When people say "im depressed"..

[TheOriginal_BIRD]

i suffered from very severe depression last year, i didnt want to wake up in the mornings, i felt useless, couldnt see myself in the future and i felt as if i was being swallowed by my own fears..i didnt want to be here..im only just recovering..luckily i can smile and mean it now!:D

but when friends say to me "im depressed today" it makes me SO ANGRY!
a friend of mine always used to say it and i just wanted to say SHUT THE **** up you have no idea what its like to be truely depressed..! for a start she wouldnt be going out and going to 6th form..
once i said, youre not depressed, youre just upset..
and her reply was that she IS depressed and needs to go on anti depressants because her 'mum says' she isnt herself..
people need to realise there is a strong line that divides DEPRESSION and periods of upset and sadness..

how can people lie about things like this?? especially to me?
i dont know how people can be so awful to say that they are when theyre not..after everything ive been through..its cheeky and its taking the piss..

GRR felt like a rant..
sorry :)
anyone else have this problem though?!
:hugs:

[casey31]

Hi - I agree with you :)

I'm going through a bad depression at them moment - every day is a struggle and people are constantly asking if I'm ok / better and it's so hard to have to keep saying 'no - not really' people don't understand that real depression is an illness that unfortunately won't just wash away...

I'm carrying on with life - going to work etc as normal but it is soooo hard...espcially getting up in the mornings, I'm currently taking citalopram but it hasn't kicked in yet - been on it for 3 weeks, so just hoping it will soon...

Can I ask how you overcame your depressions?

All help welcome at the moment x

[Franz]

I get annoyed about this too but to some extent it's the media's fault. The media are constantly telling us what a serious problem depression is and encouraging us always to think that when we're down, it's something or someone else's fault, or that it's more serious than it is.

There is also a victim culture in Britain where people are encouraged to sit around moaning and feeling sorry for themselves and blaming other people for everything.

Also, dare I say it, kids these days are treated too softly in school, both in terms of educational pressure and in terms of discipline. They get the message that everything in life is easy, that the world owes them a living, that other people are their servants, and that when they're unhappy it's always somebody's fault. So at the first sign of things getting remotely difficult, they're completely floored and start bleating as though it's somebody else's job to sort it out.

[nanny]

Hi
I agree it is really maddening when people are severly depressed (thats me too unfortunately) and someone comes along and says they are depressed when you don't think they are.

Trouble is people react differently to depression and show it in different ways.
I have been diagnosed with sever mental health problems which is anxiety and depression but i did go out to work for years whist also trying to cope with it.

I needed to get out for distraction and as bad as i felt i felt worse staying at home.
It's got worse over the years and i'm now at home permanently and i feel worse for it.

so although i honestly do know how you feel please don't knock your friend too much, she may be slightly depressed but can still cope with going out.

She may just be upset and if that is the case then perhaps she should be a little more tactful with you.

BUT unless you have suffered with depression some people don't understand it so maybe she not mean to upset you but you being vulnerable thinks she is.

Just come on here now and again and have a rant, that will make you feel tons better
in trhe meantime have a huge hug:bighug1:

[spiral]

i think you are being a little unfair to your friend.
the phrase i'm depressed today just means she feels sad on that day.

Dictionary entry: de·pressed Function:adjective Date:1598 1: low in spirits : sad (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad); especially : affected by psychological depression (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depression)

to be depressed is often used to describe having clinical depression but it doesn't exclusively mean that.

[freakedout]

Hi


i suffered from very severe depression last year, i didnt want to wake up in the mornings, i felt useless, couldnt see myself in the future and i felt as if i was being swallowed by my own fears..i didnt want to be here..im only just recovering..luckily i can smile and mean it now!:biggrin: It is good that you are better than you were, I am sure you are pleased about that.

As for feeling depressed, it is a commonly spoken phrase and perhaps your friend had things she wanted to say with the belief that you may understand having experienced depression. At the end of the day, we all say things that may be inappropriate, I certainly have put my foot in it many times, for example, I was once talking to a man who had had both of his legs amputated, during the conversation I said, without thinking "yes I am keeping you on your toes". I felt terrible, he was totally fine about it and laughed at me. If we scrutinise everything that people say we would drive ourselves mad! I had an ex boyfriend that lost his hair with alopecia, he was totally bald and lost all facial hair too, in order to deal with his own anxiety he used to tell people he had cancer (as he thought people would pity him rather than laugh). At the time my brother had been treated for cancer and had lost his hair from chemotherapy, so as you can imagine I was pretty disgusted, but the point I am trying to raise is that it seems a waste of energy focussing on things people say, you have done well yourself I hope you continue to do so.


people need to realise there is a strong line that divides DEPRESSION and periods of upset and sadness..I totally agree with spiral, anyone can feel depressed whether or not you have a diagnosis of depression. I suspect that your friend didn't intend to make you so angry, and I bet she never thought that you would think she was being cheeky or taking the p*ss.

Anyway take care

Freaky