I love this. It is so true that people always assume you are lazy and just need to “snap out of it” but that is so not true.

Oh no! That webpage that contained all your Depression Buster galleries in one place is gone! I need it back

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I really needed a refresher on this tonight and appreciate that the article shines light on a subject that has been misunderstood for centuries and to the detriment of those of us who suffer from it.
This blog has been a huge help for me.
Thank you.

Thanks for posting such a great post, my depression did not consist of a sad mood, it was the gross irritablility, the feelings of guilt and worthlessness all day long, If I told people I was depressed they could not see it, based on a definition of being sad. I like that myth being debunked.

I am glad that you have chosen to discuss a few of these myths with your readers. All too often I see individuals who feel that depression is not as serious as it truly is, or who make assumptions because they don’t truly understand what its causes and effects are. As a mental health professional in Florida, I work to educate others on the fact that depression can be caused by a variety of factors, some of which are out of our control. I think that environmental stimuli can further aggravate what may already be lying under the surface for many of us, but stress or life issues are not the only causes of depression.
I hope that more individuals will start to take note of this fact and do what they can to raise their own awareness. Not to the level of self-diagnosing every similar symptom that one experiences but enough to know how to recognize certain signs, feelings and reactions in themselves and others around them. We cannot begin to really fight the epidemic of depression until more of our population is educated on its true causes, indicators and treatments.

Thank you for the post,
I suffer from sever depression and anxiety disorder, I have felt like a person looking thru a window on to my life with no hope of changing what I see. With this, my life has changed dramatically, I have a hard time doing things I get so tired I have to lay down and feel useless to my family, I have had thought’s of not wanting to be here anymore. Because of my body won’t let me take meds without a serve reaction, I can not get help this way,so I try with all my heart find something to put in another place and believe me this is no small job for me to complish in a every day problem. I find myself crying a good part of the day, but I keep trying to help myself.
So don’t give up no matter how bad you feel God’s there to help you even if you don’t feel like he is there.
Thank you again for letting the public know that this a real life problem that many people go thru.

really thankful for tha article i feel like sometimes i am at a point of no return these articles help me with my anxiety. my yelling is my biggest problem when i get anxious or nervous please help

Disabled and feeling like I don’t have a purpose!

It is great to see so many people discussing deppresion. I have severe depression and an anxiety disorder. I tried drugs and alcohol and that only added to my problems. So, after a long battle with recovery I have not had a drink or drug in almost 9yrs. What I still have though is the depression and anxiety.Many years ago, I actually convinced myself that my 2 beautiful children ages 2y and 1y.o would be better off without me and attempted suicide. Only by the grace of God and the closeness of the hospital was I unsuccessful. I have to remind myself everyday that the deppresion was able to manipulate my thinking that suicide was an answer. Well for me it is not, mainly because my 15y.o son and my 14y.o daughter didn’t ask to be Motherless.I Thank God for them in my life. They give me a reason to want to live. After trying lots of different medications, I found one that helps. I hope people keep, talking, blogging or even texting about depression so noone has to feel so alone.

Having had depression for over 25 years, I can readily agree with all the coments made. The first thing to do is call your local medical society for the names of exceptional psychologists in your area, make some calls and get an appointment with a few of them. After visiting them, make a choice as to which one you feel most comfortable with. Keep all your appointments. It’s not a one time thing! If medication is needed, take it! Some might be better than others, but you’ll be able to tell. Depression is a disease. You didn’t ask for it, it was a package deal that came with the body!!!What you need is professional help. It is nothing to be ashamed of.I had VNS surgery 4 years ago and it is my miracle.unexpected

I think the most difficult part of depression is that so many don’t understand what you’re going through. It’s easy to feel when you’re in the “dark hole” that it’s all your fault somehow and that only makes it worse. After 40 years I’ve come to believe that we have to cope with it on all fronts. Forty years ago they thought it was all in your head and psyche and now too many psychiatrists think it’s all in your body. I try to address every angle. I take good care of myself physically, exercise and eat well. I try vitamin/mineral supplements, sleep as well as I can. If medication truly helps you it can be a godsend, if not don’t continue to take one that doesn’t suit you or help, there are plenty of others that might. I have a spiritual hour in the morning when I pray, read, and meditate to get my head on straight. Good books, learning, stimulating new activities, socialization. It’s very hard for me to be social sometimes but I try to push out of my isolation zone. One day I thought about how life could’ve been if I hadn’t been so “fragile” and then realized if I’d truly been so delicate I would’ve died in my teens. No, we are courageous and strong people and even if I continue to struggle with depression for the rest of my life I intend to enjoy my life and make the best of it with gratitude anyway. It’s the only life I have and I thank God for everyday.

I’ve tried every med and having a very hard time with the CB therapy. What is the point of living, I REALLY don’t know. I can’t work, I can’t have a loving relationship, I don’t see the point when you have to struggle every day to try to be happy.

What’s so wrong with knowing that this world is shit? What is wrong with those moments of clarity that remind you that maybe it’s time to leave this place? What is wrong with taking control and doing it yourself?
No one EVER talks about that. Truth is, no one really even notices how you are or what you are. And even if they do notice, they don’t care!! People are busy living their own lives; they are too shallow and too myopic to give a damn about you. It’s the truth.
What’s most galling is when they have those suicide documentaries and all the family members are “angry” and crying. But where were they when their child or sibling was holed up and all alone? NOWHERE that’s where. Because of the aforementioned in paragraph two. Hypocrites.

your factors about deppresion is very reasonneble, mendico tretment and words of comfort are the best way to come out of it.
sometimes people do not accept this that bad things do occuer in good peoples life. as a resut of temtetion:
many enjoy the pan of their fellow, if nemensiss is what we wish our brothers and sisters in the time of their advasity will have a big question to ainwers Jesus.
what will the drug or alcohol abuse and suicide life end of our brothers and sisters brings to our lives, may God help us to saw with the eays of Christ and know that ones life is whath to God than his or her sin.
i will like to say take you for your time thank you for your books thank you for your blog: if peopel do not take notice of what you are doing your heavenly father sees it and you are going to be embrecey by him on that faithful day, just keep it on.

