Having a cold or cancer doesn't mean that your natural state is having a runny nose or a tumor. The _experience_ affects your personality: your tastes in art, your politcs, your philosophy. The symptoms themselves are just that, products of a process gone wrong in some part of your body. That's what I've concluded, so far in my life.

There's an Icon For Hire song that embodies this sentiment - It's called "Supposed to be" The main chorus goes: "When you take the sick away, who am I supposed to... be...." (insert rock-like vocalization and instruments) I like to see it like this: Identity is complicated and is a combination of both your choices and your circumstance. So trying to figure out what is "really you" is both futile and pointless... because you are a sum of everything that has happened to you AND how you reacted to it. And there isn't really a right or wrong. Hope that helped (doubt it would have though... I still get identity crises often enough).

OMG!! I said the same thing to my psychiatrist and he told me that his job was to go through all my thoughts and help me figure out which ones were mine and those of depression and anxiety Then he travelled and now I am alone and can't and don't want to find a new one🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Evelo I know what you mean....you are not alone.

Isn’t it great when it doesn’t get better?

Does any medication help?

@@gregorymalchuk272 Guess he forgot to reply

@Sean Brogan the original comment is a year old so you're probably not gonna get a reply bud 😐 if they're diagnosed w major depressive disorder and medicated now good for them

@Sean Brogan I don't imagine those were the words the doctor said, no; it was likely paraphrased

Nah teenagers are just fuckong stupid to be honest. Anxiety and depression are part of the human condition

I have the opposite problem I have major depressive disorder and general anxiety disorder but I feel like I have something else going on that I can't explain or voice and I can't figure out what it is I've tried everything my doctor told me and everything I can try and my mdd and gad don't get better

Yea, Im SUREE they did...

Ive been able to describe it to many people and they get exactly what I mean, because I've had alot of time to think and know when i'm depressed because I have alot of the problems he described in the wierd symptoms part of the video. I tend to blame myself for alot of what goes wrong "you didn't win because you haven't been practicing and weren't paying attention (as usual)" vs. "You didn't win because this game is really RNG based and is BS like that sometimes." Not only that but when I'm depressed I have to take notes almost constantly, ask people's names MULTIPLE times (sometimes I can't even recall facts about myself I should know instantly like date of birth or medications im taking, which aren't alot) and if it gets really bad I'll have trouble writing and forming sentences or getting my ideas down be it on paper or in electronic form. I've known all of this this about myself for years, yet it sounds like science is just starting to catch up.

I have always used emotional abuse as a description, only the abuser is your own mind and you don't know how to stop it.

@Dark Vulcan I think command over the word (spoken and or written)*, is one of the fundamental liberties a person can achieve for themselves. I hope being able to vent that makes you feel better.

@Eric Woodley How would you describe what that makes you feel from the inside though. When i was a kid, i used to hold a glass to my lips, enveloping it then sucking out all the air till it stuck on my face till my mouth and lips hurt and tingled (i was a dumbass, am). To me that's kind of how it feels, inside, a sort of suffocating vacuum that's peeling the paint off the walls for no reason that goes on for weeks on end. As i understand it different people experience it differently.

You just don't have the vocabulary. It's merely a feeling of combined hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness. There ya go🤷‍♂️

I recently decided to start seeing a counselor at my university mainly for my anxiety, but to also get help for what I fear is mild depression. Because a lot of what you said rings so true for me. While I do have more good days than bad, the bad days hit hard and I struggle to get out my room with huge bouts of apathy and worthlessness, to the point I cry. I can still get out my room during that period but I ain’t happy to be out. I kept convincing myself I don’t really have depression because I can function but I finally came to the realization that having so many thoughts of worthlessness and self-loathing _probably_ is not normal.

The dangerous thing about it is that it's easier to be dismissed as "personality", "character trait" or "laziness" by the patient, and prevent them from realizing that they need assistance. I know people who think that depression is not being able to get out of bed and staring apathetic at the ceiling - while they suffer from dysthymia and put the blame on themselves for being "weak". I strongly believe that the this version of depression need its own, seperate awareness efforts.

