How many of you have experienced depression in your life?

I think arguing over who's *really* depressed (like it's some sort of privilege) entirely misses the point.

All teenagers go through hormonal changes, and those hormonal changes often cause mood swings. If those mood swings feel out of control, it's time to talk to someone you trust and, perhaps, to a doctor. Who cares whether you technically fall into the "clinically depressed" category--the important thing is whether you feel you need some help to weather the storm.

Am I surprised that so many people report problems with depression? No. Depression has a strong genetic component, and things that are genetic in nature tend to increase over time (unless, of course, it's a genetic problem that precludes reproduction).

Depression also can be related to traumatic events. Not only do we experience trauma (death of loved ones, divorce, job loss) in our personal lives, we're bombarded with horrible images on television.

No one who says she is so sad she wants to die (and yes, more women suffer from depression than men) should be told that she "isn't really depressed" and that she should just get over it like "normal" people. Someone who feels that miserable, even temporarily, should get some professional help. Maybe it is something that you can talk over and then feel better. Maybe it's something more.

And am I surprised that 32 people (at last count) out of all of the people who visit PT report some experience with depression? Of course not. For one thing, that doesn't mean that a majority of people at PT are depressed. It means a majority of people who have looked at this thread (which means they have some interest in the topic of depression) and who have chosen to respond to the poll report that they are or have been depressed. Viewed in that light, it's a pretty low number.

I, for one, would much rather that more people who suffer prolonged periods of sadness and feelings of worthlessness ask themselves (and their doctors) whether they may be suffering from depression. I'd rather more people get symptoms of depression checked out just as they'd go to the doctor with a high fever. Only when people start to think of depression the way they'd think of another illness will the stigma and the inequitable treatment (by insurance companies and others) finally go away.

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Originally posted by popcornbird


Some of the responses from the teens here really makes me sad. I can only say that I hope they find peace and happiness in themselves someday, and I thank God, everyday, that I'm not one of the many sad and depressed teens in the world.

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I couldn't agree with you more, it makes me very sad also.

I suppose I should clarify, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and acute agorophobia, both of which caused me to be depressed for a time, until I got help.

And, like Jynelle said, a quiz won't cut it--if you need help, see a professional.

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Originally posted by Cataholic
I respectfully disagree with that statment. A chemical imbalance is a chemical imbalance. Counseling does not change that, anymore than it would change a thyroid condition, epilepsy, etc. You can't just talk away a chemical imbalance.

:(

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I never said you could take it away. I said it can help. I've seen it help with in my own family and other cases. No you can't change Epilepsy, for example, but you can get help to learn how to cope with it. Learning how to cope with any illness is important. I just belive that there is more then just Pills as a answer, to help with any problem a person might have.

When you see great changes in people with your own eyes you can't help but to belive in counseling combined with other treatments as an answer.

You are intitled to disagree though.

Hi, everyone. I know I started this thread, so I should be following the conversation. I haven't read it much in the past few days. I just don't really want to read about depression right now while my friend is sick. I'll catch back up with you on the subject soon. Sorry for being rude.

Overall, on the test, I got a 17.

I don't usually talk openly about stuff like this, but yeah, I cry, I cry when my parents make me angry, I cry when I feel like no one cares, I've thought a few times that the world would be better without me, that stuff. It's better now, but it still happens.

Borderline Clinical Depression.

T_M, I don't do it for attention, I can't help that I feel worthless and no one cares. I don'tp do it for attention. I know there will probably be a day when I do need to get help. But right now I'm fine... I don't like attention anyway. :p

Some DO do it for attention. Infact most, if not ALL do it for attention. That is what they need. That is what they are starving from. They want someone to be there for them, they want someone who truely cares.

I, myself, only need attention from a select few people and I'm fine. When I get too much attention, I get angry. Expecially while at school. I hate when so many people come up to say "Hi" to me, when all I really want to talk to is the few people i *love* with all of my heart. I mean, I like all of my friends -- but these few people *almost* mean as much to me as Simba and Nala do. And for me, that's pretty much loving them with all of my heart, and I wouldn't know what to do if they were gone.

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Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
only a licenced professional can determin ANY of you have depression

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I'm not sure if a licenced professional could determine that 100% either.

I think really, it's all on you. You know whether or not you're depressed, you know what goes on in your mind and your life.
No stranger could say "Yeah, ok, i've talked to you for a half hour, you're not depressed" or "You're depressed."

It's only been a half hour, and for you it's been years (however old you are) -- YOU know what goes on in your mind, and you've seen what goes on through your eyes.

