Depression is becoming a massive epidemic (Please Read)

I cannot stress it enough. The CDC says it will be the number two killer behind cardiovascular disease by 2020. So, its more than just sadness. We read reports of how people like Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell take their lives. Some of us feel remorse, others feel nothing and wish for the worst. Some of us are shocked like, "How could he/she do that?" but really should we be? I have had depression to the point it physically hurts. Not from harming myself, but that I feel chest pain. I'm open about this so others aren't feeling alone.

Like eating disorders, people do not understand the severity of depression unless they have had--and been diagnosed with it, themselves. Depression is not sadness. It is not simply losing a fur child after fifteen years to natural causes. Yes, the death of others can make ones depression worse, but it is not a tipping point for whether one is depressed or not. A psychologist had a great article in Psychology Today where he distinguished the differences between simple sadness and depression. Depression brings worthlessness and hopelessness upon an individual, sadness simply brings tears. Depression brings impaired judgment to think clearly or memory loss, sadness doesn't affect either. Depression will cause more people to die from suicide than from natural causes in the coming years. From demons in their minds, weight collapsing from above. We can only hope the afterlife, whatever it is, takes care of these tortured spirits better than they were on earth. I'm one of them. We live for years like this, even with therapy and medication. Chris did, Chester did, and certainty many Americans are as well.

This will seem like a repeated post to people aware about depression, but to those who could use to be a bit more informed, this hopefully will make you have more understanding when a coworker at work looks more sad than usual, or is in emotional distress.

#****Depression

 

I can relate. And it is exacerbated when people make fun of you and call you weak or thin skinned.

 

I just went for an exam and the doctor ask me twice if I was depressed. I didn't look depressed, was well dressed and clean, so something is going on here.

 

This was predicted 25 years ago at medical conferences.

 

Depression does not have any particular "look". Who woulda thunk Robin Williams would commit suicide? Nobody. Depressed folks hide it very VERY well.

 

I almost blew my brains out and never told anyone what I was planning. I told my ex wife afterwards when I told her I wanted a divorce but I don't think it even registered. So for about a year it was my little secret. The first time I really talked about it was online.

I did the counseling and Prozac. When the counselor said I should start attending meetings with other middle-age men who sit around chanting and beating on drums, I had enough. If that was what my life had come to I would rather be dead.

So I changed EVERYTHING!

I had to put a gun to my own head before I could be honest with myself about what I wanted. We get locked into a life and sometimes can see no escape. I thought my life was basically over. I was just waiting to die anyway.

I don't know about other people. And I don't mean to say my life is perfect. But there is something to be said for reckless abandon. I have found more happiness since then than I had ever known before.

Be honest with yourself no matter how much you might not like the answers. Then take action. You might make things worse but it is better than being one of the living dead. I have experienced more joy, more sorrow, more love, more ecstasy... than I ever thought possible. But I had to be willing to give up everything and be reborn.

 

i always thought it was from not taking personal responsibility for one's life

 

He asked you that so he could sell you some more pills.

Between Facebook and the constant doping of America, it's no wonder so many are mentally ill.

 

Nope, he was a specialist that would not even have handled that

 

Doctors get kick backs from pharmaceutical companies for getting people on their pills.

 

This doctor would not have prescribed this medication. While this may have happened, doctors do not sell pills, a pharmacist does so your inference is very vague

 

Guess who signs the prescription.

http://clark.com/insurance/doctor-being-paid-steer-you-certain-drugs/

 

And you are claiming that pharmacies send the prescriptions to drug companies?

Take your pills

 

I'm claiming that doctors get paid money by pharmaceutical companies to get you to take their pills.

Were you unaware?

 

I buy all my pills from Julio so you must have me mistaken for someone else.................

 

So if someone commits suicide because their family is all killed in a car accident, you think it is from not taking personal responsibility for their life?

Okay

 

Yeah that must happen thousands of times a year.

 

After I had my close call, I talked with a man who had experienced just that and was hanging on the edge. He then disappeared so I don't know what happened.

At times he was hallucinating and thought his kids were running around. It was perhaps the saddest personal story I've ever read. But many people experience extreme trauma.

Depression can be due to a traumatic life experience, chemical imbalances, poor nutrition, and other extreme difficulties for which the person can find no relief.

My cousin committed suicide after his 5th tour in Iraq. They attacked the wrong place and killed a bunch of children. He had to help collect the body parts. He never recovered from that. After being home for about a year, he shot himself in the head. Be all that you can be, my ass. Ex military have about twice the average suicide rate.

 

Well, to be fair, his reason was very specific and physical...he was slowly losing his mind to dementia.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/health/robin-williams-lewy-body-dementia.html

I agree that what he did was a shock. But if I had known previously that he was suffering from dementia, I would not have been that surprised when I heard he killed himself.
My father died of Alzheimer's Disease. And since it can be hereditary, if I get it, I am definitely planning to off myself once it starts to take over. Slowly losing my mind holds no appeal whatsoever.

However, my older brother burned himself to death when he was apparently healthy (at 33) and I still to this day do not know why (though I have suspicions). So your point about often we do not know why they do it is well taken.

 

Not really the point. The point is that I'm willing to bet that's not one of the common reasons for suicide.

Most people commit suicide because of mental health problems, physical health problems, substance abuse, and great loss of wealth.

While I think taking your own life is wrong, I could at least understand why a man who lost his entire family would do it.

 

Indeed.

Sometimes the question should be: is suicide always wrong.

We consider it humane to put animals out of their misery, unless it's a human animal.... then we expect them to endure living hell until the pain itself literally kills them.

 

It isn't really known why most people commit suicide. For me, it was partly loss of hope. You get so far down the hole you can't see a way out. But the loss of the will to live was the biggest culprit.

Causes
While the cause of suicide is unknown, some common risk factors include:

• major psychiatric illness - in particular, mood disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia)
• substance abuse (primarily alcohol abuse)
• family history of suicide
• long term difficulties with relationships with friends and family
• losing hope or the will to live
• significant losses in a person's life, such as the death of a loved one, loss of an important relationship, loss of employment or self-esteem
• unbearable emotional or physical pain

http://www.medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/suicide

 

What was amazing was that after ten years of spiraling into depression, one weekend with two escorts and I was a new man. That did more good than a year of counseling and prozac. I attribute my long-term depression primarily to a sexless marriage.

For me the list of priorities in life are:
Water
Food
Sex

And it's a close call on the proper order.

If I had continued with counseling instead, I have no doubt that I would be dead.

 

I have a pretty good idea why so many men commit suicide as compared to women. Men joke about it all the time but it's real.

The other night I was watching an old MASH episode when a line caught my ear. "You must be getting something on the side. I know you're married and you're too happy".

There is another old saying that caught my ear: Paraphrasing - If a man is really happy, he must be doing something wrong.

Think about that. I sure did when I heard it.

 

Agreed.

To force people - especially those with conditions live ALS that are completely incurable and take the body before they take the mind - to live in physical agony until their bodies finally give up is ridiculous IMO.

And there is the other side. There are many stories of people who try to commit suicide and screw it up and end up in a coma or something similar.
Whereas, if suicide were legal, undoubtedly they could have just gone to a company you specialize in that and have them do it 'properly' and painlessly.

Now, I think you should need to get a note or something from a few shrinks saying you are of sound mind first (though many will say 'if you are suicidal you cannot be of sound mind').
But suicide should DEFINITELY be legal, IMO.