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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: What are the signals that you are depressed?
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Jamat
Shipmate
# 11621
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Posted
I read the 'black dog ' thread in hell and it seems that this is a malady that affects a wide cross section of us.
What are the most common signs of it in yourself or in another and if you pick them up early is there any realistic management strategies?
If it is depression or something else would you experience long periods of staring into space, lethargy etc not bothering to answer people?
Is it usually cyclic?
Can you at any stage in the process talk yourself out of it?
Is is an emotional problem with a spiritual twist or a spiritual problem with an emotional one?
Is it triggered by crisis sometimes. Is the best course to get med help and take something?
How do you best live with someone with this issue? etc etc.
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Jamat ..in utmost longditude, where Heaven
with Earth and ocean meets, the setting sun slowly descended, and with right aspect
Against the eastern gate of Paradise. (Milton Paradise Lost Bk iv)
Posts: 3228 | From: New Zealand | Registered: Jul 2006
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anoesis
Shipmate
# 14189
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
I read the 'black dog ' thread in hell and it seems that this is a malady that affects a wide cross section of us.
What are the most common signs of it in yourself or in another
Exhaustion, but difficulty sleeping. Catastrophising of things. Inability to see anything good in the present or the future. Inability to get enthused about anything, including things which you theoretically should be enthused about.
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
and if you pick them up early is there any realistic management strategies?
Everyone says that exercise is good, because it gets the endorphins going and makes you feel more positive about yourself. Doesn't do either of those things for me, sadly, but it does provide a window of time where my brain isn't going around in ever-decreasing existentialist circles, which is something, anyway.
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
If it is depression or something else would you experience long periods of staring into space, lethargy etc not bothering to answer people?
Mostly I want to avoid people, and find motivated people, especially, really irritating. Lethargy and not bothering to answer don't work with toddlers so I don't do that at present...
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
Is it usually cyclic?
Define 'cycle'. It's been five years so far this time. But yeah, there was a good period before that, and a bad before that, so kind of, I suppose.
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
Can you at any stage in the process talk yourself out of it?
Could I talk myself out of diabetes, or epilepsy, or short-sightedness?
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
Is is an emotional problem with a spiritual twist or a spiritual problem with an emotional one?
It's generally held to be a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain. Obviously this will intersect with emotions, as these have an effect on the body, too.
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
Is it triggered by crisis sometimes. Is the best course to get med help and take something?
I'm sure I don't know what the best thing to do is. This time around, I'm not taking meds, not out of an objection of principle, but because last time they really properly buggered up my sleeping, and I really don't see how that would help me cope with my current circumstances any better.
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
How do you best live with someone with this issue? etc etc.
It's bound to be difficult, but not labelling it as an emotional problem with a spiritual twist is probably a safe bet as a starting place.
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The history of humanity give one little hope that strength left to its own devices won't be abused. Indeed, it gives one little ground to think that strength would continue to exist if it were not abused. -- Dafyd --
Posts: 993 | From: New Zealand | Registered: Oct 2008
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by anoesis:
It's bound to be difficult, but not labelling it as an emotional problem with a spiritual twist is probably a safe bet as a starting place. [/QB]
Or the possibly even more damaging option of the other way around.
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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Heavenly Anarchist
Shipmate
# 13313
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Posted
I am bipolar so my depressive episodes have to be seen in relation to my other moods. My normal state is hypomania, when I generally feel active and enthusiastic and generally well disposed to people, as well as creative. When my mania goes higher I am less in control of my thoughts, emotions and activity and this can quickly change into a depression once I have exhausted myself, and very rapidly too. So my experiences are very cyclic but that is a feature of my disorder.
Depression for me is exhausting but also numbing, I feel emotionally drained and want to withdraw. It is certainly not something I can talk myself out of, though I do have strategies to help me cope. As my bipolar is mainly managed by controlling my social interactions I am generally good at seeking to counter my moods wings, I lessen my workload and schedule in relaxing activities (my bipolar managements makes me slightly obsessive about organising my time!). I find going outside for walks helpful as it gives me space and I do regular active yoga sessions which I find very helpful.
