How Depression Dulls the World - Literally --- from website!

The first thing I thought about when I read this article was that maybe depression isn’t just a false statement after all. I’ve never fully believed in a complete depression state, even though I have constantly used the word “depressed.” I just believed that a person is really down, maybe at their lowest point for that period of time – but not “depressed.” Depression is something I have always seen as something that a person is in for life, something that has been triggered by another, causing a lifetime of sadness without any happiness whatsoever. I never truly believed a person could be in a state where no laughter or happiness enters their life ever, but this article made me believe different.
Maybe there is some science based reason that shows that depression truly does exsist and alter a persons life. Maybe there is the chance then when people do say “everything looks greyer” they are not just saying that because it is what is always said, but that is what they truly see. Maybe depression isn’t just a hoax after all.

I felt the same way about using the word 'Depressed.' I almost use it everyday whenever something small happens to me, and I always see those commercials on TV that talk about all the medication dealing with depression. However, I've never really taken it seriously. How can it be a sickness if the person can just choose to be happy again? But after talking to some people who have had loved ones and friends sufffer from depression, you can really tell its not a choice at all. It's actually a chemical imbalance that the person can't control and it's not there fault. The worst part about it is not knowing you have it and not getting the right treatment. It can cause alot of things in your life to turn upside down. I couldn't imagine being sad all the time and just not knowing why it's happening to me. Thanks to research though medication is available and has helped millions who do suffer from depression.

I know! I find it kinda of surreal how one incident which does not have to be physical at all can completely change the chemicals in a person's brain and make them see a world, literally, in a whole different way.
It makes me feel sort of selfish for saying I'm "depressed" in completely insignificant events.

Okay so when I saw the title of this article I completely related to it myself. Going through hard times with university, diploma marks and trying to keep up with my studies I found myself in a state where I cant help but think "oh I'm depressed"... After reading this though, I started to actually realize that this "depression" thing is serious. I feel bad for the people that are clinically tested to be depressed from the lack of a certian chemical or hormone. Losing some of the senses to see and taste really makes the commonly stereotypical statement of depression seam real and serious. I dont consider myself depressed after reading this article because I now know that some effects are associated with that feeling so it makes us reconsider what we, the teenagers, view depression. Anyways I'm sure someone in someplace will find a cure for this because it is completely unreasonable for a person to lose some of his/her senses because of one or more destructive events that happened in their life. Lets keep our fingers crosssed !

Exactly! When I got my english diploma I think I said "this depress me" so many times. In other words, to me it saddened me, anger me, shocked me, and stressed me out - but did not put me in depression. Depression is a lot more severe then my mark which did not really destroy my future, but pushes me to push harder in my other subjects. The fact that some people actually have to live through that sort of situation, saddens me.

Haha I know exactly what you're talking about... I mean did you see my little breakdown today ? If a person who have never seen me before saw me today, they would have for sure thought that I was "depressed". I think everyone should take this way more seriously because no matter what happens in your life, no one deserve to go through a severe physical problems in their bodies, which also saddens me too Johanna !

I know exactly what you mean! The word is getting reused so much that its meaning needs to be changed. Like even the ways that they are using it in tv shows too, like its straying farther and farther from the truth.
Its almost as if they need a new word for depression, because and teenagers and the media have been changing the definition into something else entirely!

After reading this article, I think depression is the strongest emotion out of all the other emotions. Depression is like the ruler of all other emotions; once an individual is trapped in depression, it is difficult to escape. Usually, support from friends, and families helps individuals break free from this emotion.

From what i see, it seems now that individuals isolate themselves, and continue weeping quietly. Prolonged depression, will engrave scars that are not easily forgotten. The cause of depression comes from the lack of spirit. Without spirit, it is easy for depression to terrorize human emotions. Getting upset over something, shouldn't stop anyone from getting depressed, just simply FIGHT! Like what Johanna Meier said about people changing the definition of depression, I agree with you, not only is the definition of "depression" constantly being changed but many other words are also being altered.

Johanna Meier wrote:

I’ve never fully believed in a complete depression state, even though I have constantly used the word “depressed.” I just believed that a person is really down, maybe at their lowest point for that period of time – but not “depressed.”

I always thought the same way. It really just depends on how someone deals with their sadness if you ask me. I also think the same thing about stress. Are people actually stressed? I mean, how can you diagnose something thats different for everyone? When you think about it, how stressed can you actually be? Theres a difference between tired and stressed. You're soooo stressed that all the "important" things that you're stressed about will have to be put aside while you recover? To put it bluntly, pull up your socks and suck it up

I believe stress to completely an entirely different concept and easier to come by. I can say I've been stressed. I notice a difference in myself - lack of sleep, eating, concentration, biting my nails, daydreaming, etc. And even though I believe that stress is easy to come by, I also do believe that there are different levels a stress a person can have and a different severity of it.

