HUZZAH! Banned from Rentech.com!
gali:
Quote from: Renatus on 2005 August 28, 06:38:26
JM, your misanthropy is taking over your intelligence. :P First an amazing lack of understanding of Darwinism, and now an amazing lack of understanding about how human brains actually work. Unless of course you can actually willfully control each and every chemical your brain produces, in which case I suggest you start teaching others this amazing skill so you have one less thing to be misanthropic about.
Oh, wait... then you'd have less to complain about. :D
Oh, yes, JM is right - if you WANT to get out of depression, you CAN! You have to FIGHT it, by different decisions you make, like not rubbing in it too much, and search to be always in company of supporting friends. You can overcome it for sure - no matter what the shrinks say...:). Think positive...:).
Renatus:
Oh, I'm not saying that if one is depressed or has some other sort of issue of that sort, one is basically helpless in the face of it and screwed. Taking charge of oneself, doing research to find options, and then implementing these options is how one gets on the road to recovery. I should know - clinical depression runs in my family and I've dealt with it in myself for 13 years.
However, one cannot simply wish away or just 'get over' something caused by the production, or lack thereof, of chemicals in the brain. People do not choose for this to happen, and cannot simply decide one morning, "Oh, I think I'm tired of being depressive/bipolar/schizophrenic, so I think I'll just stop." I would have cheerfully chosen to simply 'shut off' all of the horrible, crushing feelings I had to deal with, but it isn't a switch, any more than any bodily illness can be shut off like a switch.
ZephyrZodiac:
Renatus, you are quite right, there is an enormous difference between clinical depression and "feeling depressed". The first is as much an illness as cancer, the second is merely a state of mind which it is quite possible to get out of by thinking positive thoughts.
It is therefore extremely wrong and misguided of doctors to diagnose clinical depression when it is simply that the patient feels depressed - the very treatment they give you then causes a misbalance of chemicals in the brain!!! Unfortunately doctors here in the UK seem to think anti-depressants are the magic cure-all and don't realize, despite all the warnings from the valium era, just how much harm they can do to some patients.
Hairfish:
I've been fighting depression and mania most of my life, and didn't even know about bipolar disorder until I was diagnosed with it in late 1989. I've since become "rapid cycling," which means my moods swing more often, anywhere from several times per hour (worst) or several times per month.
I no longer take medication. Mainly because it never worked, or when it did, it made me feel "flat," and then stopped working after a few months. You might say I gave up...or you could say I learned to live within my limitations. I'm still here. ;) I've tried a couple of times not to be here...but both of those times were while I was on medication what was supposed to prevent such desperation. I finally caught on!
I think anyone who benefits from antidepressants and/or mood stabilizers should take them. But if you've taken every type there is like I have, and have never had real relief, it's time to reconsider, and possibly adjust your life to accomodate your unique needs. If you ignore it, it won't go away. However, I think that sometimes fighting it is the worst thing you can do.
(Note that I'm in an extremely LUCKY situation: I don't have to support myself financially, as I'm married to a most exceptional man. I feel great sympathy for anyone who lives with depression or bipolar disorder who must fend for themselves. I don't know how they manage to do it...)
ZephyrZodiac:
Unless they have family nearby who are supportive, a good doctor and good social welfare services, I don't think they do "get by". In this country we hace so-called "care in the community" which basically means you have to try to commit HK about 3 times before they'll admit you to a hospital, and unless they think you are a risk of it, you get no back up whatsoever!
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