Do you think that all of the people with "depression" are truly ill? Or are some

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   Sandi Kroegerposted 8 years ago

   Do you think that all of the people with "depression" are truly ill? Or are some of them "faking"?
   
   Do you think that depressed people need the help of a physician and/or medication? Or do they simply need to change the circumstances that may be causing, or at least contributing to, their depression?

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   LoisRyan13903posted 8 years ago

   I guess it depends on the level of depression.  I get it from time to time mainly from stress.  Don't take any medications for it because when I get through the day, the next day is a new day and I am in a better mood,  However, there are others who battle with this on a day to day basis and need the help of a doctor or psychologist trying to find the root cause of their depression.  If it was me, I would go through a holistic doctor and use herbal remedies for the depression.
   
   I don't actively write for Hub Pages any longer.  I write for another site and may write about Home Remedies for Depression

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      LoisRyan13903posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      And I don't people who have it are faking it.  Maybe they have something similar and are confusing it.  Something like my strepression.  Where my stress leads to depression

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   Austinstarposted 8 years ago

   How cruel to think that people that suffer from depression are "just faking" it.
   It's a real and painful condition that can be caused by low serotonin in the brain, other chemical imbalances, physical conditions like diabetes and ALS, and physical/emotional abuse.
   The treatment varies with the patient's condition and cause. Some people grow out of it, some need medicine, some need psychiatric or psychological care.
   Depression can last for years, or it can be temporary. It all depends on the person.
   Some people need help, some don't.
   But whatever the cause of depression, people are NOT faking it!

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      Sandi Kroegerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You jump to conclusions Austinstar and I'm not being cruel. Someone very close to me suffers from significant depression and I know it's very real. My question was asking about whether some people might fake it simply to get attention or sympathy.

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Why was that the first thing that came to your mind? People don't fake depression. Depressed people NEED attention and sympathy. Ignoring a cry for help is not a good idea.

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      Sandi Kroegerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I never said it was the first thing that came to my mind. I've been a registered nurse for over 30 years and I've seen a lot of "true" depression. But I've also seen some who seem to be using the label "depression" as a crutch. Just asking others....

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   WordCrafter09posted 8 years ago

   I'd think that the person who feels like he's depressed, tries to cope with it on his own, and finds out it's more than he can manage, would seek professional help.  Austinstar's answer here pretty much says it all (or most of "it").
   
   The only the thing I'd add is that I've read that it is not uncommon for doctors to sometimes mistake adrenal fatigue/exhaustion for depression.  Assuming that's true, I'd think many people can mistake exhaustion (to some degree or another) for depression.
   
   Extreme, unrelenting, long-term, stress can eventually lead a person to be "worn out" (and I"m talking about a busy week and a bunch of bad commutes; I mean serious, long-term, stress).
   
   Extremely demanding and "life-sucking" situations/circumstances can contribute to exhaustion (and I'd think depression); and some situations aren't situations that can be changed by the individual.  Some people have multiple "life-sucking" situations going on - maybe a child with medical problems, add in maybe an elderly parent or two to worry about, the usual stuff in life, maybe other children who need attention, whatever else.
   
   Some people live in situations that are way beyond things like, "I don't like my job" and "...so quit"; or else "I don't like my commute" and "so move or change your job".
   
   If someone appears to be "faking" there's a good chance that the person copes well and puts on a good front most of the time; but if things get to be too much, or something happens to make the situation worse, then the person who ordinarily copes well  can have trouble remaining is "artificial, sunny, self".
   
   If anyone does any faking there's a good chance that it's someone who in fact IS depressed and/or IS exhausted; and something has happened, or the situation has worsened, so the person who had been faking "non-depressed" and/or "non-exhausted" effectively before may not be able to to keep it up as consistently.
   
   Not everyone knows or bothers to even try to fake "non-depressed"/non-exhausted" because the reason those who do is usually that they want to be strong and keep things seeming normal for those who need them to be strong and normal - and hold things together for anyone else who really doesn't need more worry or more "not-normal".  Other people may want to fake feeling better than they really do may also want to do that if they think they're dealing with someone who seems a little too anxious to see them not-be-OK.
   
   This question shows what depressed/exhausted people deal with it.

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I completely agree. Depression is not something one fakes. They might fake an occassional headache, but never the crippling pain of depression.

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   Sherry Hewinsposted 8 years ago

   Depression is so unrelenting, I would think it would be hard to fake long-term.
   
   Besides that, in my experience, depression does not seem to be a real attention getter. Depressed people are boring, and most people will not pay that much attention.
   
   Better to fake something more dramatic if you want attention.

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      Sandi Kroegerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That's true!

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   ValKarasposted 8 years ago

   When it's depression, then nothing is "fake" about it.
   However, there indeed are screwed up personalities of a lazy type who will escape from life roles of fully functioning parents, spouses, or professionals  -  usually complaining about their "bad nerves and low energy". Just think about the garden variety of hypochondriacs, constantly complaining about their bad health while getting clean bill of health every time they visit their doctor.
   
   I call this type "poor-me-precious-me", who think that the world owes them a living and attention. I have seen wives whose husbands worked 2 jobs and still had to change diapers and cook, with a whole additional list of chores attached -  while the lady was "of too delicate health". And she would go into a hysterical episode if he tried to protest. Then she would spend the whole day on the phone, or shopping.
   So, there really are fakers of depression. They lie to their doctors, to their spouses, and to their bosses. They may become so convincing that doctor will even sign their partial disability papers. They are lazy abusers of those around them and of the society.

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      WordCrafter09posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      "Judging" "what THEY think" is very risky.  There are non-copers and not-organized but there are also those dealing with things that someone else doesn't have a clue about.  I think "lazy" is pretty rare and "screwed up" is often very inaccurate.

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      ValKarasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      ME Whelan  -  Laziness is only the outer expression of an attitude which I called "poor-me-precious-me", a self-centeredness that puts one's own importance in front of everyone else. Acting "depressed" is a strategy.

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      Sandi Kroegerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Perhaps using the label "depression" was inaccurate. Perhaps I am thinking about the "poor me, precious me" that you identify Vladimir and whether seeing a physician and/or being on medication would even help them.

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      ValKarasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Sandi - "Brain's chemical imbalances" have never been scientifically proven, and lack of "happy neurotransmitters" could be secondary to something else, maybe hormonal, maybe mental. So, psychoactive drugs are just helping with symptoms, not causes.

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