I think one of the reasons people are so depressed is that they’ve lost confidence in themselves?

Question

What do you think?

I was one of those people always not trusting myself to know what’s right, then I realized that no one really knows what's right cosmically or relating to you, for you. Do you think we’ve lost the ability to think for ourselves, it seems like if you’re not part of a group then there’s something wrong with you? We’ve become the drugged nation, we ignore the cause of the sickness and just treat the disease itself. This is my opinion, what’s yours?

Answer 1

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'm schizophrenic
...and so am i

Perhaps this is why i never wanted to be a part of a club who wanted to join me...

This is not an easy question, Ms Truthz,...I only i know how it is for me...

I am in a place where I trust no one, including myself about whats right for me....I've had to let it all go to Source, whoever she is.

There are times i feel i know whats right and what to do....however as i build my castle made of sand a depression comes out of nowhere and knocks it down, making everything shambles...then i come back out for the umpteenth time , survey the damage and try to move forward again from two steps back.

.I lose faith in myself in my emotional consistency...I can't count on this as a constant like 'normal' people to build things. I don't know who i will be when wake up the next day or if i will be able to cope and carry through the things and my promises I set up for myself when i was not in the deep ditch of darkness yesterday.,,,a crisis of confidence

Of course we are all part of a group...humanity..and I belive we are one....the rest of it is a piss in the sea. Many times i feel 'grouped-out' because of the reasons you mentioned above...however we as humans we were made to relate so I make myself be parts of groups that are made up of open minded 'seekers' and sufferers as to not feel so alone in my journey...it's a tough row to hoe when all I want to do is isolate and talk or see no one...even people you love.

Yes, I sincerely believe that the dumbing down by drugs is inherently wrong because problems' are never challenged, and there is an inverse reaction for all the positive they do...so you are not depressed, but the edge of your thinking and creativity are blunted.....some say the seriously mentality ill are suffering a spiritual crises of transformation just as shamans experience and we are missing the wisdom that will come from the other side...a Kundalini Gone Wild episode if you would,

This does not always apply universally everyone but certain criteria on a case by case basis would indicate who these people are, separating them from those with a purely pathological problem....it is being done in some places....generally this is overlooked by conventional medicine because their behaviors are out of the box from norm. It it frightening because it cannot be explained with hard facts or logic...and it causes fear...I do not believe I am one of the 'chosen' ones, unfortunately, tho sometimes I wish.

Depression has a vicious cycle partly because > I am depressed>it makes me lose confidence and>makes me depressed>and makes me lose more confidence> ad nauseam

I've been told that depression is a portal to enlightenment by very wise men and that it is a result of taking oneself too seriously by my grandmother...I suppose the answer lies somewhere between the two..This question has made me lose all confidence and feel more depressed...thanks a lot. lol

...I'm really not so sure about my answer now...perhaps I swayed too far one way or another...I really like the one above me better...perhaps you won't approve of it or think mine best...there goes more of my confidence...oh well I'm having one of those dark days...the sun is shining...

...must be time to take my Prozac ;0)

wOrd

Answer 2

You really asked some deep questions which have some practical and spiritual implications! First ,failure is not the end-all. If you try you will fail, if you don't try you won't fail but never achieve. Success hides it's self in failure.Tell your friend to try new things and that failure is part of the process of life,failure can be a great teacher if you let it. At the very lease you'll learn want doesn't work! Her self-esteem issues could be helped if she could start to support her self financially or at least contribute. Also a change of atmosphere of the mind helps. What does she watch, listen to, read , who does she hang around, what do these sources of media tell her about herself? Does she measure up to the worlds standard of worthwhileness? It can be hard to measure up because the standard is always changing. A new external atmosphere can help change the internal one! I have found that real meaning in life come from our relationships with others. I personally believe that we as human being were created for the purpose of relationship w/ God and w/ each other . I would like to write more but time won't allow, God bless you and your friend.

Answer 3

Lack of confidence can be either a cause or a symptom of depression but it is one of many. Some people get depressed because they have something to be sad about like the death of a close friend or family member. Other people get depressed due to a chemical imbalance in their brain which can cause them to be deeply depressed over what looks like minor events to people with an average brain chemistry makeup.

Whatever the cause, depression is extremely common and very easy to treat. Like anxiety, it is the common cold of mental illness with a very high rate of success in treatment either through counseling or medication.

