So most depressed people live in a 1st world country right? Why do little things affect people so much? Oh my life sucks: Statistically it doesn't though! You're better off than 95% of the rest of the world! Most people would trade spots with you anyday if it gets them out of child labor/prostitution/famine/genocide/extre... poverty! How can you be so Selfish! Only thinking about yourself and moaning like an emo when you can easily solve all your problems by not complaining and just getting up one day and doing something about it! I myself am not in the best of situations (by 1st world standards) but I am a generally happy person that happens to be well aware of the crap in our world.
I just happen to have hope that we can fix all these problems if we stopped complaining and actually started doing something!
As a Happy person I cannot grasp what might make a person depressed because personal reasons such as bad grades/ Divorced parents/ lack of friends is not a reasonable reason to be depressed!
Because all of those (except divorce) are easily curable if you just work at it! Or are you too lazy to do anything about it! Divorce isn't such a bad thing! would you rather have married parents that constantly fought and hated each others guts? Divorce gives them some room to breath!
I would never directly say this to a depressed person or ask this question normally because if I did, it would only make them more depressed (Why!). That's why I'm asking this question to you guys and gals. >>"So most depressed people live in a 1st world country right?"
No.
>>"Why do little things affect people so much?"
The way people respond to situations depends more on just that situation. It also depends on past experiences, concurrent situations, and mental health conditions. You don't know what these variables are, so you can't accurately say that someone's response to something is irrational.
>>"You're better off than 95% of the rest of the world!"
Well, if you ever get into a horrific car accident and have to get your leg amputated, don't be so whiny about it. After all, there are people who have had to get ALL of their limbs removed. Think about how GOOD you have it.
>>"Most people would trade spots with you anyday if it gets them out of child labor/prostitution/famine/genocide/extre... poverty!"
Those are all situations that cause severe mental pain. So does depression. Don't say that the feeling of depression is a walk in the park compared to those other situations if you don't actually know what that feeling is.
>>"How can you be so Selfish!"
Depression is genetically inherited and also caused by severe abuse. Some people are selfish, but it isn't linked to depression. I have depression and I'd love to have a career in counseling or something else that involves helping people. Gee, how selfish of me.
>>"Only thinking about yourself and moaning like an emo when you can easily solve all your problems by not complaining and just getting up one day and doing something about it!"
100 bucks says you aren't out of high school yet. Depression is NOT easily solved. It's a chemical imbalance in the brain. Not everyone can afford medication and therapy, nor does it always work to begin with. When it does work, it's a very long process, and the depression is never actually cured, only treated.
>>"I myself am not in the best of situations (by 1st world standards) but I am a generally happy person that happens to be well aware of the crap in our world."
That's because your brain is chemically balanced and you never suffered any traumatic events that took a blow to your mental health. We're not you, so don't base your expectations of us on your own situation.
>>"bad grades/ Divorced parents/ lack of friends is not a reasonable reason to be depressed!"
People all have different emotional needs. If you wanted to build a house, you'd need tools. If I didn't want to build a house, I wouldn't need tools, but because your situation was different than mine, it would be inaccurate of me to say that lack of tools wasn't something you needed to worry about. As I already said, the way a person reacts to something is primarily based on inner factors, not outer factors.
>>"Because all of those (except divorce) are easily curable if you just work at it! Or are you too lazy to do anything about it!"
Who's to say they AREN'T doing anything about it? And since when are things like low grades the only thing people get depressed about? What about victims of rape and child abuse? What about parents who lose their children to death? Oh, those whiny emos! Don't say anything like "the abuse is in the past, get over it" - it causes irreversible psychological damage.
>>"Divorce isn't such a bad thing! would you rather have married parents that constantly fought and hated each others guts? Divorce gives them some room to breath!"
Wow, someone's sure been living in a ball of sunshine their whole life. In these cases, divorce is the better option, but it isn't GOOD. No one wants their families arguing all the time, but they don't want their families torn apart either. Cancer is worse than bronchitis, but does that make bronchitis good? No.
Who are you to judge lives that you aren't living? Your question implies that this imbalance doesn't cause severe emotional harm and can just be fixed with a skip and a hop. How do you know this is true if you've never experienced it? it's not like people choose to be depressed. Depression is an illness, would you blame someone for developing cancer or diabetes? Doesn't sound like a HAPPY PERSON to me......tsk tsk tsk that is a very narrow minded point of view. we know we live in a first world country, and we know we have it good most of the time, but at the end of the day it is natural human behavior to get down about things, some people more than most.
Take me for example, I have a fantstic boyfriend and lots of friends, but I am extremely depressed. i dont know if it is clinical depression or what, but its there. And it really insults me when people like you say stuff like that. Do you think I want to be depressed? is it my fault that my parents got divorced, my dad is an alcoholic, my uncle committed suicide, my godfather is a drugdealer who is about to go to prison, etc etc etc?
maybe you should start thinking outside the box and see things from other peoples point of view, you could end up really upsetting someone by saying things like that. In my experience, I'd basically say its something screwed up in a small but significant portion of the populations brain chemistry.
When I have an "episode" (and they're minor, at least compared to what I read about) it typically comes and gets me and is triggered by some absurdity in my everyday life, and I really loose a desire to socially interact (pub etc) for a few days.