I think that stress can greatly increase the chances of a person feeling depressed. Sometimes when a person is stressed and does not feel like they have the proper support or ability to deal with that stress I think that can really impact their emotional state. Stress is obviously present in everyone's daily life, but for some that stress is more than just everyday things. I think that the death of a loved one, an event that greatly impacted their life can be a factorthat causes stress. But I do agree that stress and depression are two seperate issues but depending on the type of stress i do think that it may develop into something greater, such as depression.

I have never thought/considere that before. I guess stress could be a causing factor for depression. With stress, its like a person doesn't see the world because they are so focused on one specific task, one goal. And when, as read in the article, when a person is depressed, they see they world differently too, as grey.
The two topics seem to be very similar and related to each other, but very different as well.

That would be really hard, seeing the world grey all the time. I think it would be interesting to hear the point of view of someone who has had depression and the things that they think added on to the depression and the things that helped control it. I wonder if you can really ever get out of depression or if treatment just helps you control it. I mean, is there a chance that something would trigger it again? I also wonder what it would be like if a small child had depression. They're so small and not aware of what's going on around them, I guess it would be up to parents to watch for the symptoms?

I agree with saying stress is major factor when it comes to the state of depression. One who is under extreme stress is largely more suceptible to depression compared to one who isn't. I think thats a safe claim to make. As for the people who have depression as a constant state of mind, I think this would be horrible - having a dull perspective towards almost everything around you because of the mood your in.

Yeah, I really do think that this is a big issue that affects ALOT of people, but it's not always taken seriously and not alot of people are taught about the symptoms, treatment and availabilty of help. I think depression should be a topic taught more often and at a greater length. I guess they do kind of do that during health and calm couses when they teach stress reduction and how to deal with it etc, but the science of depression should really be taught so that people who do think they have it aren't afraid to speak out about it!

I agree Wanas. Most people think that depression is something to be embarrassed about, when in reality it could be something as little as getting mad over something, trouble sleeping and just a general feeling of sadness. I agree that we should be taught more about depression so that people, when they feel this way, wont hesitate to seek medical help or therapy!

common treatment methods for depression include taking antidepressant medications and regularly visiting therapists, but many do not see the minor things that could help with fixing your stress levels .many studies do show that depression is closely linked to stress. studies show that doing regular exercises has positive effect on the overall health of a person and can help prevent depression from getting worse. Exercise may not be your first option for treatment. Once you start exercising, you'll discover that these activities have a lot more benefits than any other treatment methods for depression. it helps get your mind off things and it also is supposed to help calm your body from any sorts of stress

I definitely agree with Wanas. I feel that varying degrees of depression are a very common occurrence in society, however people feel too ashamed to speak up about it. There are ways to treat the condition, and I think if it was something more openly talked about, that a lot less people would be affected.

Before reading this article, I did not ever consider that the senses of a person are actually diminished in people suffering from depression. However, after considering this, it seems like a very real possibility. When a person is going through depression, they do not feel joy towards any of the things they see, hear, touch, etc, which is why I think that these senses can very well be literally affected. Through more extensive research I think it will be interesting to see what depression affects, alongside an individuals mood.

I agree Anthony. Perhaps if people openly talked about their depression with others who were too depressed, then maybe they could help eachother deal with some of the problems they're going through. I think the first step is for one to actually admit they are in a state of depression. Let's face it, people will deny that they are depressed. This is usually why they can't get over it for so long. If they open up to others who are going through the same feelings, then maybe this could be a better medication than any depression pills.

i agree with both guys on that people need to open up to others so maybe they could start helping themselves on thier depression. but thier so many things in the world that cause depression. people should share their experiences with their friends and family, especially those who have a positive outlook towards life. Depression makes you feel neglected and therefore talking to someone will boost your self esteem. Ask for love and support from your loved ones. If you are not comfortable doing this with your family, you can join forums where people with similar problems come together to share their experiences. people need to learn to relax as much as they can. Depression is caused by a lot of anxiety, stress and tension and relaxation techniques have been scientifically proven to be very successful to calm the mind. on talk shows they include techniques like reading, listening to music, yoga or just taking a vacation. if everyone learns the simple techniques to calm thier mind and soul, depression wouldnt be so big in the world.

I agree Taylor, by speaking to others about your depression the use of antidepressants would drastically drop off; which is definitely a good thing. My understanding of depression is that it is caused by occurrences in an individual's life that have a drastic impact on their outlook of their surroundings. Therefore by talking with others about it and getting to the route of the problem, I feel people will be able to fix these problems that they have. Since people are not born into the world depressed, I do not feel that the use of anti depressants needs to be so high. Although these drugs are quite helpful for a number of people, the long-term effects that they could be having is quite scary.