Until recently, I didn't think
about mental illnesses at all, because I've never encountered them in
my life. Unfortunately, a good man I know has faced depression. He
agreed to share his story:
"I have personally
encountered a huge number of people who have a completely wrong idea
of depression. In fact, only those who have personally experienced
depression know what depression is. With this article I hope to
convince at least one person to visit a doctor in time. Learn from
others' mistakes.
I myself had earlier viewed
depression as more of a shift of responsibility, an excuse not to do
anything. However, I have learned from my own experience that
everything is totally different. I'm 21, I'm a programmer, and I'm
currently taking a 6-month course of depression treatment.
Quote from Wikipedia: "The
monoamine theory links the development of depression to a deficit of
biogenic amines, namely serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine.
In other words, your
production of super important hormones is disturbed at the biological
level. Trying to cure it simply by changing your mind... You may as
well try to cure the flu by believing that you are actually healthy.
We are used to taking
medication for illnesses. For everything there is a pill. But many
people consider depressive disorder unworthy of this pill. And here
it is very important to understand - the other way around the
production of these hormones can not be restored in general. If the
violation has already occurred, the correction of thinking can not
restore it. And with all responsibility I declare - at strong
depression it is impossible simply to take and begin to "think
positively". This is tested.
And now a little look "from
the inside". How this world feels when you've been depressed for
the past few years.
Gradually, things that used to
bring pleasure are no longer pleasing.
Maximalism appears in thinking
: everything or nothing. There is no motivation or desire to do
anything, because there is no sense in anything. It is good if we
have the strength of spirit in this place to overpower ourselves and
continue to do things that need to be done (study, work), and we will
do our own desires sometime later.
But then there are a few more
surprises: decrease of mental abilities, deterioration of memory,
concentration, speed of thinking. The brain literally begins to think
longer. And in due time this effect only amplifies. The cherry on the
cake is the complete exhaustion of emotions.
If at the beginning just less
and less things bring happiness, then at this stage of emotions there
are no emotions at all. No sadness. Not happiness. Even on anger
there are no more energy. At this time, failures in life are taken
for granted, but do not upset at the conscious level. Perhaps because
the mood can not be worse.
At this point, I sought help
from a psychotherapist. And now I regret that I didn't do it before.
One visit was enough to retell all the symptoms, answer a couple of
additional questions and get a prescription for antidepressants for
six months. It turned out that I had reached a difficult level. And
I'd really like to help at least one person who's been there.
The main message of my story
is that depression is a full-fledged disease, which, like any other,
requires treatment. A disease where self-treatment is more expensive.
And I'm not just talking about money.
Do not listen to people who
are trying to convince you that all the problems you have invented,
and advise just to think positively. This is not how it works.
Here are the symptoms that you
should pay attention to in the first place:
-Sleep problems
-Memory impairment
-Sociophobia
-A general depression.
-Appetite issues.
If you have at least two on
the list above, please go to the doctor. It is better to come and
find out that everything is okay. Here it is very important to ask
for help in time, because at the initial stages it is much easier and
faster to treat.
Now I am taking
antidepressants for the second week. On the third day I felt relieved
in terms of thoughts already - it hurt to think, but the pills
extinguished the pain. On Day 7, I was much less worried about
things. I accepted the setbacks that had already happened. Today
(10th day) I had the strength and the main desire to prepare for
future trials, so that at least they did not end in failure. Dark
thoughts are still there, I still do not see any sense in anything,
but in general it is possible to live.
The main effect should appear
after about a month of treatment. Memory is very slow, but it comes
back. I can't say anything about my thinking abilities yet. But I
know one thing for sure - the medicines., really work."
Sources:
- Have you ever encountered
this in your life?
- What can lead a person to an
unstable emotional state?
Comments
There is such a situation in my family, so unfortunately, but I'm quite up to date with this unpleasant topic.
In my opinion, there used to be depression, but there was no prosperity and people did not have time to pay attention to it.
