I have depression. Here is a list of the things that annoy me the most about having depression.
1. Having to decide whether to tell people I have depression, force myself to smileyface, or just retreat from human interaction. A person with depression only has these three options when dealing with other humans, all all three options are shitty for their own oh-so-special reasons.
If you don’t have empathy then don’t open your mouth.
2. When I tell people that I have depression and their reaction is something like “yeah, you and everybody else”. Maybe its true, maybe it really is that common and most people are depressed in one way or another. And the flippant attitude towards finding out a person is depressed is never going to help anyone. Actual “my brain chemicals are all wonky messed up, and that bird just pooped on my head, and now I’m going in the house to lay on the couch and I’m not even gonna get that bird poop off my head first because I can’t even give a shit” depression does affect a lot of people, its true. I am inclined to think that anyone with the “you and everybody else” attitude does not have to deal with the reality of depression or maybe they are depressed and have no support. Either way, when someone else says “I have depression”, acting like its not a big deal because supposedly everyone else has it too is only going to make things worse. If you can’t be supportive, then shut yo mouth.
No. You let me tell you why YOU are bullshit.
3. Telling other people I have depression and they see it as an open invitation to hand out advice on how I should live my life or how I am living my life the wrong way. The only reason I tell people I have depression is because they are more than acquaintances, which will inevitably lead to them noticing changes in my mood so its best to just get it out of the way. Plus I have a small glimmer of hope that if they know about my depression that it will lead them to be a bit more understanding and empathetic towards me. That doesn’t happen too often. Most commonly it leads to people feeling entitled to tell me everything I am doing wrong, or how simply the depression would disappear if I only stood on my head and took deep breathes through my anus. If you honestly think that I have not sat around and obsessively, uncontrollably, thought about every possible thing I could be doing wrong which might be causing the depression or tried every possible route to make it go away then you are clueless AND you’re a condescending ass. Don’t tell depressed people how to not be depressed, it makes you look like a douchefart.
4. Feeling guilty about feeling depressed which leads to feeling more depressed. There are countless horrible things happening in the world. Hell, there are probably plenty of people in my neighborhood that have worse shit happening in their lives. But here I am, having depression. I know I can’t help it, I know its not my fault that I’m this way, and I am thankful for the days when I can be forgiving of myself for being depressed. When I am not forgiving of myself, the guilt will start to lead to self-hating thoughts. I have never felt suicidal, but I often wonder if it is the feelings of guilt and self-hate that lead to thoughts of suicide in others. If you are feeling that way and you don’t have anyone to talk to, you can send me a message or you can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. For a much better picture of depression and the cycle of guilt, check out Hyperbole and A Half’s very funny and insightful Adventures in Depression.
5. Big Pharma conspiracy theories, and natural treatment suggestions. Yes, I take pharmaceuticals to treat the depression. Of course medication does not cure depression, we are still learning about human neuroscience and we have a long way to go, but I feel extremely fortunate that I live in a time and place where pharmaceuticals are available to me. I am not cured, but I feel a million times better than I did before the medication. I put off medications for YEARS of my life that I cannot get back because of the guilt mongering of the people who advocate for the “natural methods” in treating depression. Healthy diet and exercise DO NOT cure depression, you bloody idiots! “But have you tried making fruit and vegetable smoothies? Here’s what you do – make the smoothie, then put some of the smoothie into these capsules (natural, not synthetic, obviously!), then insert those capsules into your butt. Or you can be really aggressive about your treatment and give yourself fruit smoothie colonics once a week. Kick it up another notch by creating a circle out of magnets around your body, place two crystals in your nostrils, stand on one foot (gotta keep one foot on the ground to make sure you’re grounded to the Earth, duh), and hold a copper wire over your head. Hold that smoothie in your butt as long as you can. Then release. You will be rid of your depression in no time.” Fuck you, fuck off, you think you are helping but you are causing so much damage with your “naturalistic” bullshit. You are essentially blaming the depressed person for their affliction, and minimizing the seriousness of the situation. Go fuck yourself in the butt with your fruit smoothie capsules.
