Depression
- Thread starter Jea Song
- Start date
- Status
stephendedalus
Member
QuadCore said:
You have no idea what you are talking about. It is like saying, "think yourself happy" or "just stop having cancer".
Everyone who is bipolar does the "stop medication and therapy because I can fix myself" routine. You aren't going to be fixed, ever. Ever. Don't kid yourself in thinking that you will be.
I think there are more people ignorant to what depression really is compared to any other illness out there. Hell, I was too until I got it. Shit sucks, but medication has really helped.
Also, depression and feeling sad are completely different things. Depression can take on negative feelings, but it's a legitimate illness and until you deal with actual depression, you can't understand.
Also, depression and feeling sad are completely different things. Depression can take on negative feelings, but it's a legitimate illness and until you deal with actual depression, you can't understand.
stephendedalus
Member
QuadCore said:
Write a peer reviewed medical paper then. Help everyone else with bipolar out. Share your superb psychological treatise on overcoming diseases through mind power.
zerokoolpsx
Member
Meds can't do that. It's never a quick fix.Jea Song said:
It doesn't seem like you have much of a support system, so I recommend seeing a therapist. There are psychological/counseling services that are offered and affordable. They helped me through my depression, meds on the other hand, not much. Most importantly, you must be willing to help yourself. If you can't do that, then no one can.
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
QuadCore said:
Everyone's different, what may have worked for you doesn't well, you know the rest......
stephendedalus said:
Maybe I should. I am here to help so I'm not sure why I am getting attacked. People have different ways of overcoming things, and apparently I am getting attacked because I did it myself without the need of medicine or psychologists.
I Push Fat Kids said:
It's not magical power. It's sheer will power. I can still feel the imbalances in my head for when depression tries to knock on my door. I simply defeat it and it goes away for the time being.
Alucrid said:
KevinCow said:
Evilink said:
Wow, these three posts pretty much sums up my life at the moment. I feel like my life is stuck while everybody else is moving on with theirs. Its probably one of the worst feelings to ever have.
Thankfully I still have some willpower inside of me to do everything I can to fight the depression and change the course of my life. One of the methods that I've started has been reading and watching videos from people such as Tony Robbins, Jack Canefield, Keith Ferrazzi etc. and taking the ideas that will help me move on in my life. So far, its been a very positive experience.
Its going to take some time, maybe a lot, but its better than letting the depression take over me.
Stahsky
A passionate embrace, a beautiful memory lingers.
We've all had it at one point or another. Some of us get it worse, and some of us get it easy.
I've been through some not so great shit a while back due to some deaths and betrayals. Therapists helped a little, but in the end, you just have to grow up and move on. Chemical imbalance my ass. Didn't take anything myself.
I've been through some not so great shit a while back due to some deaths and betrayals. Therapists helped a little, but in the end, you just have to grow up and move on. Chemical imbalance my ass. Didn't take anything myself.
Epsilon-delta
Banned
QuadCore said:
No amount of will power can overcome a low level of serotonin in the brain. You need medication for that.
The problem though, is when a person becomes dependant on anti-depressants because the withdrawal symptoms can be hell once they come off of them.
stephendedalus
Member
QuadCore said:
Well, I'm sorry for attacking you , and if those things work for you then great. Who am I to question what you feel works? And I hope that good things continue.
But, I know for a fact that stopping medication and therapy is a dangerous thing to advocate, and no one should be giving that sort of advice to anyone going through some sort of mental anguish. I'm always worried that someone will be reading these threads, actually take GAF medical advice and end up suiciding because they did something like stop their medication.
Meesh
Member
I want to hug you, if that's not cool...could you hug me??...Magik said:
It's not a false statement to say that medication masks the problem, because it's true, I've been on medication for years myself and know others with similar struggles. Medication won't magically take away the often irrational feelings of depression, anxiety, or overwhelming paranoia. It's still there, if you dig deep enough...what medicine will do, is help you cope while you discover the tools you need with psychological help, and practice using those tools in hopes you can possibly free yourself from medications...I have yet to master this. If you, or you knowknow anyone who has, you have my deepest respect.coolpolon said:
Az987 said:
While I do believe it can work for some, it is outright dangerous advice for others.