A "minor cancer" gets a ton of reaction but everyone dismisses "minor depression"

I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling with depression, if you are not seeing someone you might want to try. Not all therapists are equal so try until you find one that works. Also, from personal experience, I know that trying to tell yourself that something isn't true is very hard when it feels like it's true. You could try re-framing, like, if a friend behaved this way to me how would I respond? Did I do this with any bad intention, if not, can I learn something about this situation (that I created with good intentions and the knowledge I had back then)? If it was your friend, what would you tell them? There are many ways out, you got this

@@visitishigaki Thanks :) I've been through three different therapists. The last one seemed wonderful, and then my finances ran out and I had to stop seeing her. When I was able to come back, something had changed; she seemed to bring everything back to my job as if that was the only problem in my life, and when I tried to ask about other things, she'd just say stuff like, "when you get a better job, you'll have more confidence, and all this will go away". When I finally got a new/better job, she told me she didn't think I needed her help anymore, and at that point I figured she wasn't helping much anyway, so I haven't seen a therapist since. Maybe I should try and find another one eventually.

Yeah I've been in denial that i'm depressed. Antidepressants only helped so long took myself off.

This is so very true. I've seen vastly different outcomes in people who suffer from mental illnesses, including myself, depending upon their financial standing at the time at which they sought treatment. One of the worst aspects of mental illness is that it can make it difficult to hold down a job, which makes it difficult to access and afford treatment, which makes it difficult to find a job, which makes it difficult to... you get it. It triggers a downward spiral in which worsening finances and worsening symptoms drag people further and further away from regaining their health. Then, when (and if) they do get better, the dumpster fire of bills and their careers are waiting for them... at a time when they may be too fragile to handle that added pressure. It's a terrible cycle.

It's really unfortunate that so many Americans don't have basic healthcare. I can only imagine the number of the unnecessary deaths caused by untreated mental illness both suicides and homicides.

I was on Medicaid until I was 21. While there were no psychiatrists in the small town I grew up in, I was in therapy from a very young age with no issue. I now live in a big city and options for therapy and a true psychiatrist abound along with varied copays, sliding scales, Medicaid acceptance, etc. It's not that Medicaid doesn't cover it, it's that often providers choose not to accept Medicaid due to government reimbursement.

I totally pitty you americans. The land of the free doesn't even have National health insurance for everyone.

This just in: Usa is not the only country

Most crucial years of my life has been totally wasted due to depression and anxiety, I hope science finds cure for at least next generation, as I don't see any cure in my lifetime

Jan Chenot have you tried therapy? And if that person didn’t work out try another maybe 😕♥️

I hear that. 30+ years of rumination here with no end in sight.

There's no hope for me

Jan Chenot mankind has had many natural tools for depression, research psychedelic therapy

And psychosis!

Yaaaaaaas

For real! Also on how anxiety, depression and aggressive behavoir can be linked. My mom died recently and following the advice of my psychiatrist and therapist to stay away from most people until this episode resolves. Why do some people become aggressive during grief, depression or anxiety? Also, why are most mental health hospitals mainly focused on separation/lock away from society with little focus on actual therapy like outpatient services are?

Foreeal

Me too!

Adhd and depression being like twins & besties, acting like each other, filling in for each other and ruining peoples lives🤦‍♀️

Amphetamines also increase serotonin levels

@Merrielle Gatlin I hope I'm the same

@@sarvar5796 great this just confirms that drugs ARE the answer just need to find my local dealer

My death bed would be a happy place 😂

Try seeing a therapist or psychiatrist. That's how my depression is but the bad mind set seems to slowly replace all my positive hopeful thoughts.

If it’s been going on for a while then it’s probably depression but you should keep looking into it and also you should track how you feel, not like you have to write anything down but like if you get feelings of worthlessness that’s something you should take note of

It's not uncommon for people with chronic clinical depression to experience it in episodes as opposed to 24/7. Talking to a therapist can be very helpful in figuring out what might be going on as well as helping you find ways to get through your depressed periods. As someone who's struggled with various mental illnesses since childhood, I promise that even though it might be uncomfortable to talk with someone about the things you're experiencing, it really does make a difference. I hope that you're doing well and that you've got people there to help you whenever you're struggling.

Well I suppose the desire to squash negative thoughts came from a negative thought, and that's how you run around in circles all your life

That how i am as well. You should probably try going to a therapist, but if you can’t I’d recommend staying busy when you start to feel horrible. That tends to help me not feel hopeless.

I've never met Sarah Tonin... I've heard she's nice though. Amy Gadilla, on the other hand... she never shuts up

if you actually make a web comic and it becomes a meme, you've won.

Please make it. I think it will be an interesting read

Mdma

@@wtfkanal9997 mdma, lsd, psyllocybin (sp?)

