Are you struggling with depression?
If so, here is everything you need to know about it:
What is depression?
Depression is a mental state or mood disorder in which the person experiencing it feels down, lethargic, numb, empty, or detached from life as if they have lost hope or the willingness to be interested in their environment. Also known as a major depressive disorder, some people feel it is a disease that can completely change the way you think, act, feel, and see life. It is currently reported that over 350 million people are afflicted with it.
Here are how some people describe their experience and feelings:
I want to die but at the same time I don’t.
I just want to sleep forever and never wake up.
Why does every single day feel the same?
I feel like I want to always cry but I can’t.
The idea of death makes me smile.
Every day is filled with suffering but I don’t know why.
My head feels numb.
Life feels meaningless to me and I don’t have a reason for living.
There is a feeling of emptiness inside me.
I can’t get happy, I’m shutting people out, I cut myself and I feel like nothing makes me smile like the way it used to. And for some reason I don’t want help.
Depression for me was the lack of emotion and feeling nothingness.
I feel like I can barely move. I don’t want to bathe, get up for work, play my games, and I have zero energy to get motivated to do anything.
Depression feels like you only have a heart you don’ t use in the middle of your dark body full of air.
It’s like you don’t have any feelings anymore like you used them all up and there gone
When you become depressed, everything loses its meaning. Life becomes just going through the motions.
Depression is not sadness, it’s more of a deep feeling of nihilism and lack of energy. Nothing seems to matter, nothing motivates or inspires you, and you don’t want to do anything because you feel it will be pointless.
I think about nothing and all I do is just look into the wall.
Depression symptoms & signs
Some of the symptoms that many people report include:
1. Apathy – A lack of interest or enthusiasm towards life where the person may feel disconnected or unconcerned with what is going on around them.
2. Boredom – A constant feeling of being disinterested in anything pertaining to life. Nothing at all interests the person.
3. Emptiness – A sick feeling in the pit of your stomach or a pain in your chest where you feel like there is an emptiness in your soul.
4. Fatigue – Constantly feeling tired, low energy, and lethargic. Many people report the inability to get out of bed which is why so many people sleep way too long.
5. Indifference – Having no care or interest in matters going on around them even though they can directly affect the person’s life.
6. Loneliness – A consistent feeling of being alone and having no one in your life even though you might have good people around you.
7. Loss of hope – A consistent feeling that all hope is lost and that there is no way out of a negative situation.
8. Memory loss – Some people report that their short term memory is directly effected.
9. Mood swings – People experiencing bipolar disorder can feel up one moment and then down the next by extreme measures.
10. Numbness – Having a loss of feelings. Many people report the inability to feel happy or sad. That they just feel “numb” (check out our depression quotes if you feel this way)
11. Suicidal thoughts – Because some people experience many of the symptoms mentioned above, they can have thoughts of suicide because they have the constant feeling of “What’s the point?”
What causes depression?
Many people who claim to be experiencing this issue can do so without truly understanding what is the root cause. For some people, depression can be brought on by one issue and for others, it can be multiple things that create a “perfect storm”. Depression is when the mind, body, and soul are out of balance and not in harmony with itself. Human life is a fragile ecosystem of hormones, emotions, nutrition, and mental well-being. When these things fall out of balance, depression acts as a signal the mind or body is sending to the soul trying to warn it that something is out of balance and needs to be addressed.
Here are thirteen reasons why you or someone you love can be experiencing depression:
1. Emotional – Life can be an amazing roller coaster ride. However, if you have not learned the skills to properly handle the ups and downs, it can cause you to have erratic mood swings which is why it can be helpful to read affirmations for depression that will help you think more positively.
2. Hormonal – The brain is comprised of at least 60% fat. Sadly in the last thirty years there has been a terrible misinformation campaign leading people to believe that fat is bad for you. However, saturated fat from things such as butter, coconut oil, milk, eggs, red meat, and pork are quite necessary for the brain to function properly. In fact if you look at the statistics of the rise in depression over the last 50 years, you will see the direct correlation of the war on fat.
Or, it could be your thyroid. The thyroid is considered the master gland for the entire hormonal system in your body and when it is not healthy, it can lead to irritability and mood disorders.
3. Nutritional – The body is made up of many chemicals and bacteria that all must be in harmony. Too much sugar or alcohol can throw off your bodies ecosystem. Lack of good bacteria can also effect the ability for your body to function properly. All good health starts in the gut.
4. Chemical imbalance – Considered to be the original cause of depression, the loss of serotonin has been directly linked as one of the main reasons why people are afflicted with this disease. However, in recent year the loss of serotonin is now believed to be a symptom and not the cause to a bigger neurological issue….
5. Neurological – The hippocampus has shrunk over time due to stress….
6. Stress – Too much stress in your life can not only overwhelm you emotionally, but it actually shrinks the hippocampus (the elongated ridges on the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain, thought to be the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system) which is responsible for your mood and emotional well-being.
