Reply #23: Well, that shows very little understanding of what Depression is

[skygazer]

That's Depression with a capital "D" and not people who are "just sad and maybe a little annoyed." Equating Depression with being bummed out is like equating a stroke with a dizzy spell.

"I think that most of the time, however, people only make it worse for themselves." Upon what vast experience do you base this upon? I can speak from over 35 years (if not more) of living with Depression/Bipolar. What you see as people "making it worse for themselves," I see as the struggle to just get up every day and face the world. Until very recently, it was virtually impossible to receive any kind of disability payments for Depression - even now, it's not easy. So people who live with this have to get up, go to work, pay bills, face the world, function in society, all while living with an absolutely crippling disease.

Medication is not the simple cure-all people who've never dealt with this think it is. Most Depressives have to go through several changes in meds, in dosages, in combinations, to finally find the one that works for them. Many, many people never find anything that truly works - they may find something that takes the edge off and they may not even find that.

People turn to things like drugs and alcohol. Is that smart? Maybe not but it is a desperate attempt to numb the pain and fear and confusion and black despair that threatens to swallow you up. They get in and out of bad relationships because it's extremely difficult to find someone who will put up with a severely depressed person - I know it's not easy to live with me. I've been doing it for 46 years and I can't imagine why anyone else would take it on. You feel guilt and shame for saddling your loved ones with yourself.

It's hard to hold a job when you're a Depressive. Things get overwhelming, stress builds up, panic attacks start - sometimes you feel like you're drifting in space above yourself, just watching your own movements. Surreal, dizzying. I worked construction like that. Finally had to take a layoff. Making it worse for myself once again.

Financial difficulties add stress. Stress contributes to Depression. See how it works? But that's just us making it worse for ourselves.

It's always so comforting to have our very real issues laid out and explained for us by people who have absolutely no idea what it's like to live with this. Would you tell a cancer patient what they're doing wrong in their life that makes their illness worse? Why is Depression treated like something that is our fault?