I am not going to be one of those asshole that presumes to know the correct way of treating every incidence of depression, medication may not be the route for everyone. Don’t take my word or the word of anyone else as truth. If you are depressed you should talk to a professional, like a medical doctor and/or a licensed therapist about the right method of treatment for you.
6. Apathy, lack of emotion, zero motivation.
This comic sums it up quite nicely.
7. Being a happy, positive person who is trapped by depression. I have so much joy inside of me, I truly and sincerely love life. Comedy is my favourite thing in the whole world, and laughter is my favourite past time. I enjoy the beauty of nature, I marvel at the wonders of the universe, and watching kids use their imagination is inspiring. Depression is like a lead cloud that seeks out my positivity, and envelops it. My positivity is strong though, its always fighting back. Some days it is winning, some days it is losing. So I keep trying different medication combos, continue with therapy techniques, and surround myself in as much happy thing and as much positivity as possible in hopes that the depression will lose more often than it wins.
Depression comes with many different faces and forms, it does not always look like the stereotype that we see on TV. Even if you are not experiencing depression, it is worth it to learn more in case someone you love needs your support.
Insufferable Cunt 
This sums it up SOOO well. Having suffered with it since I was 10 (I’m 49 now), I’m grateful I figured out what it took to get past it about three years ago (completely by accident, too).
Three years later I’m STILL trying to regroup – it’s like an entirely new ride, and I’m still figuring it out.
Unfortunately, the whole “withdraw from human contact” in order to avoid, “help,” shame, ridicule or pity over the course of my life has a lot of inertia – it’s a huge effort to force myself to get out of the house.
I have been withdrawn for several months now. I have not organized or attended anything with my meetup group. I’m thankful that there are some awesome co-organizers that have been keeping the group going.
I want to be around people, but its like the depression makes me forget how to be around people. And it makes me worried that I will ruin things for everyone else.
I feel exactly the same way. I’m 27, and I feel like it’s getting in the way of me, “finding myself” after my recent separation.
All the “Really Annoying Things” you’ve listed ring true to me. On any given day, one or another might seem more apposite to my mind’s state than some others.
Today, numbers 1, 4 and 6 seemed pitch perfect, the first one being the theme that never really leaves my mind – much like an irksome earworm.
I find that, of the perplexities that arise from living with depression – and that comprise your first listed ‘thing’ – deciding whether to tell people about it holds first place.
The forced “smileyface” is set to automatic in the two remaining, routine social spaces I must occupy (daily job and infrequent roommate repartee). During the 75% of my life when I exist in neither of those situations, retreat has become my fixed program. So, each of those are, as they say, no-brainers.
The really vexing conundrum is the question of whether to be forthcoming with those who’ve known one best and longest, and who have paid their own price for one’s condition. When the institutional option has been done to death, and fragmentary remembrance of the more cringe-making clinical correctives retains the power to trigger panic, one is apt to be circumspect in conversation with the “near and dear ones”.
But what I always mean, and want, to ask a fellow struggler, is what metaphors seem best when trying to explain depression (or, at least, one’s own depression) to others. In my Facebook comment, I mentioned “fog”. That’s been the one to which I’ve most often resorted over the years, and when I peer back through the mists of time, a foggy perspective – along with a static despondency – seems consistently to have characterized my overall sense.
Thank you so much for writing about this, Neeley. It’s been a lonesome while since I’ve borne in mind the obvious fact that I am not actually alone in these dire straits.
There are far too many of us that deal with it on our own, when we could be relying on each other.
Fog and drowning seem to be common analogies. I don’t think either of those work for me. I feel like a piece of petrified wood. Like, if someone took the stump of a tree that had become petrified, then sat it on a couch. It still resembles a log, but it has holes and it is both very solid but breakable, and is a fraction of its former density.