I know someone with bipolar and when she stopped taking her meds she almost destroyed her life and her families. Death threats, loss of house, violence toward family members and mental institutions.
Telling anyone to stop taking their drugs because 'you can fix it yourself' is disastrous.
Evilink said:I want to hug you, if that's not cool...could you hug me??...
It's not a false statement to say that medication masks the problem, because it's true, I've been on medication for years myself and know others with similar struggles. Medication won't magically take away the often irrational feelings of depression, anxiety, or overwhelming paranoia. It's still there, if you dig deep enough...what medicine will do, is help you cope while you discover the tools you need with psychological help, and practice using those tools in hopes you can possibly free yourself from medications...I have yet to master this. If you, or you knowknow anyone who has, you have my deepest respect.
Medications don't mask the problem. Correctly balancing the neurotransmitters in your brain, which is the meds do, isn't making the problem, it's fundamentally treating it.
ThanksVision
Member
This thread is freaking depressive. Because quite a lot of these scare me. I'm afraid to grow up and go to college. Being a teenager is so easy. Parents helping you with so much...
I know I probably haven't experienced the worst of it yet. I just tend to be lonely, and that comes from videogames honestly. I'll just play for like 6 hours straight on days off, and won't pick my phone or go see people, etc.
I know I probably haven't experienced the worst of it yet. I just tend to be lonely, and that comes from videogames honestly. I'll just play for like 6 hours straight on days off, and won't pick my phone or go see people, etc.
sometimes i think i confuse my life sucking with depression or is it the same thing? basically i have no social life and only one or 2 close friends but we dont talk as often as i would like too. I was bombing out of uni despite having so much time to study, no motivation i think. Like others who have posted, i felt like i missed the day to make friends at uni and the few relationships i did establish....seemed to evaporate at the end of each semester
the good news is that i just got a full time job which should take up most of my time and it seems like a great place to work at plus i will be attempting to complete the final subject i need to graduate, i will be doing night classes though.....i'm nervous, excited and scared all at the same time....its the biggest challenge i have faced yet but i feel like it will get me out the funk of just staying home all day on the computer or watching tv.
all i can say is never lose hope
the good news is that i just got a full time job which should take up most of my time and it seems like a great place to work at plus i will be attempting to complete the final subject i need to graduate, i will be doing night classes though.....i'm nervous, excited and scared all at the same time....its the biggest challenge i have faced yet but i feel like it will get me out the funk of just staying home all day on the computer or watching tv.
all i can say is never lose hope
Az987 said:
Yeah, stopping your meds suddenly is not something I would recommend. Actually I think it's a pretty fucking stupid idea. I did just that about a year ago because I thought I was getting better. The result? I entered a psychotic phase because of that. It was fucking worse than my actual depression.
So now I'm back in my miserable state that started more than five years ago. All my progress, down the drain. So yeah, stopping your meds abruptly is a bad idea. The withdrawal symptoms got me good. I guess this is one of the reasons why some people don't like medication. I understand. I mean I hate it, too.
And ultimately, you can't get treated by medication alone. It's just support. I'm also currently going through this right now, but like the other guy said, don't give up.
L00P said:
When I was 14 I abruptly and secretly stopped taking the medications I had been on for a couple of years because I blamed them for causing me to feel like a zombie. In retrospect, I realized that the real reason I felt like a zombie while on the antidepressants was because I built up a tolerance to the meds, which caused me to revert to my naturally depressed state. My mental state was actually at its worst just after abandoning the meds. It slowly improved to a slightly better state, but I never felt normal until after I was finally forced to go see a psychiatrist several years later, thanks to egregiously ****ing up in university. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and the meds he put me on made a world of difference.
