Thread: Depression

in some cases a chemical imbalance

in others, a bad mood

A character flaw that is strongly influenced by a physical illness.

depends...people sometimes are down or "blue," but this is usually temporary..depression is a mental illness/chemical imbalance and could have contributing physical factors

It's not a character flaw. It's usually genetic and can have a chemical imbalance but usually needs some psychological factor or trauma to trigger it. Usually the causes of depression come from childhood and the person doesn't understand that or why until they get some help and deal with the root of the problem. Even cases that deal with a chemical imbalance, dealing with their past by talking to a trained professional can most times help the chemical imbalance without taking any drugs.

Are you depressed?

I have my ups and downs, I just wait the downs out knowing that eventually I'll feel better. Largey I think it can be decided on what you choose to think about.

I agree with a lot of the above.. I don't know a lot about chemical imbalances and the like but from what I've learned about depression through books and my own experience would suggest that most of the time it is self inflicted and can be cured once a person comes to realize they are the root of their own suffering.. Whether you need a pill, a book, or a doctor to help you realize this and do something about it would just depend on the personality I guess

The way i view depression is that i think people tend to have mood swings and they often get down on themselves depending on the situation or anything that occurred that could somehow be related to their past experiences. I'm sure we all go through ups and downs in life but some are a bit more severe than others.

The mind is a powerful tool so more often than not, depression or mood swings will be because of your negative thoughts and low self-esteem. Just gotta keep your head up and strive to be the best you can be.

How you feel is directly related to how you percieve life. How you percieve life in controllable. Most of that chemical imbalance talk is not applicable.

Depression can be caused from environmental, emotional, phyiscal, mental, chemical, nutritional stress which as we know can lead to a devasting cascade of events as many of us have experienced all ready. What came first the imbalances or stress is difficult to say, but both issues need to be addressed in order to enhance recovery. Addressing the root cause whether it be phyiscal or mental, lifesstyle changes needs to be identified. Just sticking you on antidepressant and sending you on your merry old way is not the right answer but further examination of hormonal imbalance needs to also be explored because they usually run together. An alteration in inuslin, thyroid, adrenals, testosterone, estrogen can be mistaken for depression as well. As following up with counseling by a trained professional is also a postive thing as well. Oprah actually had a good topic yesterday on depression..YES I WATCH HER LOL occassionally that is.

yes Rocco, at times I get pretty depressed.

Originally Posted by Nate K

How you feel is directly related to how you percieve life. How you percieve life in controllable. Most of that chemical imbalance talk is not applicable.

that's unfair to say. Most grow up without ever being depressed, so the general undepressed person can say that. But if you've never suffered from it, you wouldn't understand what it's like.

also, I'm not talking about the occasional "BLUES" here. Everyone gets those.


I'm still undecided on what exactly it is. Physical? or Mental?

I have days where I'm depressed for unreasonable reasons. And deep down, I know this...........but as hard as I try to think positive, I just can't snap out of it. It's as if my brain won't allow it. This is why I think it's a physical illness.


but on the flip side, some of my most deeply depressed days, whether I know I'm being reasonable or not, somehow I can snap out of it by thinking positive, and using reason and logic. This leads me to believe it cannot be purely physical, and that my mind state is a big part of it.

depression can be induced by negative thoughts, and not ever giving your self time to unwind. WE need to exam the lifestyle we choose may be not now, but also in the past which could creep up on us with out any warning. ALot of psychologists are seeing people in there late 20 early 30 with depression not because of there current situation, but rather there past as being pushed as athletes, peer pressure and living up to other expectation for acceptance. This could be a possible indication of the gene splicing theory as trouble has mentioned previously. Just simple alterations in one diet can induce depression. It does not take much to alter ones chemistry with out them knowing its too late.

I seen a documentary yesterday, called Fighting The Dragon.

It showed studies of brain scans, where the frontal cortex, the region that controls reason and logic, that brain activity in that area is very minimal in depressed patients.

I feel the same way. As if reasoning and logic is out the window. So to dismiss depression being purely a mind state is incorrect.

one more thing:


I just want to say that I didn't start this thread to bitch and whine about my problems. Everyone has problems, crying gets me know where.

rather, I started this because I want to understand it more, and hear other peoples opinions. The more I understand it, the easier it is to fight it.

and also, for other people who suffer from depression that don't seek treatment. There's a stigma attached to depression, which most people hate to assosciate with it. No one really wants to be known as mental.

