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depression.?
I recently have gotten into slipping into depressive states where I hate everyone and thing.
I just take a look at life and it happens.
Is that common? I can't concentrate, meditation doesn't help me with this.
I'm not sure what to do, exactly. Especially since this just started happening again. I was told it was my age, but you can't blame everything on the stupidity and imbalance of youth, can you?
No pity necessary, because I couldn't see it helping.
Just some sort of knowledge that it's common, or uncommon, or anything, I guess. I'm seventeen, btw.
I just take a look at life and it happens.
Is that common? I can't concentrate, meditation doesn't help me with this.
I'm not sure what to do, exactly. Especially since this just started happening again. I was told it was my age, but you can't blame everything on the stupidity and imbalance of youth, can you?
No pity necessary, because I couldn't see it helping.
Just some sort of knowledge that it's common, or uncommon, or anything, I guess. I'm seventeen, btw.
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Comments
Keep us up to date, and blessings to you.
I do normal, I just feel like staying in the same place for so long is just not what I need. I've been in my house for two days and I felt terrible, but I went on a walk and it went away, whatever 'it' is. To be honest, I don't know what I'm feeling.
The lack of the type of friends that are good for me could as well be something, since I have really no one but you guys who could give some sort of advice.
Most people I knew went off or are just...... not helpful.
I think you might need to do some useful contemplation but because you said what you want is:
I will say that it's common and it can be incredibly damaging to practice. I can recommend a few methods of contemplation that helped me overcome such thoughts, but I don't know if that is what you want.
If someone's telling you that it is age, then they don't understand depression which is a serious illness, or they're making ageist comments. It's got little to do with age, and more to do with neurotransmitters. I think maybe talking to a psychiatrist and a psychologist might help along with supplementary contemplations that I will offer you if you want.
Begin with one-pointed concentration on the breath and then direct your mind to this:
Patience is the main antidote to anger.The most effective method will depend on the actual situation. Especially in our age of rush and intense change, patience may not be seen as a positive quality, but take a minute to think impatience can easily give rise to a general feeling of anger.
Once one understands that problems and frustration is a basic fact of life, it can reduce our impatience with our own unrealistic expectations. In other words: nothing is perfect, so don't expect it. If I believe that things should be perfect, it is almost unavoidable to feel disappointed and hurt. So realize the first noble truth of suffering.
The real reasons for our problems are our own actions, which are in turn caused by our own negative states of mind. I found the idea that if someone makes me angry that thinking that the real reasons for this situation are because of my own past actions particularly eye opening. The anger's an alert message about the unhealthy way I'm thinking, and the person delivering the message is just a circumstance for my own karma to ripen. They're helping me as a teacher.
Basically, we can find ourselves in two types of unpleasant situations: ones we can change and ones we cannot change.
1.) If I can change the situation, I should do something about it instead of getting all worked-up and angry. Not acting in such a situation will cause frustration in the end.
2.) If I cannot change the situation, I will have to accept it. If I don't, it will only lead to frustration and a negative and unpleasant state of mind, which will make the situation only worse.
We really need to work on accepting unpleasant situations which we cannot change. Otherwise this is a result of impatience which is a form of anger with imperfection which is an unrealistic expectation.
Do a real analysis of what is going on:
For example: someone accuses me of something.
If it is true, I apparently made a mistake, so I should listen and learn.
If it is untrue, the other person makes a mistake. So what? Nobody is perfect. I also make mistakes, and it is all too easy to label the other as "enemy", in which case a helpful discussion or forgiving becomes difficult.
It may also be worthwhile searching for the real underlying reason of the problem. Of special importance is to evaluate one's own role in the situation: my own fears, insecurity, being very unfriendly, or not being blameless (like leaving home much too late for an appointment and blaming the 5 minutes delay of the train).
Then if one deeply realises the emptiness of inherent existence or interdependence of the other person, the situation and oneself, there is nothing to be angry about. The realisation of emptiness is therefore the ultimate means of ridding oneself of unrealistic negative emotions like anger. It means that one realises the basic equality of all sentient beings; others want happiness, just like I do. Others make mistakes just like I do. Others are confused, angry, attached just like I often am. Is the other person happy in this situation, or just struggling like I am?
Be prepared to be open for the motivation of others to do what causes you problems. Talking it over and being prepared to listen can suddenly make a problem acceptable.
Did you ever notice the difference when a plane or train has much delay and nobody gives any reasons for it? People very quickly become irritated and hostile. Then when the driver or pilot explains there is a technical defect or an accident, suddenly waiting becomes easier.
Ask yourself if this situation is actually important enough to spoil your own and other people's mood. Is this problem worth getting upset in a life where death can hit me at any moment?
