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Anecdotally, the lack of those things are definitely present in myself when I'm experiencing a depressive episode (I am diagnosed with clinical depression): I s
by girvo 5y ago
Anecdotally, the lack of those things are definitely present in myself when I'm experiencing a depressive episode (I am diagnosed with clinical depression): I sleep badly, either not at all or for 12-18 hours a day, I drink far too much, I do not leave my house, and my hobbies either fall by the wayside entirely or I partake in them with no enjoyment or happiness from it.
If you're experiencing those, it might be worth talking to a psychologist or your doctor (to get a referral): you don't have to tough it out. But people who don't have clinical depression also have those issues too, which is why the diagnostic criteria is a little more involved.
For me, a short 3-4 month course of a particular SSRI lets me beat back the worst of it, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy keeps it at bay. I haven't had an episode in years now
- gexla 5y agoNoticed that both you and the OP mentioned drinking. Just the drinking can cause much of this. Drinking screws up your sleep cycle, which can also cause much of this. Drinking sessions are also time consuming, so you have less time for other things you enjoy anyway. Sure, some things you can do while drinking, but those may not be the things you would prefer to be doing while sober.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- ethbr0 5y agoThese effects fit serious online gaming pretty accurately too. Screws up your sleep cycle, is time consuming, causes you to not leave the house, makes other hobbies fall by the wayside.
- ishche 5y agoI was under impression that an alcohol causes a depression.
- girvo 5y agoAlcohol is a central nervous system depressant, which is commonly just shortened to “depressant”. This doesn’t mean it causes depression, it means it has a particular effect on us humans biologically. That said, it does also exacerbate clinical depression, so this gets confusing quickly!
- sdze 5y agoMany depressed people use alcohol as medication. otherwise most of them wouldn’t want to socialise at all.
- slfnflctd 5y agoThat's a massive oversimplification which came out of non-scientific 12 step literature and is simply not true in many situations. I have on many occasions beaten back total anhedonia and a desire to die with a few drinks. It's not an optimal solution obviously, but when your options are limited it is sometimes quite preferable to not drinking.
- serverlessmom 5y ago>I have on many occasions beaten back total anhedonia and a desire to die with a few drinks. It's not an optimal solution obviously, but when your options are limited it is sometimes quite preferable to not drinking As someone who has suffered major depression, I agree totally that recreational drug use can be helpful in managing some symptoms of mental disorder. I do however feel like moderation is a very important aspect of this which can be harder for folks when they are already feeling down
- girvo 5y agoSure! Though I drink basically not at all when I’m not in a depressive episode. It’s more of a subconscious “self medication” thing, and the symptoms don’t subside even if I’m not drinking sadly.
- jjeaff 5y agoSeems like a stimulant might be a more logical self medication for depression than a depressant.
- girvo 5y agoA Central Nervous System Depressant and Clinical Depression are two (basically) unrelated concepts. Alcohol is the former. Despite having the same word in them, they are only tangentially related to one another
- nebula8804 5y ago>For me, a short 3-4 month course of a particular SSRI lets me beat back the worst of it Can you elaborate which one are you using? I was prescribed Wellbutrin/bupropion (along with some therapy sessions) about a month ago and I seem to notice no changes. I'm going to continue to be hopeful but it seems like this wasn't the one for me so just wondering what you were using.
- xapata 5y agoI found medications ineffective, but my last therapist helped me tremendously. If your therapist isn't helping, find a new one. There's no shame in switching.
- nebula8804 5y agoI am on my second therapist. The first was was a remote therapy based out of Israel. He was great and convinced me to quit my terrible job at the time and reorient my life. His therapy worked to an extent but I never could relay my deep insecurities to him. When I tried to explain deeper concepts to him it nver really registered. I just found myself wasting 120$ per session with no real payback. I continued with him on and off for 5 years before just giving up this year after my father passed away and I gained no comfort from talking to him about it. A second remote but local(because of covid) therapist was assigned to me as part of this Wellbutrin trial. A total of 10 sessions are to be done with this trial. So far she has only told me what I already know: that I should keep trying little steps every day like increasing my exercise. She gives me little goals but I don't like the fact that since these sessions are 45 mins with no way to extend, there always seems to be a time crunch. There are tons of therapists in my area with no way to evaluate the differences. This is an expensive proposition as it stands and so I don't know how I will find the perfect one without evaluating each and every different therapist in my area. :/
- hkt 5y agoThe most important thing in therapy is relational depth. Doesn't really matter what the method is. "There is research to support common factors theory. One common factor is the client–therapist interaction, also known as the therapeutic alliance. A 1992 paper by Lambert showed that nearly 40 percent of the improvement in psychotherapy is from these client–therapist variables." Quote from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo_bird_verdict https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo_bird_verdict