Depression

t0mm13b · 03-01-2011 04:52PM

Princess Peach wrote: »

This is how I felt! I though I had some illness that was making me tired all the time and I had no energy of motivation. But when I spoke to my doctor and nothing came back in my blood tests, it became clear that I had suffered from depression for years. And it did make me feel better that now I knew what treatment and lifestyle changes I needed to make in order to improve myself. It took a while for my medication to work, but I did feel a little better starting on it, knowing I was taking control of the situation.

The palpitations is another thing that can cause the anxiety and the panic inside to such an extent it can overwhelm....combined with literally sh!tt!ng everyday...it does make things worse...the effexor does make me calmer on the inside in that I don't get those anxieties..

Novella · 03-01-2011 04:55PM

Dotsey wrote: »

Its not silly when you think about it. When something is getting you down find a way of letting it out, then think about what inward rage is. A psychiaterist friend told me this

Yeah, I don't think you're being silly or trying to troll. I actually studied Psychology in college and we once had a talk from someone whose name I can't remember and it was titled, "Depression - Rage Turned Inward" so yeah, it is something that many people believe. I obviously wasn't listening very well that day, 'cause I don't really remember what was said, but I know that what you're saying isn't something you're just making up!

03-01-2011 04:57PM

t0mm13b wrote: »

The palpitations is another thing that can cause the anxiety and the panic inside to such an extent it can overwhelm....combined with literally sh!tt!ng everyday...it does make things worse...the effexor does make me calmer on the inside in that I don't get those anxieties..

You may have quoted the wrong person? The doctors in the hospital did try and prescribe me medication that would prevent it, but I knew it was manageable, that it didn't scare me anymore and that I could stop it, so I said no.

Kiera · 03-01-2011 04:58PM

Dotsey wrote: »

Its not silly when you think about it. When something is getting you down find a way of letting it out, then think about what inward rage is. A psychiaterist friend told me this

Still not buying it. I've never met someone who is depressed and seem angry? They just seem sad and when they talk about it they have never once mentioned anger? Am i just not looking deep enough into what you're saying or what am i missing here?

sollar · 03-01-2011 05:00PM

I think the results are not an accurate reflection of depression in society or even depression among boards users. This is my first post on the subject although i voted days ago.

Once i seen a thread on mental illness on AH i imediately went in to it. AH has a very large traffic and anyone who has suffered depression or another mental illness is likely to have clicked in and voted. Many others will either not have been interested enough to read it or vote. But you can be sure anyone who is depressed will have at least voted.

t0mm13b · 03-01-2011 05:01PM

Deleted User wrote: »

You may have quoted the wrong person? The doctors in the hospital did try and prescribe me medication that would prevent it, but I knew it was manageable, that it didn't scare me anymore and that I could stop it, so I said no.

My bad - yeah I quoted the wrong person...

C_Dawg · 03-01-2011 05:02PM

Depression is like anger without enthusiasm is something I've heard. I'd be a fairly angry and bitter chap.

K-9 · 03-01-2011 05:04PM

cleremy jarkson wrote: »

@ boneyarsebogman - I for one agree with Wibbs posts on this matter, and I'm sure many others do aswell. But I'm reluctant to post in this thread because I feel like I'd be walking on eggshells; even your opening post lambasting potential posters for potential "****" replies..very off putting for somebody who wants to discuss depression in a manner other than telling their own personal story. If we don't want depression to be such a taboo (and it is less a taboo than it previously was, in my opinion) then we should all be freely debating the social reasons for why it exists, why statistics show it to be much more common nowadays, why increased/ better psychiatry coincides with 4 times higher suicide rates; in the long run, if we want to make a dent in it's rate of occurrance, we'll have to tackle some of the social reasons for it's existence.

Take Wibbs point that in 1990, cutting was very rare but nowadays it is much more common. It simply can't be pretended that this isn't a social meme, as opposed to a genuine natural symptom that manifests itself from depression, because it's is a social meme. Those who were doing it in 1990 who felt genuinely compelled to do so must certainly have their counterparts in 2011, but there must also be lots of people doing the same thing now in 2011 who don't feel similarly compelled but who cut anyway because they feel they are depressed and that they should "want" to cut themselves, if that makes sense.

