Can you 'beat' depression?

[Laika]

I think it may be already over. I haven't had the 'symptoms' for a year or two now.

I'm very happy to hear that.

 

[George-ananda]

Each person is different. Medication has worked great for me. Therapy and honest conversation wouldn't help me at all. Prozac was better living through chemicals for me! But, the next guy may be different. 'Depression' is too general of a term for one solution..

I want to add to what I said by saying my metaphysical beliefs are a humongous booster shot to keep me from depression. I believe that I will continue on growing and advancing beyond death and believe that progressively greater things are always ahead of me. The alternative belief of only declining physical and mental capacities being ahead of me along with the knowledge that consciousness extinguishes with the death of the physical brain would leave me quite susceptible to feelings of pointlessness, nihilism and depression.

 

[Yerda]

I'm very happy to hear that.

It's a great relief to feel 'normal'. You know when you have a headache, and you get on with your day and it just gets worse. So you take an aspirin and the headache clears and you feel great because the lack of headache is wonderful all of a sudden. That's how the last 12 months have been.

I found the best way to deal with depression is to try to get to the root of the cause, find out why you are depressed, and deal with it.

Aye, I avoided thinking about most of the things that could be 'causes'. Mostly this was because I was the cause of a lot of it and I didn't want to accept my failings.

Peace be on you.

Thank you.

I dunno if you could beat depression. Depression has always struck me as being pretty masochistic. You'd just end up turning it on and then you've got a whole other set of problems to deal with.

I don't know that I beat it but it went away. Hopefully I can avoid it in future.

Yes. My secret was basically nature and meditation. It took me a long time, but when I figured it out it the sun shone on my life.

I think I know this feeling.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram jaiket ji

I am sorry to hear you have suffered , but I am glad to hear you say that the last year has been better , ....

I think the answer is Yes , ....
and I would agree with all the below particularly the bolded parts, ...

Yes you can....

• It takes getting fit = gravity weighs us down, unless we're physically strong enough.
  
• Eating healthy, i.e. going vegetarian, no additives = You are what you eat.
• Mindfulness meditation = spend the time to talk to your own self, much more efficient than any councilor as you ask the right questions.
• Plenty of nature = Crazy disharmonious cities, nature helps us re-harmonize us.
• Positive affirmations = don't allow ourselves to slip into bad thought processes.

I myself never experienced depression , but i feel one can beat it with positive attitude , volunteer service ,charity , physical exercise like running etc

Yes. My secret was basically nature and meditation. It took me a long time, but when I figured it out it the sun shone on my life.

I want to add to what I said by saying my metaphysical beliefs are a humongous booster shot to keep me from depression. I believe that I will continue on growing and advancing beyond death and believe that progressively greater things are always ahead of me. The alternative belief of only declining physical and mental capacities being ahead of me along with the knowledge that consciousness extinguishes with the death of the physical brain would leave me quite susceptible to feelings of pointlessness, nihilism and depression.

I was told once that I was clinicaly depressed , but I declined any medication , ...I reflected a lot through this period of my life , it was at this point that I realy began to get very serious about meditation and through this I got more envolved in doing things for others , and enjoying simple time with nature and my own thoughts , ....allthough it was a hard battle I came to the conclusion that depression is a part of the learning process and that it was in some way a blessing in some strange disguise , ...as at least in my case it caused me to re evaluate what is realy important in life , there is a Tibetan Buddhist way of looking at things which realy helped me at that time , it all swung on the principle of turning obsticals into the path , .....there was a book I read that realy changed the way I looked at things , I will try to find it for you , ....

but all I can say is that I know many people who have suffered in some way but who have been able to transform negative states of mind into something realy positive and beautifull , ....

I learnt too that fragility was not something to be ashamed of , it can be a very fine quality if we larn how to use it constructively , .....

 

[psychoslice]

It's a great relief to feel 'normal'. You know when you have a headache, and you get on with your day and it just gets worse. So you take an aspirin and the headache clears and you feel great because the lack of headache is wonderful all of a sudden. That's how the last 12 months have been.
Aye, I avoided thinking about most of the things that could be 'causes'. Mostly this was because I was the cause of a lot of it and I didn't want to accept my failings.
Thank you.
I don't know that I beat it but it went away. Hopefully I can avoid it in future.
I think I know this feeling.

If we don't bring what is causing our depression out and deal with it, it will always be bubbling beneath our subconscious mind, never letting us go, drag it out by the roots, and forgive yourself.

 

[Penumbra]

A statistical example of something that is essentially unbeatable would be an ailment that has fairly consistent rates among multiple demographics and locations, with little or no evidence linking it to any lifestyle elements.

Unipolar depression, on the other hand, most likely has a cultural element to it:

Interestingly, bipolar disorder swings the other way:

Unipolar depression is often associated with a vicious cycle. A person feels bad, and then doesn't eat healthy, doesn't get enough exercise, withdraws from social relationships, runs into economic hardship, and feels even worse. And evidence shows that thinking about a negative event has nearly the same biological impact as experiencing a negative event for the first time. So for example if you get divorced, it typically causes a spike in cortisol, the stress hormone. And then years later, if you ruminate about your divorce, thinking about it, you get spikes of cortisol every time you do that.