Answer 4

I agree, when someone is depressed-we give the a pill and tell them they are chemically inbalanced. Instead looking for the source. Myabe the person had a bad childhood, maybe the person just needs to vent it out. We think a pill will make our problems go away-but then you deal with addiction.

Answer 5

I agree in so many ways. I also believe that people take themselves way too seriously. People should learn to trust themselves. After all no matter what you are ultimately the only one who can truely know what decisions are right in your life.

Answer 6

Yes, lost self-confidence is almost certainly one reason many people are depressed. The problem you mentioned (people not thinking for themselves) is HUGE, in my opinion. Examples:

Young people join gangs to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and even commit atrocious acts to avoid the judgement of their peers. They feel insignificant as individuals. It's the majority opinion that dictates actions and even beliefs. Gangs are only one small example, in fact, of this behavior.

Drivers on the highway travel in clumps because they're controlled by other drivers, not guided by their own needs. The majority of drivers seem obsessed with going as fast as possible ALL the time, and being as close to the person in front of them as possible -- wouldn't want anyone behind them to accuse them of holding up traffic!, even if they're going 65mph.... wouldn't dream of setting the cruise control at a speed *they're* happy with, relaxing for ten damn minutes and staying in the "slow" lane.

School children are famously cliquish and often judgemental and cruel to outsiders -- new people, or those who don't share the interests or traits which bond the others . Though it's not all a bad thing, a large motivator is having no confidence in their own opinions, and the risk of being alienated--even attacked--themselves if they don't join the cruelty.

People here on Yahoo! Answers post questions asking not opinions but for hard facts they could more reliably, and sometimes even more easily, find by doing their own research, online or otherwise.

Audience members watching a performance they liked will sometimes wait til they hear a few other people applauding before they dare express their own feeling. Don't wanna be first!

Too many politicians seem interested not in doing what is right, but in doing what will get them re-elected. That isn't to say they shouldn't represent the masses--they should--but there are those who will not use their own heads.

A person in a conversational group -- when one of the others (or a passerby) has made a comment that took him/her by surprise or sounded ridiculous or brilliant (but unusual) -- will tend to look at each of the others' facial reactions, before daring to reveal their own approval or disapproval. Can't think outside the box.

A more egregious example of the above: a pathetic approval-seeker who follows a stronger leader and makes rude or childish comments about a third party just to get the approval of the strong leader. You often see him/her laughing at their own jokes and looking intently at the stronger one after delivering the verbal punch, desperately hoping for approval at the expense of the victim.

People doing wrong things because others do. If ten million people acquire free and illegal mp3's to avoid paying anything (and stiffing the artist and producers who made it available for you, in the process), it must be ok!

People doing right things not *because* they're right, but because the Bible tells them so, or the consequence of doing wrong may be going to hell. This isn't an attack on religion or faith, but on lack of inner guidance and confidence.

"Does this make me look fat?" What do *you* think?

Don't get me wrong. I've been in some of these shoes before; that's why I'm familiar with the scenarios. I, too, have gone through periods of lack of confidence, as most people probably have.

It's possible that even your own question, dear asker -- and I'm not knocking you for this!, just extending my point -- may show some lingering lack of confidence in your beliefs, though it may also be merely a matter of curiosity. Either way, it's understandable; I've been there many times (wondering what others think of my opinions). Perhaps that's one reason I'm drawn to Yahoo! Answers!

Your statement, "no one really knows what's right cosmically or relating to you, for you" is right on target, in so many cases. So many beliefs people have are *matters of opinion* and sadly, they just don't get that. Much of what I'm saying *here* is a matter of opinion -- but I do get it. And you seem to get it that your opinion comes first.

I probably went a little far afield of the point of your question, but I hope you'll also find what you were seeking in there somewhere! :-)

I can't speak knowledgeably about the drug issue, but I wouldn't doubt for a second that drugs are over-prescribed and the root of the individual's problem is ignored!

I don't know if I'd say we've *lost* the ability to think for ourselves. I can't speak about trends over the years, decades or centuries. But I certainly do think it's a serious problem which affects every one of us, both from the inside and out.

Answer 7

I think it has to do with the fact that we are now taught as young children that we evolved from soup! check the evidence! and then thank God, ower creator!

Answer 8

i agree with u