Depression

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Not taking the suicide option doesn't always mean facing the problems. When suffering from extreme depression, the easiest path is just letting things remain as they are - doing nothing. One could say that's a form of cowardice as well.

I don't think it necessarily takes a professional, really. If you've been there, or know someone closely who has been there, you know the difference.

Exactly. A lot of people have trouble grasping the difference between the two concepts. Almot every time I've told someone I have depression, their first question is "Why?" And then I'm tempted to say something like, "Well my hamster just died", because that's probably the kind of answer they expect.

Everyone feels sad or down sometimes, absolutely. But it's different when it becomes a perpetual, permanent state of mind with no way to escape it. I hate my depression so much I almost have it personified in my mind, like it's an entity of its own, that I have to fight with. I don't crave for attention, I don't *like* being depressed, and I fight it, I want to get rid of it. And to some extent, I've succeeded - it doesn't control me the way it used to. But it's not over yet, and I have a feeling it never will be completely over.

Like was mentioned in the Life thread, depression has become fashionable in a way. I think people get diagnosed pretty lightly these days. There probably are a lot of people out there popping pills when they wouldn't really need to. But this doesn't change the fact that some people really *are* seriously depressed, to the extent that they become incapable of doing anything at all. Telling those people to just "snap out of it" isn't going to work.

 

Very good point, Susipaisti.

And you are right about a depression never really being over - it has been one year since my manic "ended", and I still feel remnants of it.

 

It must be said however, that pulling through without medication is quite a feat especially in today's world. I think it's pretty admirable.

I tried, for quite a while, but after I started going to therapy, from time to time they recommended meds to compliment the therapy. After refusing a few times I finally thought "What the hell." The first type of pill didn't do much of anything at all, the second had side effects, but the third has been okay.

A buddy of mine suggested it was a placebo effect, but I don't think so, since I was pretty skeptical about the meds even after I started taking them.

One important thing I think is that no one should rely on meds alone. Therapy comes first, and medication should only compliment the therapy, if used at all. And therapy can have many different forms, it doesn't have to be lying on the couch while a guy who looks like Freud scribbles notes. What worked for me was music therapy.

 

Again, I have to agree with you, Susipaisti.

With the appropriate therapy, and tapping in inner strength, it's very possible to get through.

I personally don't believe that medication can do miracles - but it *can* have it's uses, therefore I will call it a necessary evil.

As you say, Susipaisti, therapy can take many forms. Add the proper therapy to the inner strength of a human being and you've got a pretty strong combination to face depression. Speaking of personal experience, it's a long and chaotic road, it is worth it in the end. These two years were the toughest of my life, but I have survived. And without medication. My own therapy was solitude.

 

That's also very true, but it doesn't change the fact that suicide is also a form of cowardice. err, you know what i mean? sorry, the sentence just sounds kinda redundant forgive me, I've just had a midterm :/

 

No one said that everyone has to be brave...

 

Depression isn't just sadness or apathy or whatever you want to call it.

I was diagnosed with a mild personality disorder when I was younger that caused depression. However, I ended up with a very violent man who had me too scared to tell people about the abuse I was going through. The frustration from this caused my depression to turn to violence.
It was still classed and treated as depression though...very odd