Depression

[ackattacker]

I think Amish's post's are right on in many regards and well spoken. Frankly it seems half my friends are on some sort of "mood medication", it's pretty ridiculous how frequently they are prescribed.

However some people need chemical help. Really they do. It's pretty well documented, and not just by the drug companies. True Depression can be crushing, crippling. There's no way to dig yourself out from that sort of hole by yourself. Or if you are well and truly bipolar... therapy just isn't going to cut it.

The problem with SSRI's is that very few people ever truly get better and go off them. Your brain gets hooked on them. If you ever stop taking them you get severely depressed in just a few weeks. So back to the medical issue, going on SSRI's is very risky... it can be a lifetime thing and you never hold a medical again. I would never consider it unless I was seriously considering suicide and had exhausted all other means of treatment.

 

[Papps]

Telling a clinically depressed person to "be happy", is like telling a drunk person to "be sober". Due to their brains chemistry at that moment, they are literally incapable of doing anything more than pretending.

If you ever have one to many beers at the bar, and drive home, just remember "thinking sober" won't help you pass that breathilizer. Nor will "thinking happy" help a clinically depressed person.

 

[justthewife]

Telling a clinically depressed person to "be happy", is like telling a drunk person to "be sober". Due to their brains chemistry at that moment, they are literally incapable of doing anything more than pretending.

If you ever have one to many beers at the bar, and drive home, just remember "thinking sober" won't help you pass that breathilizer. Nor will "thinking happy" help a clinically depressed person.

Excellent, excellent analogy. That is a good way to tell if you are really depressed, or just feeling down due to situational factors. Can you find things that make you feel better? Do you still enjoy doing things you used to enjoy? Are you still sleeping normally, eating normally? If so, then it is likely not true depression.

Everyone feels like S*@t once in awhile, and unfortunately, too many people are treated with drugs who aren't suffering true depression, and might be better served with some exercise, watching their diet, and some R and R.

However, none of those things will work if you are truly chemically depressed. You can't reason yourself out of that situation, or "think" yourself better- for those people, drugs are a lifesaver.

 

[Papps]

Agreed, anti depressants are way over perscribed. They won't help you if you just got dumped by your girlfriend, hate your job...ie lifes normal bummers. Feeling like crap is something everyone will feel at one point.

real depression is a combination of mental and physical symptoms. If everything is going ok in your life, but you still feel utterly miserable, you have chronic digestive problems, you have massive sleep problems, you have memory problems, you are loosing tons of weight, you aren't interested in anything, you avoid friends and family, your sex drive is shot, your are 100% painfully fatigued 24/7 almost flu like fatigue, have a family history of depression, suicide, alcoholism.......etc then it may be clinical depression and you should seriously think about removing yourself from the cockpit and getting treated by a medical professional.

If you just hate your job, and you significant other, then quit your job and dump your girlfriend and try again, because meds won't make you feel remotely better.