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In another thread I noticed a few people said they were depressed. I thought I'd put up a poll about the question, as it seems kinda sad that there are people who suffer like that. If you are depressed, how do you cope? Are you seeking treatment?

I have my moments of both, but for once in my life, I am not dragging ass. I'm actually trying to do the best at my job and really get to know my students.

There's a lot of stuff going on right now that would totally justify me being all mopey, but then again, it's what you choose. It's not that way for everyone, but I feel like I actually get to make a choice to have a good day.

That makes me happy

I'm pretty happy. There was a 2 period point in my life that might have been peppered with a little depression... but nothing diagnosed. I was unhappy/mopey/just plain angry most of the time, and I lost interest in everything. I didn't write at all (what a waste). My grades dropped a little bit, too. Thing is, when I look back, nothing was physically stopping me from pulling myself out of it. I think I could have. I was living in this small town that really bummed me out. The boredom and fanatical religiousness was oppressive. I don't want put myself in the same boat as people who really have depression. I just call those my nonproductive years.

Mood swings are pretty common in me, but that's just always been my personality. They can change like that (*snap*).

I used to be a depressed mess. I was out of high school, dropped out of college, had no direction, no ambitions. I pretty much thought of suicide every day. I drove away the girl I had been dating since high school with my shit. Then about 3 years ago after meeting and talking with some RCMP officers I just got an urge to join. I spent a year getting into shape to take the physical exam, all that exercise and dieting actually improved my mental state incredibly. I got in, almost made top cop at Depot (slang for the RCMP academy) in my troop and am now posted to buttfuck nowhere being a police officer. In 2 years I'll hopefully get transferred to my home city where I can be with my friends and family again more regularly. Until then I'm just gonna chill, play videogames and enforce the law.

Frankie said:

I'm just gonna chill, play videogames and enforce the law.

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You are SO COOL!!!!! :uhhuh:

Happy.

Just tired.

zZzzZzzzz...

Been struggling with depression most of my life. Officially diagnosed late in High School with situational depression (basically, I CAN have times of happiness, but something can cause me to break down).

It...hasn't been an easy road for me. It's part of why I'm 31 and back in school again, trying to just get my Bachelor's degree in English. I've dropped out of university twice in my life due to depression. It's probably why I don't get to date very often and why, a lot of times, I don't do things because I assume I'll screw up (this includes anything from trying something new, asking someone out, etc).

It hasn't been an easy summer for me and I'm still recovering from things said to me by my former roommates. A lot of times, I'm an emotional sponge, taking a lot of negative things said to me and dwelling on them to the point that I believe them and get depressed about it. Unfortunately, this also includes comments made by people on here.

Anyway, hoping things will improve once school starts again this year.

Miserable as all kinds of hell. Pretty much everyday.

Not the debilitating kind of misery but enough to effect my performance in the "world" more and more these days.

I'm starting to feel the edges crack a little more, my control over my urges waning, my grasp on reality slowly fading and my sanity all together just slipping away with every passing week.... rly:

Vytamindi;246403][quote=Frankie said:

I'm just gonna chill, play videogames and enforce the law.

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You are SO COOL!!!!! :uhhuh:[/QUOTE]

If he was in his red serge, you'd be swooning, too, I bet.

That's it. I'm joining the mounties. (course, I'd never be stationed near home as I live in Ontario - bonus!)

No. Not depressed.

I've always maintained that depression should be renamed to despair.

bhamv3 said:

I've always maintained that depression should be renamed to despair.

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AmorousEyes said:

I just want to go on a murdering rampage, that always makes me feel better.

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Let us go hand in hand Amorous, not quietly into that good night.... we shall bring joy to ourselves with the suffering of the world. We shall watch it burn. :sevil:

*stuff*

I would probably be diagnosed and seeing someone if I lived in a country with a civilized healthcare system, but that's a discussion for another thread.

SeraRelm said:

*stuff*

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uhm.

This thread makes me think of my godmother. Stuff like this strikes a major chord with me. I don't want anyone else that I care about to ever feel helpless or worthless. I wish I could help everyone. It's why I try to stay positive, I guess.

