# Outside the Box > Philosophy and Debate >  >  Is depression a real illness? Or is it self pity.

## Sagan

A post on here has made me wonder this. I have been diagnosed with having major depressive disorder, among a host of other things. I battle with being my depression on an almost daily basis. I'll save you the troubles of the last several years of my life. But When I feel depressed, it's deep agonizing pain that can't be described. Some would argue to just snap out of it. or Stop pitying yourself. But the pain is real. and can be unbearable at times. I spend many night crying myself to sleep. 

I am doing everything I can to help my depression. Among my other illnesses. I see both a psychiatrist and psychologist regularly, I do what they say and suggest. I take my meds. I TRY to exercise as much as I can. I don't know what else there is I can do to get better. I try, I try SOO hard. Some days i'm ok, but other days I fall apart and have a complete breakdown. To me, depression is a real illness, and it hurts like HELL.

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## WineKitty

Yes it is.  As is SA and GAD.  I experience all three.

Last night was a rough night for me also.  I had to take more of my meds than what is prescribed to get on top of the anxiety but I also had depression, and the Klonopin I take does NOTHING for depression.  

I don't have any answers--because I go through the same thing.  But it's not just in your head or something you can snap out of as some would tell you.  But we do have to keep on trying and staying the course with the meds.  I think it's awesome that you are getting therapy.  I have pretty much given up on that but might buy a CBT workbook to do on my own.

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## Coffee

edit: 

i'm deleting this post but basically, it's real and there's biology to back it up.

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## WineKitty

^^Chantellabella, I have no idea what you are referring to?  I was simply answering the question asked in this thread.  My post was about this thread and this thread only.

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## onawheel

yeah basically what coffee posted, a chemical imbalance or something like that. positive thinking, yoga, good diet, exercise and generally being strong will possibly make things better. If something isn't working and you know you've tried it rightly and enough then try something else. etc etc. I'm currently trying lexapro and therapy aannddd trying yoga again and trying to get enough exercise when I can... been eating too much this week though xP

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## Chantellabella

yes, JcGrey, it's an illness. And yes, it is not self pity.

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## WineKitty

I still don't know what you were referring to it.  Sorry if what I said upset you.  I don't even know what it is I said that did.  I didn't read any other thread.

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## Sagan

I know there is Depression which is an illness many people suffer, me being one of them. I can remember feeling depressed at 11. Though at the time I didn't know exactly what I was feeling. I also know there is self pity. I've heard the term Wallowing in self pity before. I guess I'm trying to find the line between the two definitions. Like they say Google is your friend. I'm going to do a but of reading about this.

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## Chantellabella

> I still don't know what you were referring to it.  Sorry if what I said upset you.  I don't even know what it is I said that did.  I didn't read any other thread.



It was a huge misunderstanding that happened in the frustration thread. I promise, my post wasn't directed at you at all. I kinda went a bit nuts and well, everybody got caught in the crossfire. I promise though, you didn't do anything. I'm sorry. 

JcGrey, wallowing is a bad word that I used. I'm sorry. 

Sometimes, depression gets so muddled that we don't even know what it is. It's a really bad feeling, even when things around us are going ok. 

For me, the difference of depression and feeling sorry for myself is feeling versus thinking. Depression to me is when I feel sad for no reason. Feeling sorry for myself is when I don't want to let my abusers and bullies off the hook and my brain tells me over and over that they hurt me. Then my thinking that I got hurt makes me sad. But when I let it go, I can feel happy. Actual depression is when there's no problem bothering you and no reason to be sad. You just feel sad even if things are going good around you. 

I probably am making no sense. Sorry.

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## Sagan

You make perfect sense. No need to apologize. Your support is always welcomed and appreciated!

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## takethebiscuit

Depression is one of the "big beasts" of illnesses.

There may be "self pity" going on when someone has depression or is depressed. But self pity is not depression. 

