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[Descan]

I never know how to 'handle'* [name] when he get's depressed. I'm always trying to help people (trying to, not always succeeding) and when he gets in one of those cycles, I've no way of helping. So I, as well as other friends who are the same way, feel miserable along with and for him, because we can't do anything to alleviate it. He's usually this cheerful, bubbly little kitten, built like a greyhound and bounding around the place. But when he gets depressed, he's an entirely different person.

To sum up: It's not one of those things that you can really help or get help with without a professional and/or medication. You can't just "cheer up", you just have... bull through it, at best, unless and until you can get professional aid. He doesn't like himself when he's depressed either, and he's seeking help.

*Best term I could come up with.

[GlyphGryph]

Yes, I understand that depression means, as someone called it, being fucking miserable (and apathetic), but that is no reason to treat people who are diagnosed with it as if there's something wrong with them.

The fact that they, almost without exception, are more than willing to say "yes dear god there is definitely something wrong with me please help" might be a damn good reason, though.

That only causes more problems because, as you said, 'happy culture' is causing people diagnosed with depression to hate themselves for not being able to live up to the standards being imposed on them, on top of the natural effects of the altered neurological structure.

I assure you those who are depressed do not need justification to hate themselves. It will probably happen, happy culture or no. Depression, in my experience, would be just as devastating if completely alone on a secluded island, culture be damned. It's got nothing to do with the standards put upon them by others - it prevents you from living up the standards you put on yourself.

People diagnosed with depression should be considered people, not things that have to be shot full of medicines so they can live up to the standards of neurotypical chauvinists.

People diagnosed with ANYTHING should be considered people! People diagnosed with depression ARE considered people! What the hell are you even arguing! :/
Most of the ones I know would beg to be shot up with medicine if they thought it would would work without side effects. And most of it has nothing to do with "neurotypical chauvinists" and more to do with the fact that you are almost always aware of who you are when not depressed, and that person is a whole fuckton better to be.

[scriver]

I am at lack of words for how stupid and ignorant you are, Virex. Do some research or shut the fuck up about topics you obviously have no knowledge of whatsoever.
Maybe listen to what we actually depressed people say about it, rather than explaining how we should feel going by your own delusional worldview. You're the one who showns no respect for us as persons.

[fqllve]

I get the feeling that Virex is being amazingly deadpan right now.

[Gunner-Chan]

happy culture or no.

The use of this term bothers me. It stinks so bad of an excuse to blame it as the real reason people with depression are depressed, as if to say they should just get over it and not feel they need to reject "Happy culture".

I mean that's exactly what Virex is arguing. It's not medical it's culture! Oh my when will culture stop being the easy way to start these never-ending cycles of blaming and shaming.

Oh and for a laugh, go look at Virex post in life advice. I'm convinced he's just trying to start shit now.

[Virex]

Culture is never an excuse to shame the one being oppressed. It should be the other way around, we neurotypical chauvinists should be blamed for what we do to those that don't fit the mold. Depression may be a problem, but we're doing our best to make it worse and that disgusts me. Yes, medication is needed in some cases, but that doesn't mean we should treat people diagnosed with depression as subhuman automatons that need a daily shot of feel-good to get through the day.

People diagnosed with ANYTHING should be considered people! People diagnosed with depression ARE considered people! What the hell are you even arguing! :/

I thought that, in addition to the intrinsic problems, people diagnosed with depression suffered from a social stigma as being 'abnormal'?

[GlyphGryph]

I think he may be acting satirical here to make a point, or at least I get that feeling. The post in life advice is, I'm pretty sure, what he actually believes, though, considering past evidence.

I thought that, in addition to the intrinsic problems, people diagnosed with depression suffered from a social stigma as being 'abnormal'?

I haven't noticed it. There's a social cost to being in a depressed mode simply because it makes you absolutely miserable to be around, but I haven't noticed any sort of general purpose stigma attached to it any more than there is a "stigma" associated with... say... cancer, or some other long term disease like that.

[Luke_Prowler]

Virex might be confusing depressed people with emos

[Vector]

GlyphGryph... there is a lot of stigma associated with cancer.

(Reference: Susan Sontag's Illness as Metaphor)

[Virex]

I think he may be acting satirical here to make a point, or at least I get that feeling. The post in life advice is, I'm pretty sure, what he actually believes, though, considering past evidence.

I thought that, in addition to the intrinsic problems, people diagnosed with depression suffered from a social stigma as being 'abnormal'?

I haven't noticed it. There's a social cost to being in a depressed mode simply because it makes you absolutely miserable to be around, but I haven't noticed any sort of general purpose stigma attached to it any more than there is a "stigma" associated with... say... cancer, or some other long term disease like that.