Mar_ said:
At the start of 4th grade I was doing horribly in school, and it was suspected that I had ADD. I was referred to psychiatrist for a diagnosis, but he figured out that the real culprit was a combination of depression and anxiety. I was then referred to a therapist to receive therapy, but the therapy sessions were ultimately ineffective, so I was placed on antidepressants. After a couple of months of being on antidepressants, I went from failing most of my classes to getting straight As with little effort. I was then moved into the gifted program after being administered an IQ test because the school admins were blown away by my turnaround.
Haven't read the last 2 pages of the thread, but i'll just post my story.
I'm bipolar, runs in the family, and I'm not on any medication except weed. Medications always made me super uncomfortable and nearly everyone i've talked with personally just says the meds made it worse or only marginally better for a small amount of time.
Depending on how you feel about it as an option, medical marijuana in California is reason enough for someone to come here if you have mental health issues to give it a shot imo. Pot works for me, and it's a hell of a lot better than lithium, I just smoke a bowl in the morning after i've had my tea, balances me out for what I have to do during the day with no ill effects.
I'm bipolar, runs in the family, and I'm not on any medication except weed. Medications always made me super uncomfortable and nearly everyone i've talked with personally just says the meds made it worse or only marginally better for a small amount of time.
Depending on how you feel about it as an option, medical marijuana in California is reason enough for someone to come here if you have mental health issues to give it a shot imo. Pot works for me, and it's a hell of a lot better than lithium, I just smoke a bowl in the morning after i've had my tea, balances me out for what I have to do during the day with no ill effects.
Meesh
Member
You can call it however you want, but medicine is a practice, and they're always practicing for a reason. I didn't say meds make the problem, but I do agree they treat it on some levelSrsly said:
The assumption that meds actually correct a chemical imbalance looks great on paper, (that's the claim right?) but it's far more complicated than that, which is why some may work for others, and some don't. It's not an exact science, and therefore there isn't an absolute answere... There isn't a single person who can say they managed with medication alone, so it's only one component to living a more normal life. edit: I don't suppose I could agree to disagree??? Evilink said:You can call it however you want, but medicine is a practice, and they're always practicing for a reason. I didn't say meds make the problem, but I do agree they treat it on some level
It's complicated because imbalances run on a spectrum and can involve different types of neurotransmitters (sometimes multiple), and sometimes people don't respond to antidepressants on a physiological level, or respond adversely.
And yes, sometimes depression stems purely from maladaptive thoughts. Sometimes these thoughts manifest a cycle which results in a chemical imbalance in the brain, sometimes they don't. In the cases that they don't and the depressive state is purely psychological, cognitive therapy will be much more effective than meds.
With this in mind, yes, antidepressants can be ineffective, but when they do actually correct a chemical imbalance, they aren't masking the problem, which is what you incorrectly claimed, they're fundamentally fixing the underlying psychiatric disorder.
Meesh
Member
I see what you're saying now, this is why it's confusing and frustrating for so many people...I can't help but wonder though, how often do meds actually work? Judging from your posts, you seem to have made some success which is great, too bad so many have to go through trial and error to find the right one, and dosage. Awhile ago I was taking something for paranoia, but it was giving me panic attacks...kinda scary, I was totally illogical and prone to silly confrontations. I had to stop taking that shit, and I'm reluctant to investigate further...I'm still paranoid, but it's not as bad if I lean on family and friends. It would be amazing to stop taking everything all together, but I know from experience I can't...or at least I don't think it's a good idea.Srsly said:
J Tourettes
Banned
EvaPlusMinus said:
It must be great to be you.
J Tourettes
Banned
Evilink said:
I can say meds didn't work for me. There were a couple of false dawns but in the end I sacked them off, had a good 3 months of feeling pretty good before going back to the norm and the goddamn fucking insomnia.
I'm preety sure now that the depression is a result of the insomnia rather than vice versa as the doctor thought. Got to get my arse in gear to go back to the doc's soon but tbh I'm pretty fucked off with her chucking whatever ad's at me and seeing what shit sticks.
