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mxihockey

Depression

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I would say a small percentage of people actually benefit from the drugs. If they work for you and you don't have major side-effects, I would never tell you to stop. I'm glad it works for you.

I'm no doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist, but from personal experience with a number of people who were dealing with "depression," many times there was another cause. In my opinion, the problem with the, I-don't-feel-good-here's-a-pill approach, is that a lot of people just assume that anti-depressants will solve all of their problems.

I would like to think that medication should be a last resort if nothing else works. But honestly, when I got my prescription for anti-depressants, it was a few questions and, yup, you're depressed, here you go.

Again, they can be a boon for people who actually need them. I'm not arguing that. I'm arguing the prevalence of a depression diagnosis. I can't speak to everyone's situation, but for the people I know, there hasn't been much in terms of lifestyle intervention and therapy, just a prescription.

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Most times- doctors know what they are talking about. I've suffered a relapse after being weaned- Yeah, I thought I didn't need them and weaned off properly with a physician's recommendation. I'm now on the small dose I was on for life. I've been diagnosed as "clinically depressed" as well as moderate PTSD. I'm with starsfan71 on this one. Seriously, doctors don't exactly hand these sorts of diagnoses out like candy at halloween time.

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Seriously, doctors don't exactly hand these sorts of diagnoses out like candy at halloween time.

Around here they do. More than half of the women over 25 where my wife work have prescriptions for anti-depressants. Way more than half.

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I have noticed that the only time I experience my depression is when I am away from home playing hockey. I love hockey and all but I am alone most of the time and I also play on a losing team. I think the combination of lonliness and the fact that the team atmosphere is not good is a huge contributer to my depression. Anyone else in this scenario?

That's pretty much the same situation I'm in right now. I'm 15 hours from home, and in Canada to top it off. My teams had it's share of ups and downs this season, with what seems like a revolving door with players coming and going.

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Seriously, doctors don't exactly hand these sorts of diagnoses out like candy at halloween time.

No, they hand them out as if a large pharmaceutical company provides incentives to do so.

I don't want to make it sound like a conspiracy, and I truly believe there are chronically depressed people out there, but over-medicating is becoming (if it's not already) a big problem.

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No, they hand them out as if a large pharmaceutical company provides incentives to do so.

I don't want to make it sound like a conspiracy, and I truly believe there are chronically depressed people out there, but over-medicating is becoming (if it's not already) a big problem.

It really is. Most of those psychotropic drugs were really meant for short-term, emergency use. No one has any idea of how this stuff works, much less it's long-term effects.

I've wrestled with this for most of my life - hospitalized quite a few times for very serious manic depressive episodes where life became absolutely unbearable for me and those around me, etc.

What I've learned is this:

  1. talking about things ad nauseum almost always makes things worse. And that makes sense if you think about it: if you have thinking patterns/memory that are causing you pain, every time you return to those patterns, you not only "re-live" that destructive thinking pattern/memory, you also deepen the grooves, as it were. Of course, sometimes you need to unburden and sometimes you need to talk to understand; I'm talking about obssessively talking about one's self/situation/past/family, etc - which becomes counterproductive rapidly.
  2. Segueing from the above: our culture constantly teaches us that to get out of our problems we need to focus on ourselves. As usual with cultural messages, the truth is the exact opposite: there is no faster, surer way to misery than focusing on yourself, and on your own problems (current or past), and on open-ended unanswereable riddles such as "who am I?" et cetera.
  3. You cannot make yourself happy or confident or mirthful - it doesn't matter how you organize your life, etc. It's just a fact. The only way to find those things in yourself is to forget yourself - and instead try to instill happiness, confidence, mirth in other people. Try it sometime.
  4. The secret to life is to forget yourself by becoming absorbed in something greater than yourself. As Chesterton said, don't enjoy yourself, you cannot enjoy yourself. Instead, enjoy (become absorbed in) what you're doing.
  5. For me working out in the weight room, on the track (former sprinter), and on the ice is the best anti-depressant by far and away. And research bears this out. Also, inflammation is implicated in depression: so fish oil and generally an anti-inflammatory diet is very helpful.

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  1. For me working out in the weight room, on the track (former sprinter), and on the ice is the best anti-depressant by far and away. And research bears this out. Also, inflammation is implicated in depression: so fish oil and generally an anti-inflammatory diet is very helpful.

I agree whole heartedly- I'm on a mild dose of a popular antidepressant moreso for anxiety, although i've been extremely depressed at points in their life nobody should be depressed at, and I find that playing my guitar, going for a walk, or hitting the ice is better for me than the medication. I still take it every day because I haven't had a "spike" of depressed thoughts but it is more or less a placebo the more I think about it.

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Wasn't sure if this was worth a whole new thread so I decided to bump this one. I was wondering if any fellow members suffered from PTSD? I saw a significant amount of support and knowledge from members in this thread for depression, and was wondering if other members had this issue as well.

Personally, I was diagnosed just over two years ago, and just like depression, it is a never ending battle that can destroy day(s) before they even begin.

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Wasn't sure if this was worth a whole new thread so I decided to bump this one. I was wondering if any fellow members suffered from PTSD? I saw a significant amount of support and knowledge from members in this thread for depression, and was wondering if other members had this issue as well.

Personally, I was diagnosed just over two years ago, and just like depression, it is a never ending battle that can destroy day(s) before they even begin.

Not me personally (therapist and I disagree on validity of diagnosis), but I know several people (and worked with others in a healthcare setting) who have PTSD. Rough ride. People I know experience it and deal with it in various ways - some people use the same coping mechanisms as anxiety/panic, and some use the same kinds of cognitive therapy for interrupting maladaptive (for lack of a better term) behavior/thought patterns.

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Wasn't sure if this was worth a whole new thread so I decided to bump this one. I was wondering if any fellow members suffered from PTSD? I saw a significant amount of support and knowledge from members in this thread for depression, and was wondering if other members had this issue as well.

Personally, I was diagnosed just over two years ago, and just like depression, it is a never ending battle that can destroy day(s) before they even begin.

Not myself, but me ex-wife and an ex-gf for sure. Some friends that did time in the military as well. Was your trauma due to combat/violence? Or was it from abuse? No need to answer that question I guess. PTSD is no joy no matter what but from what I've experienced with people close to me is that combat/violence trauma is different than abuse trauma.

Either way, I hope you can find help and find some good coping mechanisms. These things effect everyone around you.

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So many great responses on here and I would like to add my two cents if I may. A really good therapist is probably the best idea (if that is possible) and add me to the list who have suggested having a great support system. Family, friends, etc., absolutely surrounding yourself with people that genuinely love you and care for you can only help. From personal experience, I know EXACTLY what you are going through when sometimes you just feel like nothing matters or you don't know why you are down. I know that when I tried to figure it out on my own it just made me even more miserable and then guilty for feeling sorry for myself. Just know that you have options and people that are more than willing to help and that you don't have to face this on your own. Best of luck to you!

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