In the last few years I have spent a lot of time on various forums around the world wide web mostly in forums that revolve around depression. As of late I have begun to participate in a variety of sites where someone asks a question then a bunch of different people try to answer it which can be helpful but a lot of misinformation takes place at the same time. Part of this is due to just basic stupidity on some people’s behalf but the other issue is the definition of depression.
Depression case number one – A person just ended a long term relationship with their partner and is now moping around the house going through box after box of tissue.
Depression case number two – A person has completely isolated him or herself from friends and family. The person has either gained or lost a lot of weight recently. This person may view there life as hopeless and is constantly thinking about suicide.
Two completely different cases yet they both fall under the same category and this is where some of the confusion comes from as the way to treat case number one is not the same way case number two is approached.
The treatment for case number one may be as simple as time. Allowing yourself to grieve over the loss of a relationship then after this period the person will improve. In some cases the help of a therapist may speed up the healing process but the thought of medication should not even be a valid subject at this level. Problem is too many people watch those damn commercials and rush off to their doctor for the fast fix and a lot of doctors rather hand over a prescription then actually deal with the actual problem. At this level it should be all about making the right lifestyle choices, focusing on the positive and not screwing around with the chemicals in the brain. Why is it that your antidepressant is not improving your situation? A med can not fix something that is not broken.
The treatment for case number two will more then likely include medication which will hopefully reduce the symptoms of depression so the person can then focus on the root of the problem. It is very difficult trying to focus on changes that will improve your quality of life when the immediate though behind it is whether or not to just toss in the towel. A person at this level needs to be watched carefully purely based on safety reasons alone and a possible stint on the psych ward may be a realistic solution in some cases.
Two different treatment approaches to the same question “I am depressed. What should I do?”. I think part of the stigma that surrounds depression stems from the word having too many possible definitions. I can tell someone that I have depression and I may get a old cliche of pulling up my bootstraps and the person rolling their eyes but when I say I have severe depression with psychotic features then chances are the reaction will be completely different.
Two forums that illustrate this point are healthboards and crazyboards. On healthboards there are cases of severe depression but the majority tend to be closer to case number one where crazyboards ninety percent of the depression forum is a variety of case number of two.
One word with too completely different realities.
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Sometimes I think case number two actually begins as case number one. Sometimes people suffering some life crisis that makes them very sad really are depressed. (I think). Over time, though, it abates, and in a relatively short time they are more or less back to normal. In the more serious case the slide doesn’t halt. Things just continue to deteriorate. How bad it can get depends on the person and actual condition but anything that puts you that far down, and keeps you there, is plenty bad, no matter how severe it is relative to other depressed patients.
It’s like severely depressed people aren’t as resilient, and once the slide begins, whether there’s an external catalyst or not, our brains settle into some sort of depressed state and don’t snap out like normal brains do.
And I’m showing my ignorance because I most certainly can’t prove any of this. It’s purely anecdotal, based on my experiences, and those of others I’ve noticed.
I do agree that there are a number of cases where the depression has started at the first stage and for whatever the reason progressed to a deeper stage. Mind you a lot of this can be attributed to people not dealing with the problem when it first appears
I guess part of it also has to do with not having the proper emotional skills to deal with a crisis in a positive manner and I personally believe that some people are just prone to depression from the start. Depression runs rampant through both sides of my family so I am sure that this has come into factor in my situation.