7. Trauma – While this can be considered “emotional”, traumatic experiences are actually much more severe and extreme. Things such as being in an abusive relationship, surrounded by violence, in a bad accident, or being seriously injured can bring on post traumatic stress disorder which can be very hard on an individual which can lead them in a downward spiral.
8. Lack of purpose – Human beings need to have some form of purpose in their life. They need to have a reason to live and get up every morning otherwise they can feel as if ”What’s the point?” Having a sense of purpose and contributing in some way where the person is made to feel good for their contribution is critical for a sense of self worth.
9. Genetics – For some people, your genetics can have an effect since the the serotonin transporter gene may affect neural circuits connecting the amygdala and the cingulate and cause depression. Basically, one of your parents may have gave you a “shorter gene” making it more difficult for your brain to produce serotonin.
10. Lack of sunlight – Commonly known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, those of us who live in areas that do not get a lot of sun can experience depression or mood swings not only from the gloomy weather, but because you are not getting enough sunlight which means that you will also lack certain important nutrients such as Vitamin D which is critical for our immune system. Sunlight also helps to improve our sleep and relieves stress.
11. Lack of love – We all need to feel connected and a sense of warmth from other human beings. Whether it be from relatives, friends, or a lover, we all need to feel loved to have a sense of connection.
12. Detachment (screen time) – Many people who are glued to their devices do not realize that the time they are spending on social media, playing video games, and so on are becoming detached from reality. This in turn is making it difficult for them to receive signals from their normal life that would lead them to more joy and fulfillment and therefore they become detached from the real world leading to depression.
13. Poor sleep – If your circadian rhythm (the part of you that controls your biological clock that tells you when its time to go to sleep and wake up) is off, then your sleeping patterns can be heavily effected making it difficult for you to get a good night sleep (for some people even causing insomnia). Many people who live in cities do not realize that their clock is off since during natural times (prior to big city living), humans went to sleep much earlier (around 9pm) and woke up much earlier (around 5am).
See also: How to deal with depression naturally without pills or pharmaceuticals.
Types of depression
- Chronic
- Major
- Severe
- Clinical
- Postpartum
- Manic
- Bipolar
- Seasonal
- Situational
- Atypical
Stories of depression
People from all over the world are struggling with this issue and one of the best ways to overcome them is to share your story. If you feel like you have some insight on this matter that can help our community, please share it with us. We will post your story anonymously.
Below are some of the stories people have shared with us about their experience with depression:
I’ll tell my story for anyone willing to listen. I’m a 15 year old boy, and I’ve always been a happy positive person. My dad and sister had bipolar depression and my mom never understood. And neither did I frankly. I was always patient with people, but I never really understood, how can somebody be depressed? I’ve been sad, but I never understood it. Eventually my dad got sick of my mom, a combination of Zoloft and the way she didn’t understand his depression. He left both me and her and i didn’t even know where he went. I was pissed, and sad at the same time. I started to have hallucinations. I started to wonder what my life was even worth. Not to mention I had but 3 friends at school, and since I always took their jokes, they continued to always pester me, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything back. I’m 6’2, 190 pounds, so it’s not like I’m a small guy, I’m physically strong but emotionally weak. Eventually I heard where my dad was living. I was right on the brink of dying, and I knew nobody would ever love me. And then I met a girl. She was beautiful, smart funny. Not the kind of girl who would want to hang out with me. She said she needed someone to talk to, and she told me she had bipolar depression. At the time I was having suicidal thoughts, so of course I knew she needed help. She was always talking about how she wanted to kill herself. I never told her about my suicidal thoughts because I was afraid to tell anyone. I told her how my sister has bipolar, and how she tried to kill herself at work, and is in a mental institution now. The girl told me she would be there for me if I felt this way, but then was like I know you don’t have suicidal thoughts. I wanted to tell her so bad. So months passed and I was about done with my life. I knew that hardly anyone cared about me, so I took a dozen sleeping pills, to kill my self. I threw them up, because I was scared, I was too scared to die. I told my one close friend, I’ll call him Greg for the comments. Greg laughed when I told him that, and I felt betrayed. And that’s when I truly knew nobody loved me. I decided to tell the girl that I was going to kill myself. I texted her and she seemed shocked! Me the happy kid, with such a positive outlook on life was going to kill myself. I don’t exactly fit the emo stereotype of a depressed person. She begged me not to do anything, so I didn’t. I missed my dad a lot, he seemed like he loved me, but then he left. But then she thanked me for telling her this, and that she never thought I felt this way, and she was glad I told her. Well eventually I asked her out. A guy like me never deserved a girl like her. And then I met another friend. He was a nice, nerdy boy. We became new best friends, and I was in a great relationship with my gf too. Well he told me that he had depression. So I let him meet my girlfriend so they could be friends. Well they sure became friends. And apparently they were hanging out behind my back. Like, excuse me you wouldn’t even know each other without me. Well one day my girlfriend told me that she was in love with my friend. And then she left me for him, and they are living a happy life. In a way I should feel glad, I made them happy. This made me very suicidal again, so I texted a suicide hotline. The person on their didn’t seem to care at all what I was saying, and they terminated the text before I was even done. So here I am, listening to this song, just trying to keep myself alive. Anyone else got a story? I’m glad to listen
I met this girl about seven months ago. When I first saw her it felt like everything around her exploded, she was just too fine. I approached her and we took off from there. Texting and chatting all that cute stuff. After a good 2 weeks she told me she had bipolar depression. I really had no clue on what the depression part was. I had always heard people say “oh this person is bipolar” or when someone would suddenly act up and change emotion people would be like “chill out you bipolar”. So when she told me that I asked her what it was. Once she gave me a little piece of information on it I knew not to ask too much questions about it. At that point I had already started caring about her.
