Depression [Aware Helpline 1890 303 302] (2 Viewers)

[Buzzo]

Re: Depression

what does the last bit mean? im confused

That it's possible that there are people on this thread who romanticise about mental illness...

 

[billygannon]

Re: Depression

That it's possible that there are people on this thread who romanticise about mental illness...

What's wrong with that?

 

[roxy]

Re: Depression

I haven't contributed to this thread at all, as I don't think I've ever been "depressed" in the medical sense. Plus, I've no training in the area.

But what has struck me is the number of you who have been treated for depression. I wasn't really aware of the figures that exist in this area so I was a little taken aback. But I think the strange this is, within the Thumed community, I almost felt in the minority for not having suffered it. (PLEASE dont take me up the wrong way on this, as I'm not belittling depression IN ANY WAY, believe me). This isn't to say that I dont get sad. By Jaysus, I get sad. But I counsel myself quite a bit. I really make a point of doing it. And for the paltry level of sadness I seem to suffer, this does the trick.

But I think the thing that struck me about this thread was the fact that, for a second, I began to question whether or not I may have been depressed in the past and it was just never diagnosed. I've had an average life, never really wanting for anything, no major family tragedy, good support network. But the same coul dbe said of some of ye who have been depressed, right?

However, I realised within a few seconds how nonsensical this was, in my case. Because I've seen depression. A woman I know relatively well who lives very close to my family suffered from it. It kicked in a few years after her son committed suicide (I can only presume it was in the genes to an extent). She had never been the same after his death but about 3 years after she really became another person.

She could no longer drive
She didn't recognise people she knew well when she passed them in the shops
She could barely walk without being supported (and she's not an elderly woman)
She became practically mute
Physically, she could barely lift her chin off her chest when she sat down, and when she was at home, sitting down was about the only thing she could do.

She was institutionalised for a relatively short time, and between this treatment and medication, she pulled through it and has been pretty much back to normal for about 2 years now.

Someone made the distinction between what they'd consider real depression and what they'd consider pure teenage angst.
Maybe ramps or someone else could shed some light on the varying degrees of what is considered to be real depression.

And question two, does anyone have an opinion on whether depression is overdiagnosed, or diagnosed too quickly.

Again, not making little of anyone's suffering. I genuinely mean that.

 

[F. Fred Palakon]

Re: Depression

Someone made the distinction between what they'd consider real depression and what they'd consider pure teenage angst.
Maybe ramps or someone else could shed some light on the varying degrees of what is considered to be real depression.

I'm no ramps, but as far as I know health professionals use diagnostic manuals to help them diagnose different disorders and differentiate between them.

For example, here's the American one for a Major Depressive Episode:
http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/mjrdepep.htm

 

[rampz]

Re: Depression

I'm no ramps, but as far as I know health professionals use diagnostic manuals to help them diagnose different disorders and differentiate between them.

For example, here's the American one for a Major Depressive Episode:
http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/mjrdepep.htm

dsm 4 or icd 10. universal diagnostic guides used by doctors.

 

[rampz]

Re: Depression

so in that case. does this thread serve as an online public support group or does it serve that certain people can celebrate or romanticise the whole notion of mental illness or depression as somehow giving their lives some sense of worth or belonging or something.

i should probably have thought this through a bit before i wrote it.

anyway, good luck everyone. be well.

 

[La La]

Re: Depression

I haven't contributed to this thread at all, as I don't think I've ever been "depressed" in the medical sense. Plus, I've no training in the area.

But what has struck me is the number of you who have been treated for depression. I wasn't really aware of the figures that exist in this area so I was a little taken aback. But I think the strange this is, within the Thumed community, I almost felt in the minority for not having suffered it. (PLEASE dont take me up the wrong way on this, as I'm not belittling depression IN ANY WAY, believe me). This isn't to say that I dont get sad. By Jaysus, I get sad. But I counsel myself quite a bit. I really make a point of doing it. And for the paltry level of sadness I seem to suffer, this does the trick.

But I think the thing that struck me about this thread was the fact that, for a second, I began to question whether or not I may have been depressed in the past and it was just never diagnosed. I've had an average life, never really wanting for anything, no major family tragedy, good support network. But the same coul dbe said of some of ye who have been depressed, right?

However, I realised within a few seconds how nonsensical this was, in my case. Because I've seen depression. A woman I know relatively well who lives very close to my family suffered from it. It kicked in a few years after her son committed suicide (I can only presume it was in the genes to an extent). She had never been the same after his death but about 3 years after she really became another person.

She could no longer drive
She didn't recognise people she knew well when she passed them in the shops
She could barely walk without being supported (and she's not an elderly woman)
She became practically mute
Physically, she could barely lift her chin off her chest when she sat down, and when she was at home, sitting down was about the only thing she could do.

She was institutionalised for a relatively short time, and between this treatment and medication, she pulled through it and has been pretty much back to normal for about 2 years now.

Someone made the distinction between what they'd consider real depression and what they'd consider pure teenage angst.
Maybe ramps or someone else could shed some light on the varying degrees of what is considered to be real depression.

