dont you wish you could give depression to people for just a week who dont believe it is a true illness?

Question

i have read many questions on this page and some times the people who answer them say i dont believe in such a thing as depression or it is only a panic attack
i never thought their was such a thing as mental illness and thought you could just click your fingers and feel better if you really wanted to, this was before i had it my self
also some of them reckon that medication dosent help and you can get better just by exercise and diet, this really gets to me as i desperately did not want medication when i first became ill and for a few months i kept going to the doctor and refusing it then my illness took over my life i couldnt function daily i couldnt even sit in the doctors wairing room withour screaming with the panic attacks
so i think what i really am trying to say to the people who say theas things that please we dont particularly want to be on medication but to function in every day life some of us need it also when you say thier is no such thing as depression you have it fo

sorry couldnt finish it on above page

for the people who dont believe their is such a thing as depression then in some ways it would be good if you could have it for just a week so you know how debilitating it can be

then in another wat i wouldnt wish it on any body

best wishes to fellow sufferers


xxx

Answer 1

many a time i have asked people to stand in my shoes for a day and then tell me chin up. you ll be fine. you dint need medication. your just down it will be OK in the morning. you say it i have had it said to me and then on the other hand i have been accused of being mentally deranged etc.
no one and i mean no one can possibly know how it feels till they get it and 1 in 4 do.
if it was a broken arm and in a cast people would feel for you help you and ask dose it hurt. but cause they cant see it. it doesn't exist.
but yes i would like to give some people it for just a week and no more .just so they get a perspective on the suffering we go through.
all the best hunny from a fellow sufferer.

Answer 2

Hi,

as a fellow sufferer I can see where your coming from. No one really fully understands anything until they have been there, or at least closely seen someone else go through it. I think mental illness has a horrible taboo which we all believe until we find ourselves in the situation, realiseing that it can happen to anyone, you dont have to be crazy!
I wish depression got renamed, the term is too commonly used in everyday language just for people who are having a bad day..they turn around and say " i am depressed"...it takes away from the pain of the real condition and makes people passivist towards those suffering.

However in saying all that, although i wished more people could be understanding and less ignorant, i wouldn't wish it on anyone, even for a week...it's hell!

xxx

Answer 3

Hah, you ain't kidding! I've got mates who swear blind that all I needed was a decent night out and a shag.
Pills for a year, under protest because I didn't want them. Wouldn't get up in the morning because I couldn't see the point, didn't shave, didn't leave the house or even get dressed some days. Fortunately my boss at the time wasn't a 'get a grip of yourself' boss. He'd been in the same boat and as far as I know it's only the pills that keep him 'up.'
I don't know what changed with me. But everything in life seemed to get more manageable at the same time. I'm fine just now, no pills needed.
I hope the same thing happens for you, because depression is very real and it's not the same as just having a bad day. The sooner everyone understands that the better.

Answer 4

Yes yes yes,i agree totally with your comments.My depression started after my dad died and the people who came out with the stupid comments like come on pull yourself together.I look back now and i want to punch them on the nose.I call it the invisible illness.Why do we feel we have to apologise when we have a day where our confidence is so low we just want to hide away from ourselves even.Depression isnt just about feeling sad,its about anger and not feeling good enough.Mine led to agraphobia,panic attacks beyond belief.Even family can be hard work.Mine had never not seen me cope before and believe me it made my depression worse.If someones sick with a visible illness they get cards flowers,not so with depression,its embarreses people.I think anyone who has had or is now suffering with it would much rather be living a proper life,not this life of fear and anxiety.the mental health people are amongst the group i would class as needing a dose of this awfull depression,sorry to say it but i found in my case the majority hadn`t a clue about how to take care of anyone.The one thing i wanted was a bit of kindness,what did i get on entering a mental hospital,searched like a criminal.I wouldn`t wish it on my worst enemy.If you want to email me i dont mind as this is a subject so close to my heart that i said the hell i went through must have been for a reason and it was,ive since gone on and hopefully given some people the support i think felt they hadn`t been having from even there loved ones.Take great care,my heart goes out to you..One day you will feel a bit better and a much wiser person..