There's a good book called "I don't want to talk about it" by Terrence Real if your interested in learning more. I'm depressed to, have been most of my life. I just started seeing someone about it 2 weeks ago. I highly recommend talking to someone qualified about this.

Roco you took the first part in healing is admiting that these needs to be addressed and I commend you on that. Alot of people feel ashamed of going to see a therapist, but some times its good to just get an unbiased opinon from a qualified source. Now your next step you need to look at possible hormonal imbalances that may be a resuilt of or even possible cause of your depression which needs to be done with a physician that is open minded and willing to treat you as a person and not just a set of numbers. There are several posts by fubu that may help to you examine your lifestyle patterns which could be affecting your depression. Sleep apnea is widely over looked at possible cause of depression, weight gain and hormonal imbalances. Sleep is essential with out melatonin you can not make serotonin and vice versa. With liver dyfunction common among athletes depression could result. Emotional stress can put strain on the liver as well. Liver/brain/gut pathways all work in hormony with one another if one is out they all are affected. Rocco you may want to seek accunpuncture as well because it has been proven to help relieve stress combined with therapy. If you aint getting any or if you are getting it too much it can also cause alterations in neurotransmitters. Sex is a great therapy, but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing as well. Moderation with every thing in life. With typical mentality as being a weight lifter "more is better" and its hard to get out of this train of thought. I still find it difficult and find my self wrestling with this concept as well, but i am doing better.

Depression can be a character flaw, but it usually is neurological. Neurotransmitters control sex drive, happiness, energy level, sleep, blood pressure, and the list goes on. If for some reason you lack the proper amount of a neurotransmitter, you will have problems, usually depression.

The best thing a person can do is educate themselves, and then learn techniques for dealing with the unbalanced brain chemistry. Medication helps some people, but lifestyle changes helped me. Medication never helped, but my situation is slightly different.

Nothing pisses me off more than ignorant assholes that say mental diseases only exist in someone's head. That is as dumb as the world is flat. The chemical reactions taking place in your head is who you are. There is a physical explanation for why people suffer from depression. You can actually see it in a microscope.

It's no character flaw. Its purely chemical in nature.

It can result in changes in behavior, and these can be self-defeating when there are extenuating circumstances - chronic stress with no action to alleviate or modulate or otherwise remove its contribution - that can worsen the depression and result in a downward spiral of general health. For instance, a lack of fresh air and time spent in the outdoors even on cloudy days, can result in a shortage of naturally produced vitamin D3. This can contribute to sleep problems and worsen a shortage of dopamine or serotonin, or both, that feed back in the chemistry of depression. Thus, the actions under depression can be debilitating unless an adjunct therapy, like CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is used.

I am beginning to think that this might be a very good idea for you, Jon.

Originally Posted by Trouble

It's no character flaw. Its purely chemical in nature.

It can result in changes in behavior, and these can be self-defeating when there are extenuating circumstances - chronic stress with no action to alleviate or modulate or otherwise remove its contribution - that can worsen the depression and result in a downward spiral of general health. For instance, a lack of fresh air and time spent in the outdoors even on cloudy days, can result in a shortage of naturally produced vitamin D3. This can contribute to sleep problems and worsen a shortage of dopamine or serotonin, or both, that feed back in the chemistry of depression. Thus, the actions under depression can be debilitating unless an adjunct therapy, like CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is used.

I am beginning to think that this might be a very good idea for you, Jon.

It has everything to do with character. The character influences action. No character isn't the right word...more like conciousness.

Originally Posted by viet_jon

that's unfair to say. Most grow up without ever being depressed, so the general undepressed person can say that. But if you've never suffered from it, you wouldn't understand what it's like.

also, I'm not talking about the occasional "BLUES" here. Everyone gets those.


I'm still undecided on what exactly it is. Physical? or Mental?

I have days where I'm depressed for unreasonable reasons. And deep down, I know this...........but as hard as I try to think positive, I just can't snap out of it. It's as if my brain won't allow it. This is why I think it's a physical illness.

I do have experience with depression, much more than most. I understand what it is like. My interest in health (lifting, eating, etc.) is what kept me from going mad. Mental, physical...it's all directly related to each other. You can't snap out of it because it's not easy.