I generally find it more difficult to pray when I am manic than depressed, indeed, during the most difficult periods of my life such as my father dying I have actually felt closer to God. But this might not be everyone's experience of depression. I certainly don't link it with any spiritual problem, it is a chemical imbalance. Mine is exacerbated by stress and reducing stress is part of my management of my disorder.
What to do if you are depressed? seek medical help and go from there, imo. I am not currently on medication but wouldn't hesitate to take it again if I needed it, some people may also find psychological support helpful (not my cup of tea). How to support someone else? If they are close to you learn to recognise their symptoms so you know what is happening and can anticipate their change in mood, my husband recognises mine very well now. And ask them what they want you to do to support them, listening to their needs is very important.
[ 25. October 2013, 09:00: Message edited by: Heavenly Anarchist ]
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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
Dog Activity Monitor
My shop
Posts: 2831 | From: Trumpington | Registered: Jan 2008
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churchgeek
Have candles, will pray
# 5557
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Posted
Another bipolar here, but a slightly different kind - I'm type 2, which never goes fully manic, but gets more deeply depressed. My "normal" is slightly depressed (around 40 on the scale from 0 to 100).
Bipolar depression, especially for those of us with mixed states, is different from unipolar depression, too. Often people with unipolar depression are unable to get out of bed or do anything. I find that even when I'm ranking "severe depression" on mood scales, I can still go to work (although I might be slowed down, and I definitely won't be thinking clearly) and do things I have to do. Everything else, I let go. This is both helpful and not helpful. I may need to relieve myself of the pressure to do things like household cleaning, but then the fact that my surroundings aren't as clean/neat/organized as I'd like can contribute to the depression.
***TRIGGER ALERT FOR THIS PARAGRAPH***
Signs for me include feeling less interested in things that normally interest me, becoming reclusive (e.g., not calling my mom or sisters even if I mean to or want to), having trouble focusing or thinking clearly, and sometimes speaking slowly to the point that others might notice it. I also ruminate a lot, and my thoughts feel out of control. Sometimes, my thoughts race like they do in a hypomanic state, they're just really negative. It's like depression on speed. Also suicidal thoughts. It's as if by this point in my life, suicidality has become a way of life. My mind goes there so easily, and yet somehow I've always (obviously) managed to overcome those thoughts somehow. It's been close a few times, though. But mixed states, such as depression with the energy/agitation of hypomania, can be dangerous for that very reason.
My thoughts get to where I can't actually hear or perceive others' care or concern for me, or their expressions of love. The best way for someone to break through to me in times like that is to do something tangible, like kinda force me to come with them to dinner or something. Recently, while severely depressed (so much that I did stay home from work, but only to keep my negative energy away from congregation members - I work in a church), my phone stopped working. Depression brain only let me think "My phone died," rather than really troubleshoot it. And I've been having financial difficulties, so this went into "My phone died and I can't afford to replace it." I posted that on facebook, because for me, the depression also comes with pathetic attempts like that to reach out. A friend responded, "I'll be there in 20 minutes. I'm taking you to Target to get you a new phone, I'll buy." Something like that, anyway. And then she bought me dinner. Wow, that got through to me in a way mere words never do. YMMV, if you're dealing with someone who's depressed.
This time around I also felt a lot of anger, more than I think I ever have.
And I self-abuse in various ways. In the past, before meds, I starved myself. I've given myself a black eye before, too. I would never do anything like that to another person, but then again I would never think thoughts about others that I think about myself when I'm depressed!
I've been slowly learning more about brain plasticity and how cognitive-behavioral therapy can help. In the past, I only saw it as trying to trick yourself, but I know know that you can actually rewire your brain. I just haven't gotten the trick to it yet. I always get to a point where I stop trying and seem to be unable to care. Somehow I need to get over that hump, and maybe I'll have more success with it. I'll have to bring this up with my therapist.
