6 ms·

"Remember, people do recover from depression" That IMHO seems to be as much of a taboo as having depression itself for a lot of people... it's hard to convince

by caio1982 8y ago

"Remember, people do recover from depression" That IMHO seems to be as much of a taboo as having depression itself for a lot of people... it's hard to convince someone that depression is seriously real, and equally hard to convince people [affected by their loving one's] depression is not like terminal cancer.

Liquix 8y ago
So true. Our minds don't just influence how we see the world around us - they create the subjective realities which we all inhabit. If you keep telling yourself 'there is no way I can do X', it becomes reality. Empirical evidence has indeed proven that there are many cases of depression which are rooted in chemical imbalances or physical abnormalities and can't be cured by shifting one's thinking patterns. But that represents a portion, not a rule or even a majority of cases. It's frustrating and saddening to try and help someone when they deeply believe that they can't be helped.
agumonkey 8y ago
Depression fucks with your interpretation of reality, the distortion seems impossible to 1) not be true, 2) restored. It's indeed possible to get near normal, but it's very hard to convey to someone in such pains. Rationality also goes out of the window when emotion storms strike. Even though I knew that the previous day I was alright, if the next I go down, it's not always enough to help me go through the bad times. ps: also give pills a chance, they might not work, but it might lessen your load tremendously and avoid further damage.
- astine 8y ago
  The depressed are hard to convince because they are depressed. The friends and family of the depressed are hard to convince because they are ignorant.
weego 8y ago
Recovery is just another step in the process. You don't forget what it's like to start to suffocate in the abyss. You don't forget what it's like to know that dying is easier than any other option available to you and that it's a blink of an eye away. It scars you
- idbehold 8y ago
  Occasionally Fugazi's "I'm So Tired" will come on and I am instantly reminded of the worst parts of my depression. It's been years and years since I was that severely depressed, but that feeling can overwhelm me in an instant when I listen to that song. Just remembering the terrible place I was in brings tears to my eyes because I know how close I got to never experiencing all the joy in my life that came afterward.
  - mikec3010 8y ago
    I had a similar experience when driving by the house I lived in when I was at my worst. It was a dark subtle dread unique to that experience. It made me come to realize just how badly I was and how far I have come
- 294 8y ago
  I haven't forgotten what it's like to know that dying is better than any other available option, and yet undoable. We equate openly suicidal people to attention seekers because they talk about it without doing it. Facing that disbelief was one of the things that scarred me the most.
Alex3917 8y ago
The research seems to show that most people who don't take SSRIs recover from a bout of depression in about two years. If you take SSRIs then you partially recover after a few weeks, but the underlying problem doesn't resolve. https://smile.amazon.com/Anatomy-Epidemic-Bullets-Psychiatric-Astonishing/dp/0307452425/ https://smile.amazon.com/Anatomy-Epidemic-Bullets-Psychiatri...
- ljm 8y ago
  This was true to my experience. The anti-depressants were successful in numbing the pain and they arguably did their job (they kept me going in the absence of the support I really needed). The several years of psychotherapy and development of some very warm and loving friendships that then followed has allowed much deeper change to happen. The importance of connection and trust, at least from my experience, cannot be stressed enough.
- lazyasciiart 8y ago
  That link doesn't seem to show me any research, just a pop-science book for sale?
  - Alex3917 8y ago
    The files are inside the computer.
    - lazyasciiart 8y ago
      I'm assuming you've read the book, and so actually have some idea of what this 'research' it probably refers to is. If it doesn't exist outside of the book, you may have been tricked.

Liquix 8y ago

So true. Our minds don't just influence how we see the world around us - they create the subjective realities which we all inhabit. If you keep telling yourself 'there is no way I can do X', it becomes reality. Empirical evidence has indeed proven that there are many cases of depression which are rooted in chemical imbalances or physical abnormalities and can't be cured by shifting one's thinking patterns. But that represents a portion, not a rule or even a majority of cases. It's frustrating and saddening to try and help someone when they deeply believe that they can't be helped.

agumonkey 8y ago

Depression fucks with your interpretation of reality, the distortion seems impossible to 1) not be true, 2) restored. It's indeed possible to get near normal, but it's very hard to convey to someone in such pains. Rationality also goes out of the window when emotion storms strike. Even though I knew that the previous day I was alright, if the next I go down, it's not always enough to help me go through the bad times. ps: also give pills a chance, they might not work, but it might lessen your load tremendously and avoid further damage.

astine 8y ago
The depressed are hard to convince because they are depressed. The friends and family of the depressed are hard to convince because they are ignorant.

weego 8y ago

Recovery is just another step in the process. You don't forget what it's like to start to suffocate in the abyss. You don't forget what it's like to know that dying is easier than any other option available to you and that it's a blink of an eye away. It scars you

idbehold 8y ago
Occasionally Fugazi's "I'm So Tired" will come on and I am instantly reminded of the worst parts of my depression. It's been years and years since I was that severely depressed, but that feeling can overwhelm me in an instant when I listen to that song. Just remembering the terrible place I was in brings tears to my eyes because I know how close I got to never experiencing all the joy in my life that came afterward.
- mikec3010 8y ago
  I had a similar experience when driving by the house I lived in when I was at my worst. It was a dark subtle dread unique to that experience. It made me come to realize just how badly I was and how far I have come
294 8y ago
I haven't forgotten what it's like to know that dying is better than any other available option, and yet undoable. We equate openly suicidal people to attention seekers because they talk about it without doing it. Facing that disbelief was one of the things that scarred me the most.

Alex3917 8y ago

The research seems to show that most people who don't take SSRIs recover from a bout of depression in about two years. If you take SSRIs then you partially recover after a few weeks, but the underlying problem doesn't resolve. https://smile.amazon.com/Anatomy-Epidemic-Bullets-Psychiatric-Astonishing/dp/0307452425/ https://smile.amazon.com/Anatomy-Epidemic-Bullets-Psychiatri...

ljm 8y ago
This was true to my experience. The anti-depressants were successful in numbing the pain and they arguably did their job (they kept me going in the absence of the support I really needed). The several years of psychotherapy and development of some very warm and loving friendships that then followed has allowed much deeper change to happen. The importance of connection and trust, at least from my experience, cannot be stressed enough.
lazyasciiart 8y ago
That link doesn't seem to show me any research, just a pop-science book for sale?
- Alex3917 8y ago
  The files are inside the computer.
  - lazyasciiart 8y ago
    I'm assuming you've read the book, and so actually have some idea of what this 'research' it probably refers to is. If it doesn't exist outside of the book, you may have been tricked.