It is often hard to recognize depression in people. Many of us are very good at presenting a "happy" face to the world, yet we are so depressed behind closed doors. We didn't know what my brother was going through until he died of alcohol poisoning after drinking constantly for 3 months. He had been seeing a doctor for depression, though no one knew about it. until it was too late.
Sometimes I feel "down" before going to sleep--- does that mean I'm depressed?; for me, its just the opposite in the morning. I feel hopeful with each new day, with every sunrise, simply because I'm happy to be able to SEE another day, to be able to live another day while others may not. I realize that no matter what, things could always be worse; many people are born without the ability to see, without the ability to hear, or are suffering from poverty, diseases, etc. probably without the possibility of things getting better for them.
This may seem like a simple viewpoint for some, but for me the old saying "things could always be worse" always applies. Does that make me an optimist? Anyway... getting back to the topic at hand... I've seen a close friend suffer from what I assumed was depression after his girlfriend left for another country (work opportunity), and he didnt see her for nearly a year; he really suffered throughout that year, having never been apart from her that long before (they had been together 4 years). He started drinking WAY more often than before; however, after reading your posts I'm wondering whether this was truly depression, or whether he was simply feeling "down".
As for me, nights alone can sometimes be the worse, especially if I'm having a hard time getting to sleep. I begin to contemplate matters I would have not even thought about in my free time. I question things that I otherwise would've left alone. It can sometimes even lead to me feeling sad or "down" about something or other before falling asleep.
Originally posted by kirksey957
There are some really amazing people who have struggled with depression and or alcoholism. Just to name a few: Rachmaninov, Mike Wallace, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton as well as a host of others.
Terry Bradshaw recently (within the last year or so) gave an interview where he explained that he had been going through a very dark depression. He said most of the people in his life, never knew it - he had mastered that ability to project one thing and feel another. He said it ended his marriage and he didn't "come out" of it until he sought help and got some medication.
I think all these folks, those here and others, who bring forth that depression is an illness, are very brave.
Originally posted by ncrosbyIt is neither...depression is a part of life. Sometimes, it is related to what is happening in life. Sometimes, it has a life of its own. I am just pulling out of a short period of depression which I did not recognize for several weeks. Once I realized what it was, I spoke with my close friends and told them what I was feeling, I arranged to see a counselor and I am taking better care of me (eating right, sleeping, exercising and doing things I enjoy doing). I have been diagonosed with clinical depression several times in my life and put on meds for it twice. I have recevied meds that turned me into a zombie and one that gave me breathing room. I gradually learned to handle depression by thinking of it like diabetes; a condition which is part of my life and requires that I learn new skills for coping and handling life. How I think about the world around me is important. Negativity and negative people feed the depression. Sometimes, I can pull myself up and out with simple awareness. Other times, I need help, from people I love and trust. Occasionally, I need to go see a professional...to check in and see if there is something I need to address. Thinking more of others and less of myself and finding ways to be good to others also helps. It has been many years since I needed medication but that last time, I was fighting for my life. I was sucidal. I had the means and a plan and the determination. However, a Priest whom I trusted insisted that I talk with him. He said he could tell I was in trouble. I told him what I was feeling..deep, dark despair which consumed all hope and light. He made a contract with me that I would not kill myself until I had talk to him and that I would talk to him daily. He took me to a doctor who prescribed the medication that gave me time to find a way to live. He took me to the Psychologist who worked with me for many months. I developed new ways of thinking about life and the world and to take care of myself.
So are we just weak-willed human beings or is it hopeless without some form of medical treatment?
ncrosby🙂[/b]
I still struggle from time to time. Most of the time, it is a kind of baseline saddness, just a part of me. Once in a while, it deepens and takes me down for a while but it has never since taken me all the way down. I know how to pull out and stop the slide.
Depression is as diverse as the people who struggle with it...it is not hopeless, neither is it weakness...it is a part of life.
So. If I were really depressed, it is clear that I have no faith in medical drug treatments, and I have no faith in therapy and such, so where would that leave a person with my beliefs? Would that person be just stubborn and lazy and not really WANT to get help? Is that the way that person would be seen by others?What other people see depends on who they are...not on who you are. People who like to judge and condemn, will do just that. People who have compassion, will be compassionate. And, every variation in between. A lot of people are busy with their own lives and will not think twice about you.
ncrosby🙂[/b]