I don't know if cutting is more common now or its just that people perceive it as so, because it is talked about more now. There was very little awareness of depression 20 years ago, tended to be covered up or whispering comments about bad nerves!

To me, that would be a big reason in a higher detection rate i.e. people are more aware of depression now, that it exists, that it isn't bad nerves and help is available.

Darlughda · 03-01-2011 05:05PM

Kiera wrote: »

Still not buying it. I've never met someone who is depressed and seem angry? They just seem sad and when they talk about it they have never once mentioned anger? Am i just not looking deep enough into what you're saying or what am i missing here?

Kiera, depression is manifested in many different ways.

Before a low spell, I can spend weeks literally seeting with frustration, resentment and rage.

I have learnt to control my anger, luckily I have never been violent, but when I was younger, I would literally start arguments and rows any kind of chaos really,because the tension of this anger would overwhelm me.

Susannahmia · 03-01-2011 05:07PM

I have been suffering from depression for about 3 years now. At the minute with the help of antidepressants, I am doing great and for the first time in 3+ years beginning to actually feel normal.

It started in my final year of college and I still haven't managed to hand in my thesis although the college has been very accommodating.

I went from having the ability to tap out a 2:1 essay in a day if pushed to being unable to write a sentence without coming close to having a panic attack. Even the thoughts of finishing my dissertation now scares me as I'm afraid I will "go mad" again. This especially has been the most frustrating aspect for me as I know I'm well capable of doing it. At one point I hated myself so much for not being able to do it I started to cut myself.

My main symptoms were constant agitation and constant anxiety over nothing. Because I was so anxious all the time I couldn't get any sleep until I actually passed out from exhaustion, sometimes I would be awake for two days straight . My sleep pattern has only come back completely normal now in the last two months.

I didn't want to go out get dressed, do anything. I couldn't even think, it was like my brain was not working everything was a fog.

A lot of the time I almost wished I had a more visible illness, at least then people would maybe understand why I was the way I was.

I was lucky because my mother is a psychiatric nurse and has a history of depression herself so I had someone who understood and who was able to get me the right help.

Kiera · 03-01-2011 05:07PM

Darlughda wrote: »

Kiera, depression is manifested in many different ways.

Before a low spell, I can spend weeks literally seeting with frustration, resentment and rage.

I have learnt to control my anger, luckily I have never been violent, but when I was younger, I would literally start arguments and rows any kind of chaos really,because the tension of this anger would overwhelm me.

I'm just asking all these questions cause i dont actually get depression. I dont mean to offend anyone. I'm just trying to learn about tbh.

Cheers for the reply

Princess Peach · 03-01-2011 05:09PM

Kiera wrote: »

Still not buying it. I've never met someone who is depressed and seem angry? They just seem sad and when they talk about it they have never once mentioned anger? Am i just not looking deep enough into what you're saying or what am i missing here?

I can get soo angry sometimes! And with my counselor I worked out that often when I get down, its when I should be getting angry. Like when somebody upsets me, instead of dealing with my anger, I'll just cry alone about it. When getting angry would actually be better for me, cause its a better way of dealing with emotions, if that makes sense. But I can still get an awful temper sometimes. Just cause I have depression, doesn't mean I don't have other emotions.

03-01-2011 05:12PM

Kiera, maybe it's a case that you've never seen a depressive person at their worst? When I'm having an overly depressive episode, I choose to lock myself away so I don't bother anyone with it. There is a lot of anger associated with it for me, usually with regards that I feel like this at all. Thankfully these episodes are a lot rarer now, as I actively went out to change the aspect of my life that were affecting me - quit my job, made loads of new friends, became more active. It is still nagging at me sometime, at the back of my mind, but it's manageable now.

Novella · 03-01-2011 05:12PM

I don't think the whole 'Rage turned inward' thing is about being an angry person, that'd be a bit simplistic. Depression is associated with negative feeling etc., and this is often exacerbated by the sufferer being unable to express their feelings, their emotions. Thus all of the frustration, sadness, irritation is held in and hence it builds up and gets worse...

Obviously not all cases of depression are the same, and I haven't really looked into the 'Rage turned inward' thing in depth, but it does make some sense.

