Depression is NOT a Real Disorder

I am both amazed and disgusted at the high level of ignorance and insensitivity displayed in the Suicide And The Aftermath thread by some individuals in regards to the topics of depression and suicidal ideations. To claim depression is NOT a real and serious mental disorder is beyond naive. I can tell you from personal experience that what I feel and suffer through every day is very much a real mental disorder.

People who do not have depression think of sufferers of depression as pathetic and weak individuals who mope about the house feeling sorry for themselves. They claim all it takes is venturing outdoors into society, socializing and meeting new people, and making changes to your life and situation. These changes do help some, but not all sufferers of depression. The sufferers of depression these changes do help have situational depression, not clinical depression.

Yes, there is a difference.

Situational depression is an overall bleak outlook on your current lifestyle; a dissatisfaction with your current standard of living. Clinical depression is a true disorder of the chemicals of the brain which cannot be treated or cured by going for a walk or talking to a friend.

I have clinical depression. Without the aid of medication, my typical day consists of a strong build-up of anxiety throughout the day until it erupts into a full blown panic attack. I suffer from racing thoughts of hopelessness and helplessness. I feel trapped inside my own body and my own mind. I see my world as a prison which I cannot escape. When I am in this state of mind, I see no way out; I see no end; I feel locked in my suffering for the remainder of my life.

This is the point in which many sufferers of clinical depression contemplate suicide - when they feel there is no other way out. These feelings and thoughts are not made up; they are not fabrications of someone's self pity or seeking of attention. They are actual feelings and thoughts unleashed upon the sufferer by his or her own brain, and it is inescapable without either medicating or killing yourself.

People who do not suffer from depression have a great misconception about how depression works and feels. It is not about whether you have a good life or a bad life; it is not about whether you are financially stable or unstable; it is not about whether you have a lot of friends or no friends; Clinical depression can happen to anyone and it affects everyone in the same way. No matter how great your life may be, if you suffer from clinical depression, you feel the same hopelessness, helplessness, stress, anxiety, and pain that someone with a terrible life feels. Clinical depression does not care about your life situation.

That is what a lot of you are failing to understand. Those of us with clinical depression do not seek attention, pity, or sympathy. We seek a way out of the cell our mind has imprisoned us in.

reply to post by PETROLCOIN


Well said, but I know already what some people will continue to say...

I've given up really even with those I know in real life. Unless they live it, they will never fully comprehend it..

reply to post by PETROLCOIN


I saw the title of this thread and came in here to absolute rage! But, upon reading it, starred and flagged. I have been in treatment for depression / PTSD for over 20 years and will argue tooth and nail with anyone who says otherwise. To me the only reason to even begin to say that depression isn't real is to troll...

Sad.

~Heff

Some people dont know the low points in life, they do not feel the pain some feel. they can not comprehend the thoughts we have..

Our problems are because we see them that way? no we choose not to bitch about life.. we are forced into a situation to find a way out.. sometimes on our own for we are poor and have no money for big money scrinks..

So we face life day to day week to week and deal with everything..

We try our best and sometimes we fail and some of us suicide..

Sometimes suicide is alot better than living in the hell that is around us..

Dont star this post cause I know most of you will not agree with me..

Not everything is a bed of roses for some people.. we are truely screwed for life.. WE are what makes and breaks normies..

I forgot to add..

Thanks PETROLCOIN for making this post...

You will find most humans are beyond heartless, as my life has proven.

But one thing people never let the serial killer type humans which is the majority push you to suicide or something. Your better staying away from peopel if they are that bad, and i have seen in life that people are really bad.

That suicide thread always reminds me how humans always look for humanity in animal videos, not human adult videos.

Ye i agree with op, that some human lifes are screwed for life. Its like i was given this life sentence at 17 by the loons in gov, police and council, that set out to absolutely destory my life for no reason. I have never commited any crime, but you will find the police had a great time destroying my life, with others help, just animals.

Yep i do agree some humans like me and others have no way out, but i will never commit suicide, i will just talk about the crimes that are doen to me, till i am blue in the face.

Whilest I do not have depression, I do have other medical issues. In addition, I have several friends and family members with various "transparent" (not visually obvious) mental and physical health issues. I have watched and experienced over the years how people behave towards such disorders. It is a sad testemant for the human condition that, generally, if people cannot see the impairment, then it must be made up.

I have been guilty at times of not really believing in the severity of someone's mental disorder. I then remind myself that others cannot see the challenges I face on a daily basis and to them, it is probably not real. So with that in mind, I simply have to say the folks who claim that clinical depression is not a real disorder are simple unempathic, selfish fools who will never accept it until they experience it. There is really no nicer way to put it in my view.

I too have clinical depression, anxiety attacks. The depression is bad but a panic attack can feel like death coming on. I have been on medication for years and it works as long as my meds are changed from time to time. I had my first panic attack at age 12 - didn't know what it was then as I am 63 now. I remember that first attack like it was yesterday. My Mother thought I was dying and the Dr. thought it was puberty. At least we have come a long way in understanding depression and anxiety. I don't want to hear negatives about Big Pharma on this subject - research has led us to medication that helps, without it we would have no value of life. Unless you have experienced it - you have no idea what its like. Thank you for the thread OP - this should be discussed and hopefully some understanding will come from those who do not suffer with this debilitating condition.

I have depression that results in a lot of anger issues. I tell everyone that says depression isn't anything that they need to ask my husband how am I without my medication. He can tell you it's the real thing. I'm like Jekyll and Hyde.

