Depression is NOT a Real Disorder

reply to post by SarK0Y


It does suggest a physical cause, which is compounded by the fact that, as I previously stated, depression has a high heritability. This means that depression is dependent on the structure of the brain. While I will admit that in many cases depression can be cured without medication, as this is the entire basis behind CBT, but there are also many cases where the only hope the person has is in medication or in rare cases electro-convulsive therapy.

I feel that there is a concerted effort by Big Pharma to sell as much product as possible, from the cradle to the grave.

Beginning with Ritalin in children to Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro in adults.

If something sad happens, we get sad. If something nice happens, we get happy! In this situation, Big Pharma would probably advocate that a person be labeled as manic depressive or Bipolar. I would call it being human.

Now, I would agree that if someone is constantly sad or "depressed" and unable to feel "good happy or normal", then there may be a larger issue. However, how much of what we feel is determined by our environment as opposed to a true chemical imbalance?

For example, lets say someone is in financial hardship and there is no practical way to earn more money or reduce one's expenses. This could cause a constant state of sadness and while taking medication may alter one's chemistry to give them a feeling of elation, it done address the root cause of the problem.

reply to post by chissler

Depression is very real and even those that do acknowledge its' existence can't understand its' power unless they've fallen victim.

oh, i can say to you Real Causes of that trouble: humans diverted astray from normal life (minimal physical & brain activity, plebeian food, muddy water & air). most Idol in the life is to live w\o the least discomfort, fairy tales about magic pills grow like mushrooms after rain. but the Ancients knew

To be happy is very hard work

reply to post by PETROLCOIN


funny thing is that the people who downplay depression are the ones that dont suffer from it yet all of a sudden become an expert on the subject, even arrogantly dismissing the FACTUAL claims of someone who is a depression sufferer as complete nonsense?!

ive battled with depression, suffered mild panic attacks and feeling of anxiety but not to the degree of the O.P, and i can say hand on heart that those times were the most dark and tense times in my life, no i wasnt suicidal but yes i was extremely unhappy, nervous, moody, couldnt sleep, gained wieght, felt i had no energy which are classic symptoms of depression.

so to those that arent qualified in the field of depression and have never suffered...dont speak until u have walked a mile in a depressants shoes.

Depression is sometimes a positive thing. It can help us to understand our circumstances, and brooding can lead to revelation.

But, that's more or less for regular depression. I've never been diagnosed with clinical depression, and I'm admittedly not as dreary as I once was, but I recall a very vivid spectrum of feelings. I felt that my thinking became akin to that of a machine. I calculated a wide assortment of possibilities, and they were all very displeasing to me. It became abundantly clear to me that I wasn't going to find any satisfying venue at any point, and that I'd rather not ghost through life, living through the dreams of others, taking on the burden of responsibility for the sake of keeping everyone else happy with me.

I didn't like the system. I didn't like the infrastructure. I was displeased with the rules of the game. My thoughts took me to a dark place, where I agreed that I didn't want to be the petulant child that whines about the game that burns him. I wanted to be like the sophisticated child that opts out, and turns the flaw-ridden monstrosity off, "Get it out of my sight."

When you get to that point, it becomes incredibly difficult to reason with self-termination. Any suggested outcome is merely the subjective ramblings of another person, they're just projecting their know-how and trying to convince you that their flimsy little mantra is worth living by. But, in that state, you know it's all worthless. They probably know, in regards to purpose and meaning, as much as you do. What makes them think that they'll be able to influence you? That their outlook is somehow meaningful to you. Why are they so arrogant? They're probably just trying to help; at least, that's what they believe. But to you, they're not helping, they're merely trying to stack you high on splintered stilts of false hope. You think, "How cruel."



It's all a very difficult thing to get out of, especially if you're the very analytical sort.

I managed to get away from that spell by chance. I don't know exactly how it happened, but I found myself taking on an existential approach. I decided that even though purpose and meaning are not bound to this physical world in any form that I can see, I can still craft it with my own efforts, to some degree. I acknowledge that my undertaking is feeble, at best. But I also acquired a sense of "screw it."

Bad things will come. When they do, strive for a better outcome in the future, and shrug it off. What else is there?

reply to post by Xcalibur254

It does suggest a physical cause

my friend, just be sedentary along long time & map of the your brain's activity will be changed very much & you'll get a big chance for deep depression

While I will admit that in many cases depression can be cured without medication, as this is the entire basis behind CBT, but there are also many cases where the only hope the person has is in medication or in rare cases electro-convulsive therapy.

oh, i say contrary: most cases can be & must be treated w\o drugs no doubt, pharmaceutical corpies would not like to agree with me

reply to post by NWOnoworldorder


Thank you.

I am pleased to see all of the support this thread has generated. There was a brief period of time when I felt alone in my struggles, and felt like I was blowing it out of proportion.