I linked to the blog Hyperbole and a Half. The character in the Adventures in Depression comics really sum it up. That character looks how I feel.
I just checked the link. The character’s image, combined with your ossified log analogy, is very effective.
Thanks for writing this! So many people don’t get it and say “what do you have to be depressed about?” Or “get over it”. I’ve suffered with depression since I was a teenager and it’s definitely not easy, and not our fault. Big hugs to you!
When I was around 11, my depression was causing me a lot of anxiety. I went to the doctor for chronic stomach aches, which he said was probably from feeling depressed and anxious about it and that I need to start talking to people about it or I might get ulcers. I told my mom, and her reply was “What do YOU have to be stressed about?! I should be the one getting stomach ulcers from stress.” as if it was some kind of competition.
I see this kind of reply online all the time to the depression of others. Its really one of those times were if you do not have something nice or supportive to say, don’t open your mouth because it really does make things worse.
Thank you for you kind support, Dori. *hugs*
I have suffered with depression since a young age and it’s hard to live with some days! Others who do not suffer have no understanding what it’s like and think it’s just a case of pulling yourself together. Maybe if they could just have a couple of weeks to feel what a depression sufferer deals with day in day out, them may be a bit more understanding!!! I just want to feel normal and happy xx
Nikki,
In the course of time, I’ve gleaned – from listening to the non-depressed – that many of them assume we’re just self-indulgently “sad”. And when (at first, anyway) it’s explained to them that depression is much more than mere sadness, they’re puzzled.
Earlier, I mentioned to Neeley that the “fog” metaphor is befittingly descriptive of my experience. Another analogy I’ve shared is paralysis. I routinely feel entombed in my depression; watching existence progress but lacking the force to affect it.
At all events, your plea, “I just want to feel normal and happy” struck a chord with me. I understand very well.
I’ve seen movies where one person is standing still while a continuous crowd of people rush by them. I can relate to this feeling. Very much like being paralyzed.
I agree, Nikki. It is one of those things that people will never understand unless they experience it themselves. My hope is that one day the stigma around emotional/mood issues will lift enough that those who do not have experience with depression will at least respect that depression is a real and valid experience for us.
Nikki, I hope you start having more normal and happy days soon. *hugs*
I have always felt that the “bell jar” analogy for depression works for me. You can interact with the world around you but there is this hollow, oppressive force around you, pushing down and stifling your vision, hearing, thoughts. Everything you do or say is magnified inside the jar around you, and seems so loud, yet it seems that nobody can truly make out what you are saying, or even make out that you are really in the room. Sometimes I feel imaginary.
I forgot about the bell jar analogy, thank you for bringing it up. I can very much relate to this, especially before I went on anti-depressants. Before the medication I really did feel like maybe I wasn’t part of the reality that I was seeing happen all around me. I felt like a spectator, one that would forever observe but could never participate. And when I tried to participate, it was like the other participants didn’t know what to make of me – like I was not quite speaking the same language, and that my presence was generally disruptive to the regular flow of things.
I am glad to say that the medication has eliminated the severity of those feelings. Melissa, I hope that you are able to find a way to escape from the bell jar. No one deserves to feel that way. You deserve to live a healthy, happier life. *hugs*
I’ve always found that the best analogy for me is wearing a really big, thick, heavy coat that doesn’t keep you warm. You’re just hindered, muffled, and separated.
That’s a good one, too. It seems like every new analogy that I am hearing could easily apply to me as well.
I think a reason that depression is not taken as seriously as it deserves to be is because of the name itself. Nearly everyone feels that they get “depression” from time to time, and since they get over it, they may feel everyone else should as well. We need to scuttle the term “depression” and come up with a term that’s as attention-getting as, say, “emphysema (sp?)” or “Alzheimer’s.”
