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Is Depression Selfish?

nota bene said:
Self-pity can be very selfish. Clinical depression, which can be experienced even after a heart event (which can cause chemical changes to the brain), is very different.

But I don't want to practice psychology or psychiatry without a license.
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Depression isn't self pity although I can see how people who have never been there may assume that it is self pity.
 
Having had depression, no, it isn't selfish.

You spend every day wishing you didn't constantly feel like you've got a rain cloud over your head, wishing you didn't constantly second guess and dismiss yourself, wishing that your family were free of your worthlessness. It's a disease. You have to treat it.
 
imagep said:
Depression isn't self pity although I can see how people who have never been there may assume that it is self pity.
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I can too. And I agree that it is a disease that must be treated.
 
imagep said:
Depression isn't self pity although I can see how people who have never been there may assume that it is self pity.
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Meh, I was there and I think that self-pity is an aspect of it.
 
Imo, in alot of cases it is selfish, but not in the conventional way we think of selfishness. It's a self-focus, but it's a living hell when it's a serious case of depression, rather than what some people think of as depression (the blues). Clinical depression is hell on earth, having spent 12 years of my life in and out of it. The world becomes very small and scary, and you feel trapped, because you can remember when life wasn't that way, but you have no idea how it happened, and how to get out of it. Before I experienced it, I had no idea what it was, and I was likely to just laugh or blow it off. Fortunately, I was able to resolve the issues, and it took years of self-reflection, learning, and understanding. It was an extremely tough battle for me, but it was so worth the experience. :) I no longer fear it, so it no longer looms as a scary place.
 
I don't mean to sound like a jackass that says "shake it off". I know that's not possible. But compared to other mental illnesses, I think depression draws you into your own head, your own reality, where you star in every bad thing that every happened around you.
 
ThePlayDrive said:
Meh, I was there and I think that self-pity is an aspect of it.
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True clinical depression is a brain chemistry problem. I suppose some people are fortunate enough to be able to reboot somehow; but, for most people, clinical depression is a serious illness unlikely to go away without treatment. Self-pity would seem to imply that one has some control over it. Clinically depressed people have no control over their disease.
 
MaggieD said:
True clinical depression is a brain chemistry problem. I suppose some people are fortunate enough to be able to reboot somehow; but, for most people, clinical depression is a serious illness unlikely to go away without treatment. Self-pity would seem to imply that one has some control over it. Clinically depressed people have no control over their disease.
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They can, it's just that most of them either don't know how, or they would rather stay in their hell. Sounds silly, but it's true in some cases.
 
Pinkie said:
I don't mean to sound like a jackass that says "shake it off". I know that's not possible. But compared to other mental illnesses, I think depression draws you into your own head, your own reality, where you star in every bad thing that every happened around you.
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In my experiences, MOST mental illnesses draw you into your own head. :mrgreen:
 
lizzie said:
They can, it's just that most of them either don't know how, or they would rather stay in their hell. Sounds silly, but it's true in some cases.
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I'd think it would depend on the severity...like, there's "baby blues" and then there's "Post-partum Depression" and then there's "I'm-so-sorry-I killed-my-baby Depression.

Personally, I think we do a serious disservice to people who are severely clinically depressed by saying that they can, in essence, shake it off.
 
lizzie said:
They can, it's just that most of them either don't know how, or they would rather stay in their hell. Sounds silly, but it's true in some cases.
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Okay my case.

I walk into the county hospital with pitting edema. Within an hour I'm welcomed to the cardiac unit being questioned if I use crack or not. Also I'm being told a heart transplant is in my future.

Right there is that enough to put some one over the edge?

In the mean time. The girl I thought I loved left because the treatment left me impotent and the money. There went my family.

Is that enough?
 
lizzie said:
In my experiences, MOST mental illnesses draw you into your own head. :mrgreen:
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Really? Not schizophrenia...that seems to alter your perception of reality. Cataonia, mebbe. I can't name too many more.
 
MaggieD said:
I'd think it would depend on the severity...like, there's "baby blues" and then there's "Post-partum Depression" and then there's "I'm-so-sorry-I killed-my-baby Depression.

Personally, I think we do a serious disservice to people who are severely clinically depressed by saying that they can, in essence, shake it off.
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I would tend to agreee, except that my personal philosophy says that they owe it to themselves to try and resolve their issues. You can't just "shake it off", but you can, with dedicated dilligence, learn new life skills and change your attitude. It's not easy by a long shot.
 