But common sense regained control. Seeing everyone who has experienced the same as I agreeing with my perception of depression has only re-enforced this.

reply to post by SarK0Y


If that were true please explain why the following people suffered from depression:

William Blake
Calvin Coolidge
Charles Dickens
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
T.S. Eliot
Paul Gauguin
Vincent van Gogh
Francisco de Goya
Henry & William James
John Keats
Soren Kierkegaard
Meriwether Lewis
Abraham Lincoln
Martin Luther
Michaelangelo
John Stuart Mill
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Isaac Newton
Friedrich Nietzsche
Mark Twain
Walt Whitman

These are arguably some of the smartest, most engaged people throughout history and they all lived before modern mass produced food. I would also like to bring up the fact that depression has been recognized as a physical malady all the way back to at least the Greeks.

reply to post by PETROLCOIN


Wow... I haven't checked out that thread... but I don't think I want to.

How can people even claim that depression is not a real disorder??? To claim such is to display the utmost ignorance!

Depression is scientifically accepted as a mental disorder- when you're body isn't producing enough serotonin, you physically cannot feel happy.

I think the author of this thread made a fantastic Opening Post and did a good job clearing up some of the misconceptions those who do not suffer Depression have about those who do. Depression is a very consuming condition that affects all aspects of your life; it does not simply describe people who crave sympathy and want attention. It is in many cases the opposite of that - people that have developed such an innate dislike of their existence and hopeless outlook for their lives that getting sympathy from others makes them angry. People being on their case, giving them lectures and nagging them about taking part in behaviour that "normal" people do because they think this will "fix" the problem.

One of the more important things about the condition worth repeating is that this illness can affect people of all classes, social standings and financial statuses. While it is true that Situational Depression can be caused by external factors such as financial hardships, loss of loved ones and severe apprehension about one's future, Clinical Depression exists independent of these factors. The homeless man on the street who has nothing but the clothes on his back; the low-income earner who works 3 jobs to feed his family; the woman with a steady job and small circle of friends; the man with a high-paying job surrounded by a large family; the millionaire bachelor; the executive with a large and diverse circle of friends.

The next time you are inclined to judge somebody suffering Depression, ask yourself how you would cope living with a condition that affects every facet of your life. Ask yourself if a constant lack of motivation, feelings of isolation and hopelessness, combined with tendencies to end your own life would take a toll on your mindset, your well-being and how you interact with other people.

Nicely done, friend.

I have PTSD, clinical depression and OCD. I also have a fantastic well-paying career, 2 beautiful daughters and a lifestyle most would dream of.

Were it not for my meds, I'd have done myself in long ago. Even medicated, there are days when I struggle with living.

It also runs in families - mainly along the male-lines, FWIW...

reply to post by NWOnoworldorder

My family has a history of depression. My sister is a manic depressive she takes like 3 different medications.

I myself am depressed all the time all your symptoms in your OP i feel most of the day but i truly beleived if i was able to change my life or situation i would be fine. So should i take a pill to make my life seem ok.

To me thats no different then using any kind of drugs or even drinking for that matter. Its an escape from whatever in your life has you feeling that way. No matter what i would say find the cause and try to change it if thats impossible to do then do what i do..get use to being miserable.

Im sorry if this comes off as being errogant but i feel like you picking on people that disagree with you and using a lack of knowledge,experiance to defend your opnion. Some people here feel the same way as you and dont need to sugar coat it with drugs. Everyone has a reason to be depressed sooner or later in life.

Originally posted by SarK0Y
oh, i say contrary: most cases can be & must be treated w\o drugs

no doubt, pharmaceutical corpies would not like to agree with me

You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. I was in cognitive therapy for over a decade trying to get myself straight and all it did was lead me further into hopelessness and closer to suicide. It was only after about TWO YEARS of trial-and-error with meds that the fog started to lift. I still go to a therapist regularly to assist me in my battles with the demon.

Lifestyle? Really?

I raced professional enduro-motocross and was in better condition than marathon runners. I ate a strict no-additive diet, and even went straight 100% organic. When I wasn't racing, I was furthering my studies in literature and technology. Throughout all this - my depression continued unabated.

You're out of your league and have no root in experience to draw from

reply to post by navione


As someone who suffers from depression you should know that clinical depression requires at least depressive episode that lasts more than 2 weeks and it can't be explained by other reasons such as bereavement. You should also know that everyone experiences depression in different ways and to different degrees. For some people therapy simply doesn't work, just like for other people medication doesn't work. There are some people that only respond to electro-convulsive therapy. So, just because some people are able to overcome their depression without any help doesn't mean that everyone can.

reply to post by Xcalibur254

oh, my friend, many of the brilliant humans had a immense bunch of mental sicknesses & they cannot be good evidence of depression as mental disorder. moreover, why don't we speak about another brain's state, euphoria: after strong euphoria, brain falls down into depression deeply. i can share my own experience: some questions couldn't be solved quickly & brain works hard to find out the "door"; during that time, i feel myself far not lucky &, when i clutch solution, i feel myself very well up to euphoria we must not mix up normal states of the brain & mental disorders. Primary cause to mental disorders is physical damages of brain's tissue

reply to post by PETROLCOIN

I suffered from Severe Depression for 42 years until I removed my 18 mercury amalgam fillings.

reply to post by atlguy

my friend, your case is absolutely no transparent: had you whatever illnesses, injuries or you was only diagnosed with depression?

reply to post by Monts


You should it I suppose is a good thread if you know someone who is suicidal or what not.. It might help them out... It has alot of good advice in it...