Some things like genes are out of our hands. Certain genetic profiles predispose people to depression. A common mixture is someone that is genetically predisposed to depression, and then a significant trigger event happens that actually brings on the depression. Other people are more buffered against it, possibly from higher average levels of neurotransmitters, or whatever else. It's possible to predict a person's future chance of depression based on their genes.

Exercise is evidenced to boost mood. Healthy eating and adequate sleep are evidenced to boost mood. Positive social relationships are evidenced to boost mood. Being married is causally linked to increased mood, especially people that go on to consider their spouse their best friend. Experiencing nature is evidenced to boost mood. Meditation is evidenced to boost mood.

Psychotherapy plays a large role in getting people to break the vicious cycle; to reduce negative rumination and to begin developing the positive habits associated with positive mood. Medicine is somewhat evidenced to help in serious cases but has unclear or negative evidence of helping much in mild or moderate cases. For some people, they could try to work on things one step at a time and pull themselves out of a vicious cycle. But I think it's kind of ignorant when people presume that since they beat depression, other people necessarily can do the same, or that some specific strategy will definitely beat it. It's a complex illness that has elements of psychology, neurochemistry, and external factors, so cases of it tend to be fairly unique.

 

[Aiviu]

Can you deal with it on your own, no medication or therapy or much in the way of honest conversation about how you feel?

When sadness becomes hypocritial to ourselves do we talk about depression then?

 

[Paranoid Android]

Can you deal with it on your own, no medication or therapy or much in the way of honest conversation about how you feel?

It depends. Non-clinical depression ? Sure.

Clinical depression ? No. Allthough most people won't accept it, it's a brain disorder. Just as it would be absurd to ask someone to cure diabetes or heart disease on "there own", it is just as absurd to ask someone to cure clinical depression on there own. Why ? Because the cause of it is your brain. People fail to understand this and often will blame the person for it. This is as absurd as blaming a rape victim for the clothes she or he wore, e.t.c for being raped.
It is estimated the United States of America loses a lot in terms of work e.t.c because we do not treat depression in a scientifically proven way. We have to face the facts: MENTAL ILLNESS IS A BRAIN DISORDER, AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

 

[atanu]

Can you deal with it on your own, no medication or therapy or much in the way of honest conversation about how you feel?

Laughing at ego can help. Or:

 

[dawny0826]

Can you deal with it on your own, no medication or therapy or much in the way of honest conversation about how you feel?

Depends on the degree of depression and the individual.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Can you deal with it on your own, no medication or therapy or much in the way of honest conversation about how you feel?

No, at least not with the sort of depression I have. If it's mild or perhaps moderate, perhaps. But if you have severe, suicidal depression that leaves you unable to function for years like I do, then no. I'm on 200 mg of Zoloft (the maximum they're supposed to give you) and I still wish I were dead, hate myself and can't function. All it's done, basically, is make the suicidal thoughts less severe than it was before, so I'm less likely to commit suicide.

 

[leibowde84]

I myself never experienced depression , but i feel one can beat it with positive attitude , volunteer service ,charity , physical exercise like running etc

Sometimes, this doesn't suffice. It can help, but some people have neurological issues that must be dealt with. Medicine might not be necessary, but it has nothing to do with mere sadness.

 

[Smart_Guy]

Yes, I can. I had been depressed many times and got rid of it with no medications. Some cases where difficult and took more time, but eventually solved. I believe medication can help, but they don't cure on their own like the case with physical wounds. What really matters here is wanting to cure it, not applying medication. Depression is a mental state and the mind feeds on well.

I think thinking medication can cure on their own is a myth.

 

[Yerda]

No, at least not with the sort of depression I have. If it's mild or perhaps moderate, perhaps. But if you have severe, suicidal depression that leaves you unable to function for years like I do, then no. I'm on 200 mg of Zoloft (the maximum they're supposed to give you) and I still wish I were dead, hate myself and can't function. All it's done, basically, is make the suicidal thoughts less severe than it was before, so I'm less likely to commit suicide.

That sounds pretty heavy - I hope you can find some peace.

 

[Jumi]

I think everyone can be helped, if not cured. I do hope there is a cure for depression, but I would suggest that a lot of it has to do with how society and "civilized" life is structured. We are not in touch with ourselves or our environment and there's a lot of stuff we eat that isn't really food. Well that's just what I think and it helped me recover. If depression ever struck me again, I know what I would do.

 

[Aštra’el]

-Don't underestimate the strength of your own willpower
-Make healthier choices
-Evolve your Weltanschauung into becoming more appreciative of your life and the world

 

[Kilgore Trout]

To "beat" anything, whether with medication or without, one has to reprogram the brain/thought patterns (cognitive behavioral therapy is a useful tool for this). Some people are more adept at, and open to, reprogramming themselves than others.

 

[Onyx]

FWIW there is a good $10 self-help book called "A Guide to Rational Living".

 

[Demonslayer]

Evolve your Weltanschauung

Don't you tell me what to do with my Weltanschauung, that's my private business!

 

[Demonslayer]

No, at least not with the sort of depression I have. If it's mild or perhaps moderate, perhaps. But if you have severe, suicidal depression that leaves you unable to function for years like I do, then no. I'm on 200 mg of Zoloft (the maximum they're supposed to give you) and I still wish I were dead, hate myself and can't function. All it's done, basically, is make the suicidal thoughts less severe than it was before, so I'm less likely to commit suicide.

Did you get that spray for the bed?