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My story of Depression (pg. 6)
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| drewfactor |
| quote: | Originally posted by djSlain
If I have to stand up for someone who won’t defend himself, I take his back. I have zero tolerance to those that want to harass my peers. I never found out about this subject. Those who would like to respond to this essay, I’m all up for getting feedback about defending the weak.
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It's cool that you mention this. I recently watched two guys get mercilessley beat up for no reason, I didn't really know them, but I knew they were innocent. The guys that beat them up were just out looking for a fight, and everybody was drunk. So I said to myself, there's no way I am going to let everyone just watch, I was sickened by this. SO I told these guys to back off and said enough for them to come after me, and I got my ass kicked! I got jumped and it wasn't cool. It just makes you not want to stand up for people in that situation. I feel like I shouldn't have stood up for them, but I knew it was right in principle, even though I got punched in the head and headbutted etc...
All the posts in here are pretty inspiring. Great to hear such success stories. I am currently finishing my degree in nursing (6 more weeks and I'm done..woo hoo!) and I had my first exposure to psychiatric illness as did a placement in a psychiatric rehabilitation program. I worked with people going through the things previously discussed. I was told that I needed counseling when I was younger, that I was wierd, quite, and too shy by anyone from teachers to peers...but I can't even come close to fully understanding what some of you have been through. I place it in the power of having good relationships with people like family and always a close friend. I look foreward to embarking on a career where I can help people, be the support for someone who needs it, and hopefully make a difference in someones life;) |
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| djSlain |
cheers drewfactor. I love all those people on this earth who place themselves in positions to help the weak or ill. I'm doing my best to help people who have emotional problems get through and pass their issues like i did. And i don't want to do it for the money. When i grow up, i want to be a computer scientist, but i also want to have a part time position (not a job) to help adolescents through times that were similar to mine. I don't want to get paid for it. it's alrady awesome enough to have an impact on lives without pay.
by the way...this is the only board i've posted this "analysis" on depression. Does anyone know any other respectable places where i can share my expereiences. i want to reach out to many many many people. thank u |
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| morninglory |
I'm curious, can depression be cured with pills. Like prozac etc.
I do talk about my problems, but sometimes I think I need that extra hype to do things, and I thinking maybe pills can set me off in the right direction.
Any thoughts? |
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| djSlain |
| It varies with everyone and how they can cope in certain situations. I used to take prozac and it just didn't work for me. However, i am now on paxil and i feel great every day. But pills are not the answer, willpower is. Take for example when my friends all go out to have a good time and i'm not invited, i get depressed. I'm sure this happens to other people and some might just get SUICIDAL over the same situation. It's not the milligrams that will turn us into a "normal" person, it's the willpower to change and cope in extreme situations. |
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| Spad |
| quote: | Originally posted by morninglory
I'm curious, can depression be cured with pills. Like prozac etc.
I do talk about my problems, but sometimes I think I need that extra hype to do things, and I thinking maybe pills can set me off in the right direction.
Any thoughts? |
It depends on the situation and also the type of depression you're suffering from. We all know that mood is determined by chemicals in the brain, taking ecstacy as an example, in (very) simple terms it causes the brain to release Seretonin, the chemical which makes you feel good. The next day your seretonin reserves will be depleated, hence the "comedown" where it's difficult to make yourself happy. Yeah I know you're not talking about these types of drugs but hear me out :D
As I understand it, and I'm no expert, there are two types; Reactive Depression & the other one (we'll call it non-reactive but I know it has a name).
Reactive depression is depression that can be narrowed down to a single, recent event. i.e. the death of a loved one, house burning down etc... Contrary to what you'd think, this is very difficult to treat with drugs, but the upside is that it usually sorts itself out. As time goes on the patient will begin to learn to cope with the trauma and it will eventually stop consuming them.
Non-reactive depression can be easier to treat in the short term. As an example, a person may lead a successful life with no obvious reasons for depression, but for reasons they can't work out they sink into depression, they feel withdrawn from their peers, anxious & scared about the future, they may have trouble even leaving the house in the morning. In this situation it's no good just saying "think positive" as the brain has sank to such a level that it just can't do it, any attempt at positive thinking is twisted to show negatives. In this case, drugs such as fluoxitine (prozac is just a bran name) can help restore the chemical balance in the brain. Once this has happened the theory goes that the person is able to think more clearly, take a step back and see a light at the end of the tunnel, this is where the positive thinking & action comes in to play :) With any luck the person will then come of the drug after a period of treatment and be in a better position to deal with things that come their way.
Obviously it's not as clear-cut as that (eg the death of a loved one could remove a support system from somebody's life whereby they start experiencing social anxiety or other problems which may be treated differently).