Just wanted to say that I consider this thread to be an excellent discussion.

I took the Beck test this morning and got 13, took it again a few minutes ago and got 11. The only answer not zero or 1 was the sleep disturbance one.

"it's a long, long road...from which there is no return...
while we're on the way...there...why not share?"

You are all good people!

I agree with Kayann. SOME do it for attention, because maybe they're not getting the amount they need at home. I personally, *HATE* being the center of attention and sometimes wish people would leave me alone. The only time I love getting attention, is from Molly and Daisy, of course. ;) I feel really weird posting on this topic, because not even my closests friends know how I really feel.

Maybe it's just being a teenager? Or maybe I really do have a problem, who knows. I'm just glad I have my dogs to comfort me when I really need it.

I'm going to take the test again.
Last time I got something around a 50 ( If I remember correctly )
and I was fine that day. I feel fine right now, so lets see. :)

I still got a very high number, but it was a couple less than before.

I scored 20, alot higher than expected.

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Originally posted by Kfamr
I think really, it's all on you. You know whether or not you're depressed, you know what goes on in your mind and your life.
No stranger could say "Yeah, ok, i've talked to you for a half hour, you're not depressed" or "You're depressed."

It's only been a half hour, and for you it's been years (however old you are) -- YOU know what goes on in your mind, and you've seen what goes on through your eyes.

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Take it from someone who's got 40-some years of experience with depression--this is not something you can figure out on your own.

Until I was in my mid-20s, I thought I was just a bad, lazy person. I believed that the reason I often thought about killing myself was that I didn't deserve to live. It seemed perfectly reasonable and logical to comtemplate suicide. That's the nasty thing about depression--it warps your thought processes so that you can't think clearly. It's not at all uncommon for people who are severely, clinically depressed to deny that they suffer from depression.

A qualified psychologist or psychiatrist isn't just some stranger. He or she has seen many people with depression and knows the symptoms.

The bottom line for anyone who thinks he or she might be suffering from depression is to SEEK HELP!! Don't bottle it up inside or it'll explode someday.

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Originally posted by Kfamr
I'm going to take the test again.
Last time I got something around a 50 ( If I remember correctly )
and I was fine that day. I feel fine right now, so lets see. :)

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:eek: Are you my kid or something? This has been happeneing too much for my happiness lately. I got a 48 the first time and a 46 the second.

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Originally posted by micki76
:eek: Are you my kid or something? This has been happeneing too much for my happiness lately. I got a 48 the first time and a 46 the second.

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If Chester, Millie, & Aneko can be my siblings.... Why yes, i'm your kid! :p

I got a seven on the quiz.

I'm a pretty happy person. :D


However, if I would have taken that quiz as a teenager, I'm positive my results would have been sky-high some days. The teen years are SO HARD, even for the most well-adjusted kid. I am a bit concerned that all the teens on here are taking this quiz, thinking, "Oh, man. I'm depressed. There's something seriously wrong with me!" when maybe it's just normal teenage/hormonal roller-coaster stuff.

And, another thing I'd like to add (and I hope it doesn't offend anyone!!!) .... when I was a teenager, no one would have even dreamed of saying they were "depressed". It just never occurred to us. It wasn't a popular, accepted thing ... the subject of talk-shows and magazine articles. "Depressed" might be what your old auntie was, but you didn't talk about it. The climate was not such in this country that it was acceptable and/or trendy to have an ailment like depression. Which was bad, if you were truly, clinically depressed - you probably didn't know it, didn't know how to get help, and were ashamed of it. However, I have to agree with others that said, the percentages on this poll seem a little "off". I honestly don't believe that less than 20% percent of the population has not been depressed! I think "depression" is becoming a catch-all, casual, Jenny Jones-ish phrase, which belittles the truly, clinically depressed. Kind of a sad statement on the climate of our world today.

I think that it is fair to say that the world as it is today is contributing to a general malaise that is affecting everyone to a greater or lesser extent. It is becoming harder to simply stay afloat, to feed your children and keep a dry roof over your head. We are told that we are not making enough money, but we are spending more and more of it as each year passes. Our negative self-image is constantly re-inforced by the perfection we see in the media and perceive in others.

Trauma can induce chemical depression and it is getting to the point where simply living can be a traumatic experience for many. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that so many individuals identify with feelings of depression and helplessness.

So what if depression is brought on by a partner leaving you or general teen troubles? Serious, clinical depression can be induced by seemingly benign events even in indviduals not predisposed to such conditions. Why? Well, the human psyche and brain are very complex and volatile entities.

