Clinical depression is a disease. It’s not called that to make anyone feel better about it. It’s often the result of a severe chemical imbalance, hence the drug abuse. It’s often a way a lot of depressives self medicate prior to a diagnosis, or even after. There’s also a school of thought that long term drug abuse can also lead to depression, since the drugs alter your body chemistry. Sometimes medication and/or therapy helps, but for many it doesn’t.
It’s easy to say “feel better”, but unless you’ve been there, you’re speaking from a place of almost complete ignorance. You can call it selfish, but I think when people say that, it’s just a way for them to explain away, or feel better about something they can’t comprehend. There is no, “just feel better”, or looking at the positives in your life. The good things in your life are meaningless.
Honestly, this is probably the best descriptions I’ve ever read of depression, contemplating suicide, and what it’s like when people try to help.
Very sad. I have seen people struggle with depression and even lost my first adult mentor shortly after a combat deployment. I can not really relate to depression but I did suffer from anxiety pretty bad after my deployment and eventually sought help/dealt with it and with me I was able to move on somewhat quickly. However it was situation driven and today/years after I have felt great with no issues since. However for many this lingering feeling of depression/anxiety is very real and even if it is not linked to an event or hell a rational thought does not make it less real for that person.
I greatly feel for those who suffer and seeking treatment can only seem that much more difficult when many around you judge with the mentality that your life seems ok to them.
This option is truly sad and while I certainly agree with @bing that saying someone is “in a better place” could show that we accept what happened as a solution. To be optimistic hopefully some who suffer see a headline like this, realize the consequence, and seek the help needed.
Please take time to explain yourself instead of posting a link.
I did read actually, 2 white papers and speak to my fiance who was a psych major and works in the field. You quoted fox. Did you read the other part I wrote about a disease needs to be treatable and would indicate an issue with the brain itself?
not every form of depression is a disease. Do you even realise how much times they have adjusted what we know about mental illness in the last 2 decades and it’s still changing. Lumping it all together and calling it disease is not accurate.
Seeing everything you’ve written then I have a serious question…
Seeing Depression and just about all other forms of mental illness are due to a chemical imbalance/improper chemical makeup/other issues with the chemicals of the brain; then is it not a brain disorder? with this “issue” coming from either from an external force (infection or trauma) or birth defect; wouldn’t that then fall under a disease of some type?
Bottom line is this, depression and mental illness are real. There are different levels of them, just like there are different levels of all types of birth defects and infections; some more serious than others. Some people can live with easily and no one knows any different; others people struggle with them on a daily basis to live or survive.
Mental Illness of all types is a topic that is too often “shamed” and stigmatized in our society instead of dealt with head on; THIS is what needs to change.