When you see someone so beautiful, caring, and talented spiral into someone you can barely recognize, it never leaves you. I know that simply listening and talking to people doesn't do what real help does, but... seriously, if anyone ever needs to talk... :\

Crone;246467][quote=SeraRelm said:

*stuff*

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uhm.[/QUOTE]

Off and on. Good and the bad. Do what you can to focus on the good, but it always sneaks back up.

I am actually rather neurotic, so I don't really get depressed. I just need a day every month to freak out and let out my stress and then the rest of the time I am rather tranquil. I do have a few fits of anxiety, but they never make me feel sad, just tense in my muscles.

I'm not depressed, but sleep deprivation, not being able to get out of my house without it being a production, being unable to play with my 4 year old 90% of the time, and feeling like I am not pulling my weight around the house is making me sad. It's not PPD like I had after giving birth to my son because I don't feel like a complete failure at life. I just can't wait for this to get a little easier in the coming months.

I always try to be happy cause it is a lot less work than being depressed. I try not to worry too much and just keep everything in check (like bills and debts) other than that.

I'm happy as a clam

I think I'm more stressed than depressed, with a big scoop of loneliness on top.

Diagnosed severe depression, however it's much much better in the last year or so.

I feel happier that my life is going somewhere, I suppose, but every once in a while I can feel myself slip backwards. It really poisons everything in my life when it creeps up: I don't want to work, I don't want to study, I don't want to see friends or go out on dates...

Interestingly, my depression is rarely brought on by outside events. Several months ago my girlfriend and I split up, and yeah, it sucked and I was upset but it didn't bring on a depression in me. More often it's my depression that drives people away, and I just don't know what causes it to creep up in my mind and turn everything to hell.

It's definitely nowhere as severe as it was even a year ago. I can remember never... Never really sure if there was merit in being alive, and feeling rather unliked and unlikable. Those feelings are largely gone.

I would largely thank one specific friend for that, I think. Having even one person who will tolerate me for six years is a bit of hint that I must at least a LITTLE worthwhile.

So I guess I'm depressed, technically, but cautiously optimistic that I can be more and more emotionally 'normalized' in the coming years. I'd certainly say that at this moment right now, I am a content person.

Unless I'm doing something compulsive my mind is pretty much geared towards either suicide or mass genocide. I file it under adolescence.

I had a rough few years right out of high school, which ultimately led to me bombing an entire year of classes, driving a lot of people away, contemplating suicide several times. It ended up with me in the emergency room of the hospital, I was so afraid I would just lose my grip and throw myself in front of a bus.

I didn't get prescribed anything, and I'm glad for it. Did some therapy though, and I can honestly say that I feel that every last citizen of the developed world could benefit from the services of a good psychologist.

Rob King said:

Did some therapy though, and I can honestly say that I feel that every last citizen of the developed world could benefit from the services of a good psychologist.

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I concur....

I'm not going to write out a long post (because I've done it many, MANY times about this subject and I'm tired of it) but suffice to say that I've been having severe bouts of depression off and on for the last 12 years. I'm currently on, because of reasons I've gone into many times before as well.

Oh, and the picture of Despair from Sandman? It kinda sums up my feelings right about now.

AshburnerX said:

Oh, and the picture of Despair from Sandman? It kinda sums up my feelings right about now.

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*hugs*

Stay here. You matter.

I am a firm believer that the United States is overmedicated, and I think too many people take medication for a chemical imbalance when they don't have one. (That's not to call anyone out specifically)

If I had to guess, though, I'd say I have some kind of anxiety disorder at the least. What would be really nice is if I had the money or the insurance to see a therapist instead of speculating about my mental health on a forum... rly:

I've struggled with depression for as long as I can remember, but for about the past 2 years or so, I've finally brought myself out of it, and worked my ass off to get myself to a position I'm happy with. I've found a hobby that's given me some direction in life, and given me a goal to aim towards in terms of a career path, and I've begun to find personality traits in myself that I never knew existed. It's a bit daunting at times trying to come to terms with all of this, but I'm doing ok now that I'm finally out of this fragile little shell I've spent most of my life in, up untill now.