Good point. I think that if someone gets an official diagnosis of depression from a doctor that there are more specific terms depending on the type of depression. I’m fairly certain that one of the links that I inserted into the post describes some of the different types of depression terms.
I say I have “major depression” which seems to get it across better. I have had 7 horrible episodes since 1988. My mom over-dosed and died at age 48 when I was 18. She was Bi-polar type 1. She was very abusive. My dad took an anti-psychotic. He was more abusive than mom. He abused her, me, my brother, my son, my aunt, and killed my parrot. Eight of us on my mom’s side have some type of mental illnesses. I have always felt alienated from most people. I’m of Mexican, French, and Lebanese descent and have been rejected all my life for being multi-ethnic. When I learned about evolution and decided I was an Atheist, I felt less alien, better, knowing I’m related to all the life on this planet. It seems to me that believing a deity put you here instead of having evolved here would make one feel more alien.
Since I had to go on disability for multiple health issues, many people who found out were very cruel. One traumatized me so bad yelling and cursing at me that I went in to depression #2 and developed severe insomnia. My then boyfriend just stood there watching it happen and said nothing to stop it.
I got no love or guidance growing up. Survived on fast food and TV dinners. Had to beg for change while living on the street after mom stood over me with a large carving knife one night and said “she was going to kill me when I went to sleep,” so I jumped out the bedroom window and ran and that’s the night I got raped. I wanted to die. I couldn’t understand why I was born just to be abused all my life. My aunt later said she was sorry, she would have called the cops if she had known the abuse was happening.
I was put in juvenile hall as a runaway. But when I told the judge what was going on he said that I was not incorrigible but was an abused, neglected child and put me in foster care. I told him that my dad was buying pills with no RX and giving them to my mom, and he tried to make me take them to but I refused and took a beating instead, but the judge did not order an investigation. Both parents would be in jail if they did these things nowadays.
The rapists were not reported as they told me if I called the cops, the next time they would get 20 guys to rape me till I died. The lead rapist raped me again 2 months later when I was on the street too afraid to go home. When I asked him why he did this to me he said “because you’re a moron!” I am very bright but had an inhibited, very quiet personality. He died at age 35, and I’m still alive at 57 fighting for my life so who’s the real moron!? 😎
Men have used and abused me. I took 28 years of dad’s abuse. He told me he hated me for being born daily. After I got abducted, drugged, beaten and raped by 3 guys when I was 13 my dad called me a whore daily too. Before he died he tried to lure me to his apt. to shoot me. I had taken his guns away but he bought more behind my back. He got us evicted after shooting a hole in the front wall of the apt. we had been living in. That’s when I got my own little apt. and moved him in to a nice, new senior apt. Nothing I ever did for him lessened his hatred of me. My aunt refers to him as “the monster.” She refers to her sister, my mom, as “the most useless woman who ever lived.” Some people should just not have children. Twice my mom got pregnant in Camarillo state hospital, so I have 2 half-brothers whom I have no contact with.
I never could figure out why women usually don’t like me. I have only had guy friends. I became friends with 3 guys through local Atheist groups. One has died, one is in a retirement home, and one is still around, thank goodness. He is my only friend now. He has a good job but is understanding and accepting of my disability situation. He has old school values like me.
I also have severe social-phobia so it’s a double whammy for me to try to be around people. When asked that dreaded question for the last 23 years “So what do you do?” I learned the hard way, to lie and say I do office work. I feel more comfortable with animals than people, but I need to get out of the house more often. Pet rats have treated me better than people.
Sorry this is so long. Just had to get it out.
The Burbank Insomniac.
I know no reason you should apologize. Considering how much you have endured, the length of its summation was perfectly reasonable – succinct, in fact.
I honestly am amazed at your strength of character; your resilience, Tricia. I’d say you’re a remarkable human being.