I think that every nervousness and stress are such bricks. If there are too many of them, then the man can not cope with it, so you have to settle the present before it is too late :O
Depression in spite of many doubts is a regular disease. When something is invisible it doesn't mean it not exist. People suffer from depression feel pain, sadness and real symptoms of the illness.
2. Have you ever encountered this in your life?
Not and I hope I won't have to deal with it. I don't want this to anyone.
3. What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
For example exclusion of emotions or internal conflicts of which we aren't aware of. I believe we all should learn our organisms and listen to ourselves more often. That really helps with being happy and with achieving inner peace.
I think it's a disease like any other. I believe however that a lot of people are misusing this word on a daily basis. Just because someone is not happy / overwhelmed at the moment doesn't mean he is depressed.
- Have you ever encountered this in your life?
Thankfully not, I hope that I and anyone else for that matter won't have to face this disease.
- What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
I think that a tragic loss of someone we truly love might be vary devastating thing that most certainly would lead to unstable emotional state.
I think depression is a disease that must be dealt with and treated like any other serious illness. It is a big challenge for the family. I think that in such a situation it is worth talking to a specialist who will help us prepare for the help of a loved one.
Have you ever encountered this in your life?
I did not experience personally, although people have different problems and when talking to someone you can often see that someone may be in a worse mental state than it might seem.
What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
Beyond traumatic experiences that clearly contribute to depression, life failure and disappointment are one of main reason that cause depression.
2. No, I haven't. And, fortunately, I have never seen it's effects on my eyes.
3. Nowadays, I think it could be everything because of our stressful life. Problems in the university or job, family problems, argue with friends, unstable situation in the country. No motivation to live further.
2.I haven't and a hope it won't happen to anyone I know.
3. A string of Tragic events and maybe some genetic conditions probably.
2. Yes, I was depressed, but not so serious. I would tell more, but I prefer to avoid this topic.
3. I believe that a lot of factors in human life can lead a person to an unstable emotional state. Social, love and professional life. Everyone has their own depression.
3.
It is very serious disease and no one is safe from it. It can destroy everything one build and without a help from outside it is really hard to do something about it yoruself.
- Have you ever encountered this in your life?
Yes, several times actually I helped people ill. It cost me many sleepless nights but it was worth it.
- What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
We live in such times that anything can become a first step to depression, losing one you love, losing a job, worse health condition or financial condition also loneliness.
2. No, I've never known anyone who would suffer from depression.
3. As I mentioned in point 1, they way people live. A lot of us are stressed about what is going to happen in the future. We live fast paced lifes. This in my opinion are main causes that could lead to unstable emotional state.
2. Fortunately, I have not suffered from any disease like that and I hope I will never have to deal with it. I know some people with similar issues, and it’s vital to wisely choose the topic of conversations with people who suffer from depression.
3. Any daily activities may lead people to depressions: stress in work, relationship problems, family issues as well as many others. Some people can deal with these problems for a long time but the amount of stress and tension may happen to overwhelm the mental health of the person causing the mental illness.
2. A very often used and well-known saying is "I am depressed", I think it's very popular and most of us use this phrase in any situation that is sad or overwhelming for us. Personally, always in moments of weakness, talking to another person I say that I'm depressed, as if it had any coverage with reality. I think I have never had depression and I don't have depression, although from the list of symptoms you wrote, I notice even 2 or 3 of them in my daily life. After all, I think that it's not so bad with me and that people struggling with depression have an incredibly difficult life.
3. What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
Loss of loved ones, loss of family members, addictions such as alcohol, drugs. More emotional people are also exposed to bad everyday situations: an unsuccessful exam, a difficult life situation, a sudden change in surroundings, a sudden loss of a close friend or rejection. Literally every negative event can drastically affect the human psyche and change it almost irreversibly.
2. I’m not sure, to be honest but I’d rather say “no”. What I definitely have encountered is that example I mentioned above about a spoiled person claiming they have a depression in any uncertain situation.
3. It’s highly individual thing. I’ve read that if a person can’t satisfy just one of needs presented in Maslow pyramid, they can get a depression, even if their other needs are satisfied with excess.
