Depression

[zolayes 14,489]

there is no need to feel shame about depression . It is an illness just like arthritus or pneumonia or cancer. The problem is how others perceive it.

Say you are depressed and people will tell you to take a grip .. The medical profession are little better ,,either ignore it or just give out drugs.

Im lucky Im rarely depressed but have two very close to me who suffer,

[Yeboii 1,844]

Was very depressed a few years ago, sometimes I get depressed to this day. Its not good but, sometimes, it has helped me with artistic work.

[Rmpr 8,977]

there is no need to feel shame about depression . It is an illness just like arthritus or pneumonia or cancer. The problem is how others perceive it.

Say you are depressed and people will tell you to take a grip .. The medical profession are little better ,,either ignore it or just give out drugs.

Im lucky Im rarely depressed but have two very close to me who suffer,

It really is not, there is no comparisson!

I think you can view it as leprosy and aids, due to the fact it gets people away from you, but not like pneumonia. IMO.

[Steve 10,227]

I'll give a little update on my situation. I honestly have come a long way but I have had my bad patches along the way. I am actually in one of them at the moment where I cannot find a positive in anything but I keep fighting (Rafa is not helping, i'll be honest). I am off the medication I was taking and am glad I am some what stable with out it because It makes me feel as if I am making progress even though it's at a very slow rate.

I want too tell people on this forum not to be ashamed about having depression. It's not really something that an individual can change. You can say to yourself I will be happy today but it's a chemical imbalance in your brain that one cannot prevent unfortunately. This is the reason so much study goes into depression every day because it's a big disorder that effects so many people.

If you're strong enough to come out and tell people (everyone can do it), think about it like this. That's one massive step I just made to having a better life!

If you feel the need to send me a message I will give you as much advice as I can in what's helped me and what hasn't.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

I'll give a little update on my situation. I honestly have come a long way but I have had my bad patches along the way. I am actually in one of them at the moment where I cannot find a positive in anything but I keep fighting (Rafa is not helping, i'll be honest). I am off the medication I was taking and am glad I am some what stable with out it because It makes me feel as if I am making progress even though it's at a very slow rate.

I want too tell people on this forum not to be ashamed about having depression. It's not really something that an individual can change. You can say to yourself I will be happy today but it's a chemical imbalance in your brain that one cannot prevent unfortunately. This is the reason so much study goes into depression every day because it's a big disorder that effects so many people.

If you're strong enough to come out and tell people (everyone can do it), think about it like this. That's one massive step I just made to having a better life!

If you feel the need to send me a message I will give you as much advice as I can in what's helped me and what hasn't.

I think a lot of us have had depression. They key is finding the thing that get you out of it. For me, when I used to get depressed, it'd lead into this cycle of not being social and isolating myself which would then get me more depressed. Now, if I feel down, I make sure to meet up with close friends and just go out for a night and not think. Works very well for me but everyone has their own keys. (sometimes, one does need medication)

[zolayes 14,489]

It really is not, there is no comparisson!

I think you can view it as leprosy and aids, due to the fact it gets people away from you, but not like pneumonia. IMO.

you have missed my point completely ,,,most people are sympathetic to what are classed as illnesses but not to depression which I believe is an illness which

needs both treatment and understanding

[Rmpr 8,977]

you have missed my point completely ,,,most people are sympathetic to what are classed as illnesses but not to depression which I believe is an illness which

needs both treatment and understanding

I did get that, it is exactly why I said it is not compared to cancer or anything similar.

Most people just go, "huh, cant even face his problems" and stay away from whoever says they have depression. When they have AIDS it is the same reaction. However, when someone has cancer, they receive immense support.

The first two diseases are just as dangerous and society prejudice on it only makes them worse!

[Dion 2,476]

I think a lot of us have had depression. They key is finding the thing that get you out of it. For me, when I used to get depressed, it'd lead into this cycle of not being social and isolating myself which would then get me more depressed. Now, if I feel down, I make sure to meet up with close friends and just go out for a night and not think. Works very well for me but everyone has their own keys. (sometimes, one does need medication)

THIS. I second this. That's exactly how it is for me.

[Steve 10,227]

I did get that, it is exactly why I said it is not compared to cancer or anything similar.

Most people just go, "huh, cant even face his problems" and stay away from whoever says they have depression. When they have AIDS it is the same reaction. However, when someone has cancer, they receive immense support.

