Myth: Depressives are whiners

[Veruniel]

Okay, it's time to debunk a tired old stereotype. Scads of people on Gaia believe that depression is the same as blowing things out of proportion or whining about problems that don't exist.

This makes as much sense as saying that all asthmatics are whiners. Or all diabetics. Or all people with AIDS.

Let's get one thing perfectly clear, people.

Whining is a conscious act. Whether you do it or not is a personal choice.

Depression is a systemic illness, caused by abnormal biochemistry. It is genetic, and you have no control over whether you are depressed or not. (It's also worth noting that most depressed people do not whine or brood, because they know that it exacerbates the illness and is an enormous waste of time.)


Symptoms of may depression include:

-Poor appetite or eating to excess
-Apathy, lack of energy, or chronic fatigue
-Chronic insomina, irregular sleep patterns, and recurrent nightmares
-Profound sorrow that lasts weeks or months without lifting
-Disinterest in activites other people find pleasurable
-Disinterest in human companionship
-Anxiety, panic attacks, and feeling inexplicably stressed by normal daily activities
-Believing that your condition is just an attitude problem and you should be able to snap out of it
-Feeling guilty, worthless or weak willed because you can't snap out of it
-Believing you are a burden to others
-Self-harm or the desire to commit self-harm
-Suicidal thoughts or suicide itself

Symptoms of depression do NOT include:

-Violence or abusiveness toward others
-Wailing loudly about how '******** miserable' you are
-Cutting in public or showing off the scars
-Begging other people for moral support
-Blaming friends, family or society for making you this way
-Using mental illness as an excuse for behavioral problems
-Believing the world owes you a great big apology  

[cold.wire.lips]

actually, most depression is a degenerative but entirely correctable condition of, as you said, 'biochemistry'-- specifically, the physiology of the brain. it's not a disease in the physical sense, and is not genetic, though genetic predispositions do exist.

mostly, though, you have a LOT of control over whether or not you're depressed. people even have some amount of control over whether or not they have cancer-- depression is a much easier foe.  

[Veruniel]

cold.wire.lips

actually, most depression is a degenerative but entirely correctable condition of, as you said, 'biochemistry'-- specifically, the physiology of the brain. it's not a disease in the physical sense, and is not genetic, though genetic predispositions do exist.

mostly, though, you have a LOT of control over whether or not you're depressed. people even have some amount of control over whether or not they have cancer-- depression is a much easier foe.

Tell that to someone who's suffered a case of early onset depression, despite coming from a loving home and suffering no external stresses that would cause trauma in a human being whose brain worked normally. It's hard to discount the genetic evidence when you work with families that have a long history of mental illness and watch a three year old's clumsy attempts at suicide.

Yes, sometimes depression is triggered by external stimuli. It's likely that everyone is capable of developing depression. However, everyone has a slightly different threshold beyond which they will topple into it. For some people it takes more external circumstances, and for some it takes less.

This also means that some people will have a harder time getting out of it again. Therapy alone can work, but in the majority of cases medicine is needed.

Instead of thinking of depression as something that can be controlled with willpower, it's more helpful to compare it to conditions like sea-sickness. Some people don't get it and some people do. Some people won't feel queasy unless they're in a full-on gale, while the slightest cat's paws may send others dashing for the loo. Do we think of them as defective human beings because they can't will away their nausea?

Personally, I'd rather have a cancer that can be excised than a biochemical demon that perpetually attacks my self-worth.  

[DarkPrincesa]

I agree with some control but maybe not a lot. It is an internal malfunction, but usually reacts to an external stimulus, no matter how small it may seem to others. And the amount of work to climb back is just too much sometimes. And people who cut when depressed... don’t show.

I also think a major issue that the whiney teens miss is that you can be "depressed" with out having depression. And those stupid commercials. Who the f*ck with depression is going to say oh look... life really isn’t this bad... let me know. Come-on! Its the teens who see that and go... oh I cried yesterday, I don’t feel like doing my homework and chores... I must be depressed.  

[cold.wire.lips]

Veruniel

cold.wire.lips

actually, most depression is a degenerative but entirely correctable condition of, as you said, 'biochemistry'-- specifically, the physiology of the brain. it's not a disease in the physical sense, and is not genetic, though genetic predispositions do exist.

mostly, though, you have a LOT of control over whether or not you're depressed. people even have some amount of control over whether or not they have cancer-- depression is a much easier foe.

Tell that to someone who's suffered a case of early onset depression, despite coming from a loving home and suffering no external stresses that would cause trauma in a human being whose brain worked normally. It's hard to discount the genetic evidence when you work with families that have a long history of mental illness and watch a three year old's clumsy attempts at suicide.

the ratio of clinical depression cases from those genetically created to those caused by external factors and genetic predisposition must be somewhere in the .0001:200 range. in the case of your three-year-old, the most probable cause is severe malformation of the neurotransmitters, due to early exposure -- even in the womb -- to all the lovely modern chemicals that are damaging the physiological structures of the brains of children. that, combined with certain elements of external nuturing, or triggering of this illness, would create a fairly convincing veneer of 'genetic illness,' but the fact is that depression is a formative disease, so the only way it could be passed to the next generation is through certain inclinations towards poor formation.

Veruniel

Yes, sometimes depression is triggered by external stimuli. It's likely that everyone is capable of developing depression. However, everyone has a slightly different threshold beyond which they will topple into it. For some people it takes more external circumstances, and for some it takes less.

i completely agree here, except for the part about 'sometimes triggered,' because you've just described the predisposition i discussed.