Depression became huge problem in modern society. People are more and more valnurable to hurtful events in their life. It is hard to name one primary reason for that but matter the cause we need to do something about it, because if it goes like this for longer we might be in a situation where most of the society is unhappy and miserable.
2. Have you ever encountered this in your life?
I can't tell if I have ever encountered depression by its dictionary definition, but I have surely encountered many hurtful events in my life which often caused me to feel like I couldn't be happy anymore. Those feelings let go after some time and I always try to learn from them how to be happier and more satisfied in my life.
3. What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
There are many reasons for people to become unstable. Some causes are longterm but some are more shock-like. Being a victim of humiliation or violence for a long period of time might cause mentality to break. The same thing goes to sudden events like losing somebody that was close to our heart or being put into a situation in which we feel helpless and see no solution. Depending on how strong somebody's mentality might be the causes may differ, but the outcome happens to be really tragic for some people.
In my opinion, depression is just a disease of the head - a person is unhappy as long as he or she wants it, and the hormonal balance is the result of such thinking. Humans controls their body more than they think. I say so because depression is a fairly recent illness that did not exist half a century ago. Why did it appear? 100 years ago had less problems? I don't think so...
Have you ever encountered this in your life?
Fortunately no. The surrounding people are quite cheerful, and I try to rejoice in everything that surrounds me to prevent depression
What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
In my opinion, people problems usually arise through people. So many men, so many minds. And it is because humans like to be right that someone must be wrong, which leads to conflicts between people
2. Yeah, I did
3. Hurtful situations, selfish, artificial people around, the realization that in the end we are all alone in our minds, being left without help, feeling unloved, not needed or used, traumatic childhood experiences, loving not right person, toxic relationships or simply - hormones
2. No, I haaven't.
3. Hard to say. I don't know it. I guess stress and unhealthy lifestyle.
2. Yes, I have. Not personally, but one of my close relatives was ill. Due to family’s and specialists’ help she came out of it, but it took her a few years to totally pull herself together. This illness is really terrible.
3. There are many reasons. It all depends on person’s character, lifestyle, things she/he has to struggle everyday, social relationship, work etc. But to give an example I think that depression can be caused by lack of love, serious illness of family member, problems at work or low-selfesteem.
Depression is known as a illness of XXI century - it's unfortunately well common and really hard to cure. We commonly live in stressful societies and places which can be toxic and because of that depression might closer to us than we think.
- Have you ever encountered this in your life?
I personally have never encountered this in my life and really hope I this will never happen to me nor my family. However, I know a person who is struggeling with this, it's awful, because even when you want to help, you're not always sure it's even gonna help.
- What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
I think it's as personal thing as anything else. For someone it can be love, for other one job or even mix. It really depends on what's important to you.
2. Not exactly. I was deeply sad for a couple of weeks, but then I slapped my face a couple of times and said that I'm weak piece of meat and this really helped. But not sure if this has something general with depression.
3. Different situations can lead to different results. Every person has his own limitation, and we don’t know where is a breaking point for our sanity.
- Have you ever encountered this in your life?
- What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
I take all mental illnesses very seriously because our brain is so complex and difficult to understand that practicaly every abnormal behaviour is somehow justified by how our big muscle developed. However, I have to disagree with your friend's statement that it is impossible to cure depression by yourself. First of, not everyone is cheerful and always happy, every human has it's own character. Very often young kids and teenagers feel depressed because they do not fit general society. I realise that it is much more difficult for young to understand that but really when you finaly figure it out it is much more easier to function in society. I was depressed but I managed to make out of it on my own. It took years but I did not any need doctors or medicine. Of course if person feels hopeless, then getting proffesional help is very important. I believe that human can adapt to any situation and work thing on their own.
2. Yes, as I mentioned in the previous answer, my ex-girlfriend had a depression.
3. There are many conditions that may lead to an unstable emotional state, feeling sadness, anger, stress in excessive ammount may lead to permanent brain damage. It is a difficult topic to answer it in just a few sentences/by just a few questions.
2. I have some friends with this problem. And I went through it but for a couple of weeks.
3. Today? Everything. I think there is to much pressure from every direction. People are more susceptible to stress, to having bad days, everything it in on the run. More on more faster is a quick way.
2. No, I have never encountered this in my life.
3. I don't know for sure, and I can only guess. I think it could be the death of a family member or friend, betrayal of a friend or loved one, stress, etc.
2. Yes, I do. Several times.
3. It all depends on the individuals. About past events, from sensitivity, some falls?
It's a serious medical illness. I think you need to get help from outside professional
- Have you ever encountered this in your life?
6 months ago. I had a long-term relationship and when I left I felt like I was suffering from depression. But I'm fine now. I'm ready to do a lot of things. I did some of it. next please
- What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
I think the loss of someone we really love can be a devastating thing that will definitely lead to an unstable emotional state.
I think that depression is a very serious desease which is avoided as a subject in our society and should be adressed as there are people who really need our help.
- Have you ever encountered this in your life?
Thankfully I don't believe that i've ever wncountered real depression state, I had some episodes of being sad but it passed quickly so I'm unable to count that as real depression.
- What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
There are incredibly large amounts of factors that could push someone to an unstable emotional state, it's impossible to choose any main reason, but there are examples like: death in the family or breaking up with person that You love.
I found interesting your point about Maslow piramid. It looks very logical. Thanks :)
2) I think that I had some worse moments in my life, but I wouldn’t call it a depression. It is hard to identify it by yourself, that is why when people have a feeling that something is wrong, they should visit psychiatrist at first.
3) In my opinion anything can lead a person to an unstable emotional state. It depends on a person and things that they experienced in life. For some of them it could be a divorce but some others it could be something seemingly insignificant like a lost earring for example.
Everything could lead person to unstable emotional state. We all different and for sure we all need to know how the brain works correctly. Maybe, this could prevent from lying to yourself about "happier" life and so on.
1. I think it is a disease. Very serious disease. More and more people are suffering from this these years. I think there are also a lot of people who dont know how to struggle with it. We should help them and never ignore the asking for help.
2. I am maybe lucky but not, I hope never encountered this.
3. There are probably plenty of reasons. For example a big loss of some member of family, or just the way the people live. I think the ideal images of people in Internet and the way how their lives looks like, may lead a person to this disease.
I once read a little aabout it. It looks terrific and won't wish nobody to get it.
- Have you ever encountered this in your life?
I don't think so.
- What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
I think stress we are facing every day, high standards that other people wants us to meet and civilization in general. Rushing to become someone that society needs can be too much for one person.
1. In my opinion depression is a very serious problem in recent years. it is a sense of inner emptiness and sadness. a man being depressed does not see any good points in his life. I think there is no chance to deal with this disease alone.
2. Fortunately I have never suffered from depression and I do not wish it to anyone. I think that this is mainly due to the fact that I have great friends whom I can always count on and invaluable family support
3. First of all, the lack of support from loved ones when at some point in our lives we get lost, is conducive to the fact that we do not control our own emotions and slowly fall into depression from which it is difficult to get out. Second of all, traumatic events such as the lost of Someone we loved but also some diseases are the cause of an unstable emotional state.
Depression is a mental illness. People with depression do not see the meaning of life. Usually, people have depression symptoms after very hard experiences. When they are disappointed or for a long time they don't feel satisfied with themselves. Personally, it also seems to me that such people themselves intensify this condition and often strive to have depression.
2. Have you ever encountered this in your life?
Yes, my friend is depressed. It's hard to talk to such a person. He is constantly looking for flaws in himself and sees no solution to the problems. Honestly, this approach begins to annoy me. Especially since he doesn't think he's depressed and doesn't want to heal himself. He fell into alcoholism. It all started with a girl leaving him. He felt hopeless. It is a pity because he is an outstanding student of the Polytechnic.
3. What can lead a person to an unstable emotional state?
As I wrote earlier, it can lead to some unstable emotional state. Loss of a loved one or just when loved person fails us. Man has made some plans, and now he can't do it again. I think, the person with unstable emotional state associated with attachment and a lack of self-confidence.