Having treatment for my depression has changed my life. I don't care what anyone else says.

reply to post by PETROLCOIN

S&F for a very brave post!
I'm so tired of being attacked by self-styled "life-style gurus" and "pop-nutritionists".
Bring up even physical disease like gout or HIV on ATS, and there comes the lifestyle brigade.
You eat too much, you don't eat what they ate when some malady disappeared, you must take this or that herb, or maybe nothing but prayer.
It makes me so sick.
As soon as science is set aside they begin to moralize:
"You have a bad diet, or you have sin and demons of sickness in your life"!

None of them even know what they are talking about.
And people pump billions of dollars into that unproven fraud industry, where claiming something makes it true.
And then they moan about "big pharma" (as if big and people's pharma have never been at war).
These people are cult-like and dangerous, and their anti-science ideas will lead us back to medieval times.
To them even a bad thought leads to a serious malady like cancer.

I can't express how much I agree with you. I am suffering from anxiety and mild depression from time to time and I require medication from time to time to sedate my anxiety or else I become a nervous depressed wreck. I have contemplated suicide like most depressed people and honestly, talking to people doesn't really help much, it's the chemicals that are not being produced by my brain that causes me to feel like this, feel like the world is a living hell. I'm actually very grateful that I have a understanding family around me. I've not only seen depression affect me, but I too have seen a friend being affected by what I assume to be clinical depression, I've actually asked him to see a psychiatrist but his parent's wont allow him to do it as there's this things over here in Chinese families that depression is non-existent and people are just doing it for attention. I concur. My friend was on the verge of actually suiciding and I managed with the help of a few friends to persuade him not to.


Depression is real, just because you don't suffer it doesn't mean others don't, don't scorn them and tell them that it is non-existent, those who do are making # worse for them.

I was going to type a long post trying to explain how I feel about my own personal depression which I've experienced for over 30 years.

However, I don't want to get drawn into a long discussion about it.

I will just say that I personally don't like medication or therapy, but that's a personal choice and I respect anyone who feels the need to use those methods.

reply to post by SkyBluePegasus


Thank you for acknowledging that everyone is different instead of trying to be an armchair psychologist ^_^. I feel good for the people that can handle their depression without medication. Kudos for that!

reply to post by badw0lf


Well said, but I know already what some people will continue to say...

I've given up really even with those I know in real life. Unless they live it, they will never fully comprehend it..

couldnt agree with with either one of you more! I dont know how to give advice about the whole clincal or otherwise subject of concern though, i havnt analyzed my condition to that extent although i have bouts of depression from out of nowhere. Thats why i have slowed my intake of alcahol to almost non existent in comparisence to when i first got back from Iraq. I have done well with self discipline in the way of getting into a far better non violent/alcaholic relationship, and found that just by listening to my inner self, sooo corny i know, but its the only way i could think of somethin, in that way i was able to help myself get away from the negativity even from having absolutly nothing in life trust me was damn near homeless until i met my Angel, and have since then have an honest life and for sure have my every day struggles but i have helped battle my depression as well as anxiety, with my medicinal cannibus. Its hard for me to give advice on how i should tell someone else with this illness to just take my route in life, but i cannot. I think the lead cause in depression also stems from the present economic recession.

Chamomile tea really helps me alot when I feel the onset of anxiety which helps me reduce my dependence on medication. Has anyone here tried it?

Star and Flag from me.

I experienced a lot of that kind of mentality when I was first diagnosed in Highschool. I had a fine lower middleclass life and all my daily needs were fulfilled, I had a few close friends, and a part time job so people couldn't comprehend the fact I was suffering anxiety attacks and depression daily. Of course, the dreadful feeling of having relatives doubt me was amongst the worst and I was at the tipping point when they finally let me complete my highschool via internet courses.

Several years later, I can report that I'm well adjusted, un-medicated, and the depression and anxiety don't come out to haunt me very often at all, but when they do, it's awful and I don't feel like I can do much. The meds made me wonky and zombie like in Highschool, and Therapy doesn't help me. So, i just focus on the good and try to keep from being overcome.

reply to post by Yamhead


Indeed, I have.. also St. Johns wort helps to some degree. in fact the helpful pharmaceuticals in those two herbs form a large basis of the prescription meds out there. The challenge comes is learning the proper dosage and fitting such things into a busy life. Sometimes a pill is more convenient and thus more likely to be taken. *shrug*

I, for one, always go with an herbal preparation first and only switch to prescriptions if it is more than I can effectively handle.. but that is just me.

Depression does not only affect the person aflicted it affects everyone around them. My own experience with my wife was so hard to deal with. The whole time I felt guilty because I thought it was my fault. This went on for a decade untill she told me to leave and it was over. To this day I don't really know what happened to us. Living with guilt to this day I hope all people with this find a way to get better!

reply to post by SweetRevenge


Thats because you have a purpose in life. You find that the only way to fix something like mild depression if to get some goals, and stick too them.

I personally do exercise 5 days a week, that lift my hormones and make me feel better. This is something mildly depressed peopel should do.

reply to post by rogerstigers


I totally agreed with what you've said, actually, my doctor recommended me taking chamomile tea at night and in the morning couple together with St John's Wort in capsule form even though he prescribed me medication. He even advised me to try and not depend so much on the medication because I think it impairs adolescent development or something. Since I'm a student, I would say that I have a more relaxed schedule when compared to people who work 9 to 5, and I can keep up with having natural alternatives.

So far, I have only took my medication for 10 days in the last month up till today and I'm pretty satisfied with myself I guess

WOW, so many of us on the forum with the same clinical depression and panic attacks,

I have been dealing with it for thirty years, but when I look back on my life, I was dealing with this a a child as well.