Depression can be a very real pain and hurt like hell. It can also be a "quiet problem" in that people who have it don't often seek help or voice their concerns or ask for help. Respect to the OP for loving themselves enough to get help and treatment for depression. Whatever else may be going on, taking that step took some serious courage.

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## Trendsetter

I don't know. I'd say it depends on how severe it is.

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## WintersTale

Depression is definitely real.

As far as it being an illness, does it stop your progress as a human being? Does it make things difficult? Do you wear your depression like chains around your neck?

If the answer to all these is yes, then yes it is an illness. And I can relate, because my depression and anxiety are terrible things for me as well.

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## UltraShy

Yes, depression is a real illness.  Sometimes terminal even.

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## Equinox

Yes depression is real, it even shows up on brain imaging scans.

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## UltraShy

^So "feeling blue" literally is blue.

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## Equinox

^ Haha yep!

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## Member11

It's real.





> ^So "feeling blue" literally is blue.



 ::

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## Daniel

It's a real illness, however only you as a person can do something about it. You. Change your mind = change your life. 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

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## Otherside

I dunno if anyone else has expierenced this, but I kinda get some sort of pain/tightness in my chest when I get depressed.

Unfortunatley, my depression is not self pity. I wish it was and I could snap out of easily, but I can't.

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## Ironman

I don't think depression is self-pity.

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## Antidote

I can't believe this is a question that it still asked today.

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## Otherside

> I can't believe this is a question that it still asked today.



I know this is on a mental health forum and all, and I'm not suggesting this is what the OP was thinking, but:

People don't understand what they've never expierenced or what they don't understand. Before I became depressed, I didn't know that depression could be a chemical inbalance in my brain. It's not like a broken leg, or cancer, or any other physical illness. People know they're not fake because people go into hospital and die because of them (cancer anyway...)

And the depressed person? Therapy, counselling, and it's suicide if they die because they're depressed, it's not like dying of cancer. 

I've come across a lot of people that simply think the cure for depression is to be happy. Heck, I used to think that, something I feel bad about now. And then depression hits, it can happen to anyone with the right triggers...

In my happier times, I used to think depression WASN'T real, and even kidded my myself that the anxiety Id had before wasn't real. God, feel bad about that one now and know that it is.

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## Tinkerbell

I went through a terrible bout of depression about 10 years ago, and was surprised how debilitating it was.  I forced myself to get up and go to work at least half the day, was on Paxil for three months.  Did not like how it made me feel and stopped.  Although I have some down times I have never experienced that level of depression since, thank God.  I try to let myself ride through the emotion, accept it and force myself to do something positive that I like.  Bottom line it is real.

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## JaneDoe

Severe depression is most definitely an illness. Saying there is a lot of self pity going on is plain ridiculous. Throughout all of my experiences with major depression, self pity has been only a very little part of it, if any part at all. Anyone who has ever been severely depressed has to know that it IS an illness.

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## JaneDoe

> I don't think depression is self-pity.



You're right. It's not.

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## Adrift

I can be quite a stoic person, so I am not sure I would qualify my depression as self-pity.

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## WintersTale

Depression is more than just sadness, and yes, it is an illness.

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## Otherside

Don't shoot me for saying this, but I think depression, self-pity and sadness get mixed up. For example, you get someone who's slightly down and then feels better, and then concludes that depression is not that bad, and that it's just self-pity. Then you've got the people who have had it for decades and have tried every med and therapy possible and don't feel any better.

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## WineKitty

I have been rather depressed lately.   One could determine it to be partially situational but depression has been with me on/off my entire life.  I wish I cold just snap out of it also, like others have said.  And, to some degree, it's always with me, on the best of days lying dormant but still there.  I don't pity myself at all.  I just hate the way the world is, the way people are and am depressed to know that will never change and never get any better.

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## WineKitty

I am reminded of that Seinfeld episode where George says:


"I don't want hope. Hope is killing me. My dream is to become hopeless. When you're hopeless you don't care. ....."


"So, hopelessness is the key?" 

"It's my only hope."

Sadly, this isn't a joke for me though.

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