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<blockquote data-quote="Muse_Cubed" data-source="post: 659202" data-attributes="member: 12841"><p>Yeah, I'm hardly pleased with today's society and all that, but depression is far from just a 21st century illness and has been <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_depression" target="_blank">part of civilisation</a> from long before we were that far removed from nature (and, on a side note, we've been derailing from the plot ever since we decided to pick up a rock to crack a nut). It's a set of complex conditions that cannot be ascribed to any one thing. Bipolar spectrum disorders, for example, are genetically inherited (that's an irrefutable fact) and has also been alluded to throughout history and have nothing to do with the condition of today's society. Either way, depression arises in people with a predisposition to it - it's not to do with being 'strong' or 'weak', it just is.</p><p></p><p>On another note, I was reading one of Lewis Wolpert's books on the subject a while back, it's suspected that the physical manifestation of depression does vary from country to country and is an oft-somatised condition - for example, there are fewer incidences of the 'classic' depressive symptoms in China, but they often manifest as other physical complaints, usually stomach-related. I haven't got the references to hand, but having had a few somatic complaints myself I can believe that.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Seeing as (still) so little is known about CFS, I wouldn't rush to draw conclusions and blame everything on perceived societal ills. In drawing up a counterpoint, I'd argue that people with such conditions often have weaker immune systems and, in poorer countries with limited medical access are more likely to die at a younger age. There's also the fact that Western medicine is hardly standardised across the world, and in many cases these will be diagnosed as 'possession' et al. Again, I don't necessarily like the 'removal from nature' aspects of today's society, but I also don't think that you can proffer a simple cause-and-effect explanation for '21st century illness'.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I'd say that depression and the act of getting through depression can be a learning, cleansing experience. However, I will say that simply the act of surviving a depressive episode IS 'manning up' (I ****ing abhor that phrase). If you are able to function relatively normally during one, then great, so long as it's not detrimental. However, it's not always the case - simply surviving depressive episodes is a massive challenge and, quite frankly, your advice is tantamount to telling someone with a broken arm that they're a pussy for having a cast.</p><p></p><p>I cannot impress on you enough the degree to which one's cognitive faculties are compromised at the time and the fact that depression is nothing to do with weakness and strength, it's a state that just IS and can occur at any time, whether it's triggered by events or whether it's simply random. It's not a case of just engaging the brain and just getting on with things, it's not something that can be pushed through. Have you not considered that, for some people, depression IS one of 'life's tests' for them? That that is the hand that they've been dealt and one of their life tasks is learning how to manage it? Ultimately, depression is a set of conditions that aren't cured, only managed. The way to deal with it is to build your support when you're not and to be able to survive through it when you are. The only thing you can do during depression is try to remove yourself from triggers that will worsen it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Muse_Cubed, post: 659202, member: 12841"] Yeah, I'm hardly pleased with today's society and all that, but depression is far from just a 21st century illness and has been [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_depression"]part of civilisation[/URL] from long before we were that far removed from nature (and, on a side note, we've been derailing from the plot ever since we decided to pick up a rock to crack a nut). It's a set of complex conditions that cannot be ascribed to any one thing. Bipolar spectrum disorders, for example, are genetically inherited (that's an irrefutable fact) and has also been alluded to throughout history and have nothing to do with the condition of today's society. Either way, depression arises in people with a predisposition to it - it's not to do with being 'strong' or 'weak', it just is. On another note, I was reading one of Lewis Wolpert's books on the subject a while back, it's suspected that the physical manifestation of depression does vary from country to country and is an oft-somatised condition - for example, there are fewer incidences of the 'classic' depressive symptoms in China, but they often manifest as other physical complaints, usually stomach-related. I haven't got the references to hand, but having had a few somatic complaints myself I can believe that. Seeing as (still) so little is known about CFS, I wouldn't rush to draw conclusions and blame everything on perceived societal ills. In drawing up a counterpoint, I'd argue that people with such conditions often have weaker immune systems and, in poorer countries with limited medical access are more likely to die at a younger age. There's also the fact that Western medicine is hardly standardised across the world, and in many cases these will be diagnosed as 'possession' et al. Again, I don't necessarily like the 'removal from nature' aspects of today's society, but I also don't think that you can proffer a simple cause-and-effect explanation for '21st century illness'. I'd say that depression and the act of getting through depression can be a learning, cleansing experience. However, I will say that simply the act of surviving a depressive episode IS 'manning up' (I ****ing abhor that phrase). If you are able to function relatively normally during one, then great, so long as it's not detrimental. However, it's not always the case - simply surviving depressive episodes is a massive challenge and, quite frankly, your advice is tantamount to telling someone with a broken arm that they're a pussy for having a cast. I cannot impress on you enough the degree to which one's cognitive faculties are compromised at the time and the fact that depression is nothing to do with weakness and strength, it's a state that just IS and can occur at any time, whether it's triggered by events or whether it's simply random. It's not a case of just engaging the brain and just getting on with things, it's not something that can be pushed through. Have you not considered that, for some people, depression IS one of 'life's tests' for them? That that is the hand that they've been dealt and one of their life tasks is learning how to manage it? Ultimately, depression is a set of conditions that aren't cured, only managed. The way to deal with it is to build your support when you're not and to be able to survive through it when you are. The only thing you can do during depression is try to remove yourself from triggers that will worsen it. [/QUOTE]
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