The first two diseases are just as dangerous and society prejudice on it only makes them worse!

I disagree I think if you have a good support group around you then they will not run away if you have a problem and if anything they will be there for you.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I disagree I think if you have a good support group around you then they will not run away if you have a problem and if anything they will be there for you.

Not what I said. Friends will stick with you no matter what...

I am talking about general people, they do get away! My colleague at school became HIV positive and I can tell she got almost forgotten in parties, etc. Depression (at least in Brazil) has the same prejudice.

P.S: I would never have guessed you had unhappy moments in your life man, you seem a really cool dude who wouldnt suffer like this. I am just proud you overcame it and had the courage to post it.

[Steve 10,227]

Not what I said. Friends will stick with you no matter what...

I am talking about general people, they do get away! My colleague at school became HIV positive and I can tell she got almost forgotten in parties, etc. Depression (at least in Brazil) has the same prejudice.

P.S: I would never have guessed you had unhappy moments in your life man, you seem a really cool dude who wouldnt suffer like this. I am just proud you overcame it and had the courage to post it.

Oh sorry, I misunderstood. Yes alot of people say this to me. When I go out im generally so happy and when I tell people no one believes me. But the sad reality is I have these problems that I fight every day.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Oh sorry, I misunderstood. Yes alot of people say this to me. When I go out im generally so happy and when I tell people no one believes me. But the sad reality is I have these problems that I fight every day.

No problem.

It will seem really, really vague and pointless but just be happy!

It means "Let life take me, take me life!". He start by talking about how he has to live with the two different personalities (the public singer figure and the private family guy) and how it has changed him over the course of his life.

[manpe 10,861]

I am talking about general people, they do get away! My colleague at school became HIV positive and I can tell she got almost forgotten in parties, etc. Depression (at least in Brazil) has the same prejudice.

The thing with HIV is that ignorant ass people think it's contagious, when in reality it's actually difficult to get HIV. For example you have to swallow many buckets of saliva to even have a slim chance of getting infected. There's no chance of getting it by touching, kissing or even drinking from the same bottle as the infected person.

I don't know why depression has the same effect, I'm not familiar with this prejudice tbh. I presume it's because depressed people are considered to be no fun to be around with and will drag the mood down, or they are afraid of hurting their feelings even more, or they think they need to be alone or something... I don't know. I don't think there are dumbasses who think it's contagious, are there?

[Rmpr 8,977]

The thing with HIV is that ignorant ass people think it's contagious, when in reality it's actually difficult to get HIV. For example you have to swallow many buckets of saliva to even have a chance of getting infected. There's no chance of getting it by touching, kissing or even drinking from the same bottle as the infected person.

I don't know why depression has the same effect, I'm not familiar with this prejudice tbh. I presume it's because depressed people are considered to be no fun to be around with and will drag the mood down, or they are afraid of hurting their feelings even more, or they think they need to be alone or something... I don't know. I don't think there are dumbasses who think it's contagious, are there?

Well, I guess I expressed myself really bad. No one thinks it is contagious, people just dont like it and they get away from you. Just like gay people, nobody thinks it is contagious, lol. However, they will stay away from you!

It was like this in my high school though, I am talking about what I have seen. I cant complain because I had a pretty amazing high school, but it still bothers me even if it doesnt affect me personally!

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

The thing with HIV is that ignorant ass people think it's contagious, when in reality it's actually difficult to get HIV. For example you have to swallow many buckets of saliva to even have a slim chance of getting infected. There's no chance of getting it by touching, kissing or even drinking from the same bottle as the infected person.

I don't know why depression has the same effect, I'm not familiar with this prejudice tbh. I presume it's because depressed people are considered to be no fun to be around with and will drag the mood down, or they are afraid of hurting their feelings even more, or they think they need to be alone or something... I don't know. I don't think there are dumbasses who think it's contagious, are there?

To be fair, it's a tough call. Some people want to be alone when they're depressed. Some people do act like dicks to drive other people away when they're depressed. The key is to have close friends who know you. Acquaintances come and go, but it's the people who truly care about you, who matter and they're the ones who will help you out of your funk. About HIV, you're right. It's actually quite difficult to catch and its spread is a testament to just how much sex people have.

I read this article a while back and I think it really got me thinking. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying Happiness is, to some degree a choice (taking out massive chemical imbalances) It's harder for some of us than others of course, but we've all met people who by all rights should be so happy and are miserable and people who should be miserable and are happy no matter what. If you've ever seen the movie Happy Go Lucky, I think it's a brilliant take on someone who chooses happiness.