@Boi Thanks, man. Very interesting.

How those are controversial? Their illegal staus is controversial - not their use. Neither medical nor recreational. (I'm mainly speaking about MDMA, Psychedelics and Ketamine - but besides that War on drugs is not only ineffcient its also highly harmful and immoral)

Or cause them

Tryptamines > SSRIs

@@adamagustus1316 Because you know me.

@@adamagustus1316 That I agree.

Which test would that be?

@@adamagustus1316 It's pronounced GIF smhmh my head

The world has always been awful, review the Middle Ages. It's getting the motivation to fix it.

@@sarahherbison5419 Not always, and it doesn't have to be, but too few people with too much power basically ruin it for 99% of us.

Bring out the guillotine...eat the rich. It's better to die on your feet fighting than living on your knees whining.

@@sarahherbison5419 Back in the middle ages, people had a close relationship with the entire village, and something like 1/4 of all days were feast days. Modern life can be very isolating and depressing.

Barbara Houk thank you for the work you did.

Thank you.

I hope you’re doing okay today ❤️‍🩹

@Brains Applied!!AGREED,I HAVE LOST SO MANY FRIENDS,FAMILY,TO THIS,AND IT LIES TO U,SO YOUR ISOLATION SEEMS A WAY TO PROTECT EVERYONE,FROM YOU,&PROTECTS YOURSELF FROM,,,,? BUT,THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT,-IT'S A LIAR,SO PLEASE REACH OUT!!DONT LISTEN TO IT,WHEN IT SAYS YOU'RE ALONE,AND NOTHING &NO ONE UNDERSTANDS,OR CAN HELP!! THAT'S NOT TRUE!!! THERE'S ROOM HERE FOR SOMEONE,-YOU.❤X

Talk therapy. Yeah... about that. It's a cruel joke. You spend hundreds or thousands of dollars without any effect whatsoever.

@@briebel2684 I THINK PERHAPS,OUR CLOSE FRIENDS,FAMILY ARE OUR BEST RESOURCE,I AM UNABLE TO EARN ANYMORE,SO "THERAPY",IS UNAFFORDABLE,HOWEVER,IF WE ISOLATE OURSELVES AND THE DEPRESSION GETS US ALONE,WE ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO IT,I MEAN NO DISRESPECT,&I HAVE BEEN DEPRESSED SINCE I WAS13,I AM 54NOW,AND EVERYDAY,I FIGHT THIS,SOMETIMES IS JUST AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT,FROM SOMEONE,,,TO KNOW THAT PEOPLE DO CARE,DESPITE THE LIES THAT DEPRESSION TELL US,CAN HELP TO TAKE A BIT OF THE STING OUT OF IT...I EMPATHISE AND WISH I HAD AN EASY ANSWER, I PERSONALLY,USE HUMOUR TO DEFLECT AS MUCH AS IM ABLE,AND MY CLOSE FRIENDS,(THE POOR SOULS)UNDERSTAND,AND SUPPORT ME,! I KNOW THAT I AM LUCKY ,SO OF COURSE,I FEEL GUILTY ABOUT THAT!!--AND FEEL I AM A BURDEN,HOWEVER,,I KNOW THAT MY FRIENDS WHOM DEPRESSION HAS TAKEN,ALSO FELT LIKE THAT...THEY WERE LIED TO ASWELL,BUT THEY ,SADLY LISTENED,,,AND,I MISS THEM ALL,VERY VERY MUCH .AS DO THEIR LOVED ONES. I HOPE THAT YOU FIND YOUR WAY OF BEATING THIS SOON,MAY YOUR WEEK BE BEAUTIFUL...ANDRÉA.X😎❤🐾

@@alistairdownie5944 Best of luck to you as well. My life has taken a very similar track to yours. I was somewhat functioning until my late 30s, and then I crashed. Been in a cycle of back and forth ever since. Get on meds, end up oversleeping my appointment, feel like an ass, and give up.