I'm on meds, and they kept me stable for a very long time, but are working less well now. That happens. That's why I'm interested in learning other ways to deal with it. Part of CBT is mindfulness, where you basically pay attention to your thoughts as if they're happening to someone else - or better yet, you observe them without judging them (or letting them judge you!). I see how that works during meditation, when, if any thought intrudes, you just notice it - "Oh, there's a thought" - and dismiss it to go back to the meditation. But integrating that into everyday life is still a mystery to me.
A friend of mine on facebook just asked people tonight to tell her what their favorite thing about themselves was, and I honestly couldn't think of anything to say. I wonder if that's an indicator of where my mood is today. (I'm currently in recovery from a recent episode, so it's a step or two forward and a step or two back.)
The hardest part for me, though, is knowing how to interact with others who are affected by my mood swings. How much can I ask of them? What do I need to tell them? It's tricky, because, of course, not everyone is so eager to help, but the depression also tells you that nobody is eager to help, and that's not true either. Sometimes, when I'm in a depressive phase or coming out of it, I feel like I can't trust my own brain.
[ 25. October 2013, 09:52: Message edited by: churchgeek ]
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I reserve the right to change my mind.
My article on the Virgin of Vladimir
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Erroneous Monk
Shipmate
# 10858
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Posted
Continuous pervasive exhaustion and anhedonia are bad signs for me. I may, through lifestyle choices/behaviour be able to have some influence on the frequency, depth and/or length of episodes but on the other hand, it does me no good to feel entirely responsible for what is, after all, an illness, and in my case, a chronic one.
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And I shot a man in Tesco, just to watch him die.
Posts: 2950 | From: I cannot tell you, for you are not a friar | Registered: Jan 2006
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chive
Ship's nude
# 208
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Posted
The point I know my depression has gone from copeable with to need to do something about it is the stage I call 'random eye leakage.' That is when I find myself doing something completely normal and I'm crying my eyes out for no discernible reason. Peeling carrots while crying, driving to my mates while crying, reading a book while crying. Because it doesn't attach to any particular reason to be upset I have no other description of random eye leakage.
Depression is different for everybody, yes there are things in common but everyone is wired differently and has different life experience so I don't think there is really a check list for depression (although I have seen such things - tick the happy face or sad face for how you're feeling, mmm problem there isn't a jumping of a cliff while smacking your head with a hammer while simultaneously hiding under the bed rocking back and forth face, which one should I tick.)
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'Edward was the kind of man who thought there was no such thing as a lesbian, just a woman who hadn't done one-to-one Bible study with him.' Catherine Fox, Love to the Lost
Posts: 3542 | From: the cupboard under the stairs | Registered: May 2001
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Schroedinger's cat
Ship's cool cat
# 64
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Posted
It is a broad spectrum of illness, because it manifests itself in a range of different ways. As a whole, most of the points have been covered, but most depressives find that a) sleeping is disrupted completely - tired but not sleeping is common; b) an inability to enthuse or engage with stuff that you normally enjoy, to an extent.
A related symptom, often a more serious one, is thought patterns that are negative and chaotic. An "inability to cope" is often a broad term covering all sorts of challenges.
And yes it is serious, it is real, so you can't talk yourself out of it ( unless you can talk yourself out of a broken bone, in which case, you are a miracle worker). It is a mental or neurological problem, not an "emotional" or "spiritual" problem, as such.
There are many triggers, and for many people - including me - there is a trigger cause, as well as an an activating trigger. So there is something that has caused it, but there is often also something (often trivial or unrelated) that triggers an episode. If you have it, seeing a doctor is the best option.
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Blog
Music for your enjoyment
Lord may all my hard times be healing times
take out this broken heart and renew my mind.
Posts: 18859 | From: At the bottom of a deep dark well. | Registered: May 2001
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anteater
Ship's pest-controller
# 11435
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Posted
I've thought about starting a thread on this, so instead I'll comment on this one.
