Is depression a life-long disease? (srs)

[WarriorRustler]

yo thats crazy. Vitamin C = depression cure. How much are you taking?

About 5 grams daily. So 5000 mg. Taking 500 mg pills twice every hour and at different times.

Skin is feeling really good too.

[lightedshadows]

About 5 grams daily. So 5000 mg. Taking 500 mg pills twice every hour and at different times.

Skin is feeling really good too.

That's pretty excessive. Did your doc tell you to take that much?

[cmml]

He didn't pass habits. You would have become the same person anyway, srs. I haven't seen my father in like 15+ years... so it's not like I spent most of my formative years with him. And I was nothing like him when I was younger. Now though... just lol, it's scary.



Yes, it is. Everything is genetic. From your hardware / dopamine sensitivity, etc. to how you process stimuli and information is all genetic. If your brain is more dopaminergic, you will learn that hard work feels good and brings results. If your brain is dopamine insensitive, you gonna learn tat hard work is just a waste of time and a necessary evil at best. Your parents CAN'T teach you the opposite. You are who you are simply because you could not be any other way. Even the result of conditioning is pre-determined by your genes mane.

Agreed! There is a book on this particular topic. It shows that everything is much more genetic than we think. I forgot the name though, but it's fascinating. It's scary to think that we're so damn hardwired to be a certain way.

[Jackal005]

...I believe many cases of "addiction" are petty. I think people have more control over their actions than they do. I believe if you were actually in a life or death situation, and the gun wasn't in your hands, but someone was pointing the gun at you, you would do everything you could to survive. I think suicide is cheap, selfish, and in 95% of cases, pathetic. I can empathize and sympathize with people, but I don't agree with people taking these kinds of actions or stances. I think diseases, suicide, addiction, and many others are fads...

I used to think this too, but trust me, when you've been dealing with this stuff for years on end you start to understand why people end it. I'm pretty certain the only reason I've never seriously thought about suicide is because I couldn't do it to my parents.

I think hearing about people like Robin Williams pretty much shuts down any doubts. The guy was rich, loved by everyone, had a family, and killed himself. So your environment isn't always the reason.

I read something recently where the person was saying that depression becomes like an addiction when you suffer with it for long enough, like it becomes the norm and you feel like your not yourself if you don't feel depressed. I don't know how true that is but I thought it was interesting.

[WarriorRustler]

That's pretty excessive. Did your doc tell you to take that much?

No they wanted to prescribe the usual drugs that mess with your endorphins.

I was curious and I'm thankful for it. I'm probably going to back off on my Vitamin C intake though. My levels were probably all out of whack. Basically just enough to heal myself now and then continue with small doses through fruit and vegetables.

[TypicalGamer]

ITT miscers with little understanding of genetics saying it's something that can not be avoided. Genetics can be switched on and off, this is affected by everything from singular events, emotions and your environment. Yes being predisposed to depression genetically is a thing, but it does not mean you WILL get it, that your parents are depressed or that you can't switch them off.

I used to think this too, but trust me, when you've been dealing with this stuff for years on end you start to understand why people end it. I'm pretty certain the only reason I've never seriously thought about suicide is because I couldn't do it to my parents.

I think hearing about people like Robin Williams pretty much shuts down any doubts. The guy was rich, loved by everyone, had a family, and killed himself. So your environment isn't always the reason.

I read something recently where the person was saying that depression becomes like an addiction when you suffer with it for long enough, like it becomes the norm and you feel like your not yourself if you don't feel depressed. I don't know how true that is but I thought it was interesting.

Brah, Robin Williams had dementia, was not getting any quality work, was in a divorce, lost his house and most of his money to that as well. He's not the greatest example. Dude battled all his life for sure compounded with drug use, but he went through a lot before ending it.

Also you're right, depression makes things feel more real, happiness feels more like you need delusion. At least that's what depression makes you rationalize.

[KilaByte]

She described it pretty good OP...

[Num3n]

most of the time honestly it is.

[DrFlexologist]

That's pretty excessive. Did your doc tell you to take that much?

It's not excessive. Everyone has a Vit. C bowel tolerance. Linus Pauling used to give his patients doses of over 10,000 mg of it with no ill-effects.

[Jackal005]

Brah, Robin Williams had dementia, was not getting any quality work, was in a divorce, lost his house and most of his money to that as well. He's not the greatest example. Dude battled all his life for sure compounded with drug use, but he went through a lot before ending it.

Did not know this. Still, the dude was very popular/wealthy throughout his young adult life, yet suffered with depression for years. Just goes to show you don't have to have a chitty life to feel depressed.