Susannahmia · 03-01-2011 05:15PM

Kiera wrote: »

Still not buying it. I've never met someone who is depressed and seem angry? They just seem sad and when they talk about it they have never once mentioned anger? Am i just not looking deep enough into what you're saying or what am i missing here?

I got very angry a lot the constant anxiety just built up and up until it exploded as rage and frustration.

Darlughda · 03-01-2011 05:15PM

Kiera wrote: »

I'm just asking all these questions cause i dont actually get depression. I dont mean to offend anyone. I'm just trying to learn about tbh.

Cheers for the reply

Oh, gosh no! I wasn't offended-didn't mean to come across that way.

Actually, this thread has been really informative for me, especially because it hasn't turned into a love in, and some other people's experiences are so different from mine.

For example foxinsox' story, so much so that I was here thinking, jayzus is this what I have at all, or have I something completely different, but been lumped under a convenient umbrella term,

or.....am I just a chronic moany self indulgent git:eek:

Kiera · 03-01-2011 05:17PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Kiera, maybe it's a case that you've never seen a depressive person at their worst? When I'm having an overly depressive episode, I choose to lock myself away so I don't bother anyone with it. There is a lot of anger associated with it for me, usually with regards that I feel like this at all. Thankfully these episodes are a lot rarer now, as I actively went out to change the aspect of my life that were affecting me - quit my job, made loads of new friends, became more active. It is still nagging at me sometime, at the back of my mind, but it's manageable now.

I have actually. A very close family memeber is suffering from it at the mo. This is why i'm asking so many questions because i dont understand it and i want to just shake them and tell them to "cop on" but i know that wont work.

Princess Peach · 03-01-2011 05:22PM

Kiera wrote: »

I have actually. A very close family memeber is suffering from it at the mo. This is why i'm asking so many questions because i dont understand it and i want to just shake them and tell them to "cop on" but i know that wont work.

I like your questions, make people talk more

Tbh I don't really understand it myself. Some days I just tell myself to cop on, never works though :P

Susannahmia · 03-01-2011 05:23PM

Kiera wrote: »

i want to just shake them and tell them to "cop on" but i know that wont work.

Thats what I wanted to do to myself so I know for someone looking in its hard to understand. Hell I don't even understand it myself. Please don't though you will make them feel 100x as bad about themselves than they already do.

FindingMimo · 03-01-2011 05:23PM

sorry for butting in here, just seen this topic and it is of a bit of interest to me...
i read the first couple of pages but then skipped to the end so maybe i missed the actual answer to my question and you have already talked about it -

from what i can see, everyone has put forward symptoms of depression, like how it effects your day to day life....
but does anyone know what causes it? because to be frank, its literally getting on my last nerve now lol

Novella · 03-01-2011 05:23PM

Kiera wrote: »

I have actually. A very close family memeber is suffering from it at the mo. This is why i'm asking so many questions because i dont understand it and i want to just shake them and tell them to "cop on" but i know that wont work.

I know you wouldn't be one of my biggest fans, Kiera, but fwiw, I am really sorry to hear that someone close to you isn't well. I know how bloody frustrating it is though, and how much you just wanna have back the person you used to have. It's impossible to know what to say, but I think that maybe being there is enough, and making sure that they know you're not gonna go anywhere, no matter how bad things get. I hope they start feeling better soon, and that it gets easier for you.

03-01-2011 05:23PM

Kiera wrote: »

I have actually. A very close family memeber is suffering from it at the mo. This is why i'm asking so many questions because i dont understand it and i want to just shake them and tell them to "cop on" but i know that wont work.

If anything that might make them much worse. Telling them to "cop on" would completely undermine the whole thing, I think. I am probably completely wrong in what I'm about to say, but I somewhat think depression is closely linked to anorexia, bulimia and disorders like that. You can prescribe medication all you want, give them all the advice you can think of, but it is up to the sufferer to realise that there is a problem and for them to actively make changes that might make things better. Obviously this is not always the case, unfortunately.

FindingMimo wrote: »

sorry for butting in here, just seen this topic and it is of a bit of interest to me...
i read the first couple of pages but then skipped to the end so maybe i missed the actual answer to my question and you have already talked about it -

from what i can see, everyone has put forward symptoms of depression, like how it effects your day to day life....
but does anyone know what causes it? because to be frank, its literally getting on my last nerve now lol

It's impossible to know what causes it, as it can be different for everyone.

