Devil's Advocate

[andrewducker]

People say "Just sort yourself out."

People say "If you'd just give it a try, you'd realise it's not that hard."

People say "There's nothing wrong with your life. Most of the planet would kill to live as comfortable as you."

People just don't get it.

If you're not depressed, if you've never been depressed, then you don't and can't understand.

People have this strange idea that we're somehow in charge of our minds, that with just a little willpower we can overcome our problems, get up and go.

Well, maybe some people can - people whose brains are balanced, or who have energy, people who can think straight without fighting through fuzz.

When you're struck down by fear, when you have no control, when your mind won't think straight enough to even understand what the way out might be, you can't just 'pick yourself up' or 'just get things straight'.

Sure, you might make it there eventually, with help and luck and time. But saying "Oh, stop being so pathetic and get on with your life" is about as useful as handing the flight controls to a caveman and telling him "Just land the damn plane, it's easy."

Comments

[andrewducker]

That _can_ be what drugs are for. And they _can_ help. But they don't always and for some people the cure seems to be worse than the original situation.

It's all individual

[ekatarina.livejournal.com]

I tried some drugs, they didn't do what I had hoped. I have a dear friend who has hopped frolm drug to drug and also self-medicates with illicit drugs and alcohol. She refuses to see a counselor because when she was a teenager a family counselor told her it was "all her fault." Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but you have to keep going until you find a person you click with.

Sigh.

I have issues myself, but I try to work on them. I have a counselor, I have good friends, I take breaks from both of them.

Cheers,

Katja

[cleodhna.livejournal.com]

That's very true, especially for people for whom depression is a chronic problem. They did me good-- I just needed something to dull the maddening pain so that I could go about healing.I was pretty lucky, I suppose. The stuff I got had comparitively few side effects and none of them were that bad... my psychiatrist friend confirmed that it was one of the better ones available. And I had access to counselling because I was still at Uni, though I don't think I'd have gone if my advisor had not called and made the appointment for me. ;) I had lots of help.