She’s a real beautiful person and I am really grateful she’s entered my life. I’ve researched so much about bipolar depression so I could understand her. Fast forward to now, we’re a loving couple but oh my goodness is it a rollercoaster of emotions. I’ve learned not to take things personal when she gets low. She kinda pushes me away, and at the beginning I thought it was because she didn’t care about me. I love her to death and would endure anything for her.
She sometimes thinks I’m too good for her and that she doesn’t deserve me when she’s feeling low. Or she gets tired of life and does a lot of crying. I swear she deserves everything good in this world, like I’m the one that feels like I don’t deserve her. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving her. I know she loves me a lot also. So I feel like it’s my mission to love her when others won’t. Even if we do fall apart. I don’t know that’s just a piece of my love story that I thought I’d share.
I feel for those of you that are suffering from depression especially those with bipolar. You people are real talented. Surround yourselves with good people. Never give up hope and never believe that you’re alone.
The key thing to remember is that depression is not just sadness. That’s just what people think. Its more than that. Depression is numbness, nervousness, being self conscious all the time. It’s embarrassment, exhaustion, and not being able to focus.
The one thing I notice about depression is that you just lose all interest, forget things that have happened as soon as five minutes ago, don’t feel like continuing, and are barely happy, school is just automated, the time flies, with every day getting more and more excruciatingly painful to the point where you consider suicide. You begin to think that everyone would fare better without you, and everything that you used to like, you have little to no more interest in it and nothing makes you happy anymore.
I recently got something like depression but I don’t know what it is though. It is apathy? You don’t feel anything, and that is why you are sad. You are sad because you cant be happy, sadness doesn’t produce more sadness. Thats what I guess is happening to my brain.
Depression is not sadness, it’s more of a deep feeling of nihilism and lack of energy. Nothing seems to matter, nothing motivates or stimulates you, and you don’t want to do anything because you feel it will be pointless. When people think of Depression, they think “sadness”. But sadness and depression are two completely different things.
Depression is:
-Being emotionally numb
-The inability to cry / excessively crying
-The inability to care
You truly understand Depression when you can’t stand your own presence in a room. You feel extremely lonely, even when you’re surrounded by a 100 people. You don’t want someone to say “I’ll help you” you want someone to say “I understand”.
Only feeling depressed your whole life sucks. But I think personally that having a happy life and becoming depressed is equally as bad. Because you can look back on great times. And just think why you’re not happy anymore. And you miss it. You miss being happy and energetic and talkative. You miss the old you. I just feel so worthless sometimes. I try and try to hang out with other groups of people that I work with, but I’m ignored over half the time and just completely over it. I hate feeling this way.
I was depressed since i was a little kid. And I didn’t understand why I felt sad and lonely and I thought it was a normal thing and I just forget about it. But now I’m 13 I feel the most depressed i’ve ever been , and I’m scared that my inactivity will lower my grades at school, and i’d have less friends because of this. When i was a kid i remember watching videos from an old camera we had and my mum filmed me and my twin sister once in a while when we were born and until we were in school. And i remember watching videos where my older sister is hugging my twin sister and calling her cute and stuff, especially my parents. And i remember i was there and they were pushing me away even when we were taking a photo I tried hugging them and they pushed me away, my parents never did anything, and we are unidentical twins so she is the more “cool one” and “pretty one” at school and to family and friends we meet, they always want to be with my twin but not me. I especially remember when we were at a theme park with my mums friends and we had to go on this ride which had 4 people on each space. So my mom’s friend went with two of her kids and there was one space left and they were like “i want her to come with us too” (my twin)so she went, and she didn’t even feel sorry for me. If I was in her place i would definitely stay with her in the next cart. But no, she left me and i sat with 3 grown men next to me and i remember wanting to cry in the car but i kept holding it in or else they’d think I’m being stupid and being such a baby. Every time I remember those moments it makes me cry even now just thinking about it. And i think thats why I’m quiet and shy and I have depression and anxiety. Im scared of death and once i tried to stop breathing but it couldn’t work. I was too afraid to end my life. THE ONLY ONLYY REASON WHY I DIDNT WANT TO END MY LIFE IS SO THAT PEOPLE DONT THINK BAD ABOUT ME!! LITERALLY EVERY TIME ITS ALL ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF ME.