Then in case a situation is really unacceptable, and another person needs to convinced that something is to be done or changed, there is no need to become upset and angry. It is likely much more efficient if you show of understanding and try to make the other understand the need for change. If one needs to appear angry for some reason to convince the other person of the seriousness of the situation, one can think like a parent acting wrathful to prevent the child from harming itself.
In general, to be really effective one needs to reflect on quite a number of aspects in one's own mind like; forgiveness, peace of mind, fears, self-acceptance (no acceptance of others is really possible without self-acceptance), habits, prejudices etc.
Last, but certainly not least, meditation can be the ultimate cure to completely eliminating anger from your mind. In the beginning, one can do analytical meditations (like this meditation on anger), but also meditation on compassion, love and forgiving reduce anger as well. Ultimately, the realization of anatta or shunyata eradicates all delusions like anger.
Find a fun way to get active.
Intense activity has always been the best remedy for my depression.
Meditation does not help me get out of depression, but it helps to stay out.
Do whatever you like that gets your heart going, your breathe pumping and a good sweat. If you would like some suggestions you could try any of the following, they have all worked well for me: Dancing, work, kung fu, running, bicycling, disc golf, climb a tree or a hill, bowling, basketball, get a lover.
After you have had some fun, worked up a good sweat you will find that your body is no longer depressed. Then, spend some time thinking of ways to make other people happy, do kind things for them, pay them compliments, give them something even if it is of little or no value, tell happy jokes.
You are working with your body, speech, and mind, you can change the state they are in, take them one at a time and you will find it is not that hard.
If all else fails, get a puppy!
Many Blessings!
Some things that make me feel better are:
-Getting involved with sports etc.
-Singing (Dont judge
-Forcing myself to get up and get out there.
-Writing how I feel.
-TEA. Helps so much.
I dunno, all I can say is maybe find someone you can talk to..a therapist or anybody and try to figure out a solution.
1: Save up your allowance and go to a doctor and get a prescription for prozac. He or she will ask you a few questions to see if you are "depressed", as well as can be determined in five minutes. Your parents don't have to know, you are old enough to go to a doctor without their permission.
2: Take the pills.
3: Then, if you really are depressed, the prozac will most likely make you feel better after about a month.
4: If it doesn't help, then you have to look at other causes.
Then you'll know, one way or the other.
I took antidepressants for a couple of years, and meditated at the same time. The meditation helped, but nothing like the pills did. And hey, 10% of Americans can't be wrong, can they?
This was all extremely easy to understand and I could relate to some of the examples.
Thank you.
That's what I thought to do, I went for a walk! It helped, really.
At least you're doing fine! But those are helpful, I write and sing sometimes as well ;o
@ James
I took depression pills once, but I couldn't keep doing it. I understand that maybe some people really may need them, but I didn't think I did. I worked it out, and it only just started happening now, and I haven't taken any in many months.
A walk will help, but if you work up a good sweat it will change the way you feel almost completely for at least a while.
It will be even better if you have a good time or just cut loose. Turn the volume all the way up on your favorite jam, jump around like a frakin rock star and shout at the top of your lungs!
I am serious, get it out of your system, taking walks is for us old people, get off your butt and act like a young person.
watch the movie Fight Club, you will get the message.
Activity is the way out of depression for me also ... even the smallest positive action or creative expression is a movement in the right direction. At my lowest point I could only muster the energy to clean out a drawer and colour in a picture with watercolours yet even these actions helped change the process somehow - it seems to me that depression can not exist with this creative focus.
Clinical depression is a serious health issue and seeking medical assessment and treatment is needed.
Hahah! I'm impressed to be told this.
Fight Club is a good movie and book.
Yeah, it's really hard to distinguish depression from things like stress and sadness. It's hard to know exactly what is a normal level of happiness.
Not to belittle what you are feeling, Megahuman, but if just going for a walk helps, then chances are it is not clinical depression. That is the good news, because clinical depression is often caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that must be treated with medication at least until other issues can be addressed. Clinical depression often leads to suicidal ideation or attempts.
If going for a walk helps, then I strongly suspect that meditation will help even more. There are many here who are far better suited to instruct on meditation than I am, so I will leave that to those better qualified.
Yes, I am a physician. Yes, I suffer from true clinical depression. In my case, the medication helps enough so I can start meditating, and I hope that with proper meditation I can eliminate my need for the medication.
In the years I have been on this forum, I have noticed that the majority of people here truly want to help. Read, ask questions, and walk the path that is before you.
