On the bus, I heard someone say that people suffering from depression are "depressed because they view the world for what it really is." What is everyone's opinion on this?
While external factors can cause depression (such as abuse, grief, etc) primarily it's a chemical imbalance in the brain. (Such as serotonin, which at low levels can cause symptoms of depression.) I have clinical depression, and am also a existential nihilist, are the two connected? Probably not. My cynical and pragmatic personality is not truly attributed to my depression. I know this considering I was diagnosed while I was still a theist who believed that everything happened for a reason. Realization can be sad, but can it cause depression? I doubt it. At least not in the way that this person was intending.
Boy I sure hope that's not the case because the world must be a nightmare if my depression is what the world really is. That aside, I think it's an interesting statement/thought. A pessimistic philosophy, I suppose? I think it's all perspective. The perception of reality in general is really all based on perspective and so, so many other factors. Someone's reality might be someone else's fantasy, or even another person's nightmare. It's all up in the air with interpretation. Could it be possible? Absolutely. Will we ever know? No way. Because we're all seeing the world through different eyes.
That's absurd. And this is coming from a clinically depressed pessimist. A primary faucet of depression - and other mood disorders - is that it is not reality but your emotions influencing your perceptions of reality. Reality is neutral, made up of beautiful and ugly. If reality were through the eyes of depression, this world would be hell.
No, that's ridiculous. And I am clinically depressed. It's not about world view, it's about chemicals and past experiences (and to be honest I wish people would stop trying to make depression poetic).
When I get depressed, I view the world with an exaggerated sense of negativity. Key word being "exaggerated". If you want to get into technicalities as to why people get depressed, it's because (to put it simply) the heightened levels of stress hormones alters emotions, which in turn causes more hormones to be released, ultimately making people feel exhausted and generally terrible. I get that the person on the bus was trying to understand depression, but saying that it exists because of how the world "really is" does nothing but set back a person who actually suffers from it. Telling a depressed person that the world is really as bad as they believe would do nothing but take away any reasons for that person to recover.
While the way the world is is quite sad and can be a major downer, that's not depression. granted, it doesn't help, but it's not depression.
No, It's false. Depression is caused by chemicals in the brain. You can have a perfectly happy life and still be depressed. This quote applies more to loners or intelligent people.
I think this quote is false FOR THE MOST PART. I do know that, when you are low and in poverty, this might actually apply, since they perceive their world for what it really is, which is why they're depressed... This made my mind instantly jump to the people I know who are like this. For the most part it is untrue though. As someone above said, depression makes people exaggerate things to be insanely negative. Depression is not entirely chemical though. ^ I mean, I guess you could argue that it's "sadness", but due to my situation I am depressed more often than not- it has nothing to do with the chemicals in my brain, unfortunately.
I think depression is chemical but can be triggered by environmental issues. I may of course be wrong but many years figuring out how to cope with being bipolar led me to believe that.
That's actually kinda sad... I don't think so. When I'm depressed (I have a small depression about twice a year for a few days) I get really mad at myself. I don't see me like I'm in reality, I only see my worst treats. And if anyone dares to talk to me in these periods I also see the worst treats in them. I don't know. I just don't like to think that the world is such a dark place...
That's incredibly offensive to the many people in the world struggling daily with depression, and anyone who has said that has never had or really understood depression. Sure, people can have momentary down periods if something happens that upsets them. But that's not "suffering from depression." Depression, if we're talking about clinical depression defined in the DSM-V, is a neurochemical imbalance. It isn't caused by thoughts, and you can't "think your way out of depression" any more than you can "think your way" out of diarrhea.
I'm gathering they are viewing the world through what their eyes see at the moment. It is sad as mental illness/depression whatever, is a tough go.