I could imagine that the effects of depression would make it difficult to identify stigmatization though.

I think hey may be acting satirical here to make a point, or at least I get that feeling. The post in life advice is, I'm pretty sure, what he actually believes, though, considering past evidence.

I thought that, in addition to the intrinsic problems, people diagnosed with depression suffered from a social stigma as being 'abnormal'?

I haven't noticed it. There's a social cost to being in a depressed mode simply because it makes you absolutely miserable to be around, but I haven't noticed any sort of general purpose stigma attached to it any more than there is a "stigma" associated with... say... cancer, or some other long term disease like that.

Fun fact: People that are diagnosed with terminal cancer often hate themselves for 'giving up the fight'. Over time cancer has changed from a medical condition to a test of faith to see if someone's strong enough to turn themselves into a better person. If you're arguing that there's no stigma associated with something, mentioning cancer is kind of self-defeating. The situation is ever worse for some other terminal diseases like cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer or HIV.

happy culture or no.

The use of this term bothers me. It stinks so bad of an excuse to blame it as the real reason people with depression are depressed, as if to say they should just get over it and not feel they need to reject "Happy culture".

I mean that's exactly what Virex is arguing. It's not medical it's culture! Oh my when will culture stop being the easy way to start these never-ending cycles of blaming and shaming.

Oh and for a laugh, go look at Virex post in life advice. I'm convinced he's just trying to start shit now.

I'm not arguing it's not medical, I'm arguing people should stop seeing depression as a reason to drop contact with someone or even treat them as a pariah.

[GlyphGryph]

Sorry, it was honestly a pretty bad analogy, then. I didn't really think it through. But the core of it was that Virex's argument, that depression is due to culture, is absurd as claiming that cancer is due to the stigma associated with it, and that if we didn't stigmatize it cancer wouldn't be a problem at all. It's only because we treat cancer patients as "abnormal" that cancer causes problems.

I think that's BS.

I'm... okay, I know diseases are generally stigmatized to a certain extent. Hell, that's the origin of the goddamn word. But Virex's argument, that the stigma is the /core problem/, that's the problem I have here.

I'm not arguing it's not medical, I'm arguing people should stop seeing depression as a reason to drop contact with someone or even treat them as a pariah.

You know, you don't need any sort of social stigma to not want to deal with a depressed person, or even a person with another disease. You don't have to believe its a mark of shame or infamy to realize there are emotional costs to interacting with some kinds of people, and not wanting to pay that cost.

[Virex]

Sorry, it was honestly a pretty bad analogy, then. I didn't really think it through. But the core of it was that Virex's argument, that depression is due to culture, is absurd as claiming that cancer is due to the stigma associated with it, and that if we didn't stigmatize it cancer wouldn't be a problem at all. It's only because we treat cancer patients as "abnormal" that cancer causes problems.

I think that's BS.

OK, apparently I utterly suck at expressing myself. I thought that the medical background of depression was a given, to the point that there would be no need to discuss it, and I am in no way trying to trivialize it. What I am trying to say is that it's inhumane to treat someone diagnosed with depression as a social outcast and that people should stop doing that. The fact that people assume I'm arguing that the stigma itself is the problem should give an idea as to the extent that this kind of thinking has twisted our society.

[Nadaka]

http://news.yahoo.com/utah-family-supports-school-outed-gay-son-154123202.html

[Truean]

http://news.yahoo.com/utah-family-supports-school-outed-gay-son-154123202.html

And cutting straight through the bullshit....

Even assuming the dad isn't lying and things worked out well THIS TIME, there are O so many times where it wouldn't. You have to think about it in terms of setting a precedent, if it is generally OK for schools to do this or not.

Categorically, NO. It isn't OK for anyone to out people. The person outed takes all the risk and the person outing them takes exactly none. Therefore, the proper position for the mouth, is shut....

[Willfor]

OK, apparently I utterly suck at expressing myself. I thought that the medical background of depression was a given, to the point that there would be no need to discuss it, and I am in no way trying to trivialize it. What I am trying to say is that it's inhumane to treat someone diagnosed with depression as a social outcast and that people should stop doing that. The fact that people assume I'm arguing that the stigma itself is the problem should give an idea as to the extent that this kind of thinking has twisted our society.

I have never known anyone who was socially outcast because of depression. Nor have I ever seen a story of it happening. Any time in my life. In fact, your posts are the first I have ever heard of it happening. Ever.

If they are doing that, then yes, they should stop. However, how your posts sound makes it seem to me like you're saying that every person who has ever been depressed is literally being socially outcast for it. The ferocity with which you seem to think this exists in society is what is not making sense to me...