Veruniel

This also means that some people will have a harder time getting out of it again. Therapy alone can work, but in the majority of cases medicine is needed.
Instead of thinking of depression as something that can be controlled with willpower,

i also agree with this. i never said that a person has total control over their depression, or that one can simply snap their fingers, enter a zen state, and eradicate the naughty thoughts from one's self. i am, however, a firm believer in the magnificent power of the human mind, and in the placebo effect. while i would rather not elongate this post with all the possible combinations of causes and their prevention or treatment, i will say this: all of these attributes can be consciously controlled.
a person with your sea-sickness avoids the water, or learns ways to feel less sick, such as not watching the horizon.
a person with diabetes avoids high-fructose cornsyrup.
a person suffering depression sets a determined, regular sleep schedule and takes an SSRI.

perhaps you misinterpreted the tenour of my post. i was never implying that depression patients are weak-willed or defective, though i suppose upon consideration they would be the definition of defective, but that doesn't make them any less valuable people. i am only glorifying the amazing abilities of the human mind when applied, and reminding the audience that depression is not necessarily debilitating. sometimes one of the most hurtful things a depressed person can believe is that they have no control or no willpower anymore; this only fuels the chemical imbalance. with the proper medication to reverse the biochemical overdrive and the right therapy, a person is fully capable of battling off their depression and re-emerging into reality a real, flush human again, having regained the ability to hope.  

[lysseee]

cold.wire.lips

perhaps you misinterpreted the tenour of my post. i was never implying that depression patients are weak-willed or defective, though i suppose upon consideration they would be the definition of defective, but that doesn't make them any less valuable people. i am only glorifying the amazing abilities of the human mind when applied, and reminding the audience that depression is not necessarily debilitating. sometimes one of the most hurtful things a depressed person can believe is that they have no control or no willpower anymore; this only fuels the chemical imbalance. with the proper medication to reverse the biochemical overdrive and the right therapy, a person is fully capable of battling off their depression and re-emerging into reality a real, flush human again, having regained the ability to hope.

..... mmmhmmm. i'd tell you that you should stand in front of a mirror every morning, right after you wake up, and repeat that to yourself.

sadly, i know that you have no mirrors, and that you don't sleep >.>



i completely agree, tho. human brain is just a ball of electric, filled with chemicals. you can deal with depression and lead a proper life (i.e. protect, or better the quality of your life) for quite a long time if you know what you're doing. and by "know what you're doing" i mean know how you can alter some of your brain chemicals to help with your general mood. the causes of depression are many, and for every individual it's usually a hard-to-tackle variety that causes the outbreak. but it's not so hard to deal with the symptoms once you recognise what you're feeling is caused by depression. and you just have to go through simple steps, as he said, to do so.
proper sleep cycles, a regular sex life, working out, consuming a carefully selected variety of foods and drinks, doing tiny projects, and (although i don't like the idea of it at all, it's necessary in some cases) drugs.  

[cold.wire.lips]

i usually use the idea of 'accomplishments' rather than projects.

it is, as cliche as it seems, all about the attitude-- a person really has to want to heal before they'll be able to, and that is the most difficult step. one of the most dangerous aspects of depression is the apathy; you don't care that you're apathetic. you're too unhappy to believe you could ever be happy or to try.

so anyway, you wake up, and you tell yourself, 'i will get out of bed today.' and you think, 'it's only three motions i have to do with my body to get up. do it for myself.'
and then you stand up, and you've accomplished something wonderful.

for awhile it was a monumental accomplishment for me just to shower.  

[lysseee]

ew. skunk.


project was a misused word. taking a shower, cleaning your wardrobe, prettying yourself, meeting with friends, baking a cake for yourself -or attempting, anyways-... tiny things that are not too hard to accomplish, but will give a sense of satisfaction nevertheless.  

[Icy-Determination_020]

I like this... Depression is real and it sucks a$$... makes my good days bleak  

[Neon~Starshine]

I fully believe that depression can be brought on solely by social factors, rather than just genetic ones. Living a hellish life can make the ability to feel happiness next to impossible. Depression is more than a predisposed mental condition brought on by genetics.  

[DarkJoker99]

"Suicidal thoughts or suicide itself"

rofl Suicide itself I find that funny. I don't know if I am depressed, how about I kill myself today. I have strange humor. Just ignore me....

Oh, and people who are "depressed", GET THE HELL OVER IT!!! So your sad, boo hoo. Most people are sad these days. Especially those in school because of bullies. Say Aye if you agree with eliminating 3/4 of the population who think they are "depressed".  

[-Isel-]

DarkJoker99

"Suicidal thoughts or suicide itself"

rofl Suicide itself I find that funny. I don't know if I am depressed, how about I kill myself today. I have strange humor. Just ignore me....

Oh, and people who are "depressed", GET THE HELL OVER IT!!! So your sad, boo hoo. Most people are sad these days. Especially those in school because of bullies. Say Aye if you agree with eliminating 3/4 of the population who think they are "depressed".

You know, I'll bet money that Veruniel will have a problem with that.  

[lysseee]

DarkJoker99

"Suicidal thoughts or suicide itself"

rofl Suicide itself I find that funny. I don't know if I am depressed, how about I kill myself today. I have strange humor. Just ignore me....

Oh, and people who are "depressed", GET THE HELL OVER IT!!! So your sad, boo hoo. Most people are sad these days. Especially those in school because of bullies. Say Aye if you agree with eliminating 3/4 of the population who think they are "depressed".

congrats, we have a new definition for 'low'.
did you even bother to read the first post? you don't need to go through all those scary looking words, just try to read the ones in red. that is RED, in case you cannot discern.

there are symptomatic cures for this "sadness", but i have yet to encounter a cure for shallowness. very unfortunate for you.