There are some days that I am happy… but the rest are a living nightmare. Because of my depression i hate going outside and stay in my room most of the day, I have cut off eating a lot, i have pushed so many people away, I have thought suicidal thoughts and i just want it to go away and i have tried going to a therapist but it does not help and i do not want to do.
I used to be very nice to everyone and always happy…but when middle school rolled around I’ve become more mean and more sad the only way I find joy is when I make people smile but that rarely happens it could be puberty or the people I hang around or just depression I just want to be myself but I’ve buried it with fake emotions that I don’t know what my true self is.
I don’t even know if I have depression or not. I don’t know if I’m going thru it or not. But this is my experience, I feel numb or torn apart from the inside but I try to look happy for at least my family. I stress out but I still keep going. I cry at bed to release all my tears I held for the day. And I get headaches very often. But then I also laugh, enjoy some stuff but then after those moments, I’m somehow back to that old way. It never goes. So I wanna know if I’m depressed or this is normal. And if neither, I wanna know what!
I’ve never been a sad person naturally, but for the past several months I’ve felt awful. I’m 14 in 8th grade. It all started when I moved to a new city. I had to leave all of my friends and people I cared about behind. I thought I would be ok, I would make new friends and that would be it, but Unfortunately it seems the opposite happened. This past school year for me has been nothing other than terrible. My grades are lower than they’ve ever been, I’m not performing very well in sports, and I feel disappointing in general. The hardest part of all though, is the feeling of complete isolation. I don’t have many friends and there is no one I can truly connect with. It’s fine for a while but if you have no one you can be yourself with it can drive you crazy. My peers are incredibly shallow in their thinking and it seems impossible to find anyone with whom I can share my ideas or feelings with on anything below the surface level. I am extremely thankful for my family. Without them I don’t think I could keep going for long. The only thing keeping me going is thoughts of the future. I yearn to be with like minded individuals that I can be myself around. It would be stupid to kill yourself in middle school, because there are so many more important things ahead, that doesn’t make it any easier to go through though. There doesn’t seem to be many other guys out there that talk about this sort of thing openly, but if you read this just know that you’re not alone and you will get through this.
We are depressed because we are living in a wrong dimension of consciousness. Our thoughts are manipulated, our existence is corrupted, our relationship with this universe is broken. As a human civilization we deviated from what we supposed to be. We are all living as somebody else rather what we should be.
Our consciousness is trapped in a world of duality, in a world of right & wrong, good & bad, happiness & sadness, love & hatred, angels & demons, god & satan. Somebody manipulated our consciousness and trapped us in a matrix world of duality.
Our every known gods and religions are failure to fix this problem by driving us to correct consciousness.
They have broken our entire civilization by dividing us in many ways. How many of you agree we are all individually divided in to tiny tiny pieces in the name great divine feel called “Love”. You don’t know when you love someone you are separating yourself from rest of the world. Now you will only care the person you love. Love is like a dust which is throwing towards your eyes to make you blind for hiding the reality. It’s a crooked trick to control our consciousness.
They turned us to Zombies whom they misunderstood violence as smartness and forcing us to judge, punish & control each other. So we are struggling with meaningless and emptiness without understanding what is right & what is wrong and who is right & who is wrong. These are the sign of our deviations from actual path.
I have been depressed most of my life. I still am. I keep holding on but losing my will to fight. Some people might say I am selfish because I have everything in my life to be happy. A good salary, my wife and kids and a great big house with a white picket fence. But..my heart is a ghost town….Anyone who is not affected with depression, you have no idea how lucky you are. So smile when you can, while you can.
Been tough for me man. I just got out of a behavioral heath institute for suicidal thoughts and severe depression (22 days) and I can definitely say that that experience did not benefit me at all. Tried therapy and that failed. I began taking SSRIS but that made me feel artificially good (something I really couldn’t enjoy because I know it’s fake and I’d need to keep coming back to SSRIS to feel good) so I’m off of those. If I had to recommend one thing, it’s definitely LSD (I took 1p lsd) “research chem” but it’s really just LSD with slight chemical change and is safe and identical to LSD 25. I found myself to be deeper than I thought and I uncovered my demons and faced some of my deepest secrets and things that I had just tried to forget all my life. Wish me luck with the rest of my life.
