If chemicals causes depression, then I really need help?

Question

I didnt really knew that depression is caused because of imbalance of chemicals. and this may sound silly and many people dont even believe it, but its true. I heard a lot of stuff, I saw few documentaries about how playing games on a computer affects a person.

now I found out the reason what could cause my waves of depression.
when a person plays video games, some chemicals releases into the body (adrenaline, dopamine). a person becomes literally adDicted to playing video games. I was playing games for 5 - 10 hours per day. my record is 18 hours of playing. video games were my life. when I was beaten, I found comfort in video games. I remember when my parents forbid me playing video games. I thought I'm gonna go mad and lose my mind, I couldnt stand without playing a game.

please correct me if I am wrong.

so through all those 8 years since I started playing computer games, my body adjusted to large amounts of dopamine being released into the body, so thats what usually made me happy. you have got no idea how happy I was when I was going home from my friend with a new video game. its the same feeling like being in love. anyway now when I'm bored, I get depressed. I read on wikipedia 'Low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine may lead to depression.' link. in the morning after work with cows, there is nothing to do, nothing. I am soooo bored and then that depression can come (not always). then I'm bored/depressed all until lunch time. food makes people happy cause of dopamine. so after lunch if there is nothing to do all until evening, then I can also get depressed and bored. I wanna work anything at home or at least something. sometimes people defend from work, but I wanna work or at least go somewhere.

I've had some hobbies but nothing makes me happy like video games. now I dont play them cause I have to upgrade my computer. so now I'm wondering what to do? should I keep continue playing video games, so I wont be bored/depressed? or should I go for antidepressants? talking with my friends makes me happy but I can talk to them in the evening. but I need something through the day.

believe me, I can be smiled and happy, but sometimes I just feel to die and I have people to live for. then I wonder why I feel like that and I see that I dont have any big reason to feel depressed and then I just think its a phase. but now I guess its the chemicals fault.

am I right?

Answer 1

i am not sure if you are right. sometimes people are addicted to video games because they are depressed , not the fact that the video game is making them depressed. video games can be a negative , addictive, reaction to some other issues a person is not dealing with, and playing the video games obsessively can elivate your feelings of depression or boredom, as you say it comforts you. your waves of depression may not be caused by video games. i know all kinds of people that play a lot of video games, me included, and are not depressed. antidepressants are usually given to people, when therapy does not help. they are are organically depressed which quite often is genetic, or it runs in families. i suggest you first see a mental health counselor, or psychiatrist , first to see if they can steer you in the right direction. i do not think your video games are causing your depression, but you seem to be dependent on the games to relieve symptoms of a possible underlying depression, and perhaps you are not dealing with the issues that may cause your feelings of depression. dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with video games if used for pleasure , not escape from your problems. hope this helps you, good luck.

Answer 2

Depression is often caused by a lack of control. The video games game you control over part of your environment. You stated in a clarification that you looked forward to playing games when you were "beaten". I am not sure if you mean physically assaulted or just downtrodden by everyday life. Either way it shows clearly that you felt others were in control and you were not.

Video games helped, but so can any other activity. The release of neurotransmitters to give us a natural "high" is not specific to video gaming, it happens any time we engage in an enjoyable activity.

What you really need to do is uncover what is causing you to feel that you lack control. Seek counselling and be willing to talk and listen.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 3

You are right!! The chemical changes in the brain do cause addiction. Get away from the video games and get on a anti-depressant until your chemistry returns to normal.

Answer 4

It sounds like you did a lot of research on it. Good. Now, you need to research what the side effects of various antidepressants are and if playing video games again will make any other side effects, such as making your depression worse when you are not able to play them. I wish you luck. One other word of advice, if your depression gets worse, go get help right away.

Answer 5

Depression is often related to some type of loss, real or perceived. Losses can be related to relationships, job, abilities, friends, family, freedom. Loss can makes us very sad and can lead to depression. Chemical imbalances can occur, sometimes medication can be useful along with counseling..

Answer 6

Your solution is: A compute upgrade or a new passion. There is got to be something that you really enjoy doing it.
Eat those foods that are excellent for the brain and continue with us at yahoo answers for the meantime.

Answer 7

If your mood swings to suicidal, you should definitely be on antidepressants. You may also need counselling to get over your video game addiction.

Answer 8

It's not all to do with chemicals.You can get depressed due to your environment and situation.
If your thinking being on the computer makes you depressed it's probably because your not out with people.So become lonely etc.