Crone;246553][quote=AshburnerX said:

Oh, and the picture of Despair from Sandman? It kinda sums up my feelings right about now.

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*hugs*

Stay here. You matter.[/QUOTE]
Very true!

I like this thread. It's good to get to know that everyone has these feelings at one point or another. It also helps to have somewhere to vent while keeping as much private as you need to.

You ALL matter

Lally said:

I am a firm believer that the United States is overmedicated, and I think too many people take medication for a chemical imbalance when they don't have one.

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Preach it, sister.



In other news, I am not depressed.

It's rare I feel anything other than :madatyou:

GasBandit said:

In other news, I am not depressed.

It's rare I feel anything other than :madatyou:

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Is this you?

I could REALLY go for some of those appetite suppressants right now. Also, it's FREAKY AS HELL to see a post pop up like that.

Vytamindi;246582][quote=GasBandit said:

In other news, I am not depressed.

It's rare I feel anything other than :madatyou:

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Is this you?



[/QUOTE]

Grumpy was right to be so, look at what he had to put up with from his roommates.

I was going to click "Not at all" when SHE appeared on my screen. "^BrUjiTa^ ha iniciado sesión".

hrm...

But, of course, I am NOT depressed, and even if I sometimes use this word to mean "sad", I don't like to because I feel like I'm saying that real depression is no big deal.





How the hell could I have fallen in love with her though? JUST LOOK AT HOW SHE WRITES HER DAMN USERNAME!!

In highschool and some of the start of college I was. I saw a shrink for a while but I can't really say that did anything. I feel like watching and reading fight club helped more, in a weird way. After I stopped caring so much about certain things it took a lot of the pressure off.

I also try to keep in mind something my mom used to say to us as kids when we were upset about something. "If that's the worst thing that happens to you in life, you're doing ok."

I didn't graduate on time, but that's ok because I'm still going to graduate.

My girlfriend left me for some other guy, but we still had an awesome 3 years together and I'll find someone else.

I'm worried about finding a job, but so long as I can support myself thats all I need right now. If I really hate things and just can't find the job I want, well maybe I can go to school again.

Silver Jelly said:

I was going to click "Not at all" when SHE appeared on my screen. "^BrUjiTa^ ha iniciado sesión".

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I hear you. I thought I was over this girl, and now the most random crap reminds me about her ...

Silver Jelly said:

But, of course, I am NOT depressed, and even if I sometimes use this word to mean "sad", I don't like to because I feel like I'm saying that real depression is no big deal.

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We talked about this a lot in my mental health ethics class. Men don't like to talk about being sad, so they talk about being depressed. It somehow sounds less girly. Which contributes to the culture of overdiagnosed depression.

Mm...none of those answers really fits me. I have what they call "secondary depression" due to my illness, which is a fancy way of saying it's the shits being sick, but that the depression comes from the illness and not the other way around. I'm definitely not clinically depressed. I work pretty hard, actually, to keep myself out of the dumps with various projects.

However, depending on how bad I'm feeling physically or other triggers, I do slip into a very dark place from time to time. Having lost almost all the capabilities of my "former" life and facing decades of this to come can really get me sometimes and then it's the whole emo dark room thing for a day or two, compounded by family and financial crap etc. etc.

Caveat: I am not claiming people with depression can just "keep themselves out of the dumps" with projects. In my own case it's about trying to carve out a meaningful life, which is what gives me joy and is what was finally taken away from me about a year ago.

I'm in the depressed category, I guess. Constantly trying to keep myself busy, work, visiting friends, whatever, but whenever I'm around people I just want to be alone, and whenever I'm alone, I fall in a big black pit of nothing.
It's with ups and downs, I'd been slowly crawlign upwards, I think, or just getting better at deceiving myself, but lately it's been on another downturn. Frankly, right now, I 'm starting to count it as a win if I can get out of bed; let alone get anything done -_-

When something particularly bad happens to me, things like the death of a friend not little things like a car breaking down etc, I can get really depressed for months at a time. I just got out of one such funk and I'm pretty much happy all the time now. It's crazy how depressed High School kids are though. I get them in my office all the time and they're just messes.

