is depression really so bad?

[azrael the reaper_95210]

okay, so i found this atricle, and according to it, depression is really not such a bad thing. This guy claims that man would not be where he is today, were it not for depressed people. read this article, and feel free to give your thoughts.  

[Calypsophia]

I know a few people who have depression issues. I have to say, yes.. it seems to be a horrible thing in and of itself. while I only skimmed the article you posted (I'm way too tired to read anything too involved atm), I also have to say that there is a positive side to everything. in the case of depression, you're at the bottom of the pit... dark rain clouds cover every aspect of your whole world. but being at the bottom of the pit, there's no way to go but up.. and when there's a break in the clouds the light of the positive could be brilliant. more so than for people who dont have such a contrast in their lives. to know and appreciate something, you have to fully know the lack of it.  

[Kachan36]

I have a friend who has been diagnosed with clinical depression. She has attempted suicide several times and has come pretty close to succeeding. She goes to therapy regularly and has been prescribed several different kinds of antidepressants. She takes the pills for a while, but she doesn't like the way they make her feel. She says she feels dull and unlike herself. She is a writer, but she can't write when she's taking her meds, so she stops taking them.

I have known other people who pop antidepressants like candy every time they feel sad. One of my college roommates would go to her therapist for drugs every time she got dumped. All she had to do was tell the woman she had suicidal thoughts, and she could get a prescription.

I'm not a doctor; I have no training in psychiatry or psychotherapy, but I am pretty observant. It seems to me that my friend who doesn't take her meds is happier with herself when she is depressed, while my roommate was taking unecessary meds because she didn't want to admit that she didn't like herself very much.

I think drugs are overprescribed. Of course, they can be helpful for some people (I know another woman who cannot take care of her children unless she is taking her antidepressant medication), but it is not necessary or natural to be happy all the time. All the commercials and media make people think that they should be happy all the time, but if that were true, then why does everyone on the planet get sad sometimes? It doesn't make sense.  

[Verderbnis]

It depends on which form of depression it is.

Being temporarly depressed is not a big deal. You'll always find a new partner, better friends or even the weather will change. But getting stuck in it can be really dangerous, because in the moment of depression and every attempt to change anything around you except your mind, you yourself move towards a downward spiral.

I recently met a girl which alreay depression issues and I thought my depressions were a big bad thing (idk who wants to know: my granny and my pet bunny died in the same week), that what she lived through was really more, but got through it.  

[azrael the reaper_95210]

I tend to be a somewhat pessemistic person. but despite what people are always trying to say about "the bright side" and other such nonsense, I am fairly satisfied with it. I consider myself a realist of sorts, seeing the harsh reality behind lifes many turns. I observe the world, and I see the bad way things are likly to occur, and they usually DO occur that way........

this article actually reassured me of my being okay with how I am........  

[Jaenne]

Psychologists did a study a few decades back that showed chronically depressed people have a better grasp on reality than people who describe themselves as optimistic. The reason? Optimists tend to gloss over and even thoroughly ignore key parts of their lives to remain cheerful. Depressed people have a realistic view of the world around them and tend to not exaggerate their circumstances. I like to think I expect the worst and am pleasantly surprised when it doesn't happen! blaugh  

[Dermoi]

i usually only see the bad and dark sides of things, and everybody thought i was depressed. I'm not, i just can help but see the wrost in a situation, which makes me good a writing emotional scenes in stories.

It does sometimes drive me mad when people are gloomy they assume that something is wrond, and that they shouldn't feel like that, but i think it's more natural than being happy, because you need something to make you happy, but not gloomy. i wish more people would "embraced their inner gloom".  

[Mad Haru]

I've noticed something.
I may be going out on a limb here, and I may be hated/get banned for saying it, but, I believe that Depression helps creativity.
J.K. Rowling was depressed, and I mean CLINICALLY depressed.
it's somewhat like what Kachan36 said.
why do you think emo people have such good poetry?*
all in all, I don't really think depression is that bad.



*the views of Yorozuya_Harujiro are not those of any rationally thinking induvidual.
don't take it seriously.
we mean it.  

[Vertigo_Kiwi]

I suffer from depression, but sometimes I wish I wasn't born that way. Right now I'm at a bad point in my life. I stopped caring about school, right now I'm not even sure if I'll graduate. Hell, I don't even care about my major anymore. My future looks hopeless and pointless and a couple weeks ago I attempted to slit my wrist. While my classmates will be spending the summer finding jobs and starting their careers, I will be finding a therapist and trying to get my life back in order.

