Why do so many people seem to suffer from depression in this modern day?

People from all walks of life, from every age group, often talk openly about suffering from depression nowadays.
Radio and TV programmes, articles in the news and online, often have advice and helplines on how to deal with depressive illnesses.
Why has our mental health decreased  in the last couple of decades? Is it just a coincidence that the obsession with the internet seems to have overtaken face to face contact with people. People have always needed to mix with their peers, friends and family, so words and pictures on a screen are a very poor substitute for the warmth of human contact surely.

How is it that decades ago when people were a lot poorer and almost everyone had a lot less.... they seemed to be a lot happier?

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jun/04/what-is-depression-and-why-is-it-rising

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/family-relationships/i-have-likes-but-i-don’t-have-friends-teenage-girls-talk-loneliness/ar-BBSIzon?ocid=spartanntp

Articles cover the question well. It's a number of factors:

Electronic device addiction is a big part.
Bad habits before sleeping and immediately on waking up.
Social media addiction and Like culture.
Reduced face to face interaction.

Add to that:
Bad dietary habits inc. much higher fat and sugar consumption than in the past.
Growing gap in economic inequality.
The above is exasperated but the 'perfect lives and bodies' portrayed on TV and in magazines that are often beyond many people.
A media culture where the modern age is criticised from every angle as being a) a degradation from the past or b) still too slow to progress.
The youth are also constantly attacked for their attitudes or habits while having no way onto the housing ladder in an economic climate that mostly offers low paying or zero hours contracts.

All those factors have an impact, I think. And of course some people will face all those issues and still be unaffected by depression, but the chances are significantly raised by that toxic cocktail of modern issues imo.

First off, clinical depression is a disease which doesn't necessarily have an outside cause. Some believe it's caused by an imbalance in the brain, and others believe it's caused by the environment/upbringing, etc.

Anyway, here are some things which piss people off, and could lead to a feeling of despair.

Having too much "stuff" - ie, clutter.
Working hours too long.
Traffic jams.
Too much information thrown at people.
Students expecting a degree to open doors for them.
Too much emphasis on being extroverted as a good thing.
Too much booze and drugs.
Vitamin D deficiency.

There has been quite a change in social habits, we have more time on our hands and less physical activity. People tended to stay at home until they married, even then they would probably start by out renting rooms in a relatives house that had the space - .being in apartments - as it was know, it was pretty difficult to buy a house even then but there were always the council houses, which we don't have so much now of course .
People had active jobs which probably helped you to sleep at night or day if you worked shifts. When you had a job it was usually for life if that's what you wanted, you were born, went to school, worked and lived amongst family and friends in the community, then eventually died amongst them. Then people wanted to be independent and have their own place as soon as possible and moved into shared rented flats, usually pretty seedy. When you did get a home you built it up gradually, now you have to have it all straight away. Now there's few for life jobs, hardly any jobs in places where there once were industries, there are the stresses of zero contract jobs and how you are supposed to look behave and live, I don't think its unusual that people that live a simple life seem happier and more content, in the main at least.Maybe our lifestyle is concributing to an imbalance in the brain although it does seem to strike people out of the blue and to affect those that seemingly have all there is to have.

I have attacks of depression on occasion, I used to Fish, shoot, and spend hours outdoors and in the Shed mending and making things, and a couple of nights a week teaching Army Cadets. Can't do anything like that now, only watch TV, read and take my Valium:lol:

nicko wrote:I have attacks of depression on occasion,   I used to Fish, shoot, and spend hours outdoors and in the Shed mending and making things, and a couple of nights a week teaching Army Cadets.   Can't do anything like that now, only watch TV,   read and take my Valium:lol:  

Is that because of depression though, or are you just unable to do things physically? Have you lost interest in them? Sometimes people have to make adjustments because of ill health, but they can find other things which interest them.

Eilzel wrote:Articles cover the question well. It's a number of factors:

Electronic device addiction is a big part.
Bad habits before sleeping and immediately on waking up.
Social media addiction and Like culture.
Reduced face to face interaction.

Add to that:
Bad dietary habits inc. much higher fat and sugar consumption than in the past.
Growing gap in economic inequality.
The above is exasperated but the 'perfect lives and bodies' portrayed on TV and in magazines that are often beyond many people.
A media culture where the modern age is criticised from every angle as being a) a degradation from the past or b) still too slow to progress.
The youth are also constantly attacked for their attitudes or habits while having no way onto the housing ladder in an economic climate that mostly offers low paying or zero hours contracts.

All those factors have an impact, I think. And of course some people will face all those issues and still be unaffected by depression, but the chances are significantly raised by that toxic cocktail of modern issues imo.

You make some great points Eilzel.

However the 'growing gap in economic equality' is surely less now though than it was generations ago. 
Back in the day people accepted they were working class...middle class etc, now it seems everyone wants as much as their neighbour, and obviously that breeds resentment because it's never going to happen.

I do think people have a fairer chance of bettering themselves now, university is open to more women and more working class kids for eg.

Are people more depressed or is it just diagnosed more?