I give it a few days and it passes. I personally find catharsis in hard work, which I imagine links into your first world comment (life IS easy here)
I have a feeling your confusing clinical depression (wikipedia it or something) and people who are just pissed off (otherwise known as being "upset") with the world because it seems crap is being slung their way. Clinical depression is caused by a chemical inbalance in the brain which makes some people more prone to have it. If you have never experience it, then you have no right to judge others. Imagine if the person you love more than anything drops dead on you. Would you get depressed? How would you solve that and would it be selfish of you to feel great sadness? haha Yeah, good question. Some say it's genetic, chemical imbalance. True in some cases.
For others, I have to say depression is about choices. If you are making the wrong choices in life, you will become depressed. I think that's the question your presenting. Why continue to make these choices that are making you depressed. It is complicated though.
I've been depressed since I was 13 (29 now) and can't say I was selfish at that time. Maybe in a sense- I wanted the world to be happy, people to be nice to each other and happy, and they weren't. People complicated things. That made me sad. I saw that life could be so simple and easy.
I understand your question and have asked myself that many times! It has made me sad at times because ppl are depressed and there isn't much I can do about it and why don't they change?
And why don't others understand that they aren't lazy and don't care, they are just depressed? Lack of experience. I understand your thinking though. Just do something about it, right? So I've thought.
What does one do? Get over it? Easier said than done sometimes. Therapy? Sounds nice. Can't afford it. Get a good/second job to cover the costs? What about the kids and day care costs? What about the huge life changes a different outlook can bring, as happy as though changes are? Have no personal support for these changes? A new you can separate yourself from friends and family. Tough stuff.
Depression is complicated and change isn't always easy. That's why there is depression. Every one is different and handles life differently. Why did a guy two years ahead of my in high school kill himself? I heard it was he couldn't handle his family life. A senior kill himself over a DUI? It'll affect his standing.
People don't seem to know that there are options in life. There is a life beyond what others do and expect from you. Scary but freeing. That's my final answer. Like my fried says "it's lonely, but it's worth it."Sorry about the rambling. It's hard and get whatever support you can (books, life coach, psych). Well, I do agree with you that we who live in modern civilizations are financially better off than those who live in 3rd world countries. But that doesn't necessarily guarantee better emotional and mental health. I actually think it makes perfect sense that there are more depressed people in a modern civilization because we are bombarded with far more complex issues that an impoverished person wouldn't even think about because they're too busy taking care of their primary needs.
I've actually visited 3rd world countries, such as Bolivia, and let me tell you. They are poor but they are so happy. Why? Because they live simple, humble lives. Many scrounge for basic needs but they remain grateful. Their family ties are stronger because they feel more of a need to stick together and survive. And, of course, most of those people haven't ever had cellphones, junk food, or fine clothes, so they can't miss what they've never had. They're happy with what they've got.
We, on the other hand, are ungrateful for what we have because we know that there are better things. We've become obsessed with material things and have lost a lot of values that keep us in good spirits. Western civilization lacks soul.
Depression is not just when you're "emo." It's a serious clinical mental illness that affects you chemically, cognitively, behaviorally, and more. First of all, your chemicals are out of wack, which means depressed people lack the "happy" neurotransmitters that you so obviously possess in abundance. You think you're just a happy person, but you've got to thank your brain chemistry for that, you know. And as for being "ungrateful" and "selfish"... people with depression have sever cognitive distortions, which means that they've dug themselves a hole with their way of thinking, which is something that's really hard to control, especially when the more you try, the harder you become with yourself and the more you feel bad for not being a better person. Come on, it's not that simple. And as for "lazy," lacking the proper amount of neurotransmitters can make it VERY difficult for a person to be motivated and energetic. That's why depressed people are constantly tired and mopey. They just feel hopeless.
I hope you can have a little more sympathy for people with Depression. It's a complicated illness in a complicated world. I'm glad to see you can stay simple and happy, but it's not the same for all of us. I totally understand your point of view. Before the recession, my dad made quite a lot of money. We liked to enjoy life although we were never show offs. I didn't have a worry in the world. Until now.
Now, I'm a freshman at college. My mom doesn't work and my dad's business is slow. My dad has been paying for my college tuition/ rent/ other expenses so far but we know he can't keep this up forever since we still have the mortgage on the house, food for the family, insurance, ect. The recession doesn't help any.
What makes me depressed the most is college. The course of study alone is very difficult since I am at a research institution. I feel alone and trapped. Studying, studying, studying. It all seems to go nowhere. No matter how much I study, I can't get the grades I want (and I'm a pretty smart guy.)
I used to think depression was a joke, but now I understand that it can affect anyone. I only eat once or twice a day. I barely sleep. I sit for hours just thinking about my position. My GPA will be horrible and I'm afraid I wont get into Med School. I have more things going on in my life than ever before.
Please try to understand someone's situation before you judge.
Cheers. That's what I thought untill I got depressed... 1 in 10 people suffer from depression throughout thier life..
It is a complicated matter and can be cause by many things such as stress, sexual abuse,grief and other things.
You must never underestimate the seriousness of someone with depression as you can only see the positive thier seritionin in the brain makes them only see the negative ...
It can also be inherited ...
It isn't a nice thing to go through and one day you will see its effects first hand and hopefully understand it more .. but nothing on paper etc is more real than being in that state...
my mother suffered from depression all thru my childhood and i thought that she was a selfish ***** .... but really chemicals are...
medication is the answer for rectifying these chemical imbalances...
good luck
hope you understand a bit more |