That's because they have a lot more stress hoisted upon them (as far as their futures go) then people did when our parents were kids. There was a time in this country when there was no shame in not being college bound... these days, your seen as sub-human if your not smart enough to get into a certain school. Pile that on top of the normal teen angst and it's really no wonder we have kids committing suicide or shooting up schools.

Many of them do have good reasons for depression. They're gay in a society that doesn't allow it, they're pregnant, they're failing, they lost a friend, etc. But they get freaked out by things that they really shouldn't have to worry about.

I don't think I'm depressed, because I don't feel specifically sad. I have lots of happy moments, and enjoy things, though the number of things I enjoy tend to be lower in number.

It's the in-between that is punctuated with, while not what I would describe a feeling of sadness or despair or dread, is definitely a palpable feeling of "meh". These moments are times when I feel like the world is trucking on without me, and I somehow missed the bus. Unpleasant, but not the soul-crushing despair or suicidal thoughts that people tend to talk about when talking about depression.

It feels more like what I'm doing doesn't ultimately matter, and I'm just trudging through the in-between to dive into the few times I feel good again.

Major Depressive Disorder, and PTSD, as diagnosed by a Psychiatrist using the DSM IV. I am seeking treatment and fairly well taken care of, but the burden on the military medical services is immense.

5-6 years ago I was very depressed - mother had died in a fire, I was out of college with no job during a bad economical time, my best friend at the time didn't seem to give a damn while I needed someone to lean on so I stopped talking to him out of anger. A girl I had met shortly before my mother died and who I cared for a lot broke up with me because she couldn't deal with my problems and her own as well. In short: no money, no job, no friends, no girlfriend, no-one to go to for support and a bleak future.

Took me some 2-3 years to get out of it - got a job which I still have, my own apartment and the extra independence helped since I didn't have to deal with my brother's shit anymore. I won't say I'm not depressed anymore because depression is something that never completely disappears but it's bearable now and I got days when I feel reasonably happy.

If I had the guts, I'd move to Australia or some other place where the people didn't get me down - I know idiots are everywhere but the nice weather and friendly people might make up for it.

I've gone through some decidedly rough patches in the last couple of years (leading up to lately) ... mostly due to my insane 'homeschooling' hippie parents and their machinations ... I don't even want to go into any specific details, lest I lapse into another funk just thinking about it ... I sometimes think the only things that keep me from having seriously suicidal thoughts are my writing, which can sometimes lift me from the dumps, music, and my siblings. I've never been diagnosed with anything, but I know enough to recognize I've got issues like a magazine (feeling worthless, bouts of anger, panic attacks, etc). I know my older sister, who my parents really fucked with mentally, she's come mad far with therapy and whatnot. I just wish ... I just wish I could be more like her. She's my biggest inspiration.

phil said:

In highschool and some of the start of college I was. I saw a shrink for a while but I can't really say that did anything. I feel like watching and reading fight club helped more, in a weird way. After I stopped caring so much about certain things it took a lot of the pressure off.

I also try to keep in mind something my mom used to say to us as kids when we were upset about something. "If that's the worst thing that happens to you in life, you're doing ok."

I didn't graduate on time, but that's ok because I'm still going to graduate.

My girlfriend left me for some other guy, but we still had an awesome 3 years together and I'll find someone else.

I'm worried about finding a job, but so long as I can support myself thats all I need right now. If I really hate things and just can't find the job I want, well maybe I can go to school again.

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That's a nice outlook! I try to see the positive, but it's hard in some situations.

I relate with what TNG said in his post. That shit can be hard. It's a big mental game.

This might sound dumb, but if I feel like I am losing my grip, I clean and organize my apt. I also help someone that I normally wouldn't. For example, I don't like this dude I work with. He's a screw up, and is totally lazy. I started picking up his slack w/o being a dick about it (like I can be), and he was surprised. He started pulling his weight after that. That helped our work-relationship big time.

I have read that helping others helps your depression. Go work in a soup kitchen, help someone do yard work, clean their house, etc.

