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I'm torn between wanting to close this tab immediately before I get irrationally furious at people who probably mean well, and wanting to battle this out with e

I'm torn between wanting to close this tab immediately before I get irrationally furious at people who probably mean well, and wanting to battle this out with every comment like yours in the small hope that it changes at least one person's attitude towards depression. > The parent comment is suggesting that people with depression need to take control of their own life by recognizing what makes them unhappy in order to overcome it. Your comment is suggesting that depression -- clinical depression, not, "boo hoo things are tough right now and I'm unhappy" -- is the depressed person's own fault and all they need to do is change everything in their life until they're happy. It's really wrong. When you learn to levitate by taking control of your own life and recognizing what makes you happy, then you will have something to teach people who suffer from depression. Until then, I beg that you do more reading on the subject, and I'm happy to offer some of the material that I've found most useful. It's somewhat unfortunate that Allie Brosh's most famous work ended up being about her depression, but: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-... -- when she published this, people struggling with depression suddenly appeared out of nowhere and said, "YES, yes, this is it exactly!" It's a great and easy primer into the depressed mindset. She wrote a part two: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2013/05/depression-part-two.html http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2013/05/depression-par... Then watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDXCvtRxZ2E&list=UUK_QgiNMxVjgo-P0dybBNTw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDXCvtRxZ2E&list=UUK_QgiNMxV... Depression may well be an inflammatory disease, which means that multiple people in this thread are arguing for people to just wish away inflammation: http://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-11-200 http://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7... The stigma of depression -- which, unfortunately, is exacerbated by well-meaning but not well-informed people on the subject -- is one factor that prevents sufferers from seeking the help they need: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/stigma-as-a-barrier-to-mental-health-care.html http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/stigma-as-... Stephen Fry, bless his heart, was at the beginning of the more recent efforts for sufferers to come forward, in spite of their fears about stigma, and discuss the disease: http://www.stephenfry.com/2013/06/only-the-lonely/ http://www.stephenfry.com/2013/06/only-the-lonely/ Hope this helps someone.

glenda 10y ago
I completely I agree with you as well, there are many reasons a person could be depressed including strictly scientific/medical reasons. However, I still feel very strongly those "boo hoo" items build up to create new problems or worsen existing ones in a significant way regardless of clinical status. To ignore that seems negligent.
- thaumaturgy 10y ago
  I'm enthusiastic about life advice when it's practical and presented to people who are searching for it. So, to that extent, I thought your upthread comment was great. But when people confuse that with advice for depression, I rush to change their minds about that, because it is a form of pop psychology which is pervasive and adds to the challenges faced by people suffering with depression.
  - glenda 10y ago
    Yeah, unsolicited life advice is definitely a problem for depressed people and doctors suggesting medicine can fall into that category sometimes too. I would never criticize a person about the treatment they've found to work for them or prevent them from trying new ones to attempt figure that out.
  - TheLilHipster 10y ago
    > I'm enthusiastic about life advice when it's practical and presented to people who are searching for it. I appreciate the experiences shared here, while completely anecdotal they are all telling me the same story and they're directly relate-able. Your point (I think?) is: those experiences are indigestible to someone who is currently suffering depression. But to me, that in itself is an entirely different discussion...
CuriouslyC 10y ago
Many studies have demonstrated that the brain can modulate inflammation and immune activity. Ergo even if it was just a result of inflammation (which it isn't) you can absolutely think your way into and out of depression. Your attitude of powerlessness is harmful to people who buy into it.

glenda 10y ago

I completely I agree with you as well, there are many reasons a person could be depressed including strictly scientific/medical reasons. However, I still feel very strongly those "boo hoo" items build up to create new problems or worsen existing ones in a significant way regardless of clinical status. To ignore that seems negligent.

thaumaturgy 10y ago
I'm enthusiastic about life advice when it's practical and presented to people who are searching for it. So, to that extent, I thought your upthread comment was great. But when people confuse that with advice for depression, I rush to change their minds about that, because it is a form of pop psychology which is pervasive and adds to the challenges faced by people suffering with depression.
- glenda 10y ago
  Yeah, unsolicited life advice is definitely a problem for depressed people and doctors suggesting medicine can fall into that category sometimes too. I would never criticize a person about the treatment they've found to work for them or prevent them from trying new ones to attempt figure that out.
- TheLilHipster 10y ago
  > I'm enthusiastic about life advice when it's practical and presented to people who are searching for it. I appreciate the experiences shared here, while completely anecdotal they are all telling me the same story and they're directly relate-able. Your point (I think?) is: those experiences are indigestible to someone who is currently suffering depression. But to me, that in itself is an entirely different discussion...

CuriouslyC 10y ago

Many studies have demonstrated that the brain can modulate inflammation and immune activity. Ergo even if it was just a result of inflammation (which it isn't) you can absolutely think your way into and out of depression. Your attitude of powerlessness is harmful to people who buy into it.