Having myself experienced both "chemical" and experientially-based depression I can easily say that depression is depression is depression and it sucks no matter which way you cut it.

We need to provide love and support for everyone who needs it.

Folks, please stop taking this rediculous quiz. It's an internet quiz. Not too much different than the ones that tell you which Friends Character you're most like, or what kind of dog you most resemble, etc. It can't accuratly tell you if you are depressed or not.

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Originally posted by 2kitties
Folks, please stop taking this rediculous quiz. It's an internet quiz. Not too much different than the ones that tell you which Friends Character you're most like, or what kind of dog you most resemble, etc. It can't accuratly tell you if you are depressed or not.

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The Beck depression inventory is not an Internet quiz. It is a widely used screening tool for clinical depression.

It cannot be used to self-diagnose depression, but it can help indicate whether someone should seek professional assistance.

CatsinDenver,
I absolutely, 100%, agree with you that someone who thinks they may be depressed should seek help from a professional. My point is that this quiz should be administered by a professional or taken in a situation other than what this thread has become. In this thread, for instance, it has become inflammatory. It is now a quiz that people are taking over and over again to see if they can make their scores change.
If you think you have a problem, see a counselor, or a parent, or someone.

The Beck depression inventory is a weekly test (it asks you to evaluate your mood over the past week), so although taking it every five minutes won't tell you much, it is intended to be taken more than once.

If you get a high score, see a doctor. I know how hard it is to tell your parents that you want to get help--boy oh boy, have I been there. But the sooner you get some help and learn how to manage depression, the better off you'll be. And if the doctor determines that you aren't depressed, well, that can only be a good thing.

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However, if I would have taken that quiz as a teenager, I'm positive my results would have been sky-high some days. The teen years are SO HARD, even for the most well-adjusted kid. I am a bit concerned that all the teens on here are taking this quiz, thinking, "Oh, man. I'm depressed. There's something seriously wrong with me!" when maybe it's just normal teenage/hormonal roller-coaster stuff.

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I agree, I'm going into my teen years now (well, I have been a teen for a while already;) ) and I'm so afraid of high school. It'll probably be the WORST years of my life:( I know its going to be very very hard. I hate being a teen. Well, sometimes:p lol

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I feel really weird posting on this topic, because not even my closests friends know how I really feel.

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I never tell my friends any of my problems. You guys probably know more about me than anyone else. and that's good:p

I'm another one that doesn't talk to my friends about my depression. For that matter I don't talk to anyone. Hubby kinda knows when I get depressed, but he leaves me alone knowing that that is what I want to be left alone.

I have been depressed since I was 14, I was put on paxil (in my mind, that is the best pill for me, even though I haven't tried any others.) As soon as my depression slowly started to get better and better, my father passed away, I was once again put on paxil (by the doctor who killed my dad) My mother begged me not to get out of control when I had to talk to that doctor. She knew my attitude, she knew I would have said something or to him that shouldn't be said. What was going though my mind then was you took my dad from me, now it's my turn to take something from you. We did take him to court, to take his license but we never got his license. :mad: To this day I still hate that man.

Hmmm, I really got off topic this time. As far as my depression now goes. It has gotten better, I still get very depressed. I am not curently on any medications for it. I have thought about being put back on some. Over the last 5 years it has been a very hard battle over and over again. I still have days that I just do nothing but think about my dad and I will cry all day.

Ok I think I have shared enough for one day.

Katie

i'm depressed now.....nobody's home...i'm not even sure why i'm depressed...maybe i'll take that test agian....i'm on a starvation diet now, and i'm hungry...maybe i'll call my uncle....oh well, sorry to bother you guys....

I'm sorry I didn't write something to you when I saw your last post, GP.

Afraid I'd say something wrong, make it worse.

I have a ton of guilt inside for not being better at helping people I care about with their serious problems.

Hope you are doing better now.

I've been trying to get other people to read this thread, which I really like.

Two of them are PTers, one is a niece who has expressed interest in becoming a clinical psychologist (counselor).

I wish there was more understanding of this subject by more people, more compassion about mental health issues in the general public. Guess it is a scary subject.

Also, if you are reading this, please vote in the poll! thanks.

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Originally posted by mahayana
I'm sorry I didn't write something to you when I saw your last post, GP.

Afraid I'd say something wrong, make it worse.

I have a ton of guilt inside for not being better at helping people I care about with their serious problems.

Hope you are doing better now.

