Depression: Disease or Excuse?

[DaveBWFC]

You thought about going to the docs to get a sick note? You could have a week off with that. Get well soon.

If I manage to get through the weekend I'll go the doctors on Monday.

[jayjay23]

I understand perfectly. It's a modern "disease" started by the work-shy. 50 years ago someone claiming depression would have been laughed out of town.

I hark back to the good old days.

I have only read the first page on this and Natasha's ignorance on the subject it startling!

Right Nat.

I understand that Bolton lost again today. The weather is cold. Some of us will have a bad week at work or get our cars pinged in the car park. All of those things can bring your mood down or make you feel low. Even for an extended time. This is not depression though.

Depression is not related to how well or badly your week is going. It's not related to how much money you earn, how many friends you have, how much your family support you, how successful you are etc...
Sure having good friends and family support can make living with depression easier to cope with just like anyone with any illness.

[jayjay23]

Imagine you woke up tomorrow in your nice house, next to your partner who you love - your two perfect happy kids in the next room, your football club is top of the league your ferarri is on the driveway, the sun is out, your friends are due to come round for a bbq that afternoon - you had a great childhood and you have a job you love...

Everything is perfect. But there is a but.

...But when you wake up, although all of the above is true, you do not want to get out of bed. You are not interested in the sunshine. Your ferarri means nothing to you. You no longer have any motivation to get up. Even for your kids. You cant be bothered with sex anymore. You are feeling angry and down - more down than the kind of down you get when you have a shite week at work. More down than when you get sacked from your job. You cant face even your closest friends. You cancel the bbq. You go off all foods. You stop eating properly. Even to have a bath or shower seems like too hard work. But the worst thing is - you have no idea why you feel that way and no matter how motivated you want to be or try to be you just get worse. What would you do?

Remember no amount of "pulling yourself together" will make this feeling go away. It's just how you feel now and you have to somehow live with that every day. And worst of all - all your family and friends behind your back are saying "well, what the hell has she got to be depressed about eh? - she needs to stop feeling sorry for herself and think about those who have real problems..."

[jayjay23]

It's raining, it's cold, and some fcuker bumped my car last night. Therefore I am depressed.

Will someone now pay for me to sit at home and watch Jeremy Kyle while my colleagues cover my work?

DEPRESSION IS IN NO WAY RELATED TO CIRCUMSTANCES OR EVENTS! Although bad circumstances will be more difficult to handle for a person suffering from depression in most cases.

[jayjay23]

Depression is bull shíte. Everyone has highs and lows and lets face it there is a lot to get stressed out and down about in life - finances, jobs, relationships, family, home, general happiness, etc. Sure some people are down and are unhappy with their situation but that's all it is. I bet these people who are suffering from depression would be happy as Larry if they won the lottery.
I think its really wrong when people use depression as an excuse to be off sick from work.
End of discussion. 

Perfect prick my friend.
As mentioned to witless - depression is not about circumstances.

Can you imagine winning the lottery and shrugging your shoulders and saying "im not intersted i would rather stay in bed and not shower - and maybe even kill myself" - no, you cant imagine that feeling, but that is how you would react if you were depressed and you would not be able to change that fact.

[jayjay23]

Some things are simple RT, it's society that complicates things.

If I was depressed I'd change my life. It really is quite easy to sort yourself out.

Classic line from someone who does not understand. I would love you to get proper struck down with it just because of your ignorance.

The thing is - if you had it you COULDN'T change your life.
If you are feeling depressed and you change your life then you were probably just a bit unhappy not suffering from chronic depression.

[Natasha Whittam]

Jayjay, you're posting about depression on a football forum in the small hours.....I'm guessing the above posts are about you.

Depression doesn't exist. The world can be a fantastic place, if someone would rather spend their time hiding under their duvet then they are crazy, not depressed.

It bugs me that the NHS spends time and money on depression, that money should be spent on real diseases like cancer, HIV etc.

[Natasha Whittam]

I would love you to get proper struck down with it just because of your ignorance.

Chris Amos was once banned for saying he hoped I died from cancer. If, as you say, depression is a disease then your comment is no different and you will be banned.

But you won't be banned because, deep down, no one really thinks it is a disease.

[ReebokTrotter]

Natasha,  JayJay's comments are actually very accurate. It's easy to brush it off in a light hearted way but unless you have that little black rain cloud permanently hovering over you, then you will never really get it.

Understanding something is not the same as experiencing it.

[Natasha Whittam]

Natasha,  JayJay's comments are actually very accurate. It's easy to brush it off in a light hearted way but unless you have that little black rain cloud permanently hovering over you, then you will never really get it.

Understanding something is not the same as experiencing it.

How do you know I don't have the little black rain cloud hovering above me? Maybe you do to. Perhaps we don't see it as "depression" though, just aspects of our lives we'd like to improve or change.

[Malcolm Everett]

Jayjay - you're talking shite. No one has this perfect lifestyle but is so down that they are angry at life. You have just made that up, its fiction not reality.
If you look at most people who are suffering from 'depression' - they all are people who's life is in a mess, they are usually broke, they have problems with relationships, they may hate their job, life is not going right for them. I mean take Stan Collymore who says he suffers with depression - the guy is a bellend, if I had his personality I would be depressed. But also he has real problems with relationships, he misses playing football. Depression comes about because of events and situations, not the other way round as you describe. Same with Gazza - he was never depressed when he was playing football and having a great time out with McCoist and all his mates like 5 bellies. But now his career is over and he split up with his wife and nothing to do with his time he suffers from depression.
Now repeat that back to me, I want to make sure you understand.

