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Severely Depressed Woman Misunderstood Her Symptoms, Says She’s Sorry For Not Seeking Treatment Sooner
“People think the only depression symptom is sadness. People think depression is crying. People think depression is dressing in black. But people are wrong. Depression is a constant feeling of being numb. Being numb to emotions, being numb to life. You wake up in the morning just to go to bed again.”
This quote highlights some of the many misunderstandings that many people have about this insidious mental illness. Even those living with depression can take a long time to realize and accept that something might be wrong with their mental health – and that a nagging, permanent state of anxiety and exhaustion, which only alcohol seems to alleviate, is not just a natural consequence of a busy lifestyle.
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Imgur user Ekad felt ‘flat’ for quite some time before she, with the help of a supportive husband, decided to seek mental help. With hindsight, Ekad feels like she should have recognized the signs of her mental disorder much earlier, and is now encouraging others not to repeat her mistake.
Because there is no shame in mental problems, and no reason to suffer in silence. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 17.3 million American adults, or about 7.1% of the U.S. population age 18 and older, so you are by no means alone in this.
If you are feeling lost, exhausted, bereft, and simply not yourself, go and see a doctor about your mental issues!
Here’s what people had to say about the helpful post
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Leo H 6 years ago
I disagree...she is obviously depressed..but the type of depression that gets overlooked is what i call living in the grey zone..where you rarely are happy,where you rarely are sad..people tend to brush it off as just being a dude...but it is as bad as not wanting to get out of bed,etc
NCC~1701 6 years ago
I get this a lot. Pretty much whenever I’m not straight up sad. I don’t ever really feel that happy anymore unless I’m all alone but when I’m around others I just wish I was asleep.
Load More Replies...
Pretty Pangolin 6 years ago
I'm struck by the reply that basically said "I take comfort in knowing I can always kill myself. It puts me in control." That's hardcore! But it's totally true. When I'm doing badly, it helps to know I can always pull the ripcord. That's something I (understandably) don't share with a lot of people.
Monika Soffronow 6 years ago
Suicide Prevention Lifeline https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Load More Replies...
NoYFB 6 years ago
You need to be tested for several other issues first. Soooo many things can cause depression symptoms but that wouldn't automatically mean you suffer from the illness; depression. Test for example for thyroid issues, levels of vitamine B12, your iron levels including ferritine. Check if you have ADD instead. Or CFS. Depression is the easiest diagnosis but if your symptoms are causes by ADD for example, you'll get a wrong treatment and won't get better.
Doodlebug 6 years ago
Yeah.....insist on getting tested for other things too. My GP pushed psych meds at me for two years based on a questionnaire (fine print at the bottom: "brought to you by Pfizer"). I finally ended up in the ER at the peak of a gradual increase in fatigue, forgetfulness, confusion, weakness, general malaise, and finally, the trigger to call the ambulance, suddenly having a hard time breathing. Turns out I had atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm) - according to the cardiologists, caused by undertreated hypertension and undiagnosed anemia, both likely caused by sleep apnea (when you stop breathing in your sleep, which greatly reduces the oxygen in your brain and body). I had to have my heart electroshocked to bring the rhythms in line, blood pressure meds and blood thinners, and now starting sleep apnea CPAP treatment now. Still working on the anemia. Don't buy the depression line if you don't think it applies. Make your doctor look deeper, or find one who will.
Monika Soffronow 6 years ago
Good advice! I went to the doctor sensing that something had changed, that something was going wrong in my body. When the thyroid test came back normal, the doctor sat down with me and explained that what I was feeling was just the tip of the iceberg and that it would get much worse unless I started taking Valium ASAP. Well, I didn't even buy the meds but cut back significantly on my workload. It didn´t help, I kept feeling fatigued and, well, off. Fast forward five and a half years and I finally had another symptom, a dull pain low in the abdomen, so off to a gynecologist who found a fibroid in the uterus. He said it would go away on its own. Another couple of months and there is a little bit of blood in my stools. Colon cancer! That was no fibroid... I say "Thank you" to modern medicine and great doctors. I am very, very lucky to be alive - to do battle with depression. Life does not come with a guarantee.
Load More Replies...
Fate Averruncus 6 years ago
I scored 27....but help is so expensive that I gave up.... Sigh im glad at least that you got help!
Steph Bentz 6 years ago (edited)
If you think you have depression or anxiety, don't just Google DASS and accept what result you get. It doesn't address all types of depression or anxiety by a long shot. Also, don't be like Shireen and just "dig deep". That kind of thinking is a great way to make things even worse, by increasing feelings of inadequacy when you're not able to magically push through. Yeah, you may get your work done, but if your problem isn't workload stress, you're not addressing your issues. Ask for help.
Jill Pulcifer 6 years ago
Writing this from my garbage mound that doubles as a desk, with a house full of undone chores and 2 week old unwashed hair, I think she may have a point.