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thanks:) i am doing better now. i guess i was just in a wierd mood. i am such a perfectionist and i hate that. because i think it's annoying when other people are perfectionists. we get progress reports next week and i have all A's. but the only grade i'm totaly satifyed with is my social studies grade (102.6 %) i feel so obnoxios and stuck-up. but i'm not i just want to do well so i can get in to a good college and get a god job. you know. oh well i'll stop blabbing now.

p.s. almost to 500!!:D

I have had depression and do have bouts of it due to my health condition. Since I had Bipolar disorder, this is a little harder to treat than just depression alone. It is like depression and it's exact opposite, at the same time, or cycles of depression, and then cycles of mania. The mania actually feels good. You can be so happy, that you get on everyone elses nerves, or the mania may make you, feel overly confident, or cause you to spend more money than you have. It may make you rage. And then the depression comes along and you just hit rock bottom. You don't want to see anyone, talk to anyone and you find every excuse in the world why you didn't answer your phone or why you appeared not to be home or whatever. For the depression I was given wellbutrin, and for the mania, Depakote, which is an anticonvusive medication. I had many other kinds, but my memory doesn't serve me well enough to tell you what they were. That was over three years ago.
Now, I have studied up on my condition and will talk about what I am feeling. I have been dealing with this on my own much better than with all of those drugs that made me feel so groggy. i recognize my symptoms and phases, and just deal with them as they come. I know the warning signs, and I know when it is getting out of hand. But so far, in the last three years, I have been okay, not cured, but better, and free from unpleasant side effects of medication. If you need it, never be ashamed to ask for it though. You will know if you learn about your illness, whether you need help or not. Thanks for this thread, it is an interesting topic, and it is good to talk about it if we can. It is interesting to see what everyone else is taking or doing for their depression.

I've decided to share just a little more about my history of depression. I have seen here that many have been kind enough to give a bit more details than I just shared so, I will tell you a bit more.
Mine became very out of control while taking medication. Not to say medication is bad, as I am sure it has helped many people. I had a doctor who was "prescription happy", for every new symptom there was a new pill for it. I took all the medication, and tried to keep up with it right, but there was just so much! I was like a zombie most of the time. I did things I would normally never do, had I not been influenced by the numbing affects of these medications. Some really bad things happened in my personal life. Things I just could not deal with, especially while so brain dead on all of this medicine. One day, I snapped. I had no control over what I was doing like I was watching a movie of myself. A horror movie. I will not go into the gruesome details as I know there are young people present, but I tried to take my life and almost succeeded. It's not "success", when a person takes their life, but I am sure you know what I meant. I am sure I am still suffering today from what I call a suicide attempt that back- fired. I didn't plan it; it just happened, and I couldn't stop myself from what Iwas doing. If you have thoughts, get help while you can. Don't wait until you have no control of what you are doing. Also, because I care, BEWARE OF "PRESCRIPTION HAPPY DOCTORS!!!". Mine almost killed me, and used my own hand to do it. I know I needed medication of some sort at that time, but all that I was on was unnecessary, and dangerous, said a doctor at Vanderbilt's University Medical Center, in Nashville, TN. So, I had a bad doctor giving me bad medicine, and had BAD results from it. Be careful about what you are being prescribed and ask for a second opinion. A third would not hurt.

Suicide is a hard subject for me to talk about, but I'm really glad you survived, Anathiona.

All of us have people that love us, and a purpose for being here, though it's hard to see it sometimes.

Like many have said, pets to love and people to share with really help too...

Thank you for telling your experiences.

Thank you Mahayana. I do appreciate that. Things are better for me now, though my daily life is more difficult these days in many ways, I am handling everything one day at a time. The serenity prayer helps me through each day. I am thankful to be alive to enjoy my family and my April.:)

I was depressed from about age 10 to age 16, I had a really neglective mother.

I have to agree that people over-use the term, but we still have a long way to go in order to accept what it really is.

I have and have had close relatives with severe depression. My aunt had severe depression for almost a year. When she went to the doctor, he told her "Just go home, woman! You don't have anything." She jumped off a bridge in front of a train 5 years ago, two days after her 41st birthday. My other aunt was depressed for two years and she got over it with - you will not believe - sports and painting.

I think I am a happy person, though I have my sad moments as anybody else. I just try to not sink in my self-pitty and bad mood, but also not denying the reason for being upset. Analyzing yourself, your reasons for acting one way or another, looking for what could improve your mood or your life, and taking your responsibilities to other people to the fullest helps a lot.

*Bump*