My main point is that mild to moderate depression is probably in a different category to severe depression. I have been affected my moderate depression, and the fact that I find self-help books useful, is probably only true of those who are only mildly affected. In fact, I genuinely wonder if "depression" covers too wide a spectrum.
This would make me very cautious about trying to help those with depression by giving, what to me are, helpful hints.
Even so, moderate depression is not nice, and gives the symptoms others have mentioned, but not acutely, and relatively easily controllable. Whether it truly deserves to be labeled a clinical condition, as opposed to part of the spectrum of normal human experience, I am not sure.
As to whether it is a spiritual problem, it could be argued that in this "present evil world", never being depressed could just as likely be a spiritual problem. "A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" is hardly a description of a jolly optimist.
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Schnuffle schnuffle.
Posts: 2538 | From: UK | Registered: May 2006
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Spiffy
Ship's WonderSheep
# 5267
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Posted
My Dx is Major Depressive Disorder, Moderate. You have to have at least two of three for more than two weeks to qualify for a depressive episode per my insurance company: depressed mood, anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable), and reduced energy. Moderate means it was having some impact on my social and occupational functioning.
My last episode went for 18 months before I realized it wasn't just me, but my brain was lying to me, and I got help which consisted of a lot of cognitive behavioral therapy. I didn't need meds this go-round, but looking at my own history and my family history, it's likely I will not only have an episode in the future, but may need meds.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and I am going to say this is my perspective solely and I don't speak for anyone else...
Yes, depression is a spiritual problem, but it's not my spiritual problem. The number of people in my church who know I struggled with this I can count on one hand-- because I cannot trust the majority of the people in my church not to hold prejudices against the mentally ill. Because the last thing I needed when I had just gotten the courage to seek professional help would be some yayhoo in my church coming up to me and saying, "Oh, don't worry, you just need to pray more/smile/think happy thoughts and Jaaaayzus will heal you of your depression immediately!" And then get pissed off when their magic thinking didn't work. Or, worse, give me a copy of The Dark Night Of The Soul. I fucking hate that book.
When I was in the midst of my depressive episode, I needed someone to stand by me, not preach at me. I did not find that in the church. And that, in my opinion, is a huge spiritual problem.
[ 25. October 2013, 18:58: Message edited by: Spiffy ]
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Looking for a simple solution to all life's problems? We are proud to present obstinate denial. Accept no substitute. Accept nothing.
--Night Vale Radio Twitter Account
Posts: 10281 | From: Beervana | Registered: Dec 2003
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Cathscats
Shipmate
# 17827
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Posted
What NOT to say to someone who is depressed is "Take care of yourself". It is the worst thing IMO. In your depressed state you can't do that in any meaningful way. What you want, and need, as has been said above, is someone to do something practical to show they understand, or tell you quite simply that they love you - because in your state you are not able to love yourself.
Love, not sympathy, spoken and practical:sounds like what a ideal Christian community might be aiming to do.....
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"...damp hands and theological doubts - the two always seem to go together..." (O. Douglas, "The Setons")
Posts: 176 | From: Central Highlands | Registered: Sep 2013
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Drifting Star
Drifting against the wind
# 12799
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Posted
I think this says quite a lot about what most depressed people need from those that are close to them.
Although don't actually make them a nest unless you're sure that's what they need, or they'll think you're being weird.
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The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Heraclitus
Posts: 3126 | From: A thin place. | Registered: Jul 2007
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Barnabas62
Shipmate
# 9110
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Posted
Not sure about the location of this thread. It might be better placed in AS.
I realise there is a serious general topic there, but it looks likely to develop into a support thread. Taking soundings on Host Board.
Barnabas62, Purg Host
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Who is it that you seek? How then shall we live? How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
Posts: 21397 | From: Norfolk UK | Registered: Feb 2005
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The Weeder
Shipmate
# 11321
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Posted
For me, the 'signal' was that on my 15 mile drive to and from work, I wept throughout both journeys. There were other things, but the weeping was the trigger for me to seek help.
