Are depressed people more realistic?

[Whateverist]

Yep, every ache and pain, every weird tick of the head, even if I don't say anything about it the thought immediately springs to mind "its the meds".

It's not, of course.

I wonder when exactly the negative value judgement on medical treatment for psychiatric problems began anyway (and why - and why it holds traction even with me when I know it's complete bullshit....)?

Well there has been some pretty questionable treatment of psychosis in the past. Electroshock, restraints, lobotomies, heavy duty doses of sedatives - basically shit to remove you as a problem to other people rather than to help you get some control so you can live your life better. So a little paranoia is justified. Of course modern, more patient friendly meds are another matter and we should all be glad they are available now.

[rexbeccarox]

A few thoughts:

First, I was disturbed by the tone of the thread at the beginning. A bunch of people made it sound like depressed equals low self-esteem, or sad, or unfulfilled. That's not true. I'm clinically depressed, and have been, probably, my entire life. I've learned tools to stave it off, but I can't always stop it. Sometimes I don't even know I'm in the belly of it until I realize I'm in my bed, haven't showered in three days, and I have no idea what I've done during those days. Usually, it jolts me, and I get up, groom myself, wash my sheets, do errands, maybe even go out with friends or host poker night; all things I enjoy. Sometimes depression is brought on by situational things, but not always. I'm actually an optimist, and if you don't know me really well, you have no idea the shadows in my brain, actually even if you do know me well, the shadows are beyond your grasp. I always have a smile on my face, and in all honesty, it's genuine.

That brings me to meds. I was on Welbutrin for about two years. I hated it. I hated not being able to feel. During the last six months of it, I opened a little shop. While I was building it, my doc suggested I go on Concerta (ADD) because I was having a really hard time focusing on opening, and the longer it took me to do so, the more money I was losing. So, I was on Welbutrin and Concerta at the same time, and the combo wasn't too bad... as long as I didn't have any coffee. Two days before I opened my shop, my doc (psychotherapist) died of cancer. I knew she was sick, and I knew she was closing her practice soon, but she died more quickly than she thought she would.

It was probably a bad decision, but I decided to stop taking the meds. I just stopped. I was over it.

Some crazy stuff has happened over the past couple of years since I opened my shop. To name some of it, I closed my shop, I got dumped, I dumped two friends, and my depression is present AT ALL TIMES. It never gives me one moment's peace. I still function, not normally, but normally for my strange existence. I enjoy things occasionally. I enjoy the hell out of my loved-ones. But, even with the shadows clouding my brain, I don't want to medicate. I would rather be able to feel... and drink coffee sometimes.

That being said, I have my own experiences with meds, but they're not everyone else's. If people feel like they need them, they probably do. If walking around like a zombie is preferable to your med-free existence, you need meds. If you can take them and not feel like a zombie, you probably need them too. I say, take 'em if you want. They're there. YOLO.

As far as a correlation between depression and intelligence? Meh. I guess it could exist, but I'd rather not focus on it.

[Faith No More]

You do realize that a bad experience with two specific psychoactive drugs is not a good reason to swear off them all forever, don't you? Whether you want to take meds or not is completely your choice, but with the complexities of the brain and our lack of understanding the actual mechanisms through which these medicines provide help, a person must try different medicines, sometimes several of them, before he/she will find the ones that work best for him/her.

[Angrboda]

I wouldn't recommend anybody stop taking a medication which is helping them, however, if you do decide to stop taking your medication for any reason, I can provide you a P.O. box where you can send your unused meds to be recycled so you won't have to feel guilty about all those expensive pills going to waste.

[Jackalope]

Yeah, I think this thread has been sufficiently derailed that it needs a split. I'll unlock it after the split is done.

Thread has been split at approximately the point where it was derailed. The split thread is here.

[Gilgamesh]

I like how you left in that post above yours. Haha.

[Jackalope]

I like how you left in that post above yours. Haha.

What post above mine? Haha.

[junkyardboy]

What happens if you're an optimistic realist?

I don't think I suffer any delusions about my control over my situation, and I don't suffer from an inflated sense of self-worth, no matter how much I joke about it. I get sad every day over situations that happen the world over, and angry over suffering that's needless because of greed or religion, but it doesn't stop me from thinking that the problems can and will be solved (even if 'eventually').

But having gone through a year or so of depression and knowing what that was like, and being back to my normal irrepressible self, I don't think in terms of wishing situations away, but that no matter how bad something is realistically, there's always some sort of way back up. I guess I consider myself a cheerful pragmatist.

I never went through therapy, so I don't know what therapists tell their patients in order to get them to better function.

now that fascist europe has stabbed the bear in the back again, is your optimism still warranted in reality?

[thesummerqueen]

Oh hell, are you back? What are you on about?

[Something completely different]

now that fascist europe has stabbed the bear in the back again, is your optimism still warranted in reality?

Breaking News




Or wait!

That isnt breaking news!


Did I miss something junk? I dont see any brownshirts running arround nore have I noticed that democracy has been overthrown.