I've been depressed for seven years and the list of stupid things I've done because of it is pretty long. I know that I want to get better, but at the same time I'm afraid to see what will happen to me if/when I finally manage to get rid of depression. But right now I think that an identity crisis is a small price to pay for happiness. [/tired rambling written by a furrener] |
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Post by Shane for Wax on Sept 30, 2011 23:09:37 GMT -5
You still don't choose to be depressed. You also can't suddenly choose to be happy.
"Have you tried not being depressed?"
"Yep. Done everything. Still depressed. For no reason at all."
"Have you REALLY tried?"
"Pretty sure."
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Paimun
Full Member
Captain Punderpants!
dick fingers
Posts: 221
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Post by Paimun on Oct 1, 2011 9:01:58 GMT -5
You still don't choose to be depressed. You also can't suddenly choose to be happy. This. It's part of depression that it clouds your judgment. You don't see a way out. You REALLY don't want to get better, sometimes. I mean, have you even seen some of the countless stories on the internet of people that just don't get out of bed in the morning, or call in sick to work because they feel shitty? Think of how you feel when you have the flu; it's kind of like that, but mentally. |
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Post by Mlle Antéchrist on Oct 1, 2011 12:09:56 GMT -5
The "driving to the store" analogy is apt, but the problems come in when it goes from "you need to get behind the wheel" to "just be in the store". Not that I'm suggesting anyone here is saying that -- we all seem to realize that recovering from depression is more complicated than suddenly deciding to be happy -- but it's an attitude one encounters all too often when dealing with mood-related mental health issues.
Mind you, that's not to say that positivity doesn't play a role. Interrupting negative thoughts, "act as if", and other such methods are invaluable tools during recovery. Sometimes it can feel a bit silly when you first start making use of them, and they often need to be reinforced by other forms of therapy, but it would be a huge mistake to write off positivity as being completely useless in depression recovery.
This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of depression. It's a bit like stumbling around in the woods in the dead of night, in a heavy fog, trying to find a path that will take you back to civilization. The rational part of your brain knows the path is there, and can be found with the right aid, but there's this other part of you which is loudly screaming that there is no path, that you're hopelessly lost, and you're never getting out of this, so why not just sit down and let the fog and the darkness consume you?
That part of your brain is, of course, wrong. Just like it's wrong when it tells you that you're not good enough, or that no one cares about you, and so on. The path is there -- I've walked it, and while it's not a short journey (you trip and stumble plenty), it's worth it. Very, VERY worth it.
If any of you ever need to talk about how your feeling, or just need an shoulder to cry on, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM, if you're comfortable doing so. I mean that.
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Post by Napoleon the Clown on Oct 2, 2011 0:55:36 GMT -5
If you're bipolar depression can just "magically" disappear on you. That's part and parcel with the disorder, though.
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Post by clockworkgirl21 on Oct 3, 2011 0:39:45 GMT -5
I think I miscarried yesterday morning. I go to the doctor tomorrow to find out for sure, but I really think I did. I'm a little disappointed, but hopefully next time this happens I'll be ready.
And I was JUST GETTING USED TO THE IDEA OF PARENTHOOD.
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Post by DeadpanDoubter on Oct 3, 2011 18:21:51 GMT -5
If you're bipolar depression can just "magically" disappear on you. That's part and parcel with the disorder, though. I choose to believe that my depression's disappearing act is due to my being awesome at DBT. Yup, one semester of DBT and I'm cured! ...yup. |
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Post by Mlle Antéchrist on Oct 3, 2011 21:37:23 GMT -5
I think I miscarried yesterday morning. I go to the doctor tomorrow to find out for sure, but I really think I did. I'm a little disappointed, but hopefully next time this happens I'll be ready. And I was JUST GETTING USED TO THE IDEA OF PARENTHOOD. Aw, Clockwork *hugs* I'm sorry  |
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Post by Napoleon the Clown on Oct 4, 2011 0:28:13 GMT -5
Blegh. That is all.
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Post by Aqualung on Oct 4, 2011 9:56:40 GMT -5
That doesn't sound good. |
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Post by big_electron on Oct 4, 2011 11:15:37 GMT -5
If you're bipolar depression can just "magically" disappear on you. That's part and parcel with the disorder, though. If a disorder can magically disappear, it can also magically re-appear. Many mental illnesses are episodic rather than a constant state condition. |
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Post by Tenfold_Maquette on Oct 4, 2011 12:25:30 GMT -5
I'm...well, there's something wrong with me. I'm pretty sure I'm schizophrenic, or something like that, because I've been seeing things off and on since I was a child and it's getting progressively worse (both in frequency and intensity) as I get older.
When I was a kid (8-ish) I used to see things I couldn't explain - amorphous jelly-like orbs that used to settle around me whenever I would stop moving, figures walking up and down the hall, translucent images of people and things (usually cars, I don't know why) appearing in impossible places, hearing voices, etc. I told my parents, who ignored me; my doctor thought the "orbs" might be eye floaters but otherwise disregarded everything I said.