[LovinAlmonds69]

I've found that there's really nothing you can do to explain depression to someone who has not experienced it, it is usually just frustrating for both parties and both walk away feeling misunderstood. Most people feel like they have experienced depression at some point in their life, but the difference between their depression and our depression, is that most of the time they have a cure. They feel that if they meet the right person and fall in love, or got a new job they wanted, or found a new friend, or achieved something they have been working for, then they will feel better. And they usually do. But people who suffer from depression find out as they get these things, nothing really changes, they still feel the same as they did. And as they achieve more of these things they realize that nothing is making them feel better and they start feeling hopeless that nothing they do will improve the way they feel and they start to not see a future for themselves. That's when they start feeling like nothing really matters, and it becomes more of a struggle to do anything, because anything you do won't make you feel any better.

The reason your ex might have felt worse after trying to be healthier and then failing is because it feels like you went one step forward and two steps back. When you finally gather enough energy and strength to set your mind to something, and then you fall into old habits and thought patterns, you feel even more helpless every single time. Sometimes depressed people conclude that there's no point in trying because they don't have the strength to succeed and they don't have the energy to go through another failure when they are using all of their energy on just trying to hold on and maintain the level that they are at.

This is not to say that trying to be healthier and exercising won't make the person feel any better, it's always great to try and improve your life and situation. It's just a lot more complicated than it sounds for someone who is depressed.

This is definitely very frustrating for a "just do it" person to understand, and also for someone who suffers from depression to get the "just do it" person to understand.

About 5 grams daily. So 5000 mg. Taking 500 mg pills twice every hour and at different times.

Skin is feeling really good too.

On the subject of vitamins supplementing 5000ui of vitamin D per day has helped my depression greatly if you wanted to look into it and try it out.

[BambiDawl]

I think the reason there's still a lot of misconceptions is that most people are only aware of and are familiar with situational depression (i.e. something bad happens to them or someone they know, which then triggers their depression for an x amount of time). Also, the word "depressed" gets thrown around so much in general conversation that it undermines the definition of the actual disease.

Having been in a relationship with someone who I really cared about and who suffered from severe depression was what opened my eyes about it. He would have days where he would wake up feeling really low for no particular reason, having to constantly fight recurring suicidal thoughts, channeling whatever energy he has into making others happy because he couldn't find any joy in himself. Before seeing him suffer though it, my understanding of severe depression probably was about the same as with the general public's: severe depression = suicidal people, people who are really sad all the time. It's a shallow understanding.

There's this quote that portrays really well IMO the mindset of someone with severe depression:

“The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself doesn’t do so out of quote ‘hopelessness’ or any abstract conviction that life’s assets and debits do not square. And surely not because death seems suddenly appealing. The person in whom Its invisible agony reaches a certain unendurable level will kill herself the same way a trapped person will eventually jump from the window of a burning high-rise. Make no mistake about people who leap from burning windows. Their terror of falling from a great height is still just as great as it would be for you or me... i.e. the fear of falling remains a constant. The variable here is the other terror, the fire’s flames: when the flames get close enough, falling to death becomes the slightly less terrible of two terrors. It’s not desiring the fall; it’s terror of the flames. And yet nobody down on the sidewalk, looking up and yelling ‘Don’t!’ and ‘Hang on!’, can understand the jump. Not really. You’d have to have personally been trapped and felt flames to really understand a terror way beyond falling.” – David Foster Wallace

[JD805]

I think the reason there's still a lot of misconceptions is that most people are only aware of and are familiar with situational depression (i.e. something bad happens to them or someone they know, which then triggers their depression for an x amount of time). Also, the word "depressed" gets thrown around so much in general conversation that it undermines the definition of the actual disease.

Having been in a relationship with someone who I really cared about and who suffered from severe depression was what opened my eyes about it. He would have days where he would wake up feeling really low for no particular reason, having to constantly fight recurring suicidal thoughts, channeling whatever energy he has into making others happy because he couldn't find any joy in himself. Before seeing him suffer though it, my understanding of severe depression probably was about the same as with the general public's: severe depression = suicidal people, people who are really sad all the time. It's a shallow understanding.