You said you have a severe social-phobia, but I think phobia is the wrong way to label it since that word usually means that the fear is irrational. Based on all of your past experiences, it sounds like your social fear is valid. Who could go through all of that and feel trusting and open around other people? You have been living through some of the most horrendous types of abuse at the hands of the humans you should be able to trust the most in your life, the fact that you are alive and that you have gone out to attempt to make friends (and have one really good close friend) as well as care for animals says a lot about who you are as a person. I think it says that you are a strong person, a resilient person.
What are your thoughts on support groups? Have you tried any out? Maybe a group for adult survivors of child abuse or something like that, I bet you could find some very understanding peers in a group like that.
You said that women seem to dislike you. Perhaps a feminist group, maybe even an online group if you don’t want to attend something in person, might be worth a try. I recently joined a group called Secular Woman, where I have met many abuse survivors. They have been incredibly welcoming and supportive to me. http://www.SecularWoman.org, and you can sign up as a member. I actively participate in the facebook group, which is only available to members. It is a very supportive environment but is also a place for intelligent, engaging conversation as well. I have had lots of amazing male friends throughout my life, but I have learned that building close bonds with women who are accepting of me has been the most empowering and the most healing because so many have been through the type of abuse that is directed specifically at the female sex.
Tricia, the abuse that happened towards you at the hands of so many people… NO ONE deserves that, EVER. Anyone who has ever told you shit like “you aren’t disabled” or has tried to minimize your experiences and the resulting disability… they can go fuck themselves. Your depression is valid, your lack of trust and difficulty forming bonds is valid, all of these feelings you have are valid. If you would like to talk more, in private, you can send me an email or better yet you can send me a message (or friend request) on Facebook. I am very active on Facebook and I am here for you.
I have given up on trying to get people to under my depression! I just live with it alone. I live alone and stay to myself. It’s easier that way! People tell me NOT to isolate myself but when I do reach out no one is there for me It HURTS to feel rejection SO just staying to myself is less painful then trying to reach out!
Colleen, I’m writing up a follow-up to this post. I’m in the process of collecting resources so I can make a list of various options for people that want to try different things to cope while living with depression.
I will have some online support groups on the list. Its a good way of starting to reach out to others who will be able to relate, and it is far less emotionally exhausting than trying to start out with the in-person support groups.
*hugs* I am going to try to find something that will work for you, I know there is bound to be a support group online that will suit your needs, Colleen. No one should feel isolated and rejected like that.
Holy crap… are you ME?? This sounds so very, very much like my life.
So I have a friend who suffers from depression.She’ll say things like, “Everything stinks today. I can’t even get out of bed.” I’m not sure how to handle that; I don’t want to be Miss Positivity, since I know she’s not in the mood for it, and I don’t want to ignore her. If I sympathize, I’m afraid of making her even more depressed, or having her tell me that I don’t understand, and then we get into the Depression Olympics. She’s not getting the best care right now, but I guess she’s at least getting something.What, if anything, can I do?
You could always tell her something like “I’m sorry you are having a rough day. I’m here if you feel like talking about it.” You can be sympathetic without trying to relate to her. Just give her a bit of your time and lend her an ear if she wants to talk. Showing that you are available to listen is always helpful and trust-building in any friendship.
I’m glad she has a friend that cares.
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very well put. And in all honesty works just as well with Bipolar II since depression is a big ol’ stinker in that battle.
This post made me smile a little – as I know exactly what it’s like to go through it all, and you practically cut-and-paste the responses from other people.
“Don’t think about it.”
“Get over it.”
“Stop being sad, and the depression will stop.”
I’ve been described by others as “when she’s up, she’s a lot of fun and great to hang with, but when she’s down, it’s awful”.
… as though I can help it.