The interesting thing was that my employer and colleagues had no idea of my state of mind. My Doctor knew, and was appalled that I did not feel safe enough to tell my employer the truth about my sick leave.
When I did come clean, I was given early retirement and compensation.
But it was not until this had been going on for months that I realised I was depressed. I then made my GP lie about my condition in my 'sick notes' because I had no trust in my my employers reaction, even though my work role was the cause of my state. I think this fear of telling others is a symptom of the condition. I thougt I was a failure.
When I did 'come clean', I was astounded to hear that many people wondered how I had survived my role for so long!!
And they did allow me to retire early, with generous compensation.
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Still missing the gator
Posts: 2542 | From: LaLa Land | Registered: Apr 2006
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
I've had major depression since I was three. (no, no triggering event, just came out of nowhere. Genetic, I think).
First episode lasted until I was seventeen. It lifted for awhile and came back with a vengeance when I moved to a less sunny climate. I got medicated when my husband realized that neither kindness nor rage could get a reaction out of me. Having a zombie wife finally clued him in that he'd better get me to a doctor. Doctor was terminally embarrassed when I blurted out "I think I've got depression" and threw a prescription at me from across the room, before making a hasty exit. I think that interview lasted 30 seconds.
Unfortunately, the medications do only a partial job, and I've been through most of them. Weird side effects, but that's normal for my family. Food does an excellent but very very temporary job of adjusting my brain chemicals, but that has obvious drawbacks. Never tried illegal drugs or alcohol as I'm all too aware of how impossible it would be for me to quit if I found they helped.
Is it a spiritual problem? Yes, in the sense that any cross is a spiritual problem. It was instrumental in driving me to Jesus in the first place, so some good came out of a lousy, lousy evil.
I too try to cope without involving other people, because I don't want to be a burden to them--and I've had several abusive and even sadistic people in my life who have made it plain that in my case, just breathing the same air with them is putting a burden on them. When I'm moderately well, I know this is bullshit; but when I'm ill, my mind replays all the shit they've told me.
Depression/anxiety (I have the terrible twins, though they take turns predominating) hits my body first. When I notice that I am in more physical pain than usual, when I see my doctor visits starting to tick up, or alternately realize that I am hiding from my doctor (no! don't pick up that phone! It may be brain cancer, but I ain't gonna call!) then I know I need to do something.
And having realized that, I promptly sit on my butt for three more days before I can muster the energy to call the shrink and get my meds upped.
Or even tell Mr. Lamb so he can do it.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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North East Quine
Curious beastie
# 13049
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Posted
I get short, sharp bouts of depression. It feels as though I'm listening to a radio whose tuning has been knocked slightly off kilter - I can still make out what's going on, more or less, but there's a lot of crackle and white noise too. I have to concentrate very hard to follow what's going on and that's tiring. I feel a bit disassociated from everything that's going on around me. Then, because I'm focussing on just following the basic plot of my life, I lose track of other stuff; I'll spill food down myself, let a pan boil dry, lose track of time, stub my toe. I end up tripping over things and acquiring small bruises. I always gain weight. I can eat a packet of biscuits without being aware of having eaten more than a couple. Then it feels as though the tuning has come back into focus and I notice the stuff all around me; the odd smell from the fridge, the coffee stain on the carpet, the fact that my clothes are strangely tight. And I'm not depressed per se, but really pissed off for a few days.
It can happen fast; like in those cartoons where someone runs off a cliff edge and they're fine till they look down. I get depressed when I look down and realise I've left the cliff edge somewhere behind me.
Because it's short and sharp, I can often claim that I've just had a few days in bed with a flu bug.
My options are either to do as little as possible, or battle on and leave a trail of small mishaps in my wake.
