Thread: Is Depression a real illness?

As the title says: Is Depression a real illness?

I have depression. I'm not always depressed but when I am, I find it hard to do anything, let alone get out of bed. Some of my friends are understanding but others think I should 'man up' or get on with things and stop wallowing in what they call 'self pity'.

The thing is that I have had councilling, tried cognative therapy and am also on anti-depressants (after trying a whole range of them to find one that doesn't make me feel totally suicidal) but still I find that the depression still occurs whenever it wants to and no amount of monitoring my moods can signal to me when it will occur.

This illness (as I am someone who does consider it to be an illness) stops me being able to hold down jobs for more than 6 months and it is hard to explain to an employer that the reason I need time off work is due to depression. A lot of previous employers have thought I have been taking the mick.

I just wondered what other people's thoughts are on the matter if anyone wants to reply?

It's a subject which should get a lot more airtime than it does. The scary thing is that it can affect anyone at any time. You don't have to suffer from depression to feel depressed, but I believe there's a stigma attached which shouldn't be. The whole theory of 'manning up' is quite preposterous, also. I have a good friend who suffers from a very severe case of depression, and I know his father once told him that he should 'man up' and get on with it. The son replied, "Imagine your worst day ever, Dad. That's a good day for me".

He's told me on many occasions that he wakes up in the morning and feels so completely down that he cannot stomach the thought of getting up. Some days he sleeps for twenty hours because his depression is that severe. It's a quite horrible condition and I empathise with anyone who has to deal with it on a daily basis. I've been depressed on a few occasions, and I would not like to live with that feeling 24/7.

I think people who say it isn't an illness have no concept of what it's like. Is it in the mind? Of course it's in the mind. The brain controls every mood, function, and process of the human body. So saying it's all in your head is actually a truism. That doesn't make it fake.

Yes - End of conversation.

Originally Posted by Sam W

I think people who say it isn't an illness have no concept of what it's like.

All there is to say, really. I think some of the more ignorant views of depression are that it's a phase, something like an upset stomach, that'll pass on its own if given enough time. Often, it's much more serious than that.

The medical community already treats depression as a real illness, and treats it accordingly. So I'm not sure there's much to debate on the issue.

Let's see if I can remember what I learned from my Psych courses ... I think the reason some people dismiss depression is because they misunderstand the causes.

Sometimes, yes, it is accurate to say, "Man up!" when the depression is a result of the individual's thought-process.

For example, "Oh, woe is me! My job interview went terribly! And I burned my dinner last night! I'm just so worthless!" Here you have a person who's depression is a result of negative thinking, and I wouldn't consider their depression clinical or in the category of an illness.

However, you also have individuals who feel depressed for no obvious reason. Their depression is a result of either:

1) Unresolved psychological issues

or

2) A chemical imbalance in the brain, due to (either, or a combination of):

a) Genetic or hereditary condition
b) Environmental factors
c) Past brain trauma
d) Diet and health
e) Unknown factors

For number 1 (unresolved psychological issues), it's unfortunate that many psychiatrists simply turn to drugs to treat the symptoms, but not the cause. One could argue, though, that this is in the interest of self-preservation (If you fix the patient, he no longer needs to see you, and that equates to less money for you! So don't fix the patient, string him along!). Of course, not all psychiatrists are like that, some genuinely want to help, and consider treating the symptoms a necessary step in the longer process of exploring the deeper issues.

For a chemical imbalance, medication is almost always necessary to improve the mood of the patient.

This is because happiness itself is a chemical reaction in the brain. It's not something you can "will" to happen, it requires specific ingredients, namely neurotransmitters such as Serotonin and Dopamine.

If the brain is not producing appropriate levels of these neurotransmitters, or the brain is not utilizing them in the same way a "normal" individual's brain does, then the person's mood will be affected. "Pep talks" will fall on deaf ears, because the individual of course wants to be happy, he or she simply can't, because the brain isn't allowing him or her to feel so.

Sometimes the individual can benefit from Reuptake Inhibitors, which target specific neurotransmitters to give them, essentially, a high concentration and longer "shelf life" in the brain so that their benefits can be felt by the individual, especially those who suffer from decreased Serotonin, Dopamine, or Norepinephrine levels.

Personally, I believe sleep, hydration, diet, and regular exercise also play very important roles. It can be a Catch-22, in which a depressed individual may neglect one or all of these factors due to a lack of desire to partake in anything, as when one is depressed all motivation can be drained away. But improving the quality of all of those factors will undoubtedly have a positive effect. It may not "fix" the problem, but it can help.

In any case, though, I believe depression is certainly a serious issue, and definately not something that can always be dismissed with just a "pep talk".

Yes, it's a real illness. I've had it for decades; sometimes it's manageable, sometimes it's not. I've been the full route as well - counseling, meds (none of which worked for me), hospitalization.