Cereal KiIIer
Member
Well hello there Tom CruiseQuadCore said:
Not a Jellyfish
but I am a sheep
heliosRAzi said:
This. It is the best thing to do for yourself, it will be a good form of release. Best of luck.
Mar_ said:
You think 14 is young? I was on meds at like 10. It was awesome too, because my retarded piece of shit psychiatrist would put me on one, see some side effects, put me on another to counteract those side effects, see some side effects for those, and put me on even more to counteract those side effects, and oh, hey, the side effect of this one is depression, the very thing we were trying to fix in the first place? WELL ISN'T THAT JUST DANDY. I was taking like five fucking pills a day when I was 13.
And yeah, I'd be shocked if they didn't have some long-term effects on me. The cocktail of shit they had me on turned me into a fucking zombie most of the time. I didn't feel anything, except the occasional blind rage.
I finally just said "Fuck it all" and stopped taking them when I was 17. I feel like there's a huge section of my childhood missing there because I can barely even remember anything from that seven year chunk of time. It's fucking sad to me that I was unable to start truly developing certain parts of myself until then because none of the adults in my life ever stopped to think that, hey, maybe making me high all the time wasn't the solution to all my problems.
BastardTrees
Banned
23 here
I don't have a girlfriend, a job, friends, or attend college anymore... haven't since about for the past 9 months but to be brutally honest the internet makes me happy as pathetic as it sounds.
the only thing missing from my life is free casual sex from a girlfriend and maybe a job.
Hell I don't know 3rd world depression is 100x more fucked up than 1st world depression.
Haiti
I don't have a girlfriend, a job, friends, or attend college anymore... haven't since about for the past 9 months but to be brutally honest the internet makes me happy as pathetic as it sounds.
the only thing missing from my life is free casual sex from a girlfriend and maybe a job.
Hell I don't know 3rd world depression is 100x more fucked up than 1st world depression.
Haiti
As someone else who suffers from depression/anxiety let me give you some advice:
1. STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ALCOHOL. I used to be able to drink and be happy with friends, now anytime I get drunk I do nothing but bitch and moan and feel like hitting stuff. If you need to do drugs with friends, stick to pot.
2. Exercise. This will help level off any excess hormones, and has the added benefit of making you more attractive, which may help you feel better.
2 a. Don't overdo it with exercise/watching what you eat. I used to have issues with bulimia because of my depression/obsessiveness; I mostly stopped vomiting a while ago and thought that meant I was "over it". It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized I hadn't taken a day off from exercise in about 6 months, hadn't been eating much, and that my body was seriously wearing out. So, once again, if you go the exercise/living healthy route: don't overdo it.
3. Do whatever makes you happy more often. Learn an instrument, practice artwork, go hiking, etc.
1. STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ALCOHOL. I used to be able to drink and be happy with friends, now anytime I get drunk I do nothing but bitch and moan and feel like hitting stuff. If you need to do drugs with friends, stick to pot.
2. Exercise. This will help level off any excess hormones, and has the added benefit of making you more attractive, which may help you feel better.
2 a. Don't overdo it with exercise/watching what you eat. I used to have issues with bulimia because of my depression/obsessiveness; I mostly stopped vomiting a while ago and thought that meant I was "over it". It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized I hadn't taken a day off from exercise in about 6 months, hadn't been eating much, and that my body was seriously wearing out. So, once again, if you go the exercise/living healthy route: don't overdo it.
3. Do whatever makes you happy more often. Learn an instrument, practice artwork, go hiking, etc.
J Tourettes
Banned
Gilby said:
I'm fine on the alcohol but good advice on the rest.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
^^^I Push Fat Kids said:
Anyone else taking meds, feel pretty damn good, but worry about being on this stuff long term?
I first went on an SSRI during my last year in college. I did good on it, and decided to go off after about 8 months or so. The following 8 months were pretty damn bad mentally for me. Right after I graduated, I went back on the same med and I've been on it two years now. I take a pretty low dose and wonder if I've built up a tolerance at this point, but I really don't know if it matters because I'm general very happy and mentally focused.
