Are people who have "depression" really depressed or just dont like their lot in life?

Question

There isn`t alot that i dont know about mental health problems.

My mother suffers with severe anxiety and panic attacks and has been sectioned under the mental health act and put under 24 hour survallance in a high security mental unit and has had 2 breakdowns.

My aunt has bi-polar disorder and self harms. I also know 2 people very well who live with schizophrenia. I myself was dianosed with depression when i was 18 and spent 9 months on anti depressants and had councilling sessions once every fortnight.

I never thought i was depressed. Everyone else did.

My life at the time was s**t and i wasn`t happy with my situation. Anyway I hated every minute of taking the anti depressants because they took away all my feelings. I didnt ever feel happy or sad or angry or anything so i came off them myself, against the wishes of my doctor. Since then i havent looked back, 6 years ago i met a wonderful man who is now my husband, i have a 7 month old baby boy who has brought so much meaning to my life i cant put it into words.

When i first had my son the doctors and the health visitors had pretty much already decided that i would have postpartum depression. I had to fill in forms about my state of mind etc etc. And again i wasnt depressed, id just had a baby, a major life changing thing happen to me, of course i didnt feel myself, i was tired, confused, apprehensive,scared, my life had completely changed and all they wanted to do was shove some pills down my throat.

So what i would like to know is do the people who say they "have been battling depression for 20 years" or whatever, actually have depression? Or do they just believe what the so called proffessionals tell them and do as their told? Or are they just really unhappy with their life but blame it on a medical condition that isnt actually there rather than face up to the truth of the decisions they have made?

Answer 1

Apparently it's caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, so yes, they are genuinely depressed.  

Answer 2

Health Professionals...like the one's who have answered your question will always go with what they have been taught. That is the problem with medicine, years back we administered massive electric shock treatment for Depression and mental illnesses, now the official way is anti-depressants. In time this will change again. Its so important to go with your gut feelings these are much stronger and more important than anything a doctor will suggest. a doc gets paid every time he sees someone. in prescription out is the formula to make the most money out of a practice and the government is hot for depression at the moment as is the media.

yes there is a chemical imbalance in the brain but there has to be a better way of combating it than taking serious drugs like anti-depressants.

I myself had been on anti-depressants for the last few years and have only stopped a few months ago -like you - against doctors orders. I am starting to feel like my old self again for the first time since i started taking them. My advice to anyone is if you are seriously suicidal then take them...they definitely stopped me killing myself but the side effects are never talked about in the media. i felt as if i was watching my life through someone else's eyes, i had no feelings towards anything lost my sexual appetite (not totally) and lost my real personality.

There are so many external pressures on people these days from school (must go to uni and get A's) work (must increase profitability!!) Government (Do this, don't do that!!) that people are naturally giving up and this causes depression. Then the same society labels you as having a disease and sticks anti-depressants down your throat. I agree there is something seriously wrong with this and i'd estimate only a small percentage of people on anti-depressants actually need to be on them.

imagine if we all woke up happy - pharma companies would lose billions, and that couldn't happen could it - just as the world couldn't run without OIL.

- one final point for all Health so-called-Professionals who have read the books in Uni (Well done to you) you can remember what they said is fact and regurgitated it!! Much applause...the real hard facts are these. Someone somewhere makes so much money off mentally ill people. Doctors and Health institutes are scared of being sued and strung up in caught if something goes wrong. What does this breed...over the top doctors who know its better for themselves to put someone on anti-depressants or any form of medication rather than being sued if something goes wrong!!

Answer 3

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...

Answer 4

I agree with GLASGOW, the ignorance of some of the responses never ceases to amaze me. They have no effin idea what they are talking about.

Answer 5

Well, pal, I would certainly say that you have an attitude problem, don't you. Clinical depression is a major mental illness, as are disorders such as bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorders. Since you have a history of mental illnesses in your family, I have trouble understanding why you would seem to think that other people who have either been diagnosed with depression or who have been undergoing treatment for it are faking their illnesses- because that is what you are accusing them of.

Depression is not a one size fits all illness- it affects different people in different ways, and some people recover from it more quickly than others do. That doesn't mean they are bad people, nor does it mean that they are flawed or faking it in any way. Sure, there may be some people who blame all the problems in their life on mental illnesses, but those individuals are usually in the minority. Most of the people I personally have met who suffer from depression actually do have the disorder- I have never met anyone who was faking it to get attention and sympathy.

I think the doctors who treated you when your son was born were probably responding to your personal and family history of depressive illness, rather than just being mean as you have said. They knew you had been ill in the past, and they wanted to prevent that from happening again, because of the risk to your safety and the safety of your baby. It wasn't intended to be a personal attack on you- and you need to be mature enough to recognize this. They were only doing what their training and their past experiences with you mandated that they should- and it's worth mentioning that they had and have a legal obligation to make sure that you and your baby are safe, and that you are able to care for him and not become abusive towards him. After all, you have a known history of depression- you were treated for it for 9 months, and diagnosed with it at 18, so the medical authorities had good reason to be concerned for your welfare and that of your baby. Post partumn depression has been known to cause women to do things like KILL their babies, and they wanted to keep you safe. I can't blame the doctors- they did the right thing, if you ask me. I'm sorry you don't like what they did, but believe me, what happened was a lot better than your winding up in a psychiatric hospital, or in jail, because you harmed or killed your baby. There are worse things than doctors wanting you to take medication because they believe you are clinically depressed. Think about it.

Answer 6

I'm 19, I'm clinically depressed, they tried to put me on strong anti-depressants but I refused. You may have been misdiagnosed.

