How do you deal with depression?
Q.The hard part is to tie the shoelaces on, do the warm up, and take the first few steps until you get going. But when you're done, you won't even remember what depression is. Do it regularly, and you'll hardly ever be depressed anymore.
A.There's the most simplistic solution to a severe and chronic medical condition I've ever heard -- and it just points out how little most people know -- or understand -- about real depression. It's often said that this is in part because the ailment is so unfortunately called by a word people use in normal conversation to describe normal feelings; "I didn't get the job I wanted, so now I'm so depressed," "my father died, I'm so depressed," etc. Clincial depression is *nothing* like that at all. A book I read about dealing with it by a Buddhist teacher perhaps put it best; it's about the dePRESSion of normal feelings. As if all of your emotions have been squeezed out of you until all that is left is despair. When you are truly, clinically, medically depressed, getting up out of bed to go to the bathroom can literally take all of the energy left in you. The very idea of exercise or eating or anything else that's remotely constructive is so far from your mind ... if you try to think about it when you are depressed, you can't even believe you ever moved voluntarily at all. You want to feel *something,* anything besides hopeless, but you can't. And that's the scariest part of all. I've always thought that people who manage to commit suicide must have been one tragic step away from recovery at that very moment, because to do so would require so much effort and concentration -- something you just don't have when the black beast has complete control of you. Your earlier "cheer up and it'll go away" opinion is worthless for anyone with severe depression. I don't know what you're personal experience with depression might be (and it's really none of my business), but I've dealt with both mild and severe depression for myself and with close friends over the years. A mild case of depression, or one that's situation in nature, may well be resolved by the individual without assistance or meds. A severe case, OTOH, will frequently remain beyond the ability of the victim to cope, in which case meds and therapy are necessary. For some of us, the problem is compounded by an extreme sensitivity to most or all antidepressants that makes treatment even more difficulty. In any case, depression isn't something that lends itself to a quick and simple resolution. If it were, we wouldn't see folks who become non-functional or suicidal, who isolate themselves from everyone and can't motivate themselves to take steps to deal with it. AFA your unnecessary attack on Laura's expertise, I've known her for years now as a friend, and have yet to see her posit an opinion where she didn't know what she's talking about. If you'd been around this group for as long as she and I have (as well as some of the other participants), you'd realize that there are people here with expertise and experience in a wide range of multiple disciplines and fields. It doesn't require a trip back to college to be able to express opinions on a variety of topics if you live an interesting life and pay attention to what goes on around you.
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