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What's wrong with forming opinions from personal experience? That's called science. I've collected data and made valid inferences from it. Concepts like the mind, free will, etc., are far from being understood because the human brain is far more complex than any other physical system we know of; thus, there's even more room for me to base my opinions off personal experience.
About the statement I've bolded, Yes it would be safe to say that we do form opinions based on our personal experience, but this is indeed a flawed process. Ironically enough for IMO your stating of how complex the human mind is only proves how little credibility our opinions on depression really have. Now if a person has spent spent 10+ years of college and medical school studying human behavior, the human mind, neuroscience, reading countless text books, medical journals from more experienced professionals working in the field and other forms of research on top of using their own personal experiences in dealing with people who suffer from depression to form their opinion then yes that person's opinion has far more weight than someone who is speaking just from personal experience.
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I'm telling you, anyone can beat depression on their own. If you force yourself to change your behavior in the right way, your emotional state will change accordingly.
The irony of this statement is that the complexities of the mind may be the exact reason one can't simply get over depression on their own. How is the mind complex but an illness that effects the mind like depression can be solved without help simply through good ol' positive thinking?
Being depressed is not a lack of happiness, nor are anti-depressants "happy pills".
I used to feel the way you do, until major depression hit me. Its almost impossible to explain to those who haven't been there themselves, but it is a disorder tha cannot be cured, but can be treated.
Actually, more disorders than not have no cure. Is there a cure for arthritis, diabetes, cancer, MS, please....pick a disease for which there is an actual cure, as opposed to treatments which bring the condition under control. For those who insist its a lifestyle change, such as diet, exercise, etc, well.....then, if that brings the condition under control, is that a "cure?" What about if one goes off the lifestyle changes.....and the symptoms come back? Doesn't that suggest the condition was not cured, but rather suppressed by the lifestyle changes?
I'm out of this discussion. Over the 30+ years I've battled serious health conditions, I've found the most frustrating thing i've had to deal with is such attitudes, that somehow its all in my head, or under my control, I enjoy the attention I get from running to doctors, yadda, yadda.......people will think what they want, but its my body, my life, and I choose to correct such conditions as I can and not worry about pleasing others
What people don't understand, or don't want to understand, is that the stigma surrounding these illnesses keeps a lot of people from getting help or continuing treatment. One would think that being treated for a condition would be the responsible thing to do, but you just can't win for losing with these people.
Here is an interesting article about the types of stigma faced by people with mental illnesses:
Not only is there societal stigma to contend with, but also self-stigma, in which people internalize the prejudicial messages that they receive from society WRT mental illness. I've been affected by several suicides of people that weren't getting adequate treatment, or any at all.
If people truly want to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem, they can disabuse themselves of the misguided attitudes that you, I and millions of other people deal with every day. Instead, for some people, being part of the problem is "their" drug.
I have known several people over the years who claim they have a mental illness and take medication to treat their depression. Problem is, all of these people are still depressed and never seem to nail down that perfect drug or perfect combination of drugs to cure themselves or treat the illness to the point they can say they are less depressed. This is because there is no cure for a mythological illness, I think depression is simply a copout and making people into legal drug addicts on meds that can many times make matters worse up to and including suicide. Get clean, its not working. There isn't a cure because its a state of mind for those who believe a pill can make them cope with life, the answer is within and requires belief in oneself and the power of their minds.
I don't believe in the myth of depression, the biggest mental health problem of our time. The problem is a lack of initiative, looking for an easy way out and buying into the 'chemical imbalance' BS. I call BS.
Discuss...
I hate people who judge others as being lazy when depression is a very real issue.
You try living with it and see how you feel.
You think people who have depression want to live with it? Seriously?
Simple situational depression is normal as has been stated many times here.
And what determines if it's "simple"? How badly you're depressed? Is there a scale for how depressed people are? And who determines at what number on the scale it's "simple?
Depression is a very real and serious illness. Of course everyone gets depressed.....losing a loved one, going through a divorce, etc. This can be fixed with therapy and short term meds if needed. That's not the case for people who have a chemical imbalance. And we really don't know that much about how the brain works regarding depression. Where a med works for one person, it might not work for another. It's a long and painful process for some who desperately want relief.
Depression is a very real and serious illness. Of course everyone gets depressed.....losing a loved one, going through a divorce, etc. This can be fixed with therapy and short term meds if needed. That's not the case for people who have a chemical imbalance. And we really don't know that much about how the brain works regarding depression. Where a med works for one person, it might not work for another. It's a long and painful process for some who desperately want relief.
as my father used to say (about my mentally ill sister): it's an art, not a science at this point.
And what determines if it's "simple"? How badly you're depressed? Is there a scale for how depressed people are? And who determines at what number on the scale it's "simple?
Yes there is a scale by a questionnaire psychiatrists give. But there is no number involved. If you answered yes to the question if you tried to commit suicide, that would be a red flag.
I'm telling you, anyone can beat depression on their own. If you force yourself to change your behavior in the right way, your emotional state will change accordingly.
Really? You think so? Then, for the love of God, please help me beat my psychotic depression.
What about the narcolepsy and cataplexy that I now experience? You think I can fix that, too?
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