I do agree that sometimes depression can bring out the creativity in us. Sometimes it doesn't though, sometimes I'm too depressed to even get out of bed. Sometimes I'm so depressed and think that anything I create is terrible, so I'll destroy it. Last year I went "crazy" and destroyed all my paintings and drawings I did in art class. Oh well. That's how the journey goes I guess.  

[Harlot Queen]

it is horrible to be depressed. there are some aspects of depression that can "enlighten" people, but still, the feeling of being hopeless and sad is something i'd like to avoid. depression is a prolonged period of sadness really, and being sad, in my opinion, is enough to help people try to solve some problems.  

[Jaenne]

Yorozuya_Harujiro

I've noticed something.
I may be going out on a limb here, and I may be hated/get banned for saying it, but, I believe that Depression helps creativity.
J.K. Rowling was depressed, and I mean CLINICALLY depressed.
it's somewhat like what Kachan36 said.
why do you think emo people have such good poetry?*
all in all, I don't really think depression is that bad.



*the views of Yorozuya_Harujiro are not those of any rationally thinking induvidual.
don't take it seriously.
we mean it.

I wouldn't dream of slamming you for that. I am at my most creative when I am miserable. I think it's because when I am unhappy my very active mind searches for something to change my mood. Look at all of the artists and writers who were miserable. Van Gogh? A complete nutter! Poe? Not the life of the party! I know my depression causes me to think in non-linear ways and true inspiration wells up from that. Where do you think the term "tortured artist" comes from? I have to honestly say, it is those "Aha!" moments that keep me alive. I want to stick around to see what I'll dream up next.  

[Tempting Mistress]

Sadness is normal and should be an acceptable feeling. We must occasionally feel sad to appreciate our moments of happiness.
Deep sadness, that comes with loss and tradegy, is also normal and if the duration is not prolonged is also an acceptable range of feeling. Deep Sadness can be the progenitor of true creativity

Depression is not sadness.

True Depression is debilitating, is not creative, but is destructive.

I have no professional standing on this matter, but I live with Depression.
Mild depression can be managed. Chronic Depression is hard to manage.

I lost a dear cousin to chronic depression, but self harm is not the answer.
Talking about it is the best thing - let someone you care about, and who cares know what is going on inside - the burden is lessened by sharing.

Thank you for letting me share - heart  

[XxTattooPunkxX]

I suffer with depression and know a few people who do as well. But I have to say that it is a bad thing. I mean it is different for everyone. This guy might have a milder case. A case that doesn't lead to horrible thoughts of suicide or self harm. He might also just be a somber aura type of person.
But in my experience it is a bad thing. It destroys you. It doesn't just mentally hurt it physically hurts. It makes you tired and unwilling to do anything, and it destroys your appetite. My friend can lose a lot of weight when she gets into a bad slum. Also the thoughts it give you can just mess you up so bad. I remember thoughts that made me so depressed and scared of what i can do....
Thats my stand point... I have no professional standing its all just experience with my own depression and feeelings  

[Homosexual Zombie]

While there can be beauty in sadness, the feelings you must face can be very detrimental to ones self. There is no denying that some of the best works have been created by people stuck in a state of deep depression, but you need to think "Is it really worth it?" The suicidal thoughts, attempts, and the general crappy feeling. Depression itself is not a good thing. It doesn't help that psychiatrists aren't helping. Mine had me taking several different pills at once. I humored her for awhile, but than I stopped. While I was feeling happier, I was sick all the time. Another state I did not want to be in.

Basically, the things that can be created and seen through experiencing deep sadness can be great, but the emotional down time is just not worth it sometimes.  

[SchizoSpazz]

i have depression, and it seems to be hard to do a lot of things. but something about it that drives me effin nuts is that when i hit a slump anyway, i always get asked 'are you taking your medication?' like the solution to everything is to dope us up. it, to make it even worse, has a toll on you physically. when i get really depressed and cry a lot (that's like the one visible sign,) i get horrible headaches and if i get in a slump and do it a lot, styes (i've got one right now by the way), and they hurt pretty bad to blink.
but heck, life is bad anyway. what's the difference with depression?