paulry

Viewing and treating it holistically is best.

moneypenny20

I think you're missing her point. For many it's not a illness that has a 'root'. It's a chemical imbalance in the brain, a disease if you will, that can only be managed, not resolved or cured. Obviously talking to a professional will help especially if your depression is caused by an event or suchlike, but for many you can't get to the bottom of it, there's nothing to get to the bottom of - as such it's similar to other mental illnesses like Alzheimers and Epilepsy.

Beedubya

Epilepsy is NOT a mental illness.

moneypenny20

Try telling my daughter that! But you're right, mental illness wasn't the best expression to use but I meant it as in it's an actual physical problem/illness with the brain rather than a form of depression caused by an event that occurred in a person's history.

Beedubya

Thank you, no not the best term you used, I have epilepsy too.

I am of the belief that depression is anger turned inwards, in other words negative thoughts, but this does not sit well with some people, including some of my own family who are on Prozac.

I hope just one person gets something out of this link:

http://robbinsmadanescoachtraining.com/?p=629

Jon77

I think you are right, depression can come about by negative thoughts and past events.

BUT is also for some people it is caused by a chemical problem in the brain, and only medication that balances out these chemicals can help, alongside therapy. It is proven that people with depression suffer from a chemical problem.

This is the problem with depression, getting people to think of it as a real disease and not an issue with just thoughts.

mashup

This is also good reading...

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs#section_1

Certainly explained a few things about my anxiety and panic for me.

northernbird

I don't know much about the subject and until recently I was very much in the 'pull yourself together' camp.

However, I still don't get how people can just be depressed for no reason. At the moment I am very low due to some issues with my daughter. Am I depressed? Who knows, I don't. I know that I am tearful, can't sleep, don't want to do anything etc. Would I feel like this if all was hunky-dory at home? Probably not.

Beedubya

Ah then you have what I call situational depression, I don't even know if it's a real term?? I might have made it up.

See for me living in Australia was making me feel that way, you are having problems with your (teenage??) daughter, my friend is having problems with the man she lives with and was talking about anti-depressants to me last week, but in all 3 cases, you, me and my friend, it is caused by the SITUATION we find ourselves in.

No pill is going to take away the situation and we won't feel OK again until the situation is sorted.

Beedubya

Did you actually watch the videos Jon?

Did you ever hear of a coach called Byron Katie, she was so depressed she was living in some kind of hostel sleeping on the floor as she felt too worthless to sleep in a bed. She does a programme called The Work, there are loads of video's on youtube.

lesleys

Chronic clinical depression in my case is a physical malfunction in my brain. I have consulted a range of professionals over 35 years about this (that is starting before Prozac or other SSRI drugs were around) and it is a problem with the chemical function of my brain, NOT a societal problem. There is a strong genetic link in my case. No amount of talking will cure it.

I think the term 'mental illness' is emotive and misleading. Just as with epilepsy - depression is a disorder of the brain. It has a very different cause and effect. I never said that epilepsy was a mental illness. People readily accept disorders of other organs as diseases caused by infections, genetics, aging etc, so why not the brain?

Some depression is triggered by life events. But the outcome is a chemical imbalance. If you are lucky it is temporary and things revert to normal, with or without drugs. Unfortunately I am stuck with it, nothing triggered it. It took me a long time to accept it - the meds before Prozac meant I had to give up driving and limited me in other ways. BUT I am a happy, healthy, optimistic person.

Feeling depressed and suffering from depression are not the same. One is an emotion, the other a brain malfunction which will make you emotionally depressed AND produce other distinctive symptoms.

eddie007

No, but sometimes the pills stop you ****ing killing yourself before the "situation" resolves.... And thanks for the armchair psychiatric evaluation

eddie007

And you're completely wrong about "you wont feel better til the situation is sprted" clap trap... My situation is still the same... Could still easily loose the house, still incapacitated by injury.... But feeling fine now thank you... thanks to the chemicals

lesleys

Depression is a potentially fatal illness. Why do people think sufferers are being selfish, not getting to the bottom things, should pull themselves together, take a holistic approach? Not that long ago it was believed that epilepsy was caused by possession by the devil. At least there has been some progress on that front.

ukecadet

Losing the house!!!That's awful.Were you the sole source of income eddie?