homosexuality has a physical basis not learned behavior

[Lyion]

I wouldn't know why I feel "down" constantly, I can't just "turn it off", and nothing I would do besides seek treatment would cure it.

You are a young person. What you are feeling is called 'growing up'. AKA Puberty. Everyone under 25 could easily be deemed clinically depressed. It's life.

What if an adult can turn it off by exercising, eating right, and getting laid regularly? This has happened and is common. This is what Toss is referring to, and I'd bet Toss has been in lower lows than you, chief.

You are judging something that supposedly effects millions by using yourself as a sole case study.

The simple point is we have few real answers for this which is why treatment is so wide and varied.

The answers you seek are containted in Mazlow's Pyramid moreso than in drugs, in my opinion, but again thats solely my opinion.

[Harrison]

Hypothetical situation, I am not experiencing this...

I thought I put that disclaimer on the bottom >_<

Edit: Yup, definitely did

[Harrison]

And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that drugs are the only solution...

I'm saying that sometimes, it is necessary. Not everyone can "fix themselves" as Tossica seems to believe so firmly. Not every human being is the same.

[Tossica]

Obviously there are cases where medication is going to be necessary, brain damage due to head injuries, extended drug abuse, extremely traumatic life experiences etc. We are fortunate to have these medications available BUT they are prescribed WAY too often in place of more healthy, long lasting therapy methods and lifestyle changes because the latter options are much more difficult than just eating a pill every day.

[KaiineTN]

Harrison, if you start taking medication and life gets better... say your clinically depressed person gets a new job, girlfriend, pet, and a bunch of new optimistic friends... Now he has something to live for. He's going to think that all of that is the result of the pill, and become dependant on it. That is my issue with medications.

It's extremely easy to spot people who are addicted to anti-depressants, simply because as soon as you even mention the remote possibility of alternate treatments, they'll get extremely defensive and cling onto that chemical imbalance excuse with everything they have. They want the pill, even though their life is better, they think it will instantly go to hell without those meds because they so firmly believe they are not normal.

This is why I think medications should be the last resort. For seriously depressed people, a combination of anti-depressants and therapy would be great, but we can't let those people think they need to take that pill to feel happy until the day they die.

[Snero]

if you start taking medication and life gets better... say your clinically depressed person gets a new job, girlfriend, pet, and a bunch of new optimistic friends... Now he has something to live for. He's going to think that all of that is the result of the pill, and become dependant on it. That is my issue with medications.

thats a lot of ifs, it's possible that the person gets addicted, but they are still better off then staying in bed for 20 hours a day, I don't think anybody here is arguing that medication is a fix all. It's obvious that people want a quick fix and that this medication is way overused but in some cases it is needed

[Tossica]

My whole argument was the assumption that chemical imbalances can ONLY be fixed by adding external chemicals to the brain to balance it out. That's bullshit. You can and do make drastic changes to the chemical mixture in your brain on the fly, every day, without medications. All your moods, feelings, etc are nothing but electro chemical reactions that you have the power to control. Have you ever had a really shitty day and someone does something sweet to brighten your mood? Was it the act of kindness that actually made the difference or was it how you allowed yourself to react to the act of kindness that brightened your mood? In a matter of seconds your mood can do a complete 180 and turn from happiness to rage, melancholy to ecstatic and depressed to hopeful. Train yourself to harness that power and life becomes MUCH more interesting and fulfilling.

Is the glass 1/2 empty or is it 1/2 full? Honestly, that's what it breaks down to. How much am I going to let this set of circumstances I have found myself in effect the overall outcome of my life story? Is this where the story ends? Only you can answer that question. It's your life story afterall, you write the ending.

[horhay boosh]

as a therapist, I agree with both sides...

The truth is that often people need that extra lift or kick from medication to "level out" so they can even begin to have conversations and do the work to get to a better mental, emotional, social and spiritual state....

though, there are many very good mental health leaders who will tell you that medication is, in the end, not the true answer to the vast majority of ailments....

THOUGH, the vast majority of peopl are not going to do the work it takes to get on an even keel and step into maturity....

there are people who have been dealt really bad decks and need more help than others to figure out how to be good at being an adult and a person....

but it takes real work and often takes more than a few weeks or months, that's where most people just fade out or just plain run....