Answer 5

I know how you feel. Some of my "friends" tell me to pull myself together. As if it's that easy, don't people realise if it were as easy as that we'd have done it???

The trouble nowadays is that some who are just a little bit down say they're depressed, they don't realise what true depression is. There are days when I just can't get myself together enough to even get out of bed, I pray to God at night that I could die during the night just so I didn't have to face another day

I also agree with you that because we realise how BAD depression can be that we wouldn't wish it on others.

I'm just thankful for very supportive friends and family, a good doctor, psychiatrist and CPN who help make this illness that little bit more bearable.

Answer 6

Hi, I totally agree with your sentiments!!

It's very easy for people who have never suffered to make statements that, basically, should be ignored.

They are either ignorant and do not want to educate themselves on the illness, or any other mental illness.

They are probably frightened by it or by the fact that they don't want to admit they too have problems.

I've suffered with clinical depression for over 20 years and I now county myself as priveleged to work in mental health.

I'm passionate about raising awareness and trying to lessen the stigma and discrimination that still surrounds all mental health problems.

People should be aware that 1 in 4 people will suffer from some form of mental ill health at some point in their lives - FACT.

So if we took all the negative answers here, based on the facts above, these people need to be careful, as it could be them next.

I've always said that if one of those people stood in the shoes of a person who suffers for just 24 hours they would totally change the way they think - but I doubt that you or I will get any takers on either my 24 hours, or your week!!

Great pity though....

Have you tried the Mind website, they offer great, easy to read and understand information:

http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/

Specific links that may be useful to you are:

Depression
http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Understanding/Understanding+depression.htm

Panic Attacks
http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/How+to/How+to+cope+with+panic+attacks.htm

Also if you live in the UK trying to find a mental health charity near to you would be a good idea

http://www.mind.org.uk/Mind+in+your+area/

I can personally recommend Mind as I have used their services for over 10 years, and am now priveleged to work for them.

They are easy to access and much less formal than GP's, psychiatrists etc. all it takes is a phone call.

Like you I now view taking medication as a way of being able to cope with symptoms that can be debilitating. But with the correct treatment it is possible to lead a full life and we can all reach our own potential.

Good help and support is available if you know where to look for it.

Good luck and take care.

Hope the info helps.

Answer 7

I know what you're saying. A "friend" of mine used to constantly pick at me for being depressed. I don't think she saw how much her comments hurt and I never really did anything about it. Then one day I decided I couldn't take it anymore so I flipped out and did something terrible to her. If she had any experience of depression, she wouldn't have said anything, I wouldn't have lost it with her and we'd still be friends. I've heard her and other people talking about other people with depression and I've had to fight the urge to get up and give her a slap on more than a few occasions. I once heard her talking about this guy who tried to kill himself "because his mother died eight years ago". There was all kinds of comments thrown around about him like "god! you think he'd be over it" and that kind of thing. I really couldn't take it. I wanted to yell at her and tell her she was very, very wrong.
Depression isn't something I'd wish on anyone, not even my worst enemy. I'd just want them to understand it.

Answer 8

I could not agree with you more. I've been ill since February 2003, and have tried to do everything I possibly can to get better. It is an ongoing, daily thing for most of us. I really wish you well and know exactly what you are going through. I have been hospitalised myself and would not wish it on anyone.

Answer 9

These people are just ignorant.
Depression that arises out of the blue is due to neurochemical changes independent of the outside world. It's caused by a decrease in levels of noradrenaline and 5HT, neurotransmitters (chemicals) that are critcal for mood control.
Treament is based on blocking the metabolism of these chemicals.
Depression is a very serious disorder especiallly if left untreated.
i hope you get well!

Answer 10

If you could maybe there would be fewer ignorant answers on here. On the other hand, could you really wish it upon someone? And I don't think anyone can truely appreciate the illness untill they have experienced it so you can't blame them for being naieve.