There is something I want to add to this discussion. My ex wife has suffered for years with debilitating migraines. Hers happened to be hormonal, but awareness and understanding of migraines has been so spotty, and so many doctors, even 'advanced' ones like neurologists frankly simply do not 'believe in migraines'. They don't believe they exist. They believe they are a symptom of something else, 99% of the time it seems they are eager to diagnose depression. So among her attempts to find an effective treatment for her migraines, she visited one neurologist, who prescribed an anti-depressant called Effexor. The drug did nothing to help with the migraines, but what the neurologist failed to mention was that Effexor is HIGHLY (i mean EXTREMELY) addictive, and I do not mean in any kind of good way. What I mean by that is, if you take that drug even ONE TIME, and then do not regularly take the same dose at the EXACT. PROSCRIBED. TIME. (and I mean exact, you can't even be 5 minutes late), you will begin to suffer serious, painful, horrifying side-effects and effects of withdrawal. These included intense rapid mood swings, uncontrolled outbursts of screaming and weeping, and an intensely painful sensation which she described as 'painful electric shocks in my brain'. When she started feeling these symptoms, and we confronted the neurologist, the dr had no clue, had done no research on the drug, and had simply prescribed the 'latest and greatest' anti-depressant. We then became desperate in our search for some way to get her off the drug, and that is when we discovered that thousands and thousands of people have had the exact same experiences, and there were large support groups out there dedicated to helping people get through the very slow and painful gradual method of getting off that drug. And by that I mean, you literally have to 'count the grains' by opening the capsules, and take literally ONE GRAIN out every few days, very gradually lowering your dose until you can safely stop taking it. I have never been angrier in my life, and all this suffering was met with a massive shrug of the shoulders from the neurologist, and the medical community as a whole just continues to whistle and prescribe these same families of drugs to people who do not even need them. My point in all this is, I know for a fact that there ARE certain people (VERY few, a tiny fraction of the actual number of people diagnosed with 'depression') for whom such a drug is actually needed and useful, and for whom the effects will be beneficial. But far more people are blindly given dangerous drugs by a medical/psych community who have absolutely no business being anywhere near them. If you or someone you love is ever prescribed any kind of 'anti-depressant' drug, before you ever allow that pill to cross your lips, you better do your homework, do the research, look around and listen to what the people are saying who have actually taken it. And ask yourself, why are so many horrific things happening, like mothers killing their own children, etc etc? They don't release medical records of those people, but the few times I have managed to find some of that information, almost every time, they were on those kinds of drugs. Bottom line, be careful. The treatment can be far far worse than the problem.
You already look stupid. You believe in an invisible man in the sky looking down on you but you don't believe in depression? Go to hell.
I'm glad for you and that's sincere. But you didn't have depression, you were bummed out. And whoever told you that definition was badly misinformed. And that misinformation is dangerous. Read a book (or at least a wiki page) before you spread it again. Loss of interest in things that once were interesting is a common symptom of depression; it is not the illness itself. And it could just be the symptom, as it happily was with you, of having a bad day or being in a bad situation. If that were the case with genuine depressives, the world would be a much happier place.
It's wonderful how many doctors we have here. It's just a shame they're all quacks. 'Angkor Wat is a person, but he isn't a man.' Now do you see how that works? I know you are a person, I do not know your gender; though I was ignorant I spoke as though I knew, I spoke as if I possessed absolute facts. Here's another, more akin to your own: 'Kyle Lowry is a Rocket. He is white.' And that was the story of how I learned to talk out of my ass. Like you.
Very sorry to hear about that and glad to hear that things are working out better for your wife. I personally agree that as a society we seem too quick to look to pharmaceutical solutions to problems. My own opinion is that therapy and life style changes should be considered first. In this case though where a person is cutting themselves that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Repeat for emphasis here, the OP's cousin is cutting himself. This is bored or down in the dumps because the Rockets' lost but cutting himself.
“Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by idiots or assholes.”
I'm very pleased that you've found an approach that works for you, Moes. But Swoly is completely wrong and, in this case, you are too. On two counts. Well three, but the third doesn't matter. 1. Meds are indeed needed by some people for depression though, as was apparently and happily the case with you, they are not needed by all depressed people. In that way it is like many diseases. Courses of treatment vary according to the patient as no two people are the same, particularly with regard to emotional health or mood disorders. 2. Depression does not 'come from' a chemical imbalance. A chemical imbalance makes depression more likely to occur, as a family history makes one more likely to have a chemical imbalance. But you can have the imbalance, most often inherited, and never get depression. An imbalance makes clinical depression far more likely but it is not its origin, nor do all clinically depressed people have such an imbalance. Some have it from PTSD or some other thing. 3. Though this one doesn't matter and now I'm just correcting you for the fun of it, you do see a shrink. A CBT therapist, like any therapist, is "a shrink." You meant you don't see a psychiatrist, also sometimes referred to as shrink, but not as often as a therapist, which you see. A shrink. Of course meds are given to wrong people, of course companies that make medications are greedy; we live in a country with a for-profit health care system, all health care (in this country at least) has two purposes and they are in this order: make money, heal patients. The second doesn't matter as much as the first and we are making them rich. That doesn't mean that those drugs are not absolutely the difference between life and death for some people. And if it turns out your illness can't be managed without meds? Oops, you just lost your job. Oops, there went your wife. Oops, you just died from killing yourself. Way to stick it to big pharma. If you have major depressive disorder and believe you can treat it by learning helpful habits (CBT) or through natural, non-med means, you should absolutely try. If you can, it is my belief (and not a fact, but only a belief) that it is a good thing to avoid meds that alter brain chemistry if that is at all possible; I am down on them myself. And it is my further opinion that you are one of the luckier ones for not needing a medicine for your illness. But be gracious in your relative luck, can't you? Being you are one of the luckier ones, though still unlucky, could you not tell those people that just might not be so lucky as you that drugs are BS when they might need them to survive? This is a topic on which it is very bad, a very bad thing, a very dangerous thing to voice your opinions as settled facts, as people might believe you or think you are right. And then we will have many more threads that begin with some variation on "Landlord Landry, RIP."