There's this quote that portrays really well IMO the mindset of someone with severe depression:

“The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself doesn’t do so out of quote ‘hopelessness’ or any abstract conviction that life’s assets and debits do not square. And surely not because death seems suddenly appealing. The person in whom Its invisible agony reaches a certain unendurable level will kill herself the same way a trapped person will eventually jump from the window of a burning high-rise. Make no mistake about people who leap from burning windows. Their terror of falling from a great height is still just as great as it would be for you or me... i.e. the fear of falling remains a constant. The variable here is the other terror, the fire’s flames: when the flames get close enough, falling to death becomes the slightly less terrible of two terrors. It’s not desiring the fall; it’s terror of the flames. And yet nobody down on the sidewalk, looking up and yelling ‘Don’t!’ and ‘Hang on!’, can understand the jump. Not really. You’d have to have personally been trapped and felt flames to really understand a terror way beyond falling.” – David Foster Wallace

It always amazes me how much women love to talk/write and no you're wrong. Just because someone is suicidal doesn't mean that he is depressed.

[CickSunt]

cardio and vitamin d do wonders for avwrage people. depression is an imbalance that shouldnt be there in the brain

[davik]

I think it is a trait you will carry forever. You can only just mitigate it. Of course for legitimate depression.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/0...of-depression/

[BambiDawl]

It always amazes me how much women love to talk/write and no you're wrong. Just because someone is suicidal doesn't mean that he is depressed.

I never said that. But yes, someone being suicidal doesn't mean he's depressed, and someone being depressed doesn't mean he's suicidal.

I focused on severe depression (suicidal thoughts being a common symptom) because that's usually when the general public only takes notice of it. "Oh, so-and-so just killed himself! Oh... he had a history battling depression too." Then comes the debate over the suicide, usually not taking into account the perspective of the person suffering from depression, nor trying to understand it or the disease.

[JayEs90]

a little over a year ago I stuggled with it. I always have had times where I would feel really down from high school up until then that would last for a few days to a few weeks but this was a time when I couldn't snap out of it. idk what it was but I didn't like it 1 bit and I didn't like the thoughts I would have from time to time. but like other people had said it starts to feel normal after a while. a lot of the time I would just lay in bed, not go out on weekends unless I had to, skipped the gym and stopped eating. fast forward to today and I'm doing awesome. I wouldn't say I've beat depression 100% because I still do have times where I feel down but its not as long as it was maybe only a few hours to a few days. not sure if you can beat it 100% but to those who have you're the real MVP srs.

[JD805]

I never said that. But yes, someone being suicidal doesn't mean he's depressed, and someone being depressed doesn't mean he's suicidal.

I focused on severe depression (suicidal thoughts being a common symptom) because that's usually when the general public only takes notice of it. "Oh, so-and-so just killed himself! Oh... he had a history battling depression too." Then comes the debate over the suicide, usually not taking into account the perspective of the person suffering from depression, nor trying to understand it or the disease.

you lost me there but sure why not

[Menark]

I am a firm believer in "Just Do It". I think it's that simple.

Im sorry but it isnt that simple. Ive had depression for three years now and it slowly gets worse or changes in ways. At this point I go to the gym, i go to work and I come home anything else I cant deal with and im not talking just during the week but now I stay home all weekend except for saturday morning when i go to the gym.

[BetaAsPhuck]

Maybe you're right. Ive seen some rare cases where i live, with people that had everything (good looking, money, probably normal-good social life) but still tried to kill themselves and then there is the opposite from that and are happy mofos. I'll never understand this ****..

Based on no formal education, pop psychology books and personal experience...

I do believe that people can be genetically pre-disposed to mental illness, but I believe that it's a genetic pre-disposition and not necessarily genetic fate.

I think that the social environment one is raised in will largely determine if a person develops severe mental health issues or not.

I think many people are traumatized either due to a single or accumulation of effects, and/or chronically having important psychological needs neglected. I think growing up being parented by neurotic people, and growing up in a chitty community, is what usually has damaged most people.

I think that (in the first world at least) barring bullying, physical or sexual abuse most 'inexplicable' serious mental illness problems are due to chronically not having their needs met for significance, boundaries, empathy, compassion, and/or secure attachment to parents. (eg. If a child grows up and has no sense of visibility regarding their moods and thoughts, then they will likely grow up with a deep sense of a lack of value at their core.)

That's the main reason why I discourage anyone suffering from mental health issues from having children, because they will - even against their own conscious desire - probably severely phuck up their children. And their children will probably develop some kind of mental health issue or 2, and/or have a chronic problem finding fulfilling relationships (due to their experience of relationships with parents being phucked up.)

[IgnorancisBlis]

I don't believe in depression. I think it's a made up thing that people use to cope. Life isn't easy.

[EISOBAX]

I used to hate on people that said that depression is a cronic illness, but after it coming back radomly after 3 years i realise that its gonna stick forever.