Economic inequality doesn't matter as long as people have what they need. They don't need every gadget going, a new car every year, or endless holidays abroad.

People should be careful not to be envious of those who have more money - the chances are that those with money are just spending it on things they don't need, or on activities they don't particularly want to do anyway.

Maddog wrote:Are people more depressed or is it just diagnosed more?

Possibly. I think what people are mainly discussing is discontent rather than depression though. Depression is a terrible illness.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Maddog wrote:Are people more depressed or is it just diagnosed more?

Possibly. I think what people are mainly discussing is discontent rather than depression though. Depression is a terrible illness.

Agreed.

Raggamuffin wrote:First off, clinical depression is a disease which doesn't necessarily have an outside cause. Some believe it's caused by an imbalance in the brain, and others believe it's caused by the environment/upbringing, etc.

Anyway, here are some things which piss people off, and could lead to a feeling of despair.

Having too much "stuff" - ie, clutter.
Working hours too long.
Traffic jams.
Too much information thrown at people.
Students expecting a degree to open doors for them.
Too much emphasis on being extroverted as a good thing.
Too much booze and drugs.
Vitamin D deficiency.

I think depression can be triggered by various things, many people dont suffer from it till later life, some people suffer from a bout of depression and get over it eventually.  Some depressions are a disease, but many are just a state of mind that can be controlled.

Deaths, illness, divorce etc etc can all trigger  depression, but most people get over it all in time without any medication or therapy.

nicko wrote:I have attacks of depression on occasion,   I used to Fish, shoot, and spend hours outdoors and in the Shed mending and making things, and a couple of nights a week teaching Army Cadets.   Can't do anything like that now, only watch TV,   read and take my Valium:lol:  

You are possibly just fed up with the life you are leading in comparison to the active life you once lived Nicko.
I totally get that, I have seen it happen to people I know when their health has deteriorated a lot .

Maddog wrote:Are people more depressed or is it just diagnosed more?

I had never heard of bi-polar disorder till a few years ago, then suddenly everyone seemed to have it.

Vintage wrote:There has been quite a change in social habits, we have more time on our hands and less physical activity. People tended to stay at home until they married, even then they would probably start by out renting rooms in a relatives house that had the space - .being in apartments - as it was know, it was pretty difficult to buy a house even then but there were always the council houses, which we don't have so much now of course .
People had active jobs which probably helped you to sleep at night or day if you worked shifts. When you had a job it was usually for life if that's what you wanted, you were born, went to school, worked and lived amongst family and friends in the community, then eventually died amongst them. Then people wanted to be independent and have their own place as soon as possible and moved into shared rented flats, usually pretty seedy. When you did get a home you built it up gradually, now you have to have it all straight away. Now there's few for life jobs, hardly any jobs in places where there once were industries, there are the stresses of zero contract jobs and how you are supposed to look behave and live, I don't think its unusual that people that live a simple life seem happier and more content, in the main at least.Maybe our lifestyle is concributing to an imbalance in the brain although it does seem to strike people out of the blue and to affect those that seemingly have all there is to have.

I agree with everything you said Vintage.
Odd how people who live a simple life are more content....there used a be a saying 'more wants more' and I think it has some truth to it.

nicko wrote:I have attacks of depression on occasion,   I used to Fish, shoot, and spend hours outdoors and in the Shed mending and making things, and a couple of nights a week teaching Army Cadets.   Can't do anything like that now, only watch TV,   read and take my Valium:lol:  

I get that it's depressing when you're of an age where the spirit is willing but the body is weak. We all get that. But there's nothing wrong with your brain is there? I find things to do with my time on a daily basis. I invent things to do. It keeps me busy and happy.

A culture of take take take
A culture of me me me
Violence and anger being the norm or tolerated, road rage, bullying etc.
No zero tolerance to bad behaviour in children.
Not enough discipline in schools
Coddling children too much
Allowing kids access to adult themes on TV, Video, Computer Games at too young an age
Not enough exercise
Junk Food
Sugar
Too much pressure to succeed in school and college
Too much emphasis on A levels and degrees
A culture of entitlement

HoratioTarr wrote:

A culture of take take take
A culture of me me me
Violence and anger being the norm or tolerated, road rage, bullying etc.
No zero tolerance to bad behaviour in children.
Not enough discipline in schools
Coddling children too much
Allowing kids access to adult themes on TV, Video, Computer Games at too young an age
Not enough exercise
Junk Food
Sugar
Too much pressure to succeed in school and college
Too much emphasis on A levels and degrees
A culture of entitlement

Cant disagree with any of that.

Road rage is something so many people seem to suffer from...that cant make for a relaxed lifestyle. I think when some people are driving they feel untouchable. They can treat other road users in a way they would never dare to face to face.
A bit like some hide behind a keyboard, they hide behind their wheel.

Syl wrote:

Eilzel wrote:Articles cover the question well. It's a number of factors:

Electronic device addiction is a big part.
Bad habits before sleeping and immediately on waking up.
Social media addiction and Like culture.
Reduced face to face interaction.

Add to that:
Bad dietary habits inc. much higher fat and sugar consumