Diagnosed...

[idNut]

I'm a lot like dparker but I'm still a very corrupted person. I don't know. I just really want to be left alone with my music, books and computer to dwell in nothing. I don't think you guys could understand what I'm going through with just this measly forum post.

 

[PistachioByAzul]

Sorry, wrong. Chemical imbalance is what they say. You must realize the exten to which doctors are sponsored by pharmaceuticals. Your friend is supposed to think he has an imbalance, hence needing psychoactive medication.

 

[idNut]

I don't believe in chemical imbalances nor do I believe in medication. I think it has to deal with God and a chemical imbalance is the "rational" explanation.

 

[PistachioByAzul]

Inside the happiness business

there is a mismatch between what people need (as social animals) and what they are receiving (from contemporary society). Rising levels of malaise, angst, and despair are the result...the evolution of culture in modern times has created a human ecological space that differs radically from the one in which humans evolved. When this difference becomes too great, as it has in advanced society today, psychological dysfunction and despair increase...the problem is that too little of our 'social' contact is social in the natural, intimate sense of the word.

 

[Lvis]

What viper said... Find another dr.

 

[AShadeOfClear]

I have severe depression as well and I don't notice an effect with any of the drugs. My doctor has admitted that they can't do much.

I do agree somewhat with what EngineNr9 is saying. I feel as society has conditioned me to pursue the wrong things (money, success, egoistic and materialistic goals) to believe they will bring me happiness at some future point when that couldnt' be farther from the truth.

 

[Moonbeam]

idNut, could you please elaborate on this:

I don't believe in chemical imbalances nor do I believe in medication. I think it has to deal with God and a chemical imbalance is the "rational" explanation.

Also, if I may ask, what does your handle mean.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Yeah, I agree. Modern society has become increasingly fake. [Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" starts to play]. That is where alot of my down feeling comes from. I see 40 yr olds dressed up like their 16 and talking on cell phones walking to their SUV's, always making stupid fake laughs and saying "Hey girl!" to all of the other sad 40 yr old women that she hangs out with at PTO meetings. This is not the bulk of it in the least, but it does give an example of repetitive and sad society has become. This is how I see things, although many will disagree. Everything seems to be falling apart, and I'm just along for the ride. I've taken an I don't really give a sh!t attitude about most things, and I just do my own thing. I guess I have been integrated, I am also a fake plastic tree.

 

[tcsenter]

Sorry, wrong. Chemical imbalance is what they say. You must realize the exten to which doctors are sponsored by pharmaceuticals. Your friend is supposed to think he has an imbalance, hence needing psychoactive medication.

I suppose other neurological imbalances such as schizophrenia and narcolepsy are also invented by the drug companies, eh? If you don't understand neurobiology and its associated pathology, that's one thing, lot's of people don't. But to attempt to explain something you don't understand in the presence of deliberate ignorance is quite another and is quite frankly despicable.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

Sorry, wrong. Chemical imbalance is what they say. You must realize the exten to which doctors are sponsored by pharmaceuticals. Your friend is supposed to think he has an imbalance, hence needing psychoactive medication.

I suppose other neurological imbalances such as schizophrenia and narcolepsy are also invented by the drug companies, eh? If you don't understand neurobiology and its associated pathology, that's one thing, lot's of people don't. But to attempt to explain something you don't understand in the presence of deliberate ignorance is quite another and is quite frankly despicable.

The problem is that the expression "chemical imbalance" is bandied around so much that you'd think everyone and their dog needs to be on strong medication just to be able to be alive. It's a wonder that the human race got this far without dying off from mass suicide brought about by worldwide depression.

Here's a thought: Instead of saying "I've been diagnosed with severe depression, the medication my doctor has prescribed doesn't work, and the psychiatrist I'm seeing doesn't do crap for me.." Try saying "I'm pretty depressed, so what am I missing in my life? Am I not eating right or getting enough exercise? Am I having relationship problems or issues with friends or family that I need to work on? Do I need to set goals for my life?"

 

[T2T III]

Yeah, I agree. Modern society has become increasingly fake. [Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" starts to play]. That is where alot of my down feeling comes from. I see 40 yr olds dressed up like their 16 and talking on cell phones walking to their SUV's, always making stupid fake laughs and saying "Hey girl!" to all of the other sad 40 yr old women that she hangs out with at PTO meetings. This is not the bulk of it in the least, but it does give an example of repetitive and sad society has become. This is how I see things, although many will disagree. Everything seems to be falling apart, and I'm just along for the ride. I've taken an I don't really give a sh!t attitude about most things, and I just do my own thing. I guess I have been integrated, I am also a fake plastic tree.

I couldn't agree with you more. However, I have tried to remain my own person. At times, I have been influenced by all of the material crap, but it all just comes back to simple things. If I were to pick 10 things that I coundn't live without, each of them would have a value no higher than $100 and the most epxensive item would be my portable CD player with some meditation CDs. However, you have to work at life to find the right level of "contentness." I've been in my home for 10.5 years now and am very comfortable. My wife and I avoided many opportunities to move to bigger houses just to "keep up with the Joneses'" and have a mortgage of 2.5 times more than we have now.

To answer the question for idNut, I think you can work. Find something that pleases you and does not cause that unnecessary level of stress. Keep working on finding what type of work you're comfortable with. Every area of work doesn't cause stress. I do wish you luck in fighting off the severe depression. Have you ever considered ECT or "electrical shock" treatments in an attempt to lessen the depression?

 

[Mrburns2007]

They've been studing Depression for years and have made some pretty good progress. People do have chemical imbalances and there are severe illnesses that affect the brain. If you don't believe it go to any psych ward and ask for a tour.

Medication is a hit or miss thing, prozac can work great for some people while doing nothing for others. Medication can take 8 to 12 weeks to begin working. If one medication doesn't work then try another. It's a catch 22 to tell a person with Depression to be persisent about there own treatment, since depression leaves you with little interest in anything.

 

[Mrburns2007]

Originally posted by: EngineNr9
Depression is a lie, the people who came up with it are too feeble to understand that what they call "depression" and treat like some kind of biological defect, is really a symptom of how toxic our consumer culture has become. Money, stuff, they provide false security, momentarily filling the void that gets bigger and bigger the more detached from nature we become. Simplify, spend more time doing things outside. Kill your TV. If you can, kill your computer.

I'm glad you have an opinion but geez do some reading. Depression is widespread, it can also be genetic there are tons of people who swear by there prozac or other medication that saved there life. Mike Wallace of 60 minutes wrote a book about it maybe you should pick it up.

 

[Mrburns2007]

9 classic symptoms of depression

 

[tcsenter]

The problem is that the expression "chemical imbalance" is bandied around so much that you'd think everyone and their dog needs to be on strong medication just to be able to be alive. It's a wonder that the human race got this far without dying off from mass suicide brought about by worldwide depression.

I don't think there can be any question that pharmaceutical companies are guilty of "pushing" for wider use of their medications to encompass a broader range of symptoms and maladies than the particular groups on which their medications were originally tested/developed for therapeutic efficacy and approved for use.

But to go radically further and deny the disorder ever existed in the first place and to imply it was merely the 'invention' of the pharmaceutical industry is not only raw stupidity, it can contribute to a dangerous climate of ignorance where a person who needs help will not seek it because the 'conventional wisdom' they've been exposed to is that these disorders are not "real", they are nothing more than a fancy name for one's personal failings and character flaws.

I suffered with narcolepsy for some 10 years, believing I was at fault because I couldn't stay awake in the daytime, sleep at night, wake up in the morning, and was fatigued all the time. Thanks to idiots like EngineNr9, I bought-in to the belief that disorders such as "chronic fatigue syndrome" was just a medical name for someone who was lazy or maladjusted. That if you couldn't stay awake or were always tired, it was some how your own doing, that you could control it, but chose not to because of some character flaw or life-style choice.

So I spent years in a viscous cycle of futility, trying to 'heal' myself, thinking that if I just tried a little harder I could get a handle on it, after all, this was a personality flaw not a medical condition. It cost me two car accidents from falling asleep at the wheel, dozens upon dozens of near accidents, two jobs, some major debt I'll never recovery from unless I file for bankruptcy, not to speak of social problems which resulted from the inability to stay awake long enough to relate to anyone. Its nice when you nod off on your girlfriend as you're having sex, that makes her feel VERY special.

It's nothing short of a miracle I didn't kill anyone or myself in the two car accidents and the numerous near-accidents I had. Waking up in the opposing lane of traffic was a weekly occurance for many months. I often resorted to pain as a means to keep myself awake, use your imagination. It didn't last long, but it usually lasted long enough to keep me awake the extra 5 or 10 minutes that I needed to get home.

Narcolepsy is caused by the oft-maligned "chemical imbalance". A deficit, in fact, of a group of neuropeptides (neurotransmitters) called hypocretins or orexins that are directly implicated in sleep and wakefulness, among other functions associated with the hypothalamus. But, EngineNr9 would probably say I'm just bored or lazy and need to join the military for some discipline, that will magically reverse the damaged area of the hypothalamus responsible for producing the hypocretins.

If anyone bothered to read the alleged 'support' for EngineNr9's assertions that depression is a pharmaceutical industry 'lie', a New York Metro article entitled 'Inside the Happy Business', not one statement appears within that article that can be construed as support for his argument. At no point does the article or anyone quoted within it challenge the validity of severe depression nor the need for neurobio drugs to treat it.

Further, the pharmaceutical industry is not solely responsible for the gradual loosening of diagnosing and prescribing standards. Physicians want to help their patients. What do you think a physician is going to do when he has a patient who is clearly at the end of his/her rope and needs help but doesn't precisely fall within the most rigid and conservative definitions and guidelines for clinical intervention, say "Sorry chum, but I can't help you...have a nice day"?

 

[Kadarin]

tcsenter: While I believe there are legitimate cases of depression which should be treated with the appropriate regimen, which includes the use of some pharmeceuticals, I also believe there's a considerable overuse of the same. Part of it is due to the direct marketing of these drugs to the public (who subsequently demand prescriptions from their doctors), and part of it is due to the concept of convenience. It's far easier to take a pill when you're unhappy than it is to evaluate your life and ferret out and fix the true causes for your unhappiness.

Some of it also can be due to physicians who are perhaps too quick to prescribe these drugs, be it for incentives from the drug manufacturers, or from unhappy patients who insist upon them (same as the antibiotic overuse phenomenon). It's a lot easier for a doctor/psychiatrist to prescribe the drug and be done with it, than it is for him or her to get down to business and work to solve the patient's real or imagined problems.

Sure, medical problems do exist, but those problems can't possibly be so widespread that they affect a significant proportion of our population.

 

[stormbv]

Originally posted by: EngineNr9
Sorry, wrong. Chemical imbalance is what they say. You must realize the exten to which doctors are sponsored by pharmaceuticals. Your friend is supposed to think he has an imbalance, hence needing psychoactive medication.

Those dirty pharmaceutical companies...so THEY must be the reason I'm obsessive compulsive!

 

[Azraele]

idNut, it's going to rough for a little bit, but hang in there. Ask your counselor what he/she recommends. There are other medicines out there to combat depression that you haven't tried, ask about them. Try regular exercise and balanced meals, they should help since exercise releases endorphins (make you feel good) and balanced meals keep you healthy.

You could also try writing out your thoughts and feelings and take a problem solving approach when you run into a snag.

And if you ever want to talk, just shoot me a pm or an e-mail.


And don't listen to AmazonRasta.

Illegal drugs aren't the answer.

 

[LordMaul]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam

Also, if I may ask, what does your handle mean.

Well, King-of-Lousy-Punctuation, he likes id software. IE, why I told him to go play some Quake...

 

[shiner]

Sorry, wrong. Chemical imbalance is what they say. You must realize the exten to which doctors are sponsored by pharmaceuticals. Your friend is supposed to think he has an imbalance, hence needing psychoactive medication.

