If I had to make a thread reflecting my view about depression …

[Sirona]

If I had to make a thread reflecting my view about depression …

1. I’d say, there are people who are just drawn to the dark and melancholy stuff. Period. If there was no depression, we probably wouldn’t have things like Franz Kafka, Blade Runner or Wicca.

2. I’d say we’d have to say good-bye to the notion prevalent among people from mostly Christian cultures, that bright = always good and dark = always evil.

3. I’d say that depression can be a suppressed, veiled form of aggression, and that the right action sometimes can be to act fiercely (under the right circumstances) rather than being a hushed “good person”.

4. I probably wouldn’t direct people to websites I’d consider potentially harmful for depressed people; websites which repeat that depression is the anomaly and which, by their silence on the subject, express LOUDLY that there is a normative happy state that depressed people must “return” to, a state that may put consumption as the top priority and might force us, through the media and demands, to pretend to live in a permanent "happy state".

Do some of you feel the same way?

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

I think there is more to be said for contentment than "happiness." And I think that contentment gets glossed over a lot as insufficient by people looking for "happiness." I think there should be more appreciation of what is considered "mundane" as actually having worth and being meaningful or recognized as achievement. For example - if you made it through the day, are alive and relatively well, sourced food, water and have shelter, then that's a win! That's an accomplishment! People don't have enough wins in their lives, I feel... but they are taught to "aim high", so that where they end up being most often is deemed to be "a low place" by them.

 

[VoidCat]

1. I’d say, there are people who are just drawn to the dark and melancholy stuff. Period. If there was no depression, we probably wouldn’t have things like Franz Kafka, Blade Runner or Wicca.

True that some are drawn to dark things but that doesn't make them depressed. Depression is much more then that.

2. I’d say we’d have to say good-bye to the notion prevalent among people from mostly Christian cultures, that bright = always good and dark = always evil.

Agreed. Light isn't always good nor is darkness always evil

3. I’d say that depression can be a suppressed, veiled form of aggression, and that the right action sometimes can be to act fiercely (under the right circumstances) rather than being a hushed “good person”.

I don't know about this point I am not sure if it's true or not.

4. I probably wouldn’t direct people to websites I’d consider potentially harmful for depressed people; websites which repeat that depression is the anomaly and which, by their silence on the subject, express LOUDLY that there is a normative happy state that depressed people must “return” to, a state that may put consumption as the top priority and might force us, through the media and demands, to pretend to live in a permanent "happy state".

I direct folks to a therapist or doctor or if they can afford it. Meds can help it is often a chemical imbalance. So can therapy. If they can't I'd direct them to techniques online that I've learnt in cbt therapy.

 

[Heyo]

If I had to make a thread reflecting my view about depression …

1. I’d say, there are people who are just drawn to the dark and melancholy stuff. Period. If there was no depression, we probably wouldn’t have things like Franz Kafka, Blade Runner or Wicca.

According to one therapist there is such a thing as a generally depressive personality - and I have it.

2. I’d say we’d have to say good-bye to the notion prevalent among people from mostly Christian cultures, that bright = always good and dark = always evil.

Yep.

3. I’d say that depression can be a suppressed, veiled form of aggression, and that the right action sometimes can be to act fiercely (under the right circumstances) rather than being a hushed “good person”.

I think that's rare. Very few depressed people are aggressive (and suppress it). The opposite is the case, depressed people lack aggression (i.e. follow their ambitions aggressively).

4. I probably wouldn’t direct people to websites I’d consider potentially harmful for depressed people; websites which repeat that depression is the anomaly and which, by their silence on the subject, express LOUDLY that there is a normative happy state that depressed people must “return” to, a state that may put consumption as the top priority and might force us, through the media and demands, to pretend to live in a permanent "happy state".

I don't consider anything especially dangerous to depressed people. I believe in depressive realism and depressed people can handle information better than neurotypical people. E.g. I have only good experiences with openly discussing suicide - against the opinion of many therapists who think that it is harmful.

 

[gnomon]

If I had to make a thread reflecting my view about depression …

1. I’d say, there are people who are just drawn to the dark and melancholy stuff. Period. If there was no depression, we probably wouldn’t have things like Franz Kafka, Blade Runner or Wicca.

2. I’d say we’d have to say good-bye to the notion prevalent among people from mostly Christian cultures, that bright = always good and dark = always evil.

3. I’d say that depression can be a suppressed, veiled form of aggression, and that the right action sometimes can be to act fiercely (under the right circumstances) rather than being a hushed “good person”.

4. I probably wouldn’t direct people to websites I’d consider potentially harmful for depressed people; websites which repeat that depression is the anomaly and which, by their silence on the subject, express LOUDLY that there is a normative happy state that depressed people must “return” to, a state that may put consumption as the top priority and might force us, through the media and demands, to pretend to live in a permanent "happy state".

Do some of you feel the same way?

If you had to make? You did.