And question two, does anyone have an opinion on whether depression is overdiagnosed, or diagnosed too quickly.

Again, not making little of anyone's suffering. I genuinely mean that.

it's sad to hear about that woman that you mentioned.
people have different levels of depression i guess, and i think even for those of us who've been very open here, there are alot of aspects to our depression that we wouldnt discuss.
as for diagnosing it, i guess it happens in some cases that it's used as an excuse for teenage angst in the same way that ritalin is widely given to kids who exhibit ADHD tendencies.
but i think generally, a professional would have to be pretty sure that their patient was ticking all the boxes before making a diagnosis.

 

[rampz]

Re: Depression

i should probably have thought this through a bit before i wrote it.

anyway, good luck everyone. be well.

ok, i read through this thread and looked at it as professional and also as cynic.

firstly, i have the utmost respect for everyone on here's individual experiences. i do not or have not ever had any personal experience of mental illness. i have no right to dismiss anyones opinions on here and anyway, i havent really tried to.

my general opinion about this thread is, i think that posting about this kind of thing on a public message board like this in some way cheapens the experiences of others. it makes depression somehow elitist, a club if you will, sort of like preferring post rock or avant garde bassoon music over the kaiser chiefs. some of the stuff on here is really heartfelt but some of it i just dont believe. again, who am i to make such judgements. ok, it works as a means for people to share their experiences and not feel isolated but realistically, how many of you are actually isolated? how many of you actually have no actual supports in your life? maybe none of you, i dont know. there are a lot of people out there who have noone, in fact theres thousands. ok, thers my cynic bit over.

as a professional, all i can say is if you feel depressed, anxious, whatever, go and seek advice from your gp. either that or if you feel that its really serious, go to your local a & e. theres usually a psychiatrist on call. just remember how much pressure a & e departments are under. .

if anyone wants real advice on these matters, you can pm me or whatever. i, more than happy to share.


ps, yes, its quite common that normal teenage behaviour can sometimes be misinterpreted as mental illness.

 

[icebreaker]

Re: Depression

I wrote this a few weeks ago on another forum but i didnt post it there for fear of taken the piss out off. well im glad i found this thread, i dont feel as bad lately at all and i didnt go to the doctor, all i needed was to talk a lot to people who would listen and not inwardly running over things in my head that were crap anyway.

its obvious depression is very common. Its more of a pshycosis than being just sad i think. Some doctors are prescribing medication for people who are just feeling sad. I think its normal and healty to be sad sometimes but when you cant function at all its time for help.

anyways no point in keeping this to myself
This is how i felt.

"ok i dont want to self diagnose, but i think im showing all the signs of a person with some sort off depression . i need to know if anyone has been through anything like the way i feel, because i dont want to see a doctor and go on medication.

lately i feel very agitated and confused, i cant make rational decisions, i dont really want to do anything much at all only lie in bed and forget about everyday things that i would usualy enjoy doing. this is me for the past few weeks. im thinking into things way too deeply and things around me are beginning to just seems so pointless and dull and sort off unreal.

i get this on and off and i have done for years, its hard to go through, like you feel like the lonliest person in the world, and nobody notices, that inside theres hurt and sadness and it seems to just come from nowhere. all off a sudden in a matter of a few days, everything is turned upside down and seems miserable. so i left my job last week because i thought it was that which was getting me down. i didnt have it in me to mix with them anymore.

i get times too where im overhappy and full of energy, thats just as bad because its not normal chilled out happiness as it should be.

i should be happy but i just feel i cant be. so if i smoke a joint or have a beer i feel good but only for a few hours. i thought they were the root problem but i dont think so. i coudnt be bothered drinking and i smoke very occasionally now.

have any of you been through anything like this or any advice on how to go about overcoming it? i do feel like im cracking up inside"

 

[La La]

Re: Depression

ok, i read through this thread and looked at it as professional and also as cynic.

firstly, i have the utmost respect for everyone on here's individual experiences. i do not or have not ever had any personal experience of mental illness. i have no right to dismiss anyones opinions on here and anyway, i havent really tried to.

my general opinion about this thread is, i think that posting about this kind of thing on a public message board like this in some way cheapens the experiences of others. it makes depression somehow elitist, a club if you will, sort of like preferring post rock or avant garde bassoon music over the kaiser chiefs. some of the stuff on here is really heartfelt but some of it i just dont believe. again, who am i to make such judgements. ok, it works as a means for people to share their experiences and not feel isolated but realistically, how many of you are actually isolated? how many of you actually have no actual supports in your life? maybe none of you, i dont know. there are a lot of people out there who have noone, in fact theres thousands. ok, thers my cynic bit over.

as a professional, all i can say is if you feel depressed, anxious, whatever, go and seek advice from your gp. either that or if you feel that its really serious, go to your local a & e. theres usually a psychiatrist on call. just remember how much pressure a & e departments are under. .

if anyone wants real advice on these matters, you can pm me or whatever. i, more than happy to share.


ps, yes, its quite common that normal teenage behaviour can sometimes be misinterpreted as mental illness.

i know you're not trying to, but it comes across like you're undermining some people's experiences here. and i think to call talking about depression like this as somewhat elitist....well im a little speechless. i think the amount of posts here commending this thread would indicate otherwise.