[Gargamellow]

attention whores need attention

society invented anti-depressants because they are too lazy to give care to the people who need it

i don't take mine because they inhibit my ability to learn

ya, i was diagnosed bi-polar at age 14...they gave me drugs and i took them for 5 yrs...it ruined my teen years...i wish i could sue somebody

since my grandma died is really when i quit taking the pills

i am doing great

[Yamori]

As has been said before... you guys don't know what clinical depression is. The entire reason it is clinical depression is that it is a serious psychiatric problem that is not easy to solve and usually doesn't have clear external causal factors.

A lot of people with clinical depression do change their diet, exercise, change jobs, or go to school - an enormous struggle for them - but often it changes very little.

[Gargamellow]

yamori u know i love u but some people on his board DO know what that means

[KaiineTN]

Garg, were you on some form of Lithium salt (Lithium carbonate)? I was just reading about that.. It's interesting.. with bipolar... That's the common treatment, but if you take much more than the prescribed amount, it becomes fatal.. They keep you right on the edge of it becoming potentially fatal too.. Scary >_<

[horhay boosh]

yeah, I worked my internship at Texas Children's Hospital, like the 4th ranked in the country....

one of the Doctoral residents i worked with had just finished working in the Harris County Public Hospital, the premier trauma unit in Harris county (5 milion + people) and she worked with the Psychiatry unit....

she would tell me with eyes bulging, "if you think Psychiatry (the psychoactive drug branch of psychology practice) is an exact science, spend some time there, you will become very worried and wary very quickly..."

[DangerPaul]

marijuana is the best option

[Spliffs]

I think there is an issue here with how we are defining depression.

Depression is *not* feeling bad, or being in a bad situation, or not liking parts of your life. Those things may be involved, but they are not the source.

Depression is an overwhelming feeling of *DEEP* mental anguish. From all sources, and no sources, at the same time. It is unexplainable - if you can explain your depression, it's not depression, it's a bad mood, or a bad life.

At least that is how I view it, and I think many of us would disagree on this point. So it's really futile to argue about treatment, when we don't stand on solid ground as far as the problem.

[Tikker]

I think my favourite thing about this board is the deep serious discussions held by people with very little idea of what they're talking about

I think pretty much everyone has been guilty of it at one point or another

[Harrison]

Longest stretch of depression I've went through was 6 months.

I couldn't even tell you why I was depressed even if I attempted to at that time. They wanted to put me on medication but I was vehemently opposed to drugs of that nature at the time. (I was ignorant)

One day I just snapped out of it randomly, no cause, no solution....just POOF.

[Yamori]

This isn't one of those cases for me, and imo it's extremely insulting to tell someone with clinical depression that it's their own fault for "not having enough willpower," or to just "snap out of it" by exercising and getting out more.

[Markarado]

Changing your life style will go a lot farther than any medication will. I'm no expert when it comes to depression, but I do know that knowing the cause of your depression doesn't mean you're not depressed.

I spent about 8 months of my life in a pretty bad state of depression. Throughout that entire period of my life I made a continuous effort to come out of it, but I was simply lacking the motivation to do so. Moving to a new environment is what ultimately helped me out. It gave me a chance to start over again. I probably spent a bit over a year recovering. At that point I moved again (back to Malaysia), and my life has been improving ever since. I'm doing great now.

I know the general causes of my depression. Lack of exercise depresses me very quickly. The longer I go without exercise the shittier I feel about life and the harder it is to start again. I'm a very people orientated person. If I spend a few days without interaction with friends I become very depressed. When I am in that state and do go out with friends I find it very hard to enjoy myself. The point is that often you don't realize you're getting depressed until it's too late. Getting out of a depressed state of mind takes quite a while.... This of course has nothing to do with clynical depression. I don't know enough about that to comment on it.

I firmly do not believe in medication for almost all cases of any illness, disease, or phsyciatric disorder. For extreme cases I do believe it is needed though. Diet will cure ANYTHING - there is nothing that diet won't cure. You say cancer? Yes it will.. all kinds of cancer.