---------- Post added at 01:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 AM ----------

Ravenpoe said:

These moments are times when I feel like the world is trucking on without me, and I somehow missed the bus. Unpleasant, but not the soul-crushing despair or suicidal thoughts that people tend to talk about when talking about depression.

It feels more like what I'm doing doesn't ultimately matter, and I'm just trudging through the in-between to dive into the few times I feel good again.

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\
Brother, I went through this for 3-4 years. Exactly like you described it - apathy mixed with feeling like my wheels were spinning but I wasn't moving. I hated feeling like the world was passing me by. My friends were getting married and having kids, others were graduating or going on to other secondary schools, parents were retiring and going on cruises while I was stuck in a soul-sucking job, and slowly wading through the credit hours at college.

Start setting goals for yourself. Daily - Weekly - Monthly - Yearly. Get a white board to remind yourself. Accomplishment and having a clock to beat helped me a bunch. I wrote down stuff I wanted to accomplish for the next day, and checked off the stuff as I completed it. It helped loads. Good luck!

Lally said:

I am a firm believer that the United States is overmedicated, and I think too many people take medication for a chemical imbalance when they don't have one. (That's not to call anyone out specifically)

If I had to guess, though, I'd say I have some kind of anxiety disorder at the least. What would be really nice is if I had the money or the insurance to see a therapist instead of speculating about my mental health on a forum... rly:

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I couldn't agree more. Exercise and diet pretty much pulled me out of my decade long slump.

Ravenpoe said:

I don't think I'm depressed, because I don't feel specifically sad. I have lots of happy moments, and enjoy things, though the number of things I enjoy tend to be lower in number.

It's the in-between that is punctuated with, while not what I would describe a feeling of sadness or despair or dread, is definitely a palpable feeling of "meh". These moments are times when I feel like the world is trucking on without me, and I somehow missed the bus. Unpleasant, but not the soul-crushing despair or suicidal thoughts that people tend to talk about when talking about depression.

It feels more like what I'm doing doesn't ultimately matter, and I'm just trudging through the in-between to dive into the few times I feel good again.

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Exactly this. I live my life, do my thing and try to enjoy myself, but life itself seems kinda 'meh'. Like every new day is 'just another day' you know?

I'm depressed currently, but nowhere near the suicidal thoughts I had four months ago. My basic situation was that, after High School ended, most of my friends moved to another province, and I just didn't keep up with them. Instead, I became friends with my girlfriends friends... only for her to break up with me right at the end of my first year of university, and those 'friends' left when she did. This, coupled with my then-plan of dropping out of University, and I had no friends and no means of getting any because outside of school or meeting friends through current friends, I didn't know how to do it. A lot of this was probably just me overreacting, but I really made a lot of mistakes during this time because I honestly didn't think my life was worth living, and I came really close to ending it a few times only to have something (in retrospect) really mundane keep me from doing it.

A long time later, I started turning it around, so I'm really thankful those mundane things kept me from going through with it. I still don't have anyone, but I'm going back to University in five days where I hope I can figure something out. So I guess I'd call myself 'sad' now more than anything else.

i had severe bouts of depression 6-7 years ago when one of my best friends died and the other one went to live in the US for a year.

But i sucked it up and went through it

Now, i would say i'm numb most of the time. I kinda never feel sad but i never really feel happy either. I know i'm a lucky guy and my life could have been a lot of worse with all the stupid things i've done.

knowing this helps me keep things in perspective.

I am terribly lucky. I was speaking to a friend of mine who has depression and we came to the conclusion that people just have different "default settings". My default setting is "Happy". That is not to say that certain situations don't make me angry or sad or frustrated, but once I am out of that situation, or it is resolved, I am like a fishing bobber and float right back to the top of the waves.

I have been in emergency medicine for 22 years and am able to compartmentalize it very well. Various bloodied bodies and bad situations have not eaten my brain. I was in a very VERY bad alcoholic relationship (had a shotgun brandished at me one night- thought I was gonna die, was hit a few times, had every thing stolen from me etc) so I have been through the shit, but once I step out of the shit and rinse off, I'm good to go again.

It's nothing that I take any credit for, but I'm certainly thankful for it.

i agree with your analysis about different "default settings".

Happy
not giving a fuck
depressed