Susannahmia · 03-01-2011 05:29PM

FindingMimo wrote: »

sorry for butting in here, just seen this topic and it is of a bit of interest to me...
i read the first couple of pages but then skipped to the end so maybe i missed the actual answer to my question and you have already talked about it -

from what i can see, everyone has put forward symptoms of depression, like how it effects your day to day life....
but does anyone know what causes it? because to be frank, its literally getting on my last nerve now lol

For me I think it was mostly genetic, I have a huge family history of it. When my depression begun there was no huge stresser. Also it started at the same age as my mother, aunts, uncle and grandmother.

In fact I had gone through bad bereavement etc which were much more stressful times before that and coped just fine. I considered myself easygoing and well able to cope with anything put in front of me.

I honestly believe my brain just stopped producing enough serotonin etc.

Kiera · 03-01-2011 05:29PM

Novella wrote: »

I know you wouldn't be one of my biggest fans, Kiera, but fwiw, I am really sorry to hear that someone close to you isn't well. I know how bloody frustrating it is though, and how much you just wanna have back the person you used to have. It's impossible to know what to say, but I think that maybe being there is enough, and making sure that they know you're not gonna go anywhere, no matter how bad things get. I hope they start feeling better soon, and that it gets easier for you.

I didnt put that info out there for sympathy. I'm just explaining to everyone why i'm asking so many questions and that i'm not trying to get "at" people. I'm just trying to get my head around it.

...and who knows, i might not ever understand it....

/thank you, S anyway.

t0mm13b · 03-01-2011 05:30PM

Princess Peach wrote: »

I like your questions, make people talk more

Tbh I don't really understand it myself. Some days I just tell myself to cop on, never works though :P

To be honest, when I was in that period, and when someone told me to "cop on", it roused a lot of anger and I would literally explode, uncontrollable anger, when nerves are frayed, followed by palpitations and tell that someone to fcuk off... what made it even worse was that someone said "I've anger management problems and a chip on the shoulder" - that's the common term that is being said when in that state, really, things bottled up so badly that the shakes are uncontrollable and made me look like a "spazzer" if you get me...but the thing is - they do not deserve to be on the receiving end of my uncontrollable anger/rage, and when that emotion goes and subsidise, I did not feel any better after that, and end up feeling so so guilty and beat myself up... that was part of the cycle...

Even today as of now, despite the effexor, it is manageable, but am re-learning on how NOT to blow my top, the thing about all of this with reading other people's postings, the road to recovery involves a lot of re-learning, but this time, changing the mental/emotional approach....and it has not been easy...

even typing this in, it makes my heart beat a little faster at the realization as I put into words... not sympathy either, just understanding...

03-01-2011 05:33PM

Kiera wrote: »

I didnt put that info out there for sympathy. I'm just explaining to everyone why i'm asking so many questions and that i'm not trying to get "at" people. I'm just trying to get my head around it.

...and who knows, i might not ever understand it....

/thank you, S anyway.

As someone has said previously, it is near impossible for someone who has not experienced depression to understand it fully. I think you might be better off just letting them know that they aren't alone rather than trying to figure it out. I cannot stress how important that is, as there's a real sense of isolation with it.

Wolfe Tone · 03-01-2011 05:35PM

Since I told my mother she has made it her mission to pop in and say "cheer up will ya!!" about 5 times a day. headwrecking

Susannahmia · 03-01-2011 05:39PM

Daroxtar wrote: »

Ah sure there's no such thing as depression , its all in the mind.

Now before I'm set upon, Everybody goes through some turmoil at some stage in their lives, I went through a few years of fairly successful self destruction , and you can take all the meds and have all the counselling in the world but its your own mind that you have to get to know and work with to deal successfully with what you go through. Some people get a great benefit out of therapy and tablets, and if it works for you then thats what matters, but you still have to actually deal with things yourself.

Seeing as everyone does get depressed in some way or another at some stage then rather than treating it as an illness we should maybe accept it as part of the human condition and stop labelling and stigmatising people for feeling what are perfectly normal human feelings and emotions. I came to the conclusion a while back that I am actually a bit mad, but I'm now quite content with that. I might be daft but I'm not a fukcin eejit altogether so now I'm happy enough dealing with my own "uniqueness".