At the time of that description, I had just lost my job, couldn’t find a job, and was denied unemployment (due to employer lies and destruction of evidence, and me not able to afford a lawyer to strike back), and was preparing to move back in with my parents. … On top of the usual depression – you expect me to be cheerful going through THAT?! (And that on top of my roommate-at-the-time screwing me over monetarily and otherwise with a bunch of other BS that left me paying 90% of all the bills instead of the 50%, plus ditching on the lease a month early because I didn’t have a job (but was still paying rent and bills ON TIME) and not returning to help clean the apartment, etc. etc. … a lot of crap was going on at the time, all at once, on top of the normal depression/anxiety I already knew I had.)
At least I can say I’ve never been told smoothies are the answer, though I DO love me some smoothies.
I saw your comment about your mother. I have a feeling mothers don’t understand half as much as they preach/pretend to.
I told my mother when I was about 15 that I was having suicidal ideas. Her response was a “how dare you even think such a thing after what your father and I do for you” answer.
Funny. I never talked to her about any of it again – though I was sent to the doctor an awful lot when I couldn’t (not wouldn’t, COULDN’T) get out of bed, and there was “nothing wrong with me”.
Depression isn’t always just “the blues”. A person can’t always get the medication they need (like me, I can’t afford the therapist/doctor to get a prescription, and I can’t afford the medication itself), even if they want it – some DON’T want to go with medication.
People who “never” have any kind of depression need to suck it up and realize there are all kinds of things THEY just don’t understand, and that just because they’re always high and happy doesn’t mean that they can force that on someone with depression. It’s real, and it’s not going to just go away.
When someone is depressed it seems that others will show you their true colours. Unfortunately, it often looks like most people that you think of as friends and family, are actually quite selfish and unwilling to provide support when it is truly needed. In reality, I think it really comes down to the fact that they cannot relate, and they think that to help you that they must find a way to relate.
You hit the nail on the head – they just need to realize that they don’t understand. And that’s okay. They don’t need to understand it to be supportive. They just need to be willing to listen and give you some of their time.
I am sorry that your mother had that horrible reaction to you when you needed her most. She really missed out on a trust-building and bonding moment, and she blew it.
This pretty much sums up my life pretty perfectly. Both your bullet points and the sarcasm. I hate that you’re in a situation where you have to deal with depression (and all the assholes who know your illness better than you despite having only known you for 5 minutes)…but it’s nice to see I’m not the only one reacting the way I do.
Thank you so much for putting it so simply! It is exactly what depression feels like! I should know I have suffered terribly for just over 10 years now! I’m going to make copies to put in my purse so whenever I run into someone who may need to know a thing or two about depression I will hand them this! Thanks again:)
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I think this is a really great post. I love your approach to such a difficult subject 🙂
Everybody acts differently, different things affect people and depression can be caused by nearly anything that is hard for that person to cope with.
However, it’s important to remember that depression is also difficult for those people around you.
It is an illness that requires a LOT of understanding from others since depressed people usually have someone who cares for them whether they try to isolate themselves or not.
I have experienced depression myself and gotten better and now I have a friend who is going through it. And still even though I have personal experience of the lowest of lows a person can get to, I am puzzled, frustrated, scared and confused by the way depression has changed my friend, every day. I have read and heard a lot about depression, “the do’s-and-dont’s” of depression etc. and yet I probably say and do all the wrong things all the time.
I believe that the people who have an ‘attitude’ towards the depressed, are just simply ‘un-educated’, if you could say so.
It is not fair to stipulate them as assholes because they don’t know how to treat someone with depression. You already most likely feel guilty for putting your loved ones through this but try to understand us too. Depression is annoying and frustrating and sad for everyone involved and we would love nothing more than to get you to ‘snap out of it’ so we can all feel happy again.
So please, bear with us and cut us outsiders some slack for not knowing or understanding your illness. Sometimes, giving unnecessary/unwanted advice or trying to say positive comments that would make US feel better (though they might not work for you) is all we feel we can do to help and nobody wants to feel helpless. I know I can’t cure my friend’s mental illness no matter how much I want to but saying stupid, idiotic, douchefart things like “cheer up” or “this is not the end of the world, though it might feel that way” is my way to try and help.