I've got some known triggers - the next one is 5th Nov, the anniversary of our younger son's stillbirth. Husband is taking the day off work. We'll have a takeaway for dinner. I'll be fine so long as nothing else happens.
Posts: 6414 | From: North East Scotland | Registered: Oct 2007
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
My husband went to work as usual (He was a headteacher) came home and went to bed. He then stayed in bed, mostly crying, for three months. His depression lasted three years.
We had two very young boys so I had to keep it all together. He wouldn't see his Mum or any of his friends. Dealing with his Mum was very hard for me, but his friends were just brilliant with him. Luckily he didn't ignore the boys, they seem/seemed unaffected by it all.
I have never had a harder time in my life ![[Frown]](frown.gif) If it came back I don't think I could do it again. He keeps it at bay by exercising very strenuously every day and eating a meticulously healthy diet.
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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quetzalcoatl
Shipmate
# 16740
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Posted
I remember going to work, and I started crying, and went home, and continued for about 6 months. But it dawned on me that I was in the wrong job, and it was totally unsuitable for me. Ah, eureka moment.
So throughout my life, that has been the case, I get down, when I am in the wrong place or doing the wrong thing. But I am very slow to realize this.
So this was a kind of healthy depression, although also with elements of guilt, of course. Where would we be without guilt, my old friend, you bastard.
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I can't talk to you today; I talked to two people yesterday.
Posts: 9878 | From: UK | Registered: Oct 2011
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Squirrel
Shipmate
# 3040
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Posted
Everybody's different, but in the few bouts of depression which I faced it started with an inability to sleep. Once I didn't sleep for almost a week. Another warning sign for me was a sensation in the chest that felt like angina, but which the doctors said was psychosomatic.
These are just my experiences. As a social worker I tell clients "If you think you're depressed, you most likely are."
In my case a combination of cognitive-behavior therapy (very widely used nowadays) helped, as did extensive journal writing in which I analyzed and disputed my depressed thinking. Antidepressants help some folks, but they didn't do much for me. However, a TEMPORARY course of anti-anxiety drugs did help with the heebie-jeebies. I say temporary because some drugs, like Xanax, are habit-forming.
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"The moral is to the physical as three is to one."
- Napoleon
"Five to one."
- George S. Patton
Posts: 1014 | From: Gotham City - Brain of the Great Satan | Registered: Jul 2002
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JoannaP
Shipmate
# 4493
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Posted
One of my signals is a form of anhedonia; looking at a news website, identifying the interesting stories but having no desire to read any of them. There are some distinctive patterns of thought, as well as the desire to go to bed and stay there to avoid making decisions.
Apparently contrary to most people here, depression does not affect my sleeping - it is the waking that I find difficult.
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"Freedom for the pike is death for the minnow." R. H. Tawney (quoted by Isaiah Berlin)
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin
Posts: 1877 | From: England | Registered: May 2003
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
If you've time on your hands, and are willing to wade through chapters on rather odd things, Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, first published in 1621 is worth a perusal: Link. I acquired a paper copy after reading The Cunning Man, which is about a physician, mind-body, depression-melancholy, and Anglicanism.
My defence against mood disorder involves a retreat into intellectualisation, words and turns of phrase. Literature such as I've listed here has helped me through many a difficult time; I include the Psalms and Ecclesiastes. An examination of George Vailliant's Adaptation to Life (1998) is also recommended. It is a report of a longitudinal study of the lives of a series of people from the 1930s forward.
My views of psychology and mental health are formed from the understanding of psychological defences (cf Valliant book above, meaning the ways in which we manage difficult things), lifespan development (with some Jungian influence) and the stress-diathesis model. It comforts me away from the 'we are all computer processors' ideas of the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) model which is the current culturally popular method of helping people with troubled mood.
And of course today, everything is accompanied with medication, recommendations of mindfulness and organized approaches to exercise.