As someone who does suffer, it annoys me that people question whether or not what I am feeling is a disorder or just a **** life. My life is NOT ****. But I certainly do not react to things the way a person normally would when I am in a 'depression'. I don't think you could ever have been truly depressed to ask a question such as this, unless you are being ironic. If you could hear the thoughts of a depressed person, there would be no need for doubt.

Answer 7

Yes, there are people who battle depression all their life. Genetics is a big factor. Clinically depressed people have unbalanced brain chemistry and need the medication to help with the depression. Just like a diabetic needs insulin. Some people have situational depression like you described, a new baby, a death in the family, job loss. They just need time to grieve and adjust to the situation. Medication is usually not needed unless the depressed become suicidal. Then there maybe be a small percentage that have an unhappy life because they can't or won't change it for the better.

Answer 8

Depression is real and genetic also. Some people have a mental illness in their genes, but don't show it because it hasn't been triggered yet.  It only takes 1 traumatic experience to set off the illness, being a clinical depression to full blown schitzophrenia.  It's in my genes and I'm scared for my kids.  So, yes it is a real problem, not just someone who thinks that their life sucks because it isn't going how they planned. I'm not saying that you have to take medication or go to therapy, but it is genetic and even though you can mask it, it will probably never go away.  The best thing that you can do is to love yourself and especially your kids.  For instance, I know that I have a good life because I've hit rock bottom.  But, still I am depressed and suffer from severe anxiety.  Just take one day at time.  Hope this helps.

Answer 9

I'm not going to even dignify that with an answer.

Answer 10

Sometimes, no matter how much improvement there is in a person's financial circumstances, quality of life, physical well being, social life and social interactions, there will still be depression.  They are off their backsides are are slogging through their world, working at endlessly improving it, and yet are sinking deeper into depression.

It happens.  It's great that you've had major life shifts and have come through it happy and on the upswing.  It just doesn't happen for everyone, who knows exactly why.  

There are people out there who are suffering major depression that you'd never know had a problem, because they are able to put on a good show of being fine or normal.  They aren't taking pills, or blaming anyone or anything for the darkness that is with them at.  They are just living out their lives without a diagnosis or medicine, or are diagnosed but are unmedicated.

Answer 11

I agree with you. Some people blame everything on depression(debt,unemployment,divorce,neg... out of school,etc). Depression definitively affects all areas of your life,but like you did,you can take charge even in the most adverse of the situations. It is up to the person,I guess.

I was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was a teenager. I hated myself and I wanted to commit suicide. I was bullied at school. My mom didn't believe in depression,and she was a doctor. I had to convince her I was really having a hard time and I couldn't live like that.In my case,I knew I was depressed and later I was diagnosed.

My psychiatrist gave me some antidepressants which help a lot. They numb your feelings,which is not great,but helps in the meantime. I've been out of medication for almost 5 years now.

Every now and then, I feel depressed again for no reason and I just move on.I know it will go away. You just learn to live with it.

I never blame anything I do on my depression. But,that is just me.

Answer 12

Yes they are depressed. It is caused by many factors.

Answer 13

As a mental health proffessional, and also someone who suffers from depression, maybe I can give you some insight into the medical thinking behind the diagnosis, as a rule someone who suffers from depression has a chemical imbalance in their brain, that is why the newer anti depressants are Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors,, and it is often likened to a diabetic, who needs insulin to function "normally", with you family history I would suggest you were predisposed to depression through genetics, which does not mean you will develop it but it is like any disease - forwarned is forarmed, so just keep a watch out for the symptoms, especially during stressful times, such as the birth of a baby, but councellin sessions are certainly a good way to deal with any issues as well especially if you have found a good councellor,  As for your mother, she would have only been regulated if the psychiatrist felt she was a danger to herself or others, and these decisions are reviewed regularly and can be revoked at any time, which they will do when they feel she is no longer unwell.  

People who are battling depression are actually ill, and I can tell you from personaly experience their view of reality is skewed when they are extremely unwell.  There has been many studies done on people who have been in horrific situations such as the holocost or natural disasters, and why some people can cope and some don't, and why some people become depressed despite seeming to have idealic lives on the outside, but you can never judge how another is feeling until you have walked a mile in their shoes.  You should be able to find further reasearch at sites such as beyond blue.com, and as for the so called "proffessionals"psychiatry has come a long way in the last few years, now we are able to map the brain as it is functioning, and their have been many studies showing the areas of the brain that are functioning in a ""normal"" person as opposed to one who is depressed, and even when they are doing the same tasks, such as reading the same passage, you can see the difference in the areas of the brain, and the intensity of its functioning,  Hope this has been of some help

Answer 14

It really does annoy me when doctors think they know you better than you know yourself!  You sound very self-aware and together!  I think depression is a grossly over-used diagnosis.  Many people mistake unhappiness for depression.  I personally know the difference between unhappiness and being depressed.  People who see me when I'm unhappy tell me I'm depressed and should take myself of to the doctor for medication!  I do believe depression exists, at least clinical depression does, but too many people misguidedly turn to anti-depressants when what they really need is to make life changes and discover what will make them happy.  I think, also, that long-term unhappiness can eventually result in depression, just as it can result in physical ailments.   Doctors need to take the time to talk to patients about their lives and identify what is really going on.  I know that this is time-consuming and that G.P's are limited in consultation time.  However, it would ultimately pay off for them as they would certainly find that fewer people would be prescribed medication once it was realised what was really making them unhappy - as opposed to depressed.