I hope that everyone who suffers from depression has a special someone (family member, friend, therapist, co-worker etc.) who will stick by them through the good and the bad days and say and do all the wrong things sometimes, so everyone can learn from their mistakes and celebrate little triumphs when they do something right.
Hugs from Finland,
Sanni
I fixed my 5year clinical depression with competitive endurance sport. It’s been almost 10 years now…touch wood!
Serious training beats pills and psychiatrists hands down, which let’s face it are just a placebo crutch for most people…
p.s. the idea that depression is caused by “wonky brain chemicals” and that antidepressants correct it is pseudoscience. It is a marketing message, not reality. You buy into it at your peril.
Wow basically this waste of skin doesn’t want to accept any responsibility in life. So they regurgitate marketing parrot-speak bullshit about brain chemicals. Their own words “we don’t understand neuroscience enough yet” right, so tell me about your “brain chemical” excuse again please?
You’re just a lazy piece of shit. Sloth is a sin. Your depression is the price you pay for sinning. I’m not going to get into all that fire and brimstone bullshit, because Christians are full of shit too.
Grow up and some being a pussy
‘Sloth is a sin. Your depression is the price you pay for sinning. I’m not going to get into all that fire and brimstone bullshit’. Er…except you just did with that.
I hope you never suffer the relentless brutality that depression can be at its worse. It is truly a horrific condition that tears lives and families apart. It’s not about being a bit ‘sad’, or ‘i lost my job’ ‘the wife left me’ ‘i can’t pay this months bills’ etc, they are things that happen to many in this life, and yes, like us all we get ‘depressed’ and ‘sad’ as is the totally natural response. ‘Depression’ is different…sometimes there no sadness as such involved, or it maybe irrational unfounded sadness at best. At it’s worse it’s almost an unexplainable feeling of nothing, just emptiness. Almost impossible to describe in word here. As a sufferer who during severe bouts of it has ended up in hospital, unable to sleep, shaking, not eating, even being physically sick because of the symptoms *yes, you can get physical symptoms from the stress elements of it*, and unreal almost uncontrollable moods ranging from absolute shear fear to upset, terror, and even anger, sometimes for no reason other than that’s what the illness does. I am not sad…at least in the classical sense.
I would also like to dedicate point 3 to you personally Ballsandcock. As you tick all the boxes, you ignorant condescending waste of space.
This is great.
I enjoyed the article & saved it. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder – and I self-diagnosed about 30 years ago. SAD is a strange one since it’s so light-triggered… and also, because SAD didn’t get an ‘official’ label until sometime in the 1980s. These days, 2016s, I take Turmeric & make it a point to stay in bright rooms, I’ve found cognitive psych to be useful, and SAD is usually an irritant. I have memories of depressions being almost crippling. But now: I see the humorous side of being a ‘depressed person in recovery’ because I’m simultaneously a ‘normal person on the brink of an episode’. I’m neither fish nor fowl. Imagery works, until you think of flying fish and swimming fowl. Then it doesn’t. Also, ‘Adventures In Depression’ is a good one to show your friends what depression can be like.
Dear Groo and Ballsandcock – please consider that some people are (perhaps its a genetic endowment) better able to physically force themselves to do the unpleasant, and they’re possibly more resilient. Perhaps Mr. Groo is one of the more fortunate ones in that he’s found a coping mechanism that works. And perhaps Mr. Groo might not appreciate the dark side of life that depressives must confront and, in some cases, get a weird enjoyment from.
I love you and I want to have your babies
Ballsandcock. You are indeed a cock. Depression is chemical and physical. I hold a very well paid job in it. I don’t think dumb fucks like you have a clue. Probably the best think you could do for humanity is to break you spine trying to swallow the worm you call a cock. Just saying fuckass. Lmao