I must admit that I am often troubled with the default of the "depression" label, for which I blame the drug companies. They make much money from selling these SRI type drugs, and thus squeeze all of us - the depressed, the anxious, the irritable, the otherwise fucked up - into this drugs-bed of Procustes.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
What are the most common signs of it in yourself or in another and if you pick them up early is there any realistic management strategies?
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Can you at any stage in the process talk yourself out of it?
I wanted to pick up on these particular points, and say... yes to a certain extent.
And then I wanted to expand on that statement while putting lots of caveats around it. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Having been depressed before, I can recognise some of the signs and tendencies. And I suppose I can, a little bit, tell myself that the best thing to do is go and get on with life - exercise and socialising in particular, because I know that those are good things to do.
I'm not terribly good at then going on and actually doing those things, however. Which is probably part of the problem in the first place. And then I think about being lousy at doing those things and THAT is depressing.
Perhaps the more important thing I can tell myself, though, is that this isn't 'real'. It's not a permanent state of affairs, and I know that because I've been in it before and I've come OUT of it before.
I particularly tell myself this after a migraine. I am one of those migraine sufferers who has a short depressive episode immediately after it. Apparently this happens to around a third of migraine sufferers.
But I KNOW this. I know it's going to happen. And I also know that it's usually only for one day, perhaps less than a full waking day depending on the timing of the whole migraine process. And because I know the pattern, I can tell myself at the end of the 'headache' part that fairly soon I'm going to feel like shit and want to burst into tears - and I can tell my boss as well. We all know that I'm highly likely to be rather miserable.
And to some extent I tell myself the same things when there isn't an obvious link like the migraine. Don't treat the mild depression like it's the end of the world or a permanent state of affairs and, in my case at least, remembering that it's temporary is probably a good protection against the depression deepening.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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rolyn
Shipmate
# 16840
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by quetzalcoatl:
Where would we be without guilt, my old friend, you bastard.
Oh yes , he'll never let us down
What are the signals of depression ? There are plenty of check lists on the Internet .
I viewed one once, ticked most of the boxes and just laughed it off.
I fully accept that full blown clinical depression is serious business , but have always personally felt that searching for signs of the mild sort to be unwise .
But you know each to their own . It seems that a large part of present day Western culture is living under a cloud of various forms of dep. to which there is no easy answer.
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Change is the only certainty of existence
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Evensong
Shipmate
# 14696
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
I particularly tell myself this after a migraine. I am one of those migraine sufferers who has a short depressive episode immediately after it. Apparently this happens to around a third of migraine sufferers.
Funny that. I'm a migraine sufferer and I feel bloody brilliant after a migraine and day in bed. Perhaps its the morphine? ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
Don't treat the mild depression like it's the end of the world or a permanent state of affairs and, in my case at least, remembering that it's temporary is probably a good protection against the depression deepening.
This is the trouble with definitions and labels.
If depression is temporary, and you have control over it to an extent ( you know when its coming, you know what makes you feel better etc) , is it depression?
I was under the impression that most people on the ship see depression was a long term, uncontrollable thing.
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a theological scrapbook
Posts: 9481 | From: Australia | Registered: Apr 2009
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Evensong
Shipmate
# 14696
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by rolyn:
It seems that a large part of present day Western culture is living under a cloud of various forms of dep. to which there is no easy answer.
A lack of meaning perhaps?
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a theological scrapbook
Posts: 9481 | From: Australia | Registered: Apr 2009
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North East Quine
Curious beastie
# 13049
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Posted
Mine is always short-term (anything from 3 days to 3 weeks) but if it's not depression because it's short-term, then what is it?
I don't think my life lacks meaning, either.
Posts: 6414 | From: North East Scotland | Registered: Oct 2007
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
quote:
Originally posted by rolyn:
It seems that a large part of present day Western culture is living under a cloud of various forms of dep. to which there is no easy answer.
A lack of meaning perhaps?
Anomie.
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Spiffy
Ship's WonderSheep
# 5267
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
Mine is always short-term (anything from 3 days to 3 weeks) but if it's not depression because it's short-term, then what is it?
