Is Depression A Mental Illness?

[blazeingstar]

Take two pills and see me in the morning, doctor

 

Can you clarify?  Are you saying that I'm the DR, or you are?  Are you implying that modern medicine is pseudo science?

 

Or is this a case of throwing out a trite phrase because you had some challenge your worldview and didn't want to read it?

 

I didn't study cryptology in college so you're going to have to elaborate and create a response that actually addresses what you have an issue with.

[RoseOfGuadalupe]

Depression is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.

[RoseOfGuadalupe]

Depression, grief most certainly exist however is not a mental illness, it's a state of mind. And it hurts

That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt.”

As a person that suffered from severe clinical depression, I say bull sugar.

You can't fix it by changing your thoughts, you can't just ignore it. It is a very real illness caused by a lack of serotonin.

[blazeingstar]

Depression is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.

 

Sometimes Rose, but depression can also be caused by situations.  You can have someone with a perfectly chemically balanced brain suffer depression due to trauma.

[little2add]

What I'm saying is it's all too easy for a doctor to write a prescription for a happy pill the moment someone shows a few signs of depression.

I just watched a good movie about dealing with depression and grief. The name of the movie is: The Fault in Our Stars
It's about two teenagers (boy and girl) who has pushed people away since her cancer diagnosis, reluctantly joins a support group, where she bonds with a boy named Gus. Together, they face the challenge of building a relationship under the shadow of terminal illness.

It's a tearjerker but it is also a Very good movie

. BTW: I lost my wife of 30 years to cancer a few years ago I do know a little bit about depression.

[blazeingstar]

What I'm saying is it's all too easy for a doctor to write a prescription for a happy pill the moment someone shows a few signs of depression.

I just watched a good movie about dealing with depression and grief. The name of the movie is: The Fault in Our Stars
It's about two teenagers (boy and girl) who has pushed people away since her cancer diagnosis, reluctantly joins a support group, where she bonds with a boy named Gus. Together, they face the challenge of building a relationship under the shadow of terminal illness.

It's a tearjerker but it is also a Very good movie

. BTW: I lost my wife of 30 years to cancer a few years ago I do know a little bit about depression.

 

Actually, you never said that.  You're giving antidepressants the same level of severity of tylenol.  Given the situations people now find themselves in, with the rates of violence the fact that we live longer with more complex diseases, using medicines which help the brain heal is a good move, not a bad one.

 

What you watched is a work of fiction from a youtube phenom.  And in John Green's case he took real, live painful feelings of having a friend die from cancer and wrote a book.  He took feelings that he had and turned it into a book.  This is a way of dealing with the natural emotions of grief and loss.

 

And sorry, what you're speaking of is SITUATIONAL depression again, it has nothing to do with long-term CHEMICAL depression.

 

Your ignorance is still showing clearly.  The fact that you felt grief and were depressed has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with chemicals in your brain unless it evolved into clinically recognized Complex Grief.  

 

 

Just because the symptoms look the same, the result is not.

[little2add]

isn't this tread is titled

Is Depression A Mental Illness?

 

 

 

[little2add]

isn't this tread is titled

Is Depression A Mental Illness?

 

 

so SITUATIONAL depression is fake and CHEMICAL depression is real, is that what you mean?  im a little slow as you continue to point out in your responses,

[blazeingstar]

isn't this tread is titled

Is Depression A Mental Illness?

 

 

so SITUATIONAL depression is fake and CHEMICAL depression is real, is that what you mean?  im a little slow as you continue to point out in your responses,

 

At this point I am pretty sure that you didn't ace reading.  Please see my original post.

 

Situational depression is a real reaction to current events in a person's life.  When the situation is removed, or time passes for healing (as in grief) then so does the depression.  It can be treated by talk therapy and even by meds to get over the worst of the emotions.  It does not make one braver or stronger to use medicine.  It's like a deep cut.  Without help it heals, but with help it's better.  And like a deep cut it has the potential to worse.  Not always, but sometimes

 

Chemical depression is a mental illness akin to cancer.  Without professional help there's no chance to get better, ever.

 

 

Situational depression is not "fake" it's a response.  However, it is not permanent or long lasting.  The reality is that in most cases the person will get better unless a clinical problem develops.  Because we don't fully understand the brain, it's always better to treat severe situational depression as chemical depression because that typically prevents things like PSTD, complicated grief or other issues.

Edited October 27, 2014 by blazeingstar

[little2add]

At this point I am pretty sure that you didn't ace reading.  Please see my original post.

 

Situational depression is a real reaction to current events in a person's life.  When the situation is removed, or time passes for healing (as in grief) then so does the depression.  It can be treated by talk therapy and even by meds to get over the worst of the emotions.  It does not make one braver or stronger to use medicine.  It's like a deep cut.  Without help it heals, but with help it's better.  And like a deep cut it has the potential to worse.  Not always, but sometimes

 

Chemical depression is a mental illness akin to cancer.  Without professional help there's no chance to get better, ever.

 

 

Situational depression is not "fake" it's a response.  However, it is not permanent or long lasting.  The reality is that in most cases the person will get better unless a clinical problem develops.  Because we don't fully understand the brain, it's always better to treat severe situational depression as chemical depression because that typically prevents things like PSTD, complicated grief or other issues.

 

what type are you?

 

[blazeingstar]

what type are you?

 

Errmmmm one dosn't have to have depression to know about it.  I know about dogs, too, but I'm not a dog.  I do know because I work in education and in the public sector.  Anyone who works with people typically has been given training on how to deal with many different types of situations.

[little2add]

Errmmmm one dosn't have to have depression to know about it.  I know about dogs, too, but I'm not a dog.  I do know because I work in education and in the public sector.  Anyone who works with people typically has been given training on how to deal with many different types of situations.

 

does your dog suffer from depression, if so    what type Clinical or Situational

[blazeingstar]

does your dog suffer from depression, if so    what type Clinical or Situational

 

Slow down there nellie.  I didn't say I had a dog.  Now you're getting wicked defensive and sounding rather ridiculous.

 

You mentioned your partner died.  If you are suffering from depression, and it's been more than 6 months, then you should go get help.  Not like Lucy from charlie brown 5cent psychologist help but real psychological help.  If you're having trouble affording help there's always phone numbers that you can call.  The Hope line primarily deals with suicide but can instantly get you connected with free, local help for other mental illness or things that can become mental illness if left untreated.

[little2add]

Do you own a dog?

[blazeingstar]

Do you own a dog?

 

I'm queen of off topic, but how in the world does this relate to the OP's question?  So far your posts, while less than coherent, have at least attempted to remain on topic.

 

So lets give this some science:

 

Given the complex nature of mental illness science would say that dogs can suffer from depression, though how it manifests is typically through either mental breakdown a la  Rage syndrome (often in Cocker Spaniels) or through great loss in a dog that has been sired for loyalty (Timmy and Lassie, that Japaneese dog Hikoto or something that slept on his deceed owners grave), or debilitating illness such as blindness or deafness (old dogs on the blindess, white dogs or cats on deafness).  However, given that these are not chemical based, but situational, dogs cannot often be helped by psycotropic drugs.  They can be given mild sedatives to calm them, however, and for many dogs (or lab rats, cats, gorillis etc, it helps)

 

If one feels their dog is depressed and the vet gives the all ok and there is no loss in the dog's life, it's probably in the eye of the beholder and time to get the person to a doctor as they may be seeing a dog's normal behavior as something that it's not.  Eg.  The dog sighs because it's been crated (punished) for jumping on guests (eg cannot seek pleasure) , not because it's "depressed" that it cannot see guests.

Edited October 27, 2014 by blazeingstar