Mmmmm no......she has a chemical imbalance but does not control it by drugs. Her older sister is a doctor and told her to forgo the regular drugs that are commonly prescribed and try some herbal remedies. Can't think of what she takes but it works So thanks for playing, come again when you are a little better informed.

 

[PistachioByAzul]

Better informed....sure. What defines the lack of balance? What is this measured on? What is normal? Realize that every thought is a chemical exchange in your brain. Imbalanced? It's lifestyles that are imbalanced, eating habits. Our landscape and mental enviroments are imbalanced. But it is easier to believe that there's something pathologically wrong with you, then it's out of your hands.

tscenter, stop putting words in my mouth. Narcolepsy is not an emotional condition.

 

[Mrburns2007]

Originally posted by: EngineNr9
Better informed....sure. What defines the lack of balance? What is this measured on? What is normal? Realize that every thought is a chemical exchange in your brain. Imbalanced? It's lifestyles that are imbalanced, eating habits. Our landscape and mental enviroments are imbalanced. But it is easier to believe that there's something pathologically wrong with you, then it's out of your hands.

tscenter, stop putting words in my mouth. Narcolepsy is not an emotional condition.

You realize that they have found the gene for Bipolar Illness and that depression has some pretty sophisticated test. They have a new hair test which help diagnois clinical depression. I'm sorry but you don't seem to understand the illness at all.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

I was depressed when I was your age (I am 36 now), but didnt' figure it out until I was about 22. At that point I had to see a psychologist for about 1.5 years just to get to the point where I could actually figure out what I was feeling. That was most of the battle for me. I had blocked out all my negative emotions (and most of the feelings I had were negative) for so long it was really hard for me to stop doing that.

Anyways, hang in there. Things will get better, even if they seem to get worse sometimes. Keep talking to your therapist.

As far as a job goes, see if you can find one that isn't stressful.

Also, my advice is to exercise, and eat rigth. Also reconsider the meds thing....from my personal experience it was very helpful.

pm if you have any other questions.

 

[idNut]

A lot of nice feedback, I appreciate it. My depression has a lot of elements to it ranging from sensitivity to fear to girls and failure. There has been a girl that I've been interested in for about 5 years now back in my life in which I just find absolutely gorgeous and being my cruel self, I can't accept the fact that I just can never have something so beautiful. We used to talk for a little until last year when her beauty just got to me so bad that I had to tell her I just couldn't talk to her anymore. I was slipping into the real depths of depression when I talked to her and now it's coming back now that I'm back in slavery (HS). She's in two classes with me that I have mixed feelings about. A little story beyond this girl would be she was quite normal to me (but still beautiful) up to about 7th grade when her mother died of cancer. As she progressed I believe she needed some release so she entered the happy realm of sex, drugs, and rock n roll. I'm now in 11th grade and she is more than likely still into those habits but not as bad, hopefully. I don't even want to know how many guys banged her because that would truly shred my sanity but this girl is popular and very social. Whereas I'm completely opposite: dark, quiet, kept to myself and under my own, strict moral limits. I believe in self-control and self-discipline FYI.

Overall I think she contributes to about 25 to 50% of my depression. I don't know, I feel like a loser when I think of me and her. I just may never get over her beauty. I probably sound like I'm just in love with her body which I'm not. She has a nice laugh and is enjoyable to talk to but something completely out of range for me. Any girl seems to be for me. Even though I'm the good-hearted guy (spare the depressed thoughts) that has good motives and not a heart full of deceit and evil. Sorry for rambling but she's all that's been through my head lately, I've always really liked this girl and always really cared about her.

 

[Kyle]

Just checking- were you smoking weed while on the medications? I have heard that that will completly cancell the effects of most anti-depressents, so if you were smoking while on the pills, you might want to try them w/out the pot.

I can relate to where your coming from and anyone who thinks its behavioral and not chemical does not understand how I feel most of the time. I dont suffer from depression per say, but a similar mental problem.