I become a little annoyed when so-called journalist publish ‘know all articles’ about serious adn persitent metnal illnesses.
What EXACTLY is the technical training and expereince of teh ‘would be jounalist’ in this area.
I ask because after 25 year of working with mentally ill clients in a number of venues:
(inpatient hospitals – 6 years, adult psychiatric day treatment programs – 3 years, residential programs for chronically mentally ill clients – 10 years, providing community based case management – 9 years and adolescent inpatient substance abuse treatment – 1 year)
I went back to school
& after 2 grueling years (the hardest in my life)
recieved a Master of Social Work(MSW),
which ONLY qualified me to START a 2+ years of supervised practice, prior to being licensed by exam .
Since completing my MSW I have completed more than a thousand Clinical (diagnositic) Assessments, Psychosocial Function Assessments & Treatment reviews & have evaluated more than 800 person who presented at teh hospital emergency room with suicidal ideation or psychotic symptoms (‘psychiatric safety to self & others’) .
My opinion and expereince is this:
NO ONE can tell you why people experience symptoms of severe depression.
Yes, there are studies that seem to ‘link it statistically’ to stage of life, role changes and to life stress.
Yes, there are studies that seem to ‘link it statistically ‘ to the ‘biologic birth lines’
There is some lines of speculation that it may be part of the evolutionary garbage carried forward from ‘cave man days’ (a damaged or tramatized indidivdual lapsing into a protracted low energy mode to outlast the current enviornmetnal stressor)
But people are not ‘staistics’
and teh suffereing adn pain they feel is REAL REAL REAL REAL INTENSE REAL REAL NONSTOP REALL REAL REAL REAL
For some untrained ,clearly un-educated MORON, to say that medication is not necessary — well, its like saying that anesthesia is not necessary when they are amputating a leg. It is true – you can just tie someone down to the table & cut – and we know historically that that is what was done prior to the use of ‘putting people under’, but in the current age of surgery : SUCH AN APPROACH IS STUPID BRUTAL, and UNNECESSARLY BARBARIC.
Telling people that medication is not necessary to releive the symptoms of depression is equally stupid, brutal and barbaric.
In my expereince , that one consistent reason that depressed adults try to commit suicide is that -
THEY STOP BELEIVING THAT THEIR LIFE WILL EVERY GET ANY BETTER: THAT THEY ARE CURSED TO SUFFER FOREVER AS THEY ARE CURRENTLY SUFFERING.
Meication is a tool – nothing more- and only one tool out of a toolbox that includes indivdual and group therapy, and other treaatmetn mechanisms.
It is a tool to relieve SUFFERING.
Your article states taht most depresson cycles ‘naturally’ – but what it does no address is that people who are suffering , seek naturally to end their suffering
- and search out any solution -
and in teh process can distroy their relationships with family, friends, employees, & (far to often)can find alcohol & substance addiction. dangerousfukimplies that momentary reprieve in alcohol and substance abuse; leading to addiction and antisocial behaviors.
PLEASE in the future – when writing about metnal health issues – get someone with some training and expereince to pen the article .
AND BY THE WAY ; contrary to the ‘TV talk show approach ‘ to these issues – having suffered with sytmpoms of major depression DOES NOT make you an expert – it only makes you an expert in what YOUR EXPERIENCE WAS.
Most people are motivated by ‘pretty much’ teh sam hierarchy of needs – from food. shelter/clothing, to work, to realtionships and (hopefully) to spiritual needs. But filling thes e needs is played out differently in every individual wiht no right or wrong (for example – I don’t like hot sauce, yet I now many you wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate barbueque ribs without it – am I wrong? no Are they wrong? no —-we’re just different
Iskandar Alexandar, MSW LCSW

Um, Iksander – did you actually read the article? Those bolded numbered items are the *myths* that are being debunked. And the debunking (in the original article that was being excerpted) cited research to back it up. And was scientifically reviewed and approved by a Ph.D. It seems like you are railing about the myths and ignoring the debunking. Personally, I’d like to see any statement of “myth” preceded by that word, e.g. “Myth 2. Depression is a natural part of aging.” That way, people who primarily skim (as many many people do, especially on the web!) won’t miss the point.

Can someone please tell me if Cognative Behavorial Therapy works. Therapists say it takes time and repetition, over and over again replacing negative with positive thoughts. It seems like when I hear it “takes time” either I am doing something wrong or it gives the therapist an excuse as to why you won’t be better for a long time.
How do I know I’m using good enough positive thoughts, How do I know I’m doing it every time. If I don’t feel better, how do I know its working?

Hi,
I just have this lil advice for all those with depression!
If you’re currently feeling so out of it, totally out of your normal system and just basically hating and ignoring almost, always everything and anyone that comes along, try to get yourself checked by a psychiatrist because you those little mood swings and erratic Ally McBeal-ish behavior that you’re trying to ignore for some long may actually be symptoms of depression. Act fast because if you do, it’ll certainly be a lot harder for you to be able to have yourself cured from this illness, especially once self-delusion starts to kick in.