is depression a dirty word ???

Question

dirty word or serious illness??

why is it that some people are afraid to admit that they are depressed and accept some help?

Answer 1

You know, this is a great question! The word depression, in itself, carries an emotive impact, doesn't it? It's a bit like the word 'abortion' ... hits you in the face, whereas 'termination of pregnancy' is so much softer to hear.
Depression is certainly not a dirty word, but I guess people are reluctant to admit because of disbelief, shame, guilt, sheer ignorance .. the list goes on.
I have had periods of depression in my life alongside 80% of the population ( or possibly more if people wouild admit it ) and it has ranged from simply feeling low to days of debilitation. The trouble is it cannot be seen, no physical pain, no temperature, no need for oxygen .......
But I understand that depressive days are entirely normal in people ... hey, to be 'upbeat' needs something to compare it to ... having a great day means it was better than normal .... it's all relative in some ways.
I believe that for people where it does become a serious illness, they have simply allowed it to worsen and 'climbed inside their own depression' to escape life for a while. I guess we all want to do that sometimes. But I am so aware that people who do have serious chemical or mental imbalances, they need help in every way. But getting them to admit it is hard, if not impossible, by the very nature of their illness.
I think that if we lived in a world where people had learnt to be more caring, your question wouldn't exist. I guess the overall answer to your question is simply human igorance! If everyone reached out a hand to everyone else in times of need, wouldn't life be so much nicer?

Answer 2

Depression is neither a dirty word nor a serious illness always. It is a state of mind. Frequently could be normal to a situation of failure.It is a negative emotion.Imagine someone's loving pet has died.Obviously he will be depressed as a normal reaction.This is called reactive depression. However, some times there is no cause for the depression.Such depressive state could be called endogenous depression.If severe depression persists for a long time, it is bad and requires therapy.This is more important if depression is also associated with suicidal tendency.Admitting the depression is the first step in conquering it.Then taking the help of friends/relations and doctor.Uncontrolled depression can be treated with drugs and counselling.Many persons suffer from depression at some point of time.There is nothing to be ashamed about it.

Answer 3

No, and like some others have said. I think that most people dont even know they have it. They think the way they feel is how everyone feels but they are just weird sinse they are associating this "normal" feeling as complete misery. When you have severe depression, nothing around you is good. Nothing you ever liked to do before is good. (With the exception of sleep) Even if the person recognizes that they have some form of depression, they dont want to admit it because they might be afraid that they will think that others just think you are trying to get out of doing something, and that you are just lazy. But thats not true either. Ya, you should let your situation be known, and quit pretending that it doesn't exist. Is there a stigma attached to depression? Probably, at least for a little while. Then everyone will go back to the way things were. But you have to change. You cant go back to the way things were, because that was bad. Right? Things will ultimately get better when you get help.

Answer 4

Hi,

No it's not a dirty word, I was depressed for a long time and sometimes still do feel depressed when alone, people just have to admit that they have a problem and try and get the help that they need,

Take care

Answer 5

Depression is not a dirty word, it is a serious illness. People are afraid to receive help because of the stigma attached to depression. When someone becomes severely depressed and they do not receive help they might and in some instances succeed in killing themselves. People who have the love and support of their families when they are depressed and get the help they need live very full lives.

Answer 6

If you have a heart attack, people come rushing to your rescue. If you are in depression, people treat you like you have the plague. Having suffered serious depression myself, I think it comes from a lack of understanding of the problem and the fact that you can't put a band aid on it to make it go away. Finding help when you have depression is a lot harder than you think. It seems there are just as many treatments for the problem as there are doctors in the world. With no tried and true cure, it's a tuff illness to overcome.

Answer 7

Because it is still thought of as a "mental illness" rather than a chemical imbalance just like diabetes. Even with all the information available on depression, many people dont understand this.

Those of us that have been helped by anti-depressants rarely admit we take them because when someone finds out the reaction is like you are a leper...mentally ill!!

Answer 8

Its not a dirty word,I dont know why some people might think so its an old fashioned attitude.People get depressed for all sorts of different reasons but its nothing to be ashamed of.

Answer 9

Depression is a very serious disease and needs to be treated, first by an Med Doc, then, if no medical reason can be found (such as Lupus), a Psychiatric Doc should be sought out for possible reasons for the depression. There are great meds out there that can help you cope with the depression, but the underlying reason must be sought out!!! It is a 'symptom' of so many medical diseases.

Answer 10

It is an illness. I never accepted help for it until i realized it was not only me and it was not uncommon to feel the things that i was (i know big revelation!) anyhow the more i learned about it the more i understood what was going on both emotionally and chemically with me. did finally accept help, counseling, med etc. now i just pay attention to things that are going on with me and do not need to take medication (i do occasional) however I have learned to cope and live with my depression and am not afraid to speak about it especially because i have notices me speaking about it and not being ashamed of it has helped many other people.