When I hit highschool things started turning disturbing. I would hear voices, but also screams and sobbing cries. I started avoiding looking in mirrors because the face that I saw reflected didn't look at all like mine. I started to see stranger things -progressions of impossibly tall, long-limbed, shadowy figures walking alongside the road, or seeing a brown-haired girl in a long blue dress standing in the hallway. I spent most of a shopping trip at the local grocery store watching the air flake away into shards of darkness that smashed themselves into the ceiling. I keep seeing small (about the size of a small dog), six-legged creatures creeping through my peripheral vision or sometimes just perching in the center of my bed. For the longest time the sensation of something jagged dragging across my eyes and tongue would keep interrupting me throughout the day.
I've deduced this is all in my head, if simply because no one else reacts to it and I doubt they're all in conspiracy to pretend ignorance. I still -see- them, though, but I've more or less managed to deal with it. I just accept what I'm seeing isn't truly there and just try to remain calm until it goes away.
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Post by Mlle Antéchrist on Oct 4, 2011 15:25:01 GMT -5
If you're bipolar depression can just "magically" disappear on you. That's part and parcel with the disorder, though. If a disorder can magically disappear, it can also magically re-appear. Many mental illnesses are episodic rather than a constant state condition. He was referring to the depressive phases of bipolar disorder, not the disease itself. Given that he is, in his own words, "bipolar as fuck", I suspect he knows how the condition works.  I'm...well, there's something wrong with me. I'm pretty sure I'm schizophrenic, or something like that, because I've been seeing things off and on since I was a child and it's getting progressively worse (both in frequency and intensity) as I get older. When I was a kid (8-ish) I used to see things I couldn't explain - amorphous jelly-like orbs that used to settle around me whenever I would stop moving, figures walking up and down the hall, translucent images of people and things (usually cars, I don't know why) appearing in impossible places, hearing voices, etc. I told my parents, who ignored me; my doctor thought the "orbs" might be eye floaters but otherwise disregarded everything I said. When I hit highschool things started turning disturbing. I would hear voices, but also screams and sobbing cries. I started avoiding looking in mirrors because the face that I saw reflected didn't look at all like mine. I started to see stranger things -progressions of impossibly tall, long-limbed, shadowy figures walking alongside the road, or seeing a brown-haired girl in a long blue dress standing in the hallway. I spent most of a shopping trip at the local grocery store watching the air flake away into shards of darkness that smashed themselves into the ceiling. I keep seeing small (about the size of a small dog), six-legged creatures creeping through my peripheral vision or sometimes just perching in the center of my bed. For the longest time the sensation of something jagged dragging across my eyes and tongue would keep interrupting me throughout the day. I've deduced this is all in my head, if simply because no one else reacts to it and I doubt they're all in conspiracy to pretend ignorance. I still -see- them, though, but I've more or less managed to deal with it. I just accept what I'm seeing isn't truly there and just try to remain calm until it goes away. You should see a doctor ASAP. Vivid hallucinations, even non-delusional ones, need to be assessed by a professional. Mental illness is one potential cause, but there are also quite a few physiological conditions which can produce those symptoms. In any case, it's best to go now rather than wait & risk having it get to the point where you're no longer able to recognize that you're hallucinating. |
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Post by Napoleon the Clown on Oct 4, 2011 16:53:04 GMT -5
I'm...well, there's something wrong with me. I'm pretty sure I'm schizophrenic, or something like that, because I've been seeing things off and on since I was a child and it's getting progressively worse (both in frequency and intensity) as I get older. When I was a kid (8-ish) I used to see things I couldn't explain - amorphous jelly-like orbs that used to settle around me whenever I would stop moving, figures walking up and down the hall, translucent images of people and things (usually cars, I don't know why) appearing in impossible places, hearing voices, etc. I told my parents, who ignored me; my doctor thought the "orbs" might be eye floaters but otherwise disregarded everything I said. When I hit highschool things started turning disturbing. I would hear voices, but also screams and sobbing cries. I started avoiding looking in mirrors because the face that I saw reflected didn't look at all like mine. I started to see stranger things -progressions of impossibly tall, long-limbed, shadowy figures walking alongside the road, or seeing a brown-haired girl in a long blue dress standing in the hallway. I spent most of a shopping trip at the local grocery store watching the air flake away into shards of darkness that smashed themselves into the ceiling. I keep seeing small (about the size of a small dog), six-legged creatures creeping through my peripheral vision or sometimes just perching in the center of my bed. For the longest time the sensation of something jagged dragging across my eyes and tongue would keep interrupting me throughout the day. I've deduced this is all in my head, if simply because no one else reacts to it and I doubt they're all in conspiracy to pretend ignorance. I still -see- them, though, but I've more or less managed to deal with it. I just accept what I'm seeing isn't truly there and just try to remain calm until it goes away. Get your ass to a psychiatrist. If you have to get a referral from a general practitioner, do that. Do not, however, accept any sort of medications a GP offers. They do not know what the hell they're doing when it comes to psychiatric matters and are prone to misdiagnosis and giving you the worst medication for the issue at hand And big_electron, please stop being a know-it-all. It's annoying as hell. This is not something I'm asking as a mod, just as a fellow poster, too. |
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