Demi Zwaan 6 years ago
A degree in psychology, but not knowing the definition/symptoms of depression. Well, that education was a waste of money.
SirPatTheCat 6 years ago
Yeah I felt these exact symptoms really bad for the almost the entire school year last year (*because* of school) and my therapist told me she didn’t think I had depression so I ended up telling myself I was being dramatic :/ definitely not good, but I’m wondering if it was more recently classified as depression so they didn’t learn it or something like that (I don’t really know how things like that work though)
Load More Replies...
Mary Stiles 6 years ago
I have bad anxiety, but nobody understands/believes me. People don't think I have anxiety because I'm happy and I'm not crying 24/7. People just don't get it.
Leo H 6 years ago
I disagree...she is obviously depressed..but the type of depression that gets overlooked is what i call living in the grey zone..where you rarely are happy,where you rarely are sad..people tend to brush it off as just being a dude...but it is as bad as not wanting to get out of bed,etc
NCC~1701 6 years ago
I get this a lot. Pretty much whenever I’m not straight up sad. I don’t ever really feel that happy anymore unless I’m all alone but when I’m around others I just wish I was asleep.
Load More Replies... Pretty Pangolin 6 years ago
I'm struck by the reply that basically said "I take comfort in knowing I can always kill myself. It puts me in control." That's hardcore! But it's totally true. When I'm doing badly, it helps to know I can always pull the ripcord. That's something I (understandably) don't share with a lot of people.
Monika Soffronow 6 years ago
Suicide Prevention Lifeline https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Load More Replies... NoYFB 6 years ago
You need to be tested for several other issues first. Soooo many things can cause depression symptoms but that wouldn't automatically mean you suffer from the illness; depression. Test for example for thyroid issues, levels of vitamine B12, your iron levels including ferritine. Check if you have ADD instead. Or CFS. Depression is the easiest diagnosis but if your symptoms are causes by ADD for example, you'll get a wrong treatment and won't get better.
Doodlebug 6 years ago
Yeah.....insist on getting tested for other things too. My GP pushed psych meds at me for two years based on a questionnaire (fine print at the bottom: "brought to you by Pfizer"). I finally ended up in the ER at the peak of a gradual increase in fatigue, forgetfulness, confusion, weakness, general malaise, and finally, the trigger to call the ambulance, suddenly having a hard time breathing. Turns out I had atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm) - according to the cardiologists, caused by undertreated hypertension and undiagnosed anemia, both likely caused by sleep apnea (when you stop breathing in your sleep, which greatly reduces the oxygen in your brain and body). I had to have my heart electroshocked to bring the rhythms in line, blood pressure meds and blood thinners, and now starting sleep apnea CPAP treatment now. Still working on the anemia. Don't buy the depression line if you don't think it applies. Make your doctor look deeper, or find one who will.
Monika Soffronow 6 years ago
Good advice! I went to the doctor sensing that something had changed, that something was going wrong in my body. When the thyroid test came back normal, the doctor sat down with me and explained that what I was feeling was just the tip of the iceberg and that it would get much worse unless I started taking Valium ASAP. Well, I didn't even buy the meds but cut back significantly on my workload. It didn´t help, I kept feeling fatigued and, well, off. Fast forward five and a half years and I finally had another symptom, a dull pain low in the abdomen, so off to a gynecologist who found a fibroid in the uterus. He said it would go away on its own. Another couple of months and there is a little bit of blood in my stools. Colon cancer! That was no fibroid... I say "Thank you" to modern medicine and great doctors. I am very, very lucky to be alive - to do battle with depression. Life does not come with a guarantee.
Load More Replies... Fate Averruncus 6 years ago
I scored 27....but help is so expensive that I gave up.... Sigh im glad at least that you got help!
Steph Bentz 6 years ago (edited)
If you think you have depression or anxiety, don't just Google DASS and accept what result you get. It doesn't address all types of depression or anxiety by a long shot. Also, don't be like Shireen and just "dig deep". That kind of thinking is a great way to make things even worse, by increasing feelings of inadequacy when you're not able to magically push through. Yeah, you may get your work done, but if your problem isn't workload stress, you're not addressing your issues. Ask for help.
Jill Pulcifer 6 years ago
Writing this from my garbage mound that doubles as a desk, with a house full of undone chores and 2 week old unwashed hair, I think she may have a point.
Demi Zwaan 6 years ago
A degree in psychology, but not knowing the definition/symptoms of depression. Well, that education was a waste of money.
SirPatTheCat 6 years ago
Yeah I felt these exact symptoms really bad for the almost the entire school year last year (*because* of school) and my therapist told me she didn’t think I had depression so I ended up telling myself I was being dramatic :/ definitely not good, but I’m wondering if it was more recently classified as depression so they didn’t learn it or something like that (I don’t really know how things like that work though)
Load More Replies... Mary Stiles 6 years ago
I have bad anxiety, but nobody understands/believes me. People don't think I have anxiety because I'm happy and I'm not crying 24/7. People just don't get it.
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