Do you know why you are depressed

[TheHeartHasAVoice]

I was watching this show with Dr Phil and he was talking about his philosophy on depression. He said something like many people who are depressed actually have real reasons for being depressed as opposed to having a mental illness (job loss, alienated from their kids, divorce etc).

He talked about writing those reasons down on a to do list then coming up with an action plan for each one and then crossing it off and that if you do that generally mood lifts.

He talked about how pain is a motivator for change and is not necessarily a bad thing.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[ManDss]

Well, yes, thats a good thing to do. Ive done that myself in the past, and Ive recomended this too to other people.

Be clear why are you feeling depressed, and then think what you need to do to change it.

Its at least a 1st step.

But thats only a tiny step, things sometimes arent easy to change. Sorry for being not optimisitic.

So then theres another thing to think about: how to cope.

 

[Sugaree]

I don’t always know why I am depressed. I have chronic pain,migraines and arthritis in my neck and spine. I also have anxiety disorder. Some days I just go into myself and can’t come out. Once the tears start flowing I can finally name something that has triggered it. My birthday is next week and that is usually a sad day for me. I realized today that it has been the underlying cause for my depression this week. Thank you for your post. It made me realize the reason behind my tears tonight.

 

[EclipticNight]

For me its mental exaustion and chronic pain. Unfortunatly in my case it's exactly the opposite, it ruins my motivation to do anything. For me pain has been consistantly bad.

 

[liv33]

I was watching this show with Dr Phil and he was talking about his philosophy on depression. He said something like many people who are depressed actually have real reasons for being depressed as opposed to having a mental illness (job loss, alienated from their kids, divorce etc).

Sorry, I don't understand here: real reasons for being depressed as opposed to having a mental illness?

 

[TheHeartHasAVoice]

Sorry, I don't understand here: real reasons for being depressed as opposed to having a mental illness?

He meant that their situation naturally demonstrated a genuine reason for being depressed. Rather than needing pills for the label depression. Like, their situation in life was the cause of their depression and understandable as opposed to having some illness of the mind.

If you have just gone through a divorce for example it's expected you would be depressed.

 

[jajingna]

Basic reason, an unhappy life. There are several things about it I dislike. Where I'm living, and how I'm living. There are things about myself I want to be different. But changing is no easy matter. And there are some things beyond my control, like the virus. I've been out of work so long, that gets me down. Don't have a social life other than a brother. Too much free time, idleness, boredom. Social anxiety. Lots of things contribute to feelings of depression.

 

[ThrownOutTheAsylum]

He's right in that some depression is caused by issues that the sufferer can do something about. Often taking courage and addressing the issues will make the sufferer feel better. Sometimes people whose depression is a reaction to events just need to pick themselves up, acknowledge that life isn't perfect and face the issue or just get on with things. However, even for these people, depression makes these things harder to do.

Those whose depression is more fundamental will struggle and it won't help those depressed people who have no external explanation for their depression (for example, my depression is related to how I feel physically and has, as far as I can see, no external factors).

 

[toutatis]

Also, things like childhood trauma, abuses, PTSD, a ruined sense of self and trust etc., aren't the same thing as having a situation to be fixed, but can cause ongoing depression. But overall, in terms of what Dr Phil said, I'd have to agree, yes.

 

[Mistral]

Of course there are people who have reasons for their depression. There are many people who just cannot cope with a loss or a failure they have in life and never recover from it. I have been there. My depression came about because I was well sheltered when I grew up and when failure came to me, I just did not know how to cope with it. Each little failure was not dealt with until things unravelled completely so that I could not cope with it. Medication and hospital, not so much cured me, but kept me functioning until I could learn for the first time in my life how to deal with all the failures and problems that most people deal with in their lives.

Pills will steady the ship, relieve the pain and prevent you from doing harm to yourself or others and get you into to a state where you can function at work, or as a carer for children, or other family members, but they are not a "cure". The "cure" comes after medication.

 

[MeAndMyDepression]

Also, things like childhood trauma, abuses, PTSD, a ruined sense of self and trust etc., aren't the same thing as having a situation to be fixed, but can cause ongoing depression. But overall, in terms of what Dr Phil said, I'd have to agree, yes.

I did experience childhood trauma. I went to therapy because of it, probably ten years ago at age 51 for maybe four months. I'm now 61. It was helpful at the time, but I don't want to be in therapy all of my life. Talking about it is no longer helpful.

 

[Sugaree]

I also had an abusive childhood. I had my first panic attack when I was 6. I was in therapy for most of my forties. I have a major anxiety disorder and depressive disorder. I will be 60 next week and my anxiety has been debilitating these last few weeks. I thought about seeing a counselor again but because of covid it would be a virtual visit. I am tired of talking about it too, I just want to move forward.

 

[Alexander Ypsilantis]

I think a lot of depressed people have a predisposition towards that mindset, it's probably genetic in many cases. Events that people with more upbeat outlooks on life would just shrug off, depressed people let get to them.

I didn't have much joy in my childhood, my parents quarreled all the time and there was a lot of tension around the home. But, other folks have had that and worse and not come out of it too deeply impacted. In my case I think I have a genetic predisposition towards depression/anxiety which was first evidenced when I was a teenager.

I'm not sure what context Dr. Phil was referring to, but not everyone who feels 'down' over some misfortune is depressed. Depression is NOT just feeling the blues or feeling down because something went wrong in your life. Depression is all-encompassing and sucks the energy out of you-you don't feel like doing much of anything. It's pervasive in the lives of clinically depressed people.

 

[TheHeartHasAVoice]

I think a lot of depressed people have a predisposition towards that mindset, it's probably genetic in many cases. Events that people with more upbeat outlooks on life would just shrug off, depressed people let get to them.

I didn't have much joy in my childhood, my parents quarreled all the time and there was a lot of tension around the home. But, other folks have had that and worse and not come out of it too deeply impacted. In my case I think I have a genetic predisposition towards depression/anxiety which was first evidenced when I was a teenager.

I'm not sure what context Dr. Phil was referring to, but not everyone who feels 'down' over some misfortune is depressed. Depression is NOT just feeling the blues or feeling down because something went wrong in your life. Depression is all-encompassing and sucks the energy out of you-you don't feel like doing much of anything. It's pervasive in the lives of clinically depressed people.

There was a context he was referring to if the patient was reacting to something external ie if the situation was changeable. Sorry I should of mentioned that.

 

[A_Wilted_Daisy]

I've been depressed for as long as I can remember. Probably since childhood. It definitely existed in my teens, and now I'm in my 40s. Sometimes there are reasons I feel bad in a moment, but there's always been a sadness in me. I know for sure my maternal grandma was depressed. I see it in my mom as well, though she won't admit it. I do believe it can be genetic. Also, my parents have never had a happy marriage. I witnessed nonstop anger and yelling as a child that continues to this day. There's never been love between them that I've seen. I'm sure that also plays a role in my feelings and relationships with others.