[DaveBWFC]

they are crazy, not depressed.

Isn't depression a mental illness though? So people with depression could be described as being crazy. Something is obviously not right in their heads.

[jayjay23]

Chris Amos was once banned for saying he hoped I died from cancer. If, as you say, depression is a disease then your comment is no different and you will be banned.

But you won't be banned because, deep down, no one really thinks it is a disease.

if you said "people who have cancer are just crazy and should get over it" then I would wish it on you as I know everyone else would too. Maybe.

[ReebokTrotter]

Sometimes on here it is like addressing an audience of Fraggle Rock.

[Natasha Whittam]

if you said "people who have cancer are just crazy and should get over it" then I would wish it on you as I know everyone else would too. Maybe.

But I wouldn't say that as cancer is a real disease. Depression is another word for "a bit fed up". Shame on you for trying to compare them.

I think it's time you left the site, you talk bollocks.

Dr Whittam

[DaveBWFC]

if you said "people who have cancer are just crazy and should get over it" then I would wish it on you as I know everyone else would too. Maybe.

You're being silly now jayjay. I wouldn't wish it on her. I doubt anyone else, well maybe one other person, would. You should never wish cancer on anyone.

[Natasha Whittam]

Sometimes on here it is like addressing an audience of Fraggle Rock.

That's the best compliment I've ever had on here. And I've had some good ones.

[Gloria Stitz]

NW should have her own column. (She may already have one but thats in a different manner of speaking.)

Talk Shittam has a right ring to it.

Thanks for reading,

Gloria.

[Natasha Whittam]

NW should have her own column. (She may already have one but thats in a different manner of speaking.)

Talk Shittam has a right ring to it.

Thanks for reading,

Gloria.

Howfen, why are you hiding behind Gloria?

But you're right, I'd love a column.

[jayjay23]

Jayjay - you're talking shite. No one has this perfect lifestyle but is so down that they are angry at life. You have just made that up, its fiction not reality.

People can have a great life and then get depression. Then they start to lose everything and the thing spirals. External events etc contribute to the effect of depression and how badly it gets you but it is not the ilness itself.

Lot's of people who seemingly have everything suffer from depression - you would just never know it because it is well hidden. People hide it and are ashamed of it. They don't tell people if they don't have to. They are the very people who you would say "pull yourself together" to if they said they were depressed. Because with your mindset you would wonder what the hell they had to be down about. I hope one day you come to understand the affliction and you feel sorry for your past views on the subject.

And yes - some people do use being down or sad as an excuse too. We all have sad times, sad things happening etc. If your wife leaves you and you feel depressed - that does not mean you have depression. You're just experiencing what is natural - its a sad time for you, of course you wont feel on top of the world and you can choose to wallow in it or sort yourself out. That is different to actual chronic depression which I am referring to in the above posts.

[jayjay23]

Jayjay, you're posting about depression on a football forum in the small hours.....I'm guessing the above posts are about you.

Depression doesn't exist. The world can be a fantastic place, if someone would rather spend their time hiding under their duvet then they are crazy, not depressed.

It bugs me that the NHS spends time and money on depression, that money should be spent on real diseases like cancer, HIV etc.

I was awake last night til late yes. Couldn't sleep after playing COD for too long. Saw this thread and found myself astounded by some of your comments. You seem to say what you do with no compassion or empathy what so ever.

I have felt quite depressed at times in the past but not to the point some people obviously have but it was enough of a taste to make me realise how bad it could get for some. How I had zero control over it despite what I wanted to do about it.

[Gloria Stitz]

I wouldn't wish severe mental illness on either of our pig ignorants on this thread, as it isn't something I'd even wish on Gary Megson!

A mere taste is enough to make anyone understand the torturous feeling of lacking control over one's thought processes that mental illness brings to its victims. Sadly, as they're good at dealing with life problems, they'll never experience it for themselves.

Thanks for reading,

Gloria.

[Natasha Whittam]

The mentalists should all be locked up for the safety of the sane, but that's a thread you can start Gloria.

[Gloria Stitz]

You're being silly now jayjay. I wouldn't wish it on her. I doubt anyone else, well maybe one other person, would. You should never wish cancer on anyone.

I guarentee there'd be millions of people wishing a nasty disease on Shittam if the world saw this thread!

If how she projects herself here is a fair reflection of who she is as a person (which possibly isn't the case), its difficult to imagine who would miss her. Same goes for Everprick.

Thanks for reading,

Gloria.

[Natasha Whittam]

I guarentee there'd be millions of people wishing a nasty disease on Shittam if the world saw this thread!

If how she projects herself here is a fair reflection of who she is as a person (which possibly isn't the case), its difficult to imagine who would miss her. Same goes for Everprick.

Thanks for reading,

Gloria.

People come to me for the honest truth, they know there'll be no PC bollocks here.

The world would be a better place if people would just bottle up their emotions and keep their problems to themselves.

Touchy-feely doesn't do it for me Gloria, sorry.