Is depression real or is it just imagination?

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   MojoDawgposted 13 years ago

   Is depression real or is it just imagination?

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   Dubuquedogtrainerposted 13 years ago

   It is very real. There are different types of depression. One type, major depression, or clinical depression is the most serious type. It involves neurochemical changes in the brain. There is also a type of depression that occurs in response to life changes, such as the loss of a loved one or other stressful life circumstances. This type of depression may be amenable to time and talk therapy, but it can deteriorate into a major depression requiring more intensive intervention. Clinical depression causes changes in thought processes that a person with the illness cannot control. The thought processes are beyond reason. The person truly thinks there is no hope and they are worthless. Their thinking is slowed down and they cannot make good decisions. Yes, depression is very real and it is a serious illness that can result in a person taking their own life. If anyone you know expresses feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, pay attention. If they express suicidal thoughts, take it seriously because they could act on it.

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   catalystsnstarsposted 13 years ago

   Depression is not the absence of happiness, I'm not sure where I read that. But I think that needs to be clarified since a lot of people seem to believe that a person who says they are depressed just needs to do more "fun" things or that they are the cause of this "lack" in motivational pursuits.
   
   If it was the imagination, would it make a difference? The heart feels what it feels in great magnitude, there is no measure of emotions when it comes to how a person "feels". Yes, we can attribute this dip in moods to chemicals and/or external forces but if you were happy and I told you it was all in your imagination would it make a difference?
   
   As for the realness of depression, there are no words to describe the despair that befalls a person when nothing will do. At that point you start to wish it was all a fiction of your imagination, but at that point when you're most susceptible to hopelessness, well, it becomes as real as any light in a dark room.

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   duffsmomposted 13 years ago

   Depression, unless situationally caused as in divorce or death of a loved one, is a chemicall imbalance in the brain.  It is very real and anyone who say otherwise is uneducated and naive.

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   jasper420posted 13 years ago

   depreshion is a real medical condition its a chemical emblance and can be corrected with medications and therapy the stigma on depershion makes me sick alot of people are ignorant to the disoder.

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   nybride710posted 13 years ago

   Big time real.  I suffered from major depressive disorder for years before finding the right combination of medication and therapy.  My 15 year old daughter also struggles, and it doesn't appear to be related to anything going on in her life.

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   Victoria Lynnposted 13 years ago

   Is depression real? Can Cymbalta Help? This poem about depression takes an almost funny yet serious look at the thoughts, feelings, and often dark reality of the person suffering from depression. read more

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   WretchedRaptureposted 13 years ago

   Great question! It'll surely start some nice discussion. I agree with most of the other answers that depression is most definitely real, as it is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. What I've always wondered is whether or not medication is really necessary for treatment. Sure, if it's going to save lives then I'm all for it, but it seems to me that anti-depressive medications are too easily accessible, and I'm not so sure if medication is the best way to treat this issue. Perhaps medication is great for initial treatment, but I'm curious if once an individual escapes from their depressive bouts they could maintain their new found state of ease through simple will power. The mind is a very powerful instrument, so even if it is a chemical imbalance, I would think that an individual could maintain a healthy balance of chemicals on their own once they achieve a certain level of confidence and stability. I don't mean to undermine anyone who has had personal experience with these issues, as a matter of fact, I commend you greatly.

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   Sage in a Cageposted 13 years ago

   Depression is very real but individuals experience it in varying intensities and interpret it in different ways depending on their own situations.
   
   Depression is an emotion that has, in small quantities, helped humans survive and adapt. Some evolutionary psychologists suggest that depression in smaller quantities is actually a productive emotion which signals to us that we need to make significant changes in our current lives. For example, you may be in a very unsatisfying job where you feel you are not appreciated. Feeling depressed in that situation will usually be the trigger for looking for another job or career.
   
   It's when that everyday emotion of depression becomes so overwhelming that it affects an individual's everyday functioning that we verge into clinical depression. Depression is not imagined anymore than any other emotion that comes about in our brains. Quite often clinical depression can get to the stage where physical symptoms such as headache and fatigue are experienced. In that sense, depression becomes much more than an emotion and more of a disorder which needs to be managed.

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