cosmolinguist | How depression works

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Elsewhere, a friend relates having been told by someone else "You've had [good thing] and [other good thing] happen, how can you be depressed?

To which I said: Because that's not how depression works, is why. Sheesh. It's a disease. That's like saying "but you're so tall, how can you have eczema?" The two things are just completely unrelated.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

syntaxofthings

This. So much this.

From:

davidgillon

People are dense.

And when it comes to depression they're even denser than usual!

From:

silveradept

So true. And sometimes the good things make the depression worse.

From:

cosmolinguist

And sometimes people don't understand that what constitutes a good thing is not universal. In this case, I happen to know that the first of the good-things listed is indeed considered to be good by my friend, but also draining and demanding and thus something he frets about as much as he looks forward to it. So good things aren't always simple, either.

From:

kaberett

ayuppp.

From:

pseudomonas

Yeah. And it's kind of complicated further, cos external events and experiences can make a difference to this sort of thing (cf. situational depression; behavioural therapies) but it's just not as simple as "sad things make you depressed and happy things make you un-depressed", and depression is not the same thing as sadness, even though it has some elements in common with it.

Edited Date: 2015-02-09 05:15 pm (UTC)

From:

withagreatlove

Thank you. Awareness for those who do not suffer is so, so important. Wishing you well.

From:

halfshellvenus.livejournal.com

I would say that the fact that a person is depressed _despite_ those good things is a clear sign that they may need anti-depressants (or an ajustment in their current regimen).

Because that is pretty much one of the clearest indicators of depression-- feeling down or even just 'meh' in the face of things that should objectively make you happy.

Did your friend appreciate your analogy? I liked it. :)