@@briebel2684 YOU HAVE MY EMPATHY!!AS FOR APPOINTMENTS,HA!UNLESS ITS IN THE AFTERNOON,NO CHANCE!LOL!! I WAS HIGH FUNCTIONING DEPRESSIVE ,I WAS A VET NURSE, DID STABLES,MY OWN SMALL BUISNESS,AS AN ARTIST.DESIGN WORK,FARMS,RUNNING MY MOTHERS B&B,&LOOKED AFTER MY HUBBY,WHO'S ALSO DEPRESSED,(*STILL DO THAT1😎) SO WHEN I GOT FIBROMYALGIA,&M.S,I STRONGLY SUSPECT THE HUUUGE AMOUNT OF MEDS,AND THE E.C.T.AS BEING IF NOT THE CAUSE,THE TRIGGER!! DO U HAVE ANY COPING MECHANISMS?SUCH AS DISTRACTING YOURSELF , HOBBIES,,,INTERESTS? I CANT WORK,BUT I TAKE IN SICK&INJURED BIRDS,THEN REHAB THEM BACK TO THE WILD. I LOST ALL RESPECT FOR THE PSYCHIATRISTS,I CAUGHT THEM OUT IN LIES!!X.ANDRÉA.X🤗🦉❤

I was almost Baker Acted after starting my first one, which wasn't helped by the fact that the doctor who prescribed them didn't explain any of the potential side effects I might experience and how suicidal thoughts could be one of them.

@@lizard3755 suicidal thoughts they say.... More a full blown suicidal psychosis for me... But be wary it does really help some people, but some get severe side effects. Hence the doctor should advise you to have a family member or friend keep an eye on you the first time one starts.

Don't feel too bad - if it did work, you couldn't afford the prescription anyways. 😅

@@interstellarsurfer Not at the time, but I do have much better insurance now :D

IceMetalPunk not to mention there will always be different antidepressants in the works and might even be cheaper for the general public! Especially since drugs affect each person differently:)

@@IceMetalPunk Were you ever able to look up the name of the medication?

@@gregorymalchuk272 Nope, the name completely escapes me, sorry.

@@adamagustus1316 that's why I have my notifications set on 😋

is this real? ect for depression!? it is a last option for you, right? please tell me you already try other treatments

Sophia B dang it now all I can think about is dear Evan Hansen

I am here with you.

@Sophia B.❤THATS TRUE!!💝 ALSO,IF SOMEONE BEGINS TO ISOLATE THEMSELVES,PLEASE,REACH OUT!!❤

@@SamanvitaSinghania SORRY TO ASK,WHAT IS DEAR EVAN HANSAN?MY BEAUTIFUL,FUNNY,INTELLIGENT DAUGHTER,LIKED THIS,&I'M OUT OF TOUCH,WITH CURRENT CULTURE!(OLD🤗💝,)

Alistair Downie it’s an amazing musical about anxiety and depression, I highly recommend you listen to it!

Correction Minor depressive disorder fits my condition best. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_depressive_disorder

You are NOT a failure, don't dwell much on the past failures, each day is a new day to dream and achieve. I pray for you to heal faster.

@@MayankRamnani1802 Thank you so much for your kindness! i completely forgot about this. a year ago i was in a very dark place. a number of people passed away in my life in very quick succession, i lost my job, and because of the grief and depression i also lost my girlfriend at the time. a year later though not in an ideal place i'm in a considerably better place. I'll pray for you and your loved ones prosperity and health. again, thank you. such a pleasant surprise to see kindness on the internet.

@@Serso70 thanks a lot! I am really thankful for your prayers and blessings since I'm struggling with OCD and anxiety and have faced two sudden deaths in the family due to covid, so I try my best to stay positive and fight against my negative thought patterns, SSRIs are working, but I for now it's a daily struggle and I'm forcing myself to be positive, I wish all those who have had or are currently facing depression and anxiety get healing and enjoy their lives to the fullest.

Recently came off years of antidepressants because of this^^ it started out as a subtle loss of interest then slowly spiraled into painful unbearable sex. Wish I'd noticed and went back to the dr sooner.

The first step is understanding that others don't have to see your pain, YOU need to see it and be willing to do something about it. I have been depressed since I can remember and no one else understood because I was always smiling / happy. Took me years and videos like this to realise thT depression is about 'internal dialogue' more than external presentation. Thankfully there are videos like these, which help me understand when I'm in a cycle earlier and earlier. Self-care is CRITICAL for folks with depression, so lear to recognize what care you need and actively practise it. We teach people how to treat us, so start by paying attention to your own needs and stop expecting someone else to fix you.

My mother had depression or anxiety and it caused her to have nerve endings on her legs to form areas of intense itching. So you could be having nerve ending problems that cause your pain. But having said that, if you haven’t gotten a second opinion, please do. Another doctor may be able to figure out that you have a different diagnosis with different treatments. I really recommend stretching and meditation. They really helped me

Oh, do those help?

