Am I the only person who hates how casually the term "depression" is thrown around?

Question

It seems like all these 14 year old "goth" kids are like "omgz I'm lyke soooo depressed!!"... and I just want to scream "No, you're really not! You're just attention-starved and misinformed!"

It seems as though everyone is so eagar to self-diagnose depression, but what they don't realize is that depression is actually an illness, not an emotion or state of mind.

Depression is not wearing all black, too much eyeliner, having emo hair and not getting what you wanted for Christmas.

Depression is when you cannot appreciate a single aspect of yourself, and you cannot operate without thinking about what a failure you are... or supposedly are. It's physical pain, maybe even more so than emotional.

Cutting yourself with a butter knife is NOT a prerequesite for being depressed.

It just really gets me angry. Does anyone else agree with me?

Answer 1

haha! i agree with you about those kids... i know what you mean. it's not depression, it's identity crisis.

depression lives up to its name. there was a time in my life when everything was thrown at me all at the same time and i wasn't able to handle it -- death, failure, unrequitted love, abuse etc.

the reason why i said "depression lives up to its name" is because during the whole ordeal -- i really felt like i was living in a manhole. it's different -- there are some emotions people tend to be attracted to -- like anger, happines, or even sadness. depression is different -- it's somewhere you don't want to go, but it's pulling you DOWN. it felt like i was in chains... i even forgot all about the unresolved problems that i had, the only thing that was running through my head was the feeling of being locked up and chained into something you don't want to be in -- it felt like you will never be free again.

i've seen a child psychiatrist since i was 10 years old. my father became a drug dependent -- we were both prone to depression. im still puzzled as to what causes it chemically. i still get a few episodes once in a while, and during those time i would cry, and wished there was a pill i could swallow to make it all go away, i can imagine depression as a monster terrifying a little child, that's probably how my father went futher down the hole... but lately i haven't gotten any of them. i try to keep myself busy -- and i guess that helps get your mind off it.

Answer 2

Kids doing these things are doing them/saying them to get attention that they crave. Bad attention is as acceptable as good-attention. I also think that hormones cause a multitude of mental aspects because your body is changing so rapidly and your mind is having a hard time keeping up. You're right about depression being a true illness. However, one can be in a depressed state of mind a couple of days or even hours. What else are they going to call it when that's what gives them the attention that they want so badly??? I don't have an answer; but I generally agree with you.

Answer 3

There's a difference between what most people call "depression" which is often a normal reaction to stresses in our lives and "major depressive disorder" which is a biological disorder of the brain. As opposed to normal blue periods or reactive depressive feelings a true depressive illness includes not only psychological symptoms but physical ones as well. There may be sadness, numbness, apathy or a lack of pleasure, feelings of excessive guilt or worthlessness and suicidal thoughts or obsessive thoughts of death. The physical symptoms include marked changes in sleep and appetite, mental and physical agitation or retardation, unexplained aches and pains and decreased energy and increased fatigue.

Answer 4

Sure, but it's in the genetic make-up of 14 year old kids to be going around saying how depressed they are. You sound like you know what it's like to actually be depressed, so you also know that a person cannot know what depression really is until they've suffered from it. There's no way you can make them understand, so try to let go of your anger and just shrug it off.

Answer 5

Yes, I agree. They have no clue of the nature of a real depression. It is incredibly frightening and hopeless.

There was a study done a few years ago with convicts who allowed themselves to be put into a depressed state. Most of them said that they would rather undergo cancer research treatments than ever go through that again.

Any illness that can drive a person to thoughts of suicide is not to be taken lightly.

Answer 6

Well I think there are many types of depression, emotional, physical, chemical, and it affects people differently. As far as the young folks who use the term "depression." as gesture and are aloof in how they use it...well I don't know how old you are but I remember using the term "Queer" and didn't mean gay but just odd...so I wouldn't get too caught up in when other people use the term depression in a sentence. Youth as you may recall doesn't think before speaking and say things that are cool and conform to their peers...

Answer 7

i replaced into emotionally and verbally abused for 2 YEARS... i imagine that "little ones" (which ability immature human beings) throw the time period round like sweet yet would disintegrate and die if ever put in a obviously abusive project. I just about died with the aid of my abusive courting. i finished up in the form of awful melancholy that i tried suicide 4 cases, of which I in reality allowed human beings to ascertain the perfect one. It replaced into the most severe as i did not even choose someone to assist me any more. the in the previous 3 tries were hoping for help or alleviation from existence yet I were given scared and stopped taking the pills in the previous I took sufficient to obviously damage me. The very last attempt replaced into in the open and that i just about died arriving on the health center. in case you do not quite understand what abuse is... do not throw the be conscious round. it ought to get human beings killed with the aid of "boy who cried wolf" syndrome!!! i'm now chuffed, wholesome, effective, a MOMMY, and ENGAGED!!!

Answer 8

Ya, it gets me angry also. Its really Depressing.

Answer 9

yes I agree

Answer 10

you are making me depressed