Originally Posted by Nate K

It has everything to do with character. The character influences action. No character isn't the right word...more like conciousness.

I can feed you a simple supplement that can snap your conscious on and off like flicking a light switch.

This has nothing to do with character. If you are saying it has to do with personality..you mean, it has to do with how we view our reality and our control over it.

I see your point, but you must know this: your personality is the sum total of billions of brain cells, with their electochemical circuitry and reactions that feed what we know as consciousness - our perceived reality.

Originally Posted by Trouble

I see your point, but you must know this: your personality is the sum total of billions of brain cells, with their electochemical circuitry and reactions that feed what we know as consciousness - our perceived reality.

Agreed, but these electochemical circuitry and reactions work just fine in the VAST majority of people if you let them.

Originally Posted by Nate K

Agreed, but these electochemical circuitry and reactions work just fine in the VAST majority of people if you let them.

Unless you are a Jedi master then we may have control over the complexity electric circuitry of the human brain. I mean through meditation and relaxation we can alter certain chemicals, but if they binding to the receptors or not that is something that can be altered through proper nutrition or drugs. One can have all the neurotransitters they want but if they are not docking they are not bioavailable, this is where fatty acids and proper cell membrane fluidity are important. Over the time I am starting to see that depression is more an alteration of biochemistry in the brain due to lifestyle of not so much today, but rather an accumulation of what happened from birth leadig up to the present. I am seeing more of my freinds starting to have there mid life crisis not in 50's but more so 25-30 years early. In a way i guess it is a good thing if they take heed and make necessary lifechanges if not they may not get make it to 50. Basically what is happenining is that people are getting a freindly wake up call to either lifestlye now or to continue on the path to possible selfdestruction later down the road.

Originally Posted by hardasnails1973

Unless you are a Jedi master then we may have control over the complexity electric circuitry of the human brain. I mean through meditation and relaxation we can alter certain chemicals, but if they binding to the receptors or not that is something that can be altered through proper nutrition or drugs. One can have all the neurotransitters they want but if they are not docking they are not bioavailable

Who said we have direct control over the reactions in the brain?

Originally Posted by Rocco32

There's a good book called "I don't want to talk about it" by Terrence Real if your interested in learning more. I'm depressed to, have been most of my life. I just started seeing someone about it 2 weeks ago. I highly recommend talking to someone qualified about this.

This is spot on. Go see a good psychiatrist. A good psychiatrist is like a good mechanic. You get an oil changed every 3000 miles, why not take better care of something more important?

Originally Posted by Trouble

It's no character flaw. Its purely chemical in nature.

It can result in changes in behavior, and these can be self-defeating when there are extenuating circumstances - chronic stress with no action to alleviate or modulate or otherwise remove its contribution - that can worsen the depression and result in a downward spiral of general health. For instance, a lack of fresh air and time spent in the outdoors even on cloudy days, can result in a shortage of naturally produced vitamin D3. This can contribute to sleep problems and worsen a shortage of dopamine or serotonin, or both, that feed back in the chemistry of depression. Thus, the actions under depression can be debilitating unless an adjunct therapy, like CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is used.

I am beginning to think that this might be a very good idea for you, Jon.

I can't afford that.

but I'm getting better lately. Deloading weeks are bad though. My head was spinning last week.

Depression is not joke. I have a friend who suffers depression. I can only say that the only way that you can avoid it is to entertain yourself. Go out with your friends because you just need someone whom you can really talk to and make you laugh. If you yourself doesn´t want to be helped, then it is a great problem.

Originally Posted by viet_jon

I can't afford that.

Google search: free online cognitive behavioral therapy.

http://www.jmir.org/2002/1/e3/

This article proves that this approach, in use now for >5 yrs, works. The website http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/ is one of many such programs available on the web.

No valid excuses left, Jon; Just Do It.

Originally Posted by Trouble

Google search: free online cognitive behavioral therapy.

http://www.jmir.org/2002/1/e3/

This article proves that this approach, in use now for >5 yrs, works. The website http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/ is one of many such programs available on the web.

No valid excuses left, Jon; Just Do It.

Free? wicked.

I thought you meant one to one therapy.

Thnkx, I'll check those out.