Do people with major depression really 'get help?'?

Question

People who are truly depressed feel hopeless, so why would they bother getting help? And what if someone is severely depressed, lives alone, and doesn't have friends? Given that person's condition, wouldn't it be impossible for that person to 'get help?' And isn't it sad that the people who do 'get help' are those who still have hope and are mildly depressed instead of the extremely depressed and completely socially isolated ones on the brink of suicide?

Answer 1

Are you asking a question, or not? It isn't terribly clear.

But I can tell you, from my own experience, that yes, people with major depression do really "get help."

In my own case, I had previously tried to commit suicide, and while I was put into a hospital I managed to avoid "getting help" because I wasn't emotionally ready for it. The antidepressants helped me to return to work and social life - so much so that I met someone, got married, and had a daughter within a few years.

However, when my daughter was almost a year old, I could tell that I was getting extremely depressed again, and this time around I had a damned good reason to get help. I owed it to my daughter to get better, so I checked myself into a hospital when I was feeling suicidal urges and disassociating. I did, indeed, "get help."

Doing so ended my marriage, but I got to the root causes of my depression and was able to be a good mother instead of a basket case. While my husband knew about my earlier hospitalization, he wasn't supportive of me seeking help and insisted that I should be able to "just get over it."

I still struggle with depression from time to time - I may always need anti-depressants. I look at them as being similar to insulin for someone with type I diabetes. But I'm not in denial about it now, and I'm here for my daughter. Her father has been dead for many years, so she needs me more than ever.

Answer 2

Almost 20% of the American population is experiencing a major depression at any given time.

The depression can be so bad that it really forces the person to get help. If someone can't go to work or function at all, they will eventually have to recognize the problem and try to do something about it.

However, a lot of people probably don't get help when they are in the middle of a really deep depression. Fortunately, depression symptoms do get better with time so it's not uncommon for people to reach out when they are feeling just a little bit better. When there is a brief reprieve from the depression it's sometimes easier to reach out.

Also, few people are really, truly 100% alone. There is often someone else in the person's life who is able to encourage the person to get help

Answer 3

I think the people who get help probably do have some sort of hope. And even people who are suicidal maybe don't have so much "hope" but a need to feel better. And if someone is suicidal they should get into a treatment program and get on meds so that they will feel some hope. But those are the people who actually commit suicide when they get on meds because they finally get the energy to act out on their suicidal feelings; therefore they should be watched VERY carefully while starting medication. I still think people who are severely depressed/suicidal have a strong need to feel better. Not that they feel as if it COULD get better but once they get help it will bring some light onto the possibility.

Answer 4

i think that depression is serious, and personally i 've been there where i lived by my self and didnt have anyone around to talk to.....but more than anything i wanted answears to why i was feeling that way and some reasons why i souldnt kill my self...and that way i found help. now im married and i have a beautifull child and i still deal with depression everyday,, im bipolar...but now i have a perfect reason why to live and take care of everyday life....seek help for you or your friend or if you know anyone help them..its hard to deal with depression alone..xoxoxox

Answer 5

Well, you never get out of depression, but you can make it better, or a smaller anoince. The best thing to do is tell your parents (or if you are a parint) a Phyciotrist.

Answer 6

Sometimes a friend intervenes and helps them to find help.