Strange how many people see depression as a form of not being happy!
There are many cases of depression that are chemical and, unfortunately much to the chagrin of many of the New Age brigade, you can’t think yourself out of it. Chemical imbalance requires chemical rebalance.
Just sayin’!
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Yes. You cannot ‘think’ yourself happy(non-depressed); all the positive attitude in the world won’t correct brain chemistry.
I’ve had bouts of depression since age 17. Probably longer, but first diagnosis at that age. It’s tough to fight, at times, tough to even WANT to.
The ‘positive police’ and positivity bullies: I want to punch them in the face. I’ve learned they can be toxic to me, and I’ve trimmed them from my life if they cannot respect my wishes to shut the fuck up. Would they say the same shit to a cancer patient?! If they did, I hope said patient punched them in the face.
But that’s me. 
I’m not discounting that being optimistic is a good thing...but don’t shove it down my throat. I’ll get there when I feel less depressed.
CarolinaGirl60
Level 8
June 16, 2019
2
I absolutely agree. Keep grinding on Caroline! I love that phrase ‘the positive police’. Sums up some schools of thought perfectly
@Allamanda Not at all. For some, it’s trial and error and a journey to find what works. I’ve used many other modalities in addition to meds, such as: talk therapy, tapping, meditation, music, relaxation, doing crafting, breathing techniques, acupuncture, aromatherapy....I tried anything that might help.
I also have chronic pain, among other things. My illnesses are largely invisible, which leads healthy, skeptical folks to give all kinds of unwanted ridiculous ‘advice’, such as: just try harder, go vegan, do CBD, go back to church, don’t be so lazy, try the Paleo diet, go gluten free, go off my meds and use homeopathics; in one notable case: stop faking and get off drugs(I’m not faking and I don’t use drugs!)
So I’m a bit defensive on the topic. Positive thoughts can’t heal my mind or body. My blood pressure could give a shit, lol. Same with diabetes, and so on. I’m as positive as I can be in each situation, but I’m realistic too.
I agree. Depression is an urgent dilemma until you find the right chemical balance. It took me many years of anxious depression before the right medication was given to me. And then, it became easy to keep objective about the ups and downs of life.
I agree it is bad that not being happy from time to time is frowned upon as not healthy. Life is naturally full of different emotions, and feeling unhappiness occasionally is one of them.
AnonySchmoose
Level 8
June 16, 2019
2
What you do is not “think your way out of it”. You learn how to analyze the thoughts that you were having when you created the depression. The subconscious mind has no discrimination—it believes whatever you tell it, and worse, it controls your bodily reactions to reflect the lies you were thinking. Write down the untrue thoughts, label them as such, and then write down what is true about the situation. By writing it down all levels of consciousness become informed and you’ll feel better instantly, as though a switch has been flipped!
This is in no way new age bullshit. Read “Help Yourself to Happiness” by Dr. Maxie Maultsby Jr. Dr. Maultsby was no lightweight. He developed Rational Behavior Therapy, recognized the world over as an effective counseling method.
So far as drugs for chemical “imbalance”, thanks but no thanks.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
June 16, 2019
0
I know you are correct about the information we send to the unconscious mind. As one of the psychologists said, can’t remember who, “the mind knows no jokes”
Bringing these unwanted memes into the light of day is certainly a good psychodynamic strategy.
The brain is like any other organ though. It sometimes requires medical attention.
My reference to the New Age philosophy, particularly of the 90s there were several dangerous ‘clinicians’ who regarded medical intervention as unnecessary and a promotion of Monsanto products, much like the Christian Scientist idea.
True that the solution to many problems is not at the bottom of the bottle, be it drink or medication, but there are situations where one’s life can be improved by medical treatment
@Geoffrey51 If a person is too agitated to think, I can see where a mild and temporary sedative might be called for.
Does science truly know how to get in there and fine-tune your brain—balance out those chemicals? I don’t think they do. Drug companies test substances randomly. They tried lithium and got some results. Then they tried rat poison (warfarin) and that changed moods to some extent. Hell, you might as well drink a quart of whiskey. It’d certainly change your mood. So would a quart of kerosene.Those clowns don’t know what they’re doing—they just want to get money.
The problem is not a brain problem in the first place. It is a thought problem. As an analogy, imagine that someone is trying to learn piano but they are horribly frustrated and depressed because they keep hitting the wrong notes. You might send some joker over with a pair of wire cutters to clip out the offending strings. That might temporarily relieve the frustration, but when the student realized that you had damaged her piano she would be liable to react with rage and violence. That’s how mass shooters are created.
@WilliamFleming I do agree with you in general . There are some situations, though, where medical interventions can improve the quality of life for some people.
@kodimerlyn Care to say WHY you think the work of the late eminent Maxie Maultsby is horseshit? Just throwing out insults does nothing to advance your argument.
Sometimes you need to jump start the body...I see it as no different than someone taking thyroid medication or birth control to regulate hormones...
thinktwice
Level 8
June 16, 2019
3
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