Posted on 07/22/2009 5:49:29 AM PDT by Kaslin
I believe the cause of depression really, really is - thinking too much about yourself. It is just that simple.
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I would give you ninety percent agreement but I think there are other factors such as diet and exercise or the lack of it. Something as simple as taking a long walk can make a big difference but being self centered is probably by far the largest factor.
Hard physical labor and constant movement would be my first prescription for someone who wants to break out of the depression cycle. Go cut some firewood or something.
Really it means that those with genuine mental health problems don't get taken seriously as they should. We've so popularized and excused behavioral symptoms that we have desensitized ourselves to those in real need.
Turning every bit of lazy, inconsiderate or unacceptable behavior into "disorders" & thus acceptable, has simply gotten the needy lost in the mix. After a while no one gives a damn.
Ping.
I’m definitely hetero-polar.
Not that there’s anything wrong with being bi-polar....
Mother Teresa suffered from depression for 50 years and STILL managed to do her work!
Introspection is, by far, the most overrated “virtue” in modern society.
SnakeDoc
She had a sort of melt down. In fact… it was no more or less than the usual down turn most people experience from time to time in their lives.
HOWEVER, this girl had always scammed everyone around her into thinking that she was wonder woman and could do and handle EVERYTHING better than everyone. She was always a control freak and had endless and profound trouble with her own family and personal relationships because of it.
This deep-rooted sham self-assurance and the whole variegated system of unwholesome psychological mechanisms she built up to support it (developed over years of lying to herself and everyone else) were obvious to everyone that she had habitually duped. It was finally obvious how woefully incapable she was to deal with a situation which, frankly, any psychologically healthy individual would have taken in stride.
Her immediate response was to get herself to a doctor who diagnosed her as bi-polar and now her behavior is indulged, excused and usually overlooked. If anything, she is a worse pain in the a%$ than before and a continued troublemaker to all of us here who are unfortunate enough to have to work with her.
She used to be my supervisor, but her lying and natural deceit, got her taken out of the supervisory status. It was absolute h%$# for me while it lasted, but HR finally sees the real picture about her. That was part of her melt down too. I feel like I dodged a bullet!
> The truth is that changing one’s behavior with an exercise in other-absorption, rather than self-absorption, will cure what most people label as depression. If that fails they should talk to a professional. If that also fails they should consider an experiment with prescribed medication.
I was going to tear the author of this piece a new one, until I read this second-to-last sentence.
As one who has Depression and who is Bi-Polar I can attest to the fact that both mental illnesses are real and that putting on a happy face does not fix either of them. Medication and therapy and self-discipline do, eventually.
However, it is also true that both mental illnesses are often mis-diagnosed or (worse) self-diagnosed by people who are self-absorbed. In which case altering one’s behavior will often fix whatever is ailing them.
If you are feeling Depressed (trouble sleeping, low energy, sluggish, malaise) see a Doctor. If you’re feeling Sad, see a comedy and cheer up.
“Mother Teresa suffered from depression for 50 years and STILL managed to do her work!”
As I said... those in relationships with people who struggle with mental illness still need to defend boundaries, including the need to complete work on time. In fact, it’s the healthy thing for them...
I can remember when many individuals attempted to explain their behavior by claiming to be hypoglycemic.
Two polar bears standing side by side. Are they bi-polar?
Forgot about that one. Use to hear frequently, but it became so passe.
Additionally, living in a world that has internalized these otherwise irreconcilable conflicts (as ours has) means that there is societal and institutional support/approval for this “insanity”.
If they are standing side by side, I would say they are probably series. And hugh.
Better bi-polar than bi-curious.
Hey, half the population is bi-polar at a certain time of each month! (snicker!)
Mike Adams is a criminology professor, not a psychology professor.
It’s also interesting that UNC doesn’t even have faculty pages where one can see where the professors there earned their degrees.
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