Yes I am pimping my own thread.. But it really does..

Big pharma and hyperactive psychologists are to blame for a lot of the problems regarding public perception of mental illness. Drug companies want to sell their products, psychiatrists want to have customers, and psychologists want to be taken seriously. The result is a downward spiral of over-diagnosis, causing mass confusion and preventing people who actually need help from getting it.

The true definition of what mental illness is has become muddied and confused. If you go to google and search "define: mental illness" the results you get illustrate this point perfectly:

mental illness, mental disease, psychopathy (any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention)

A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which are not a part of normal development or culture.

A psychiatric disorder, diagnosable according to criteria specified by the DSM.

A health condition that changes a person's thinking, feelings, or behavior (or all three) and that causes the person distress and difficulty in functioning.

Some think mental illness is simply acting different from everybody else, which requires intervention in order to 'normalize' their behavior. Others think mental illness is only there if its been categorized and approved by the DSN (Diagnostic Statistics Manual). Or maybe, just maybe, mental illness is a severe and serious condition that prevents them from functioning in society?

How do drug companies define mental illness? Whenever a person's behavioral differences are profitable.
To psychologists? Whenever a person's behavior is abnormal in any way, because its interesting.

After studying psychology and medicine extensively for many years, and keeping up with changes to the DSM, and current understanding of mental health, I define mental health as ANY psychological problem that prevents a given individual from functioning normal in society and causes individual harm or harm to others. Harm can include sleeping 14 hours a day, or any other behaviors that are physically and mentally unhealthy.

People don't all have to be the same - its okay to have quirks or be a pessimistic, or not be happy all the time. Mental illness is supposed to be when an individual has these "differences" to such a degree that they REQUIRE (not want, or would like, or make it easier for them) medical intervention for their own well-being - even if they don't want it.

Mental illnesses are a serious medical condition, that is currently being trivialized and advertised like low calorie foods or a cup of coffee. This is wrong. Read depression is terrible, serious, and dangerous - it can lead to self harm, or harming others, as well as prevent an individual from being able to function.

"Not functioning" isn't somebody disliking their job, its them being unable to work because every moment they're awake is agony - its waking up in the morning feeling like your entire family just died. And without help it DOESN'T get better. It can get worse. A person who actually has adhd isn't just hyper, they are UNABLE to control their impulses to the point that it prevents them from interacting socially with their peers, learning content in class, and being able to achieve tasks.

Mental illness is when normal behaviors and feelings, that everybody experiences to some degree throughout their life are set to an extreme that the person cannot control - no matter how much they want to. People with severe enough mental illnesses are so desperate for a solution, that they're willing to risk taking medicines that can nearly kill them, because their condition is so bad they aren't living, they're just existing.

Mental Illness is serious. Its no different from having cancer, parkinson's disease, or any other serious disease. It can be terminal, and without medication it doesn't go away. And the drugs don't fix the problem, they just make the people capable of managing themselves.

Originally posted by Whine Flu

Finding one person that you can confide in will beat all the professional help that you could ever get in a lifetime. You don't need a masters degree in psychology to empower someone and give them a reason to live life.

You are SO right.

In 18yrs of Therapy, I had four Family Doctors, & nine Therapists, the latter being Specialists.

Four were helpful...two were MDs not trained in Therapy & two were two of the Therapists.

One of the Doctors was my first Family Doctor, & the other was a clinic Doctor I saw only once, for a prescription renewal, after I had moved away.

One of the Therapists was helpful right from the start, on all three of my visits with her, until she left on Disability.

When I kept asking the other Therapist why she `got` it & the others didn`t, she finally shared with me that she was Recovering from PTSD herself, & that this was her first time back to work, part-time.

When PTSD blew up in my face, it was going to be 6-8wks before I got a Therapist, so my first GP offered me counselling, "just to have something to `hang`onto", he said, "as long as you understand I am not a Therapist, & don`t know what to do with you".

He also told me that if things got bad, any time in between appointments, that I could just come to his office, & if he couldn`t fit me in, I could wait & he wouI see me at the end of the day.

I took him up on his offer & saw him twice a week & sometimes three or four times a week.

He was so helpful, that I stayed with his counselling, even after I got into `Therapy`...until I moved away four years later.

I honestly do not know where I would be today if it were not for him. PTSD Recovery is brutal & he hung in there with me...unflinching. I am forever Grateful to him.