It could be recurrent brief depression as opposed to major depressive disorder. Or, depending on the symptoms, it could be depressive disorder not otherwise specified. Of course, I'm not a medical professional, I'm just a layperson with a DSM-IV and an ICD-9 reference-- here's the list of codes for episodic mood disorders so, there you can see the wide diversity.
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Looking for a simple solution to all life's problems? We are proud to present obstinate denial. Accept no substitute. Accept nothing.
--Night Vale Radio Twitter Account
Posts: 10281 | From: Beervana | Registered: Dec 2003
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moron
Shipmate
# 206
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Posted
You fail to recognize that sometime in the fairly recent past 'depression' became an industry which transfers LOTS of cash to depression mongers.
SMILE when you read that.
Posts: 4236 | From: Bentonville | Registered: May 2001
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
I particularly tell myself this after a migraine. I am one of those migraine sufferers who has a short depressive episode immediately after it. Apparently this happens to around a third of migraine sufferers.
Funny that. I'm a migraine sufferer and I feel bloody brilliant after a migraine and day in bed. Perhaps its the morphine?
This is a known thing, too. Some migraine sufferer feel euphoric afterwards.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
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bib
Shipmate
# 13074
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Posted
I've had several bouts of major depression.Each begins with sleep disturbance, avoidance of people (I don't answer the door or the phone), irritability and lots of crying. However, as the depression progresses I cease to feel about anything so that my moods become blank and I don't cry. The temptation is to stay in bed and vegetate. At times I have overdosed to the point of needing hospitalisation. I'm now able to read the signs in myself of another bout and with help from my amazing GP we can limit its impact. Mostly my GP is able to manage my mood disorder, but I have needed several hospital admissions when I became really ill. I have the feeling that I was born with these tendencies as I can clearly remember waking as a young child with the certainty that today was going to be a grey day. I didn't realise that other people didn't have this experience.
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"My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring"
Posts: 1307 | From: Australia | Registered: Oct 2007
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Jamat
Shipmate
# 11621
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Posted
I really appreciate all the responses. With me it is a new experience and I need to educate myself about it. I never realised what a struggle it could be to do ordinary things that you've4 always done but now, there is just so little motivation.
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Jamat ..in utmost longditude, where Heaven
with Earth and ocean meets, the setting sun slowly descended, and with right aspect
Against the eastern gate of Paradise. (Milton Paradise Lost Bk iv)
Posts: 3228 | From: New Zealand | Registered: Jul 2006
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Earwig
Pincered Beastie
# 12057
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jamat:
I really appreciate all the responses. With me it is a new experience and I need to educate myself about it. I never realised what a struggle it could be to do ordinary things that you've4 always done but now, there is just so little motivation.
Hah. I know that one! I remember, years ago, someone saying they were depressed and couldn't get out of bed.
I thought, what nonsense - you swing your legs out, sit up, and there you are, out of bed.
Until I had depression, and curling up in bed and staring at a wall was all I could do. I could not get out of bed.
Thanks, irony.
Posts: 3120 | From: Yorkshire | Registered: Nov 2006
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LutheranChik
Shipmate
# 9826
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Posted
Periodic depression-sufferer here: I don't know if this has been brought up in a past post, but simple fatigue and sleepiness can be indicators of depression. One of my therapists described to me the connection between depression and the natural "down" time that humans and other animals in experience on a seasonal basis when it becomes prudent to conserve energy in times of environmental stress like cold or lack of food; there's a school of thought out there that suggests depression is a natural adaptive mechanism gone wrong in some individuals for genetic and/or situational reasons.
So -- you can be depressed without experiencing sad thoughts/feelings.
[ 29. October 2013, 11:28: Message edited by: LutheranChik ]
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Simul iustus et peccator
http://www.lutheranchiklworddiary.blogspot.com
Posts: 6462 | From: rural Michigan, USA | Registered: Jul 2005
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