Can people with depression ever feel happy?

Question

I'm 17 years old. I've been doing research lately on depression because I experience many of the symptoms associated with it and they have been taking a severe toll on life for years now, my school work and my home life are suffering immensely. I just can't sit down and do any work when I know I need to. I feel like I have to escape it and always put it off. I feel sad a lot of the time, lonely, undeserving, ugly. Some nights I get 2 hours of sleep sometimes I'll sleep all day, no matter what I'm always tired. It seems too often I cry myself to sleep. I used to wish I brave enough to end it all. These thoughts thankfully have not been present for about a year and there ARE times I still feel happy,I laugh with my friends,I like going out with my boyfriend. 3months ago I was diagnosed with mono, the symptoms are only getting worse. I don't know whether I'm going through the things that every teenager goes through and being over dramatic or there's really something wrong. Your thoughts?

Answer 1

My heart goes out to you, because I've been in those shoes. Depression can be especially painful as a teenager when life, hormones, and sense of self are still all in the air. While many factors come into play, and your problems may be various, it sounds to me like you may be genuinely depressed. I'm not a doctor and the information you've described isn't enough for a diagnosis either, but my personal experience and trust that you're being truthful leads me to believe that you are in that dark place.
To answer your question though, yes, people with depression can definately be happy. Even in depression you may feel some rays of hope and happiness, but they are buried in the pain of day to day stresses. Depression can last for months at a time, or longer in the case of dysthymia (constant mild depression), but there are always times of normalcy. Even with dysthymic people or people with deep deep depressive episodes, treatment can bring you back to a state of comfort and even happiness. Don't be afraid to seek out help, and if you ever feel like you might be in danger of hurting yourself don't hesitate to seek emergency help, even if that means calling 911 if you feel like you might seriously hurt yourself. Psychological counselling can help you sort your problems out and ease your stresses and allow you to focus on the positives in life, and medication, while it should be carefully undertaken, can be a life saver, literally.
Antidepressants are often prescribed with little follow up, but in young people especially, they should be carefully regulated in the first month or two. The problem with antidepressants is that they blindly seek to adjust chemical levels in the brain that we don't yet have the sophistication to measure for what the best chemical adjustments should be made. So each antidepressant works slightly differently, one may work perfect for you, but not for me, and vice versa. If you do go on antidepressants, focus inward and keep track of your feelings, keep a journal to share with your doctors even. Again, as always, if you feel like you might hurt yourself, get immediate help.

That being said, antidepressants can be a greatly positive experience. Antidepressants will not make you happy, no, quite the opposite, most people feel that their happiest moments are a little diminished by antidepressants. HOWEVER, the right antidepressant can make all the difference in ridding yourself of those horrible lows that ruin your life. Prozac worked poorly for me, made me very confused and 'blah. Effexor has generally made me feel quite stable, getting rid of the lows without making me feel like a zombie. It's really a case by case issue, one that deserves better attention than any of us can give you. Take this stuff in mind and consider professional help. It's something a large number of people do, and an even larger number SHOULD do, so don't be hesitant or ashamed.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Can Depressed People Be Happy

Answer 4

Depression is not a life long illness. Plenty of people go through periods of feeling down and a lot of people have at least one episode of major or clinical depression in their lifetime. Through therapy and possibly antidepressants, people who suffer from depression can get better and won't need to see a psychologist or take medication or be considered mentailly ill for the rest of their lives. Rarely to people experience chronic depression, but it does happen and some people do need to take antidepressants for years. Unfortunately a lot of people have started to believe that depression is a brain disorder instead of a psychological condition and ignore the importance of therapy in tackling and preventing depression. Because of this, many more people are starting to use antidepressants long term even though it's not needed.

As for your specific issues, I think mono, which can make you tired and depressed, along with being a teenager with the hormones and on the verge of adulthood is enough to make a lot of people feel somewhat depressed. It wouldn't be a bad thing to talk to someone about it and consider counselling.

Answer 5

A normal person has fluctuations in hormones that make them happy or sad like when a woman has PMS, but people with depression feel sad all the time. It usually takes medication to feel better. Depression is caused by a lack of a certain chemical in the brain, and until that chemical is put back into the body, the person with depression is not going to feel better.

Answer 6

The sleeping trouble is probbably a bigger sign of depression rather than just feeling low because its physical rather than emotional. There are a couple of things you need to remember about depression... its not that you just feel sad. There is an imbalance of chemicals in your brain which to some extent you cant control. There is a wonderful book called Taming the Black Dog. It helped me to understand my depression which was the main step in managing it. Depression is something that is with you for life, but it is not a life sentence. There is alot to understand. Do not feel ashamed to talk about it or to ask for help. It is important that if you are depressed someone else knows, so that if you are slipping into a depressive state someone else can help you recognise the signs before they over come you.

Answer 7

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As someone who has spent alot of time dealing with depression, I can say NO, there pretty much are no happy times for a person with depression, the deep and empty feeling that seems to engulf their every move, every thought, It took me quite awhile and alot of Prozak to realize I could feel better, So in that case Yes a person can feel happy once the meds have kicked in, It is not a fun or easy road to try and handle by oneself, Medication is a must to kick start the brain function to get the Seratonin? back into the normal flow thats needed to stay out of the depression,

Answer 8

i had mono when i was 16. i've been clinically depressed since i was 11, and when i got mono it made me even worse. it will definitely make you more depressed because you'll feel tired and have no energy. i know exactly how you feel. it sucks being so down all the time, you feel like there's something wrong with you because you can't just feel "normal" and be happy. i've been on and off antidepressants for 11 years now, and i still wonder every single day if i'll ever feel normal happiness. i think what you're experiencing is more than just teenage drama. talk to your parents or a trusted adult and have them help you to find a good therapist. it's good to talk to someone who is unbiased and therapists hear stuff like this all of the time and will know how to hel you to deal with it. good luck! =o)

Answer 9

Depression lasts forever unless u take medication. It's cause is a chemical imbalance in the brain which u can't control. U can go out dancing, excell in school, eat right, exercise and live clean and still be depressed. None of those things can help ease depression. Ur friends can't help either. Just the right medication. It took me several attempts to find the right meds for the depression I went through but I did and now I'm not depressed for 48 months. I get normal ups and downs but not the crushing mental anguish I felt for most of the life I lived.

I'm free now and u can be too. U have to experiment with different meds and quit taking them if there are side effects. Sometimes ur doctor will have to increase the dosage or change them again and again. It will be worth it when u find the right medication so u can go on with ur life. Good Luck!

Answer 10

Mono makes you feel tired, sick, and depressed. I hope you have a light case of it--and not a really bad one.

People in their teens often feel sad or depressed, but often it is just due to changing bodies and hormones.

If people have clinical depression, or chronic depression, they definitely need counseling/therapy, and probably antidepressant meds. Most depressed people go on to live happy, normal lives--as long as they take their meds, and keep all scheduled appointments with doctors/therapists, etc.

Feel better soon (mentally and physically--the mono). :)