@@lindenshepherd6085 15:23

@@-G-Mac- I've thought about calling one of those hotlines, but I'm afraid they'd want to put me in a locked ward again, and if I failed my program because of that then I don't know what would happen after that. I feel like I just have to suppress everything because thats what everyone around me is telling me to do, and I'm dependent on them until I finish school.

you are not alone brother keep strong!!😌🙏💪

Our brains are like trees and they must be grown over time. Each branch is a baby thought that builds upon the previous thought. If you start off badly the branch withers and dies. When they teach you chemistry in school they don't start with the very complex explanations, for example, they don't start with, "There are electrons, protons and neutrons," they start with, "The tiniest things that make us us is made out of things called atoms." I started my journey watching psychics videos on the ABC at 2 and a half years of age right up until I attended school. I was thinking about how to travel faster than light at 3. It was so obvious to me that you should be able to move space around your ship. Then I saw Star Trek and I knew I was right. Then years later a guy called Alicubie found the equation that mathematically makes warp engines(faster than light travel) possible. Although it requires the mass of Jupiter to run it. I felt so hard done by because I felt if I had only know the maths I could have worked it out myself. I could see how to do it in my brain but I didn't have the words. Everyone around me kept discovering the things I already knew or had already invented solutions to things I somehow already knew how to fix or had better words to describe what I didn't have words for. Nobody told me I was brilliant, only that it had already been done! I wasn't original! All my ideas taken by being born in the wrong time and wrong place! But this doesn't make me angry it just shows me that I'm smart and I know how things work instinctively I'm a natural scientist and I can do great things with my mind now for having this new perspective. I loved Robin Williams as a child because of how he understood things. He was on a totally different level. He spoke the truth of my soul. He was an anxious man himself and had a long history of addiction. My addiction was self harm and sugar, self harm being biting my nails and when I couldnt do that I picked my scabs or ate sugar. It was like he knew everything. He knew his own fears really well but he didn't know how to reduce the anxiety, and that takes a toll on a human mind. If you can't learn to live with it of take the medication you need in order to reduce the levels of anxiety how can you hope to live happily. That's what addiction is, it's escape but also addiction is the wrong word because really what ails people in loneliness. Loneliness is what causes addiction. Studies have shown this to be true. If you spend a whole lifetime being afraid it traps you and if you wake out of it at the wrong part of your life, in your 60s, 70s, 80s, knocking on deaths door, that's really sad because you wasted so long being anxious and afraid. I'm lucky cause I only made it to 30 before I realised. But it's not too late for anybody to prove themselves. A physist Neil Degrasy Tyson once said to me, in a video, that many people enter into the world of science at many different times in their lives. Some people when they're 30 and other when they're 60 or even 90. The only thing that sets regular people and these people apart is their thirst to understand. I've always wanted to understand everything about how things are built right down to the axions(the smallest proposed slice of something that you can call a something, smaller than quarks, which are smaller than protons, which are smaller than the veilancy shells of atoms the part where electrons occupy and aslo share electrons to form covalent bonds which form molecules which form proteins, etc...). I have insight into almost everything now because I do understand how the mind works. You have to gently expand ideas which is what I've been doing for myself ever since I found out you could learn things on KZfaq. I loved watching the science videos on the ABC in the morning when I was younger than 6, it's why I love learning by video. But I realised that I just learnt to learn in a completely different way to other people. It's not that I can't learn from books or teachers it's that I can't see the emotion behind what's being said or written on a page, it doesn't hold my attention. It's also far to slower and I often find myself reading the same passage over and over or tuning out entirely because of it. I understood how numbers worked before I got to school because I watched so many science videos and my teachers ruined my ability to see the beauty in numbers because they failed to see what I was able to do. They were anxious too about keeping their jobs and making sure everyone was doing the set curriculum.

If they had kept medicating me whilst in hospital I probably wouldn't have come to all of these conclusions and I would have fallen back into my old self.

You have to understand all of these things at the same time otherwise you can't break out of the depression. You have to know language really well and understand things from lots of points of view. Learning to love learning in the way that works for you will start you on this path. Rumination is not having the right words to figure out your problems.

Drugs just hinder the rumination which just needs more education to complete the thought process. You guys are so far up your asses that you can't see it. XD

+SciShow Psych Read my comments and learn!