Apart from the go to hell part, Swoly, disregard my last post to you in favor of the following. You are an idiot and you are an *******. Go to hell, because it bears repeating, and FU*K YOU. I always knew you were kind of dumb and extremely annoying, but I had no idea you were such an *******. You have know earned and shall have my eternal scorn. Read a book and learn just one fact. You suffer from the disease of extreme ignorance, or quite possibly mental r****dation - you fit the profile - and if so I am sorry for yelling at you because it's not your fault. But I hope like hell you're not teaching your kids this stuff. One could have depression and wind up dead from your fatherly wisdom.
I would never tell anyone not to take drugs, and I applaud those who have worked hard to develop drugs with the intent to heal sick minds, if you feel better because of drugs then that is a wonderful thing. Personally I chose to pursue a different alternative and had pretty decent results.
So, so true, Nero. And I am so sorry for your wife and for you. SSRI 'discontinuation syndrome' (a neat trick the pro community developed for avoiding the word 'withdrawal') is BRUTAL. I just got off my SSRI after three very difficult tries, brain zaps and all, and it took several months. Every one of these drugs, crazymeds I mean, psych meds, has listed as a relatively common side effect the exact thing the patient would take it for, and they almost all come with suicide warnings. Because still doctors are guessing with these meds. And NO doctor I've ever heard of even warns before beginning an SSRI that it might, and very likely will, be almost impossible to quit once started. My heart aches for you and your wife. Sometimes the symptoms of SSRI discontinuation/withdrawal can be permanent and in those cases the patient is forced to continue taking a drug that is harming them for the rest of their lives. Awful, criminal.
If I heard you wrong, my apologies. I thought you said Swoly was part right when it came to meds. He wasn't part right, he was 100% wrong and that wrongness, as I said, can and often does lead to death. Again, I am super happy that you are doing better and happier still for you that you did not need meds, because they can indeed be very awful and often are.
speaking as someone who has been in the same situation, but not to the cutting point its amazing how naive some people are. Of course its a real ****ing illness. You can't function, you can't wake up, concentrate, or interact. that being said, regarding meds most people are prescribed SSRIs, and they don't work... the older gens such as tricyc. and maois are not as safe but atually work. That being said he needs positive reinforcement around him and good exercise. Its been said a million times before I know, but it makes the world of a difference. I still have days where I'm just like...so what? Just complete apathy and no motivation. I credit those around me for playing a positive role. You pretty much have to find meaning in your life. If you are unable to, meds are a way to help that.
For my next trick I will attempt to tidy up this cabin in the woods by the lake where I have come for three weeks to write (sometimes my job is awesome as I am being paid for the privilege) because my girlfriend and our dog are about to drive out here for my birthday, which is today. I've enjoyed spending a slice of it with you chumps and perhaps I will be back before she arrives. Otherwise have a nice discussion and if somebody's willing to get close enough to him to do it, kick Swoly in the balls for me, won't you? But kick them up so high they never come back down. And then when cries about it tell him its BS and to stop being a baby. Happy birthday to me. Later.
SSRIs actually feel like rat poison. Paxil was the first thing I was prescribed and I don't remember ever feeling so sick and crumby in my life. If you're going to prescribe something to someone why not something efficacious?
Batman, you take threads like these too personally IMO. You have your definition and treatment protocol for depression, other people have their own definition and treatment method that works for them. Everybody is different.
I was put on Cymbalta back when I was depressed, well maybe we should call it "bored" since people in this thread seem to know more about my own condition at the time than myself or my doctor - but anways, the cymbalta made me feel awful and numb. It was the worst thing I've ever taken - but I have read online from others that cymbalta has been a godsend for them - so like mentioned earlier, everyone is different. Our chemicals are different. But, being in control of your own life, having money, traveling, working out, having a six pack and banging exotic trim usually takes one away from being "down/depressed/bored". Whatever you want to call it.
i agree 100%. Regardless of meds etc you need to take control of your life and find meaning, even little things that make you happy. I was put on an MAOI which is often a last resort but that helped me realize what was important and I got off it in a year. Its not that simple for everyone which is why therapy is a must especially when you are medicated.
