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I was listening to WNYC Public Radio driving the car and on their TED hour they were interviewing a psychologist whose name I think was Andrew Sullivan, whom I will here refer to a "S". S sounded pretty reasonable since he said one size does not fit all. Item: Different persons have different constitutional thresholds for depression. Depression is often triggered by some stressful event. A given event will likely trigger depression for a person with a low threshold but may not for a person with a higher threshold [Ed. note: the latter being those I charcterize as being like Timex watches: they can "take a licking and keep on ticking."].
S apparently specializes in childhood suicidal depression (ages 5-25 years). He said that young children are increasingly killing themselves and one of the main reasons is not Social Media or bullying but fears for apocalyptic terrors such as "global warming". He cited one teenage boy whose parents made a contract with him: They would never leave him alone if he promised to tell them everything he thought including if he thought they wouldn't like it. They did this for a year and he ceased being suicidal. (Again: one size does not fit all.) He started the year as a self-defined hopeless "nihilist" who didn't see any reason to live. He said he ended the year still as a nihilist but figuring to get what he could out of the short time he would be alive, i.e.: if he did not kill himself.
S described depression, noting he himself had suffered from it. He said something that really struck me: that a depressed person does not have the will to get out of bed even if someone offers them help. I (BMcC[18-11-46-503]) have been "depressed" a lot and taken a variety of the anti-depression meds (Prozac, Paxil, maybe others?).
I had a psychiatrist who said that anti-depression medications will not likely help if your life situation is objecively depressing (aka: "bad"). The definition of depression as not even taking help when it was offered was an eye-opener for me: I can't recall I ever was in a condition were I would not have taken help if offered; it was always that I did not see any help being offered to me. Ergo! I probably have never suffered from depression. Call it what you will: "depressing situation", no hope for improvement of life, etc. &rarr: whatever you call it, according to S's definition, it's not "depression". I will here say: It was/is depressing.
Yes, I could have done more sometimes. I was so ignoranced and felt so hopeless that there were a couple things I missed trying. Two "biggies": here and here. On the other hand, I did not always fail, item: here. I could hav e done better but I did try. According to S's definition, it seems that I was not depressed because if I was depressed I would have been too "depressed"(sic) to try.
 Unfortunate for themself, the person who lacks one; unfortunate for others, the person that is one. Don't be an a**hole! |
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