[Devils]

It's probably wildly over diagnosed

Antidepressants are the second most prescribed drug in America, 25% for women, 15% of men!

Happiness is big business

[Jackal005]

I don't believe in depression. I think it's a made up thing that people use to cope. Life isn't easy.

Doesn't help me cope. Although I've never been diagnosed because the prospect of actually having a face to face conversation with a doctor about this stuff doesn't feel even remotely possible for me.

But yes, I do believe a lot of people who say they are depressed probably aren't.

[SugarFree1]

I'm not saying it's not real. I've learned a lot since making this thread like an hour ago. Or at least I've thought "oh yeah that makes sense".

I understand if people get offended by my viewpoint. But it's an odd concept to me that people aren't in control of their actions because of depression. I've been "depressed" at some points in my life. But I've never had the desire to kill myself. Ever. Like others have said, it has instantly gone away.

I guess I believe that action can cure depression, or alleviate it. And I don't mean action as in suicide. I mean by working on yourself. Putting in time and effort into something. "Forcing" yourself to do it. Go to the gym. Find out you actually enjoy it, like my ex did. But be consistent with it. I don't know.

Spoken like someone that doesnt understand real depression, the varying degrees of it or reasons (or lack or) that causes it. Its not simply a choice to say I no longer want to be depressed - wish it was that easy. Choosing to exercise is not going to magically change that although to some degree it may help. Also its a catch 22 in that if you are really depressed you could care less about exercising or wanting to improve yourself

[donsterza]

Im dating a girl who is currently deppressed, after a long year it started with psychosis then mania and now depression, the depression is the hardest for me to deal with and I have gone through times when I feel I cannot continue with the relationship, Iv been through hell this past year with her behaviour.

The worst part about being with someone depressed especially living with them is that its contagious, its extremely difficult to keep your head up when every sentence is about how bad things are or how scared they are.

I have been extremely supportive of her through this all but it has taken its toll.

On the one hand I feel like Iv saved her life numerous times because she says I have and that without me she would have ended her life.
On the other hand it has fukd up my sex life, I wank more than I did pre girlfriend because she never wants to have sex and theres nothing I can do about it, I will not cheat (its just not me) and I really do love her but I have an overly active sex drive and the frustration is killing me.

Theres time when she is fine (rarely) and then I understand why I am with this person and why I love them so much but it is very rare.

Things have started getting better slowly and I really do hope that she heals and that it is not life long, I would love for our relationship to regain its spark and I am really hoping for it but my doubts are there.

Can anyone comment on something similar or provide any advice, I do really love the girl and I would like for us to regain that spark in our relationship.

[BetaAsPhuck]

I am a firm believer in "Just Do It". I think it's that simple.

Yeah, that's standard folk psychology. Every problem is reduced to a problem of will power.

The notion that if someone just 'wants it' enough they can resolve any psychological problem, or character flaw.

I think the best way of thinking about a psychological problem is using the metaphor of a node, that I originally discovered through this video...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12rP8ybp13s

Basically that there a few interconnected factors contributing to the emergence of the problem.

Maybe that's why a model for psychological recovery that was presented in the book the truth by Neil Strauss, may be the best way to try to attain psychological health for most people. And may be more successful than the standard approach of sticking with talk therapy year in and year out.

The approach (from what I can gather) is to stick with a therapy for approx 3 months, before switching to another form of therapy, and continuing until the trauma is at a '1' on a scale of 1-10 in terms of affecting your being.

Each form of therapy affecting one part of the 'node', or affecting the same node from a different angle to reinforce the change...


Hypnosis - Changes habitual internal dialogue and visualization.

****tic Experiencing - Processesing emotions suppressed actions and responses to trauma.

CBT - A way of changing beliefs, and behavior.

Bioenergetics - Another way of processing suppressed emotions, actions and responses to trauma.

NLP - Another way of changing beliefs, habitual internal dialogue and visualization.

etc.

https://www.neilstrauss.com/neil/healing-trauma/

[MissKatie21]

It's definitely not a choice if that's what your implying. It doesn't matter if you come from a loving family, earn over 150k a year, have everything you want in life, have a great looking body... None of those things matter... Trust me. I definitely think it's a chemical imbalance in your brain, It's literally a disease.
I hope she's okay

[Devils]

Can anyone comment on something similar or provide any advice, I do really love the girl and I would like for us to regain that spark in our relationship.

My advice is too end it, doctors cant cure it what makes you think you can. Leave and ENJOY your life, don't try to make other people happy at the cost of yours

[D-Nutt]

I think it's a habit (srs).