I first went on an SSRI during my last year in college. I did good on it, and decided to go off after about 8 months or so. The following 8 months were pretty damn bad mentally for me. Right after I graduated, I went back on the same med and I've been on it two years now. I take a pretty low dose and wonder if I've built up a tolerance at this point, but I really don't know if it matters because I'm general very happy and mentally focused.
homegrowndub
Banned
I recently was diagnosed Bi-Polar. It was a long time coming as I had been battling it for so long. I lost many friends, girlfriends, and alienated my family. I was fired from many jobs because I just didn't have the motivation or will to do anything. I would constantly drink in the mornings to be able to make it through another day. I loved drugs with a passion because they were my scape-goat from all the feelings and pain I felt. It really wasn't until recently that I finally knew I needed help. I lost my girlfriend due to erratic behavior, almost lost the current job I have by not showing up for almost a week. The voices in my head were constantly getting louder. I had reached a breaking point. Luckily, my family was around to get me to get the help I needed. I guess I always knew something was wrong, but the shock I got when the Doctor told me I was Bi-Polar with severe manic depression was a shock. At first the feeling of being different is strange, but once you start getting the help you need that goes away. I currently am on Lithium which has worked wonders and for the first time I can say that I feel as normal as anyone else. I also see a psychologist because it is nice to have someone to talk to. Getting the help you need is the first and usually the hardest step, but once you get over that hurdle you will feel so much better. Gradually, I am fixing relationships that I completely fucked up, including that with my girlfriend. It feels wonderful to hear people comment about how I've changed for the better. No one wants to be on pills forever, but sometimes it is for the best.
Jea Song said:
Seriously, don't off yourself. Not only is that a terrible solution to your problem - its not a solution at all - but youd be letting them win. They'd go on with their petty little lives and soon forget you ever existed. And worst of all, you would be proving them right - especially the ex-girlfriend. She would be right to have left you.
Or... You could choose to have this reality instead:
You've risen to become a massive success - your true, best self. Life has become your playground; and the people your playthings. With quiet satisfaction and a smile on your face that probably couldn't be smacked off, you'll watch as those from your past - again, especially the ex - come sniffing around, trying to get back into your life and good graces, acting like they did nothing wrong. You could even throw them a bone if you wanted to; but really, you're just too busy living your own life now to care all that much.
They say that living well is the best revenge. But the fact is; you will have mostly forgotten about them anyway, so the "revenge" part ultimately won't matter. You're living for you now. And you're doing it damn well. /fin
I didn't bother to read the thread, so I apologize if I happen to repeat any of the previously posted stuff. Just sayin. And I'll try not to beat you over the head with palliatives, since they're the reason I hate the vast majority of self help/improvement products; always with the what, what, what's, but never the how.
I really do feel for you. Ive been there. If I were to presume to give you any of my own advice based on my personal experience:
You need a destination; a higher purpose for yourself. Neediness vaporizes in the face of this.
[Insert long story here about how I was training to be a pilot, how it was always my dream, but had it all taken away by an Ishihara Dot test. Wandered, lost for a few years, depression, existential crises, depression, searched for a new purpose, discovered I enjoy writing, started writing, inflated it into a dream, made it one my new life's purposes.]
If you don't think you know what yours is, then you need look inside yourself: What do you enjoy doing? What is it you want out of life? What are your dreams? You can't just let dreams sit there like shapeless clouds off in the the fringes of your mind. Turn your focus onto them, and give them a real form you can actually work with. Then make yourself really, really want it bad - make it one of your lifes purposes. Learn time management skills, put pen to paper and map out your tentative path, and then most importantly; set out on that path. Actually DOING something that could lead you to your destination, and feeling that sense of control - let me tell you - feels fucking amazing.
I hope things turn around for you soon. Just remember: those people are dead wrong about you, not to mention that it doesnt matter what they think. Get out there and live, man.
- Status