We can't be happy all the time, if we were then we'd be a race of blissed up gimps, a "Have a nice day" saccharine soaked caricature of what humanity is supposed to be. We are what we are, for better or for worse and acceptance of this can often be the first step for people who are struggling. It might seem a bit glib or insensitive but thats my take on it.

Theres a big difference between being clinically depressed and feeling sad and down. Before I had depression I believed exactly what you do now. You just really do not have a clue until you have actually experienced it.

Earthhorse · 03-01-2011 05:41PM

Wibbs wrote: »

My contention is that depression is pretty heavily(and fashionably) over diagnosed/medicalised. That today we have far more avenues available to sufferers. More treatment options, more counselors etc. Yet with better treatments and better access to same, we have more sufferers? Does not compute, nor does it follow other areas of medicine.

It's a pretty well observed phenomenon that if you build more roads you create more traffic. Doesn't make sense initially; if there are more roads surely there should be less traffic all round? But when you build more roads people use their cars more and more people buy cars. It shouldn't surprise us that as more mental health services become available - a health service that is widely acknowledged as being poorly managed, and the mental health service widely acknowledged as neglected - that there is a greater uptake of them.

Oh certainly diagnostic tools have much improved, but I would still contend there is an over diagnosis/over medicalisation of this whole area. You don't have to go back 50 years. 20 would do it. There are far more 20 year olds going through the mental health system now than in say 1990. Far more on long term meds.

What does that prove though? Is there a number you have in mind for what is acceptable to put through the mental health system? Everything I've read on the matter suggests that the system is straining and that not everyone who needs help can get it. If anything, the number should be higher than it is now. Doesn't matter if there are more in the system now than there were then; everyone who's ill should be able to get treatment.

Cutting as a form of self harm is another example. Ask anyone who has a few decades under his or her belt in the psychiatric field and they'll tell you its far more common now. That's hardly genetic. Much more likely a cultural meme.

Sure, I agree it's a cultural meme, like hysteria was in the twenties. Women seemed to feint a lot more then than they do now. The question is why and in whom does this behaviour manifest itself? Is it people who have a genuine medical condition or is it, as some would suggest, merely an attention seeking gambit? It could be either, none or both. So they question then becomes what do you with people who self harm? Turn them away because you believe some may be faking or exaggerating? Personally, I think when someone has gotten to the point that they are self harming there is something fundamentally wrong that requires intervention, whatever form that might take.

You're central contention is that depression is over diagnosed and medicalised. I don't entirely disagree but I think it's more accurate to say that other medical illnesses and behaviour problems are under diagnosed and alternative treatments are under supplied.

Personally, I believe a few things could happen to improve the situation (and bear in mind, these are the ramblings of an interested amateur rather than someone with proper experience.

1) All diagnoses of mental illness should be confirmed by psychiatrists: I realise the trend has been the other direction in recent years and don't doubt that GPs can and often do correctly diagnose these conditions. But it is my belief that depression is often a co-morbid condition; it comes about as a result of another illness. This is quite obvious in the case of people with long term physical illnesses, not so much in the case of people who say, suffer from social anxiety, but only present themself for treatment when the problem has ballooned to included depression.

2) More counseling services should be made available: The number has increased, as you pointed out, but I'm not sure the ratio of counselors to patients has gotten any better. Pretty much everything I've read on depression says counseling with medication produces the best results. This is why I say the problem isn't over medicalised, rather it is under counseled.

3) I don't remember: I had a third suggestion. Can't remember what is is now. Quite sure it was brilliant though.

I don't think what I'm saying is all that radical either. Most doctors, psychiatrists and counselors would say services are criminally underfunded (and, as a result, over-subscribed). We should provide a fully functioning, modern mental health service before deciding the system doesn't work; no poorly built system should be expected to.

Princess Peach · 03-01-2011 05:41PM

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Since I told my mother she has made it her mission to pop in and say "cheer up will ya!!" about 5 times a day. headwrecking

Ah her heart's in the right place though. My sister has come into my room 4 times today to get me out of bed and do things. Sooooo annoying but I know she means well.

Depression

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