 

[Squack]

Re: Depression

should i be sorry i started this thread in the first place?

 

[La La]

Re: Depression

should i be sorry i started this thread in the first place?

no, that's not what he's trying to say

 

[billygannon]

Re: Depression

should i be sorry i started this thread in the first place?

Not at all Snoo. In fact, you've got a good track record in starting threads that loads of people respond to.

 

[krystal]

Re: Depression

Perhaps it's just that Ramps deals with mentally ill people on a daily basis and sees all the time the awful effects of very serious psychiatric disorders. So maybe (and this is just me saying this) he thinks that yer common or garden depression as suffered by lots of the general population at one point or another in their lives is much more handleable - which it is, and this thread does have the potential to help people with coping with it I think. Again, this is just me saying this.

If you've never suffered from depression yourself it's actually very hard to appreciate just how debilitating and frightening it can be and anyone posting on this thread who has suffered from it knows this themselves, so we're inclined to be that bit defensive about it. Certainly the way it affects me is I go into massive worry mode, I don't sleep, I panic constantly and I'm afraid all the time. I spend a large proportion of my time holding back a flood of tears. I do try to articulate what's worrying me but inevitably it's usually trivial or not actually an issue so it's hard for others to see why it's bothering me so much. But I genuinely AM bothered and that's how depression manifests itself with me. Also, I'm very 'up' in general and people who don't know me too well are really surprised that I do get bouts of depression. That's just my personality - very up, very down.

I always get over it but while it's happening it's not fun. And over time I've learned that I need to go and get tablets for it, stay on them a few months and then I'll be fine again for a few years.

no, that's not what he's trying to say

 

[Squack]

Re: Depression

Not at all Snoo. In fact, you've got a good track record in starting threads that loads of people respond to.

thanks bill

 

[Juno]

Re: Depression

my general opinion about this thread is, i think that posting about this kind of thing on a public message board like this in some way cheapens the experiences of others. it makes depression somehow elitist, a club if you will, sort of like preferring post rock or avant garde bassoon music over the kaiser chiefs. some of the stuff on here is really heartfelt but some of it i just dont believe. again, who am i to make such judgements. ok, it works as a means for people to share their experiences and not feel isolated but realistically, how many of you are actually isolated? how many of you actually have no actual supports in your life? maybe none of you, i dont know. there are a lot of people out there who have noone, in fact theres thousands. ok, thers my cynic bit over.

as a professional, all i can say is if you feel depressed, anxious, whatever, go and seek advice from your gp. either that or if you feel that its really serious, go to your local a & e. theres usually a psychiatrist on call. just remember how much pressure a & e departments are under. .

I think what you're saying here is unfair. Ok so some people who posted here may not be as bad as they think and we've probably all known someone who likes to think they're a lot more fucked up than they actually are but from reading this thread it seems there are a lot of people who have genuine issues, whether clinical or not, and have posted stuff here that they haven't really told anyone else. So what if not everyone is completely isolated - it can be helpful for people to know that other people share or understand their experiences. Talking to someone who knows where you're coming from can be far more valuable than all the conversations in the world with someone who despite their best intentions doesn't understand how it feels to be in a particular position. Also I can't understand why someone posting here cheapens the experience of others. There are loads of public message boards/mailing lists etc which are used all the time by people with various mental illnesses and other illnesses too. It's only my opinion but I think it's important to normalise this stuff as much as possible as the whole stupid taboo that surrounds anything 'mental' is still stopping people from getting help when they really need it. If someone had a physical condition (e.g. an asthma attack) they wouldn't think twice about going to their doctor or A & E but people with depression can be reluctant to reveal how they feel or to even draw attention to themselves until it's too late. The last person I knew who was all "yeah I've been a bit depressed but I'm grand really" killed herself in January. A & E depts are extremely busy but the nature of panic attacks/mood swings/psycotic episodes is that they don't just happen during GP surgery hours and I'd definitely recommend that if someone feels they aren't safe that they should give themselves the benefit of the doubt and head down there. Noone should feel guilty about accessing the service if they don't feel safe. Telephone helplines aren't very effective if you're in a serious mess. And if this means that there are a few melodramatic types clogging up A & E then so be it because it's worth it if people who really need help feel confident about accessing the service and being taken seriously.
Sorry about the rant but I've learned the hard way to take people seriously, even if they seem more self-pitying than genuine. What seems like mild depression to a professional or to someone with a severe condition can turn out to be too much for the person involved to cope with.

 

[broken arm]

Re: Depression

ramps must be a crap nurse.

 

[snakybus]

Re: Depression

Yeah can you imagine all those mentallers tearing up the place while he's on thumped?

 

[Pantone247]

Re: Depression

No way. If I lost my shit I'd want Ramps to be the one who ties me down, pumps me full of sedatives and puts the electroids to my temples...

in fact, I'd insist on it...

 

[rampz]

Re: Depression

ramps must be a crap nurse.

no. im very good actually.