Pinkie said:
Really? Not schizophrenia...that seems to alter your perception of reality. Cataonia, mebbe. I can't name too many more.
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I've never seen anymore more "in their own head" than a schizophrenic. :)
 
lizzie said:
I've never seen anymore more "in their own head" than a schizophrenic. :)
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Do you know, after death, microscopic changes to the brains of schizophrenics can be seen? If you perceive red as blue, etc., then you react as if it were. These poor people are (currently) beyond help.....they break my heart.
 
lizzie said:
I would tend to agreee, except that my personal philosophy says that they owe it to themselves to try and resolve their issues. You can't just "shake it off", but you can, with dedicated dilligence, learn new life skills and change your attitude. It's not easy by a long shot.
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Some can, some can't. I think we confuse grief and other sad life situations -- which must be processed -- with depression.

But if it really is depression, I'd agree. Some effort should be made to change that infernal internal tape.
 
Krhazy said:
It probably depends on what the person is depressed about. Not getting a pony...that's selfish. Not having a father that acknowledges your existence...not selfish.
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Sometimes you can be depressed for NO reason. I suffer clinical depression and trust me there is not always one or more things. You are just depressed. Period.
 
MaggieD said:
I'd think it would depend on the severity...like, there's "baby blues" and then there's "Post-partum Depression" and then there's "I'm-so-sorry-I killed-my-baby Depression.

Personally, I think we do a serious disservice to people who are severely clinically depressed by saying that they can, in essence, shake it off.
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I never meant to imply they can shake it off. And I think baby killers are psychotic, not depressed.
 
Kali said:
Sometimes you can be depressed for NO reason. I suffer clinical depression and trust me there is not always one or more things. You are just depressed. Period.
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And you deserve so much better. Do you accept that?
 
Depression isn't always controllable with personality or medicine.
 
Pinkie said:
Do you know, after death, microscopic changes to the brains of schizophrenics can be seen? If you perceive red as blue, etc., then you react as if it were. These poor people are (currently) beyond help.....they break my heart.
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Well, in reality, we all are living in the reality that we perceive. That of a schizophrenic just happens to be the minority perception. Schizophrenics can occasionally live productive lives, and can be happy- I've known of couple who amazed me. You just have to make some adjustments in dealing with them.

Think of it this way. The reason we think the sky is blue is because we've been told that it is blue. We look at the sky, and as far as we know, we see the same blue that eveyone else sees. The schizophrenic sees red instead. Does this mean that the sky is red, or that it's blue? It just depends on the majority opinion. ;)
 
grip said:
Depression isn't always controllable with personality or medicine.
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I used to believe that. And maybe it's true. Fortunately, I found a way to deal with it that worked for me, and it didn't include medications.
 
German guy said:
I believe in cases of clinical depression, it's an organic illness caused by chemical imbalance in the brain. Recent studies even found a relation in brain malfunction related to schizophrenia. Calling them "selfish" is a massive kick into the face of the people struck with such a horrible illness. Or would you call a sprinter "selfish" when he can't perform a run because of a broken bone?

It's a "hardware" problem, not a "software" problem.
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This is right and why I will be on meds the rest of my life. I have a chemical imbalance. Of course I have other problems too but for anyone to suggest that someone with a chemical imbalance is selfish really pisses me off. Here in this day and age you would think folks would have came a little bit more advanced than thinking it is it all in someones head or they are just making it up for personal gain:(
 
lizzie said:
I used to believe that. And maybe it's true. Fortunately, I found a way to deal with it that worked for me, and it didn't include medications.
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Yep, I've had some issues and dealt with them but my poor sister is bat's ass. I love her but nothing seems to help much.
My mom thinks she's selfish but I don't think she has much control.
 
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Pinkie said:
I never meant to imply they can shake it off. And I think baby killers are psychotic, not depressed.
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Postpartum mood disorders are more common than we realize: Up to 80 percent of new mothers experience mild depression within a year of giving birth. If the "baby blues" persist, depression can escalate to dangerous levels, influencing some women to experience psychosis and—in rare and tragic cases—to kill their offspring.
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Moms Who Kill | Psychology Today

Maybe we're talking about two different things, really. I'm speaking of major depression...not the blues.
 
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