One of the biggest problems with having people treat it as a real illness is that, of late, it's become "fashionable" for celebs. They use it as an excuse for their behavior, and most people can see through that. Not saying, of course, that *all* celebs are just using it, but too many feel down, get drunk or use drugs to feel up, and then do things they shouldn't. "Oh, but judge, I suffer from depression!".

He's told me on many occasions that he wakes up in the morning and feels so completely down that he cannot stomach the thought of getting up. Some days he sleeps for twenty hours because his depression is that severe.

Sam - This has pretty much been my life for the last 2 months. It is horrible and the only thing keeping me going is the SSRI's and knowing that my mood has changed to being better in the past.

John -

The medical community already treats depression as a real illness, and treats it accordingly. So I'm not sure there's much to debate on the issue.

This is meant to be the case but the majority of doctors I have seen over the years have refused to accept that I have depression and have associated my mood with all matter of different issues (which they are half right about but would be easier to deal with if I didn't have an underlying problem with depression). I have had doctors say to me that they do not consider depression to be an illness and statistics in the UK show that a lot of doctors also think like this.

One of the biggest problems with having people treat it as a real illness is that, of late, it's become "fashionable" for celebs. They use it as an excuse for their behavior, and most people can see through that. Not saying, of course, that *all* celebs are just using it, but too many feel down, get drunk or use drugs to feel up, and then do things they shouldn't. "Oh, but judge, I suffer from depression!".

Don't be so quick to dismiss celebraties using depression as an excuse for drug abuse. When I first started getting symptoms of depression at 16/17 I went to my doctor who told me nothing was wrong with me and I should move back in with my parents (which wasn't an option as I had been kicked out). I then went to live in a shared house and my landlord pointed out that I showed all signs of someone suffering depression. I tried several different anti-depressents and none of them worked so I chose to self-medicate with various illicit drugs until I eventually ended up with a herion habit which I am now over (but the depression remains and is probably worse than when started).

I wonder if the issue of depression was more discussed and tolerated I would have ended up going down certain paths in my life. So many people have said the 'man up' or 'stop wallowing' or 'I can deal with that so there's no reason you can't' type things to me that it would make the depression worse and I would turn to self-medication.

I'm on citralepam at the moment which is the only one that has ever slightly worked and now I have to come off it because it is affecting my menstrul cycle. I am worried about going back to how I was and having to possibly go through 2 months of starting something else.

I just feel that if it was taken seriously then sufferers wouldn't be in a constant loop of being treated by guinnea pigs (I also realise that many people fake depression symptons to doctors which doesn't help in any way at all).

It's also good to hear you all say it's a real illness as some of my friends don't even think it is.

Originally Posted by Amber Leaf

Don't be so quick to dismiss celebraties using depression as an excuse for drug abuse.

I did state that not all celebs do this. I'm well aware that people will self-medicate, as I did. However, there are more than enough celebs who think they can claim depression as an excuse for not knowing how to grow up.

I suppose that is true but I do still feel there is something wrong with them in the first place for needing the attention that stops them wanting to grow up.

Originally Posted by Bloggsworth

Yes - End of conversation.

Not necessarily.

Kyle makes a good post, and I won't repeat what he wrote.
There's something else I'll add though. What most people call depression isn't. True depression isn't longterm or regular sadness, it's a complete void.

I answered the question. Is it a real illness, yes it is. To then go on and discuss it is pointless, you will either be preaching to the converted or banging your head against a brick wall.

Originally Posted by Amber Leaf

As the title says: Is Depression a real illness?

I have depression. I'm not always depressed but when I am, I find it hard to do anything, let alone get out of bed. Some of my friends are understanding but others think I should 'man up' or get on with things and stop wallowing in what they call 'self pity'.

The thing is that I have had councilling, tried cognative therapy and am also on anti-depressants (after trying a whole range of them to find one that doesn't make me feel totally suicidal) but still I find that the depression still occurs whenever it wants to and no amount of monitoring my moods can signal to me when it will occur.

This illness (as I am someone who does consider it to be an illness) stops me being able to hold down jobs for more than 6 months and it is hard to explain to an employer that the reason I need time off work is due to depression. A lot of previous employers have thought I have been taking the mick.

I just wondered what other people's thoughts are on the matter if anyone wants to reply?

Depressed from childhood, up until age twenty or so. It's possible that I'm still depressed, though have created a series of well-executed 'distractions' to avoid realising it.

Never had counselling, never tried anti-depressants (worsening the problem in my opinion) and have never spoken openly about it except to a close friend (who is currently depressed).

I could talk for hours on the subject, though I'll save people the time and only do so if requested.

Philistine - I'm at the stage now where I'm stoping Citralopam and I don't really want to ever use anti-depressants again because they make me feel emotionaly retarded.

Could you give me any advice as to things you have found that help cope with/reduce the problem please?

Originally Posted by Rustgold

There's something else I'll add though. What most people call depression isn't. True depression isn't longterm or regular sadness, it's a complete void.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying here. It can definitely be long term, and dysthymia is a 'low level' type of depression (ie, constant sadness). ??