The other consideration with the pills is, most current antidepressants have only been around for less than 20 years. Prozac was the first SSRI drug, and it came on the market in the late 1980s. Thus, nobody (and I mean nobody) really, truly knows what the long term (30-50 years) consequences of taking these drugs are. There may not be any. But then again, there could be huge consequences in areas we haven't even begun to consider yet. To me they're not worth that risk.
Trust me.
@ Epicurus- Nice avatar.
Antidepressants are intended to manage the disease by addressing the neurochemical imbalance in the brain that causes the depression. SSRIs, for example, allow serotonin to remain in the brain longer to prolong its effects, thus reducing depression.
Note that I said "manage" and not "treat". There is a difference in medical terms. "Manage" means to prevent further degeneration or to maintain a steady state. You manage diabetes, for example. There is no cure for diabetes. You can only manage it. "Treat" means to work toward permanent restoration of normal. You treat infections, colds, hernias, etc. You can cure these things and then treatment is no longer necessary.
Depression is managed with medication and treated with other means, such as therapy, meditation, etc. The management is often necessary to prevent serious consequences in the short term, such as suicide. Treatment is to eliminate the need for medication and to allow the patient to resume a normal life.
The medications are considered safe for the short to mid terms for which they were intended to be prescribed. The long term consequences should be discussed with a properly licensed health care provider who is familiar with your medical history and your specific case.
Huh? SSRIs (and many other antidepressants) increase the risk of suicide, especially in children. They certainly don't decrease the risk of suicide. Not only that, they work just about as well as placebos for managing depression. Sure, that's arguable as there are many conflicting studies and since it's a very difficult thing to test. Either way, SSRIs don't prevent suicide.
Also, I said that the <b>idea</b> was to prevent further incidents. The medication is <b>only one part</b> of the management of the patient's condition. Medication is almost always used in conjunction with therapy to address the issues at hand. The medication is intended to help the patient maintain control and composure. We tend not to take chances with suicide attempts. Medication, therapy, and monitoring (if possible and necessary) are used together. The "monitoring" may range from hospitalization with true 24-hour surveillance in extreme cases to something as simple as having several therapy sessions each week in order to provide frequent contact with the patient.
The management of true clinical depression is a complex matter, and it is best left to <b>properly trained and licensed professionals</b> who are directly familiar with the individual patient's case.
There are several ways to "measure" depression, but since they are questionnaires, they all rely on the patient being honest.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/303/1/47?home
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2253608/?tool=pmcentrez
Searching a medical journal database has returned many more like these, but also many which say the opposite. There doesn't seem to be much conclusive research on the subject.
However, I agree that it's best left up to professionals as they know the risks and benefits involved.
I should read the book, I expect that I would get more from it than I did the movie. I have been told that there are many Buddhist concepts explored in Fight Club, but what I was getting at is that the battle exists within the individual. And depression it seems is certainly an interior battle.
I too have suffered from much depression, and for me the best therapy has always been intense physical experiences. I think that working up a heavy sweat has a chemical reaction in the body that makes it easier to experience positive mental states.
When I have been able to move out of depression, it has never been a thoughtful or meditative process. It seems that it is best to put thoughtfulness and reasoning aside and embrace experience, and punch through.
Have fun, and find a way to push yourself. Get out of your head for awhile, run, jump, scream, dance, Do what makes you feel good and just do it till you drop.
The approval process for new medication has become too relaxed and dangerous. There have been too many cases of undesired effects and too many class action legal cases for me to consider "official approval" as reliable. Many of the cases of undesired effects are cases where the monitoring that you wrote about was not present.
Properly trained and licensed professionals can only study and evaluate a patient's case, direct familiarity is only possible by the patient in question.
Depressed people are not capable of being honest, as the depression alters their perception and perspective on their own condition. Questionnaires may be helpful in assessing a patients condition, but it rarely if ever is a matter of not knowing whether or not a person is depressed. Sometimes people experience depression and do not understand it for what it is, but they know something is wrong. A diagnosis may be of some benefit to some people in order to come to an acceptance that something is wrong.
I am not disputing the things that you have said, and in particular, I am not disputing what you wrote about medication versus placebo. I am just acknowledging that the treatment of depression is a complicated matter.
Perhaps, more complicated than you suggest.
As you say, the idea is to prevent further incidents. Depressed people often can and do maintain control and composure, and that is why it is often misunderstood by the patient and not diagnosed the professional. So the question is, why use medication if therapy is what does help? Many patients take the medication, and because they feel better have less desire to engage therapy.
I think that although you argue that it should be otherwise, medication for depression is just grasping for a quick fix, a way to escape the pain, an easy feel good, a cure. And of course it is not a cure, so why medicate?