[OnkelDal 27]

Nice to see this topic as it's hard to find people who truley know how depression really feels.

Been battling depression for the most part of my life. Once I was in my early 20's and on my own I felt okay, but up untill '08 my life went for a downward spiral. Wont go into details at this time, but from then to late 2011, and parts of 2012 have been my darkest and most frightening years. Although after making some changes in my life, it still effects me to this day. Feeling unwanted & unloved. No motivation to do anything with my life anymore etc.. etc...

Been planning on a nice long vacation hopefully in October as travelling is the only thing that clears my head from any negativity.

[dumps 284]

Mental illness is a horrible thing. I know someone very close to me who suffers depression and its just horrible to have to watch them when they go through a bad stage. So my first question is does anybody have any advice to help and support someone? i do my best, i try and understand, and then i try create distractions, and i always make sure she knows im happy so that i dont become sad to make her feel worse. not in a "haha im happy your not way" thats a bit harsh, but more of a so she can look at me and see that there is hope if you know what i mean?

Because this person suffers from depression it motivated me to take a mental health and physical activity module at university. and that has taught me a lot. its help me understand depression. for someone not suffering depression, it can be really hard to understand, and that must be really frustrating. at first, when she would get down for know reason it would confuse me, i wasnt ignorant or nasty, but i would be confused, its hard to understand it because it can sometimes see illogical. thoughts of suicide are a completely illogical idea to anyone not suffering. we all know we would rather (at worst) experience a life of hell than to not experience life at all (to a certain extent) so to hear someone in a perfectly good situation want to not live, its horrible and hard ot understand.

what ive taken from this module: (its based on increasing peoples physical activity) is that exercise can help, not masively, but its an inexpensive way that has multiple other benefits that can also contribute to the positive effects in the longer run. but hte main thing is lifestyle. for example, if you get in to a pattern of waking up late, not doing much with your day, missing classes, missing events, it builds up with guilt.

depression is a nasty cycle. you feel upset. so you dont do anything, then you feel even worse for not doing those things (meeting with people, going to class etc) and then you dont do anyhting because you are feelign even lower. and its about breaking that cycle. and thats what physical activity tends to do. forces you to have to go somewhere, interact with other people, do a sport and get involved, you amy enjoy it, you may not, its about preference. anti depressants work by trying to reduce the effects you feel of depression so that you are more likely to break that cycle on your own, but this can take time, doingi t along side exercise works great.

for more information on depression itself and how exercise may help, id reccomend this site, theres also a lot of other things on there for self help. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/expertadvice/treatments/exerciseandmentalhealth.aspx

The problem is, mental health isnt funded by governments like things such as cancer and heart disease so its way behind in research. however, the last few years theres been a surge of research, mainly because its being constantly put in to the faces of the people in charge that depression will soon (by 2020 i believe) be the biggest global illness.

I always see it as we all suffer from depression, just some people are masters of distraction and are capable of diverting from it. distraction, in minor depression, can be a huge help, however careful what you chose because it can lead to some nasty addictions that can then make things worse!



to you guys i go back to my first point, i want adivce on being able to help support someone who suffers from depression. i may have a bit of knowledge in the area, but at the end of the day, some of you guys seem to have had some really long term experience, i would just love to have some advice to help this person.

keep smiling

[Spike 12,049]

I'm so cripplingly depressed.

[Leif 6,006]

If anyone wants an aid for depression (temporary) go get yourself some L-Tyrosine capsules. They work. But you'll build a tolerance after a while so need to take a break after a month or so before restarting. Or err, if available to you, 'medical' marijuana. Use a vaporizer and get some Northern Lights or Purple Haze. Helps me greatly.

If you even consider weed though, do it properly. Don't just go to some random dealer. Every strain has different characteristics and effects - like fingerprints, each strain is unique. If you just buy cheap crap from someone you don't know it'll be a mix of loadsa other rubbish which can cause anxiety and even worsen depression. So only if it's a last resort thing would I suggest that.

[Kieran. 6,317]

I advocate marijuana for depression...as I've mentioned before, I've been diagnosed with mild depression since 2008. I never liked the way anti-depressants made me feel (almost as if I was a zombie). So I smoke weed daily and it helps a lot. But it really depends from person to person.