As I said I'm nowhere near an expert, best thing you can do is go see a doctor, talk the problem through and see what they suggest. Nobody's going to force you into anything, just make the first step towards helping yourself. |
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| morninglory |
Thanks alot for your help man. I think I have the second type of depression, because my depression got worse over time. I've been going through it for about 3 years now, it was not as serious as yours, but it's something that I don't want to be apart of me anymore. I want to live a normal life again. A way that also helped me before, was just to look at old pictures of myself and see what a great time I was having in all of them. I truly don't know anymore why I'm going through this, I used to have problems with myself but I've solved all of them, but I think that I've gotten so used to the depresed lifestyle that I don't know what to change, I feel like there is no motivation no hype.
You are a good person for posting this topic, cause it's the only reason why I started looking up depression some more and am now going to see my doctor about my problem. |
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| drewfactor |
| quote: | Originally posted by morninglory
I'm curious, can depression be cured with pills. Like prozac etc.
I do talk about my problems, but sometimes I think I need that extra hype to do things, and I thinking maybe pills can set me off in the right direction.
Any thoughts? |
Spad is spot on in his answer. I have some knowledge in this from what I did in school...and I must agree that it's quite complex! It's true that drugs like E and even coke to a lesser extent work similarily to antidepressant drugs in that they prevent serotonine reuptake. I see it like this: everybody has a natural equilibrium or balance of these neurotransmitters ie. serotonine, dopamine etc...People with depression suffer particularily a depletion of serotonine. If you can imagine the brain and the mind like a huge chemical clockwork you can see that drugs remedy the problem (at least immediately) by replenishing the levels of serotonine. With good compliance the drug can do wonders.
As a nurse I believe in a holistic perspective on the treatment of psychiatric illness. Anti-depressants can be absolutely crucial to overcoming unbearable depression, but it can't end there. Proper couseling and rehabilitation, no matter how severe, must include helping people out with self-esteem, grief, family issues, substance abuse etc...
Although true clinical depression is rooted in the imbalance of chemicals as I said earlier, it always exists in a wider context ie social problems, money problems, abuse etc...
These are also called "precipitating factors"...as in the story of the rape victim and loss of the father.
I hope I make sense:) |
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| drewfactor |
I just want to add that if people are truly feeling depressed. From the testimony that djslain and others have given and from my experience in health care (as meager as it is) that there is help out there. Don't be afraid to confront your issue.
It seems to me that it really comes from within, that's where it starts. If you can talk to someone, the strength in doing that will set you on the right path. And confidentiality will always be upheld. Health professionals are highly bound (legally and ethically) to sustain utmost confidentiality for what their patients say. The only exception is if you pose a direct threat to yourself or others. Like, if you said you plan on blowing up your school tomorrow or something, it's likely to get the cops involved...otherwise, confidentiality takes precedence.:) |
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| djSlain |
good words drewfactor. I think the Alchoholics Anonymous says it best as the first rule to treatment:
Admit you have a problem |
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| morninglory |
Thanks for the help and motivation mates. I went to my doctor today, he gave me a blood and heart test, saturday he will give me a full physical. He said that he doesn't think my symptoms have anything to do with my blood or heart, and that I am going through a very common thing with anxiety and depression. He said he will most definately give me a prescription of pills, and also said that they do help alot. Depression is like a flu, if you don't help yourself it will only be harder to get through it, a major difference between the 2 is that, it's not very likely that you're are going to die of a flu, unless there are other sicknesses involved. Do you want to live to be a hundred going through depression, or to 50 and enjoying life to the max? There is nothing physicaly wrong with you, it's all in your mind. If anyone is going through this, make the choice that I made, ofcourse I was very nervous in there alone waiting for my doctor and seeing what kind of response he was going to give me, but I did it because I remember all the times when I was a little kid, and how my biggest problem was what I was going to wear to school. Get help because you are sick and tired of hiding. Once you do it you will truly feel untouchable.
You are not alone. Make the appointment, you can only get better. |
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| djSlain |
It's brings up an interesting topic about the life of a person with emotional/behaviorial and how they view themselves. People shouldn't feel EMBARASSED that they have a few problems in the head. People who fall out of trees and break their arms; they don't put pillow cases over their head when they walk outside in a public space. Some people have problems with their physical status, and some of us have problems with our emotional status. I can't say everyone will respect you if u decide to share it, but the majority of us who are MATURE enough to handle conversations about something this personal is definently one person you can find when you end up relapsing or having a bad day. I've talked to people about my life and the past 2 years, i've never gotten a single ounce of disrespect back.
care to share? ;) |
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| Mental Exodus |
| Great story man. I dont think I know even 1 person who hast been depresed in some way and taken on some self destructive behavior in one way or another. Its good to hear your on a progressive track again. Someone once told me that with out tragedy u can never apreciate anything and this appreciation brings great joy on all personal fronts. I think this holds true in my life especialy as Ive been thu one of those nightmare divorces u hear about in the news and everone laughs at. Well i was like 8 at the time so it was reallly really hard growing up. I never really lost it but i think i came close a few times. All in all i think of it as an awesome experience and a lesson that no amount of education or parenting can really teach. I hope u dont mind me asking but im curious as to why u started throwing up all the time? I think u mentioned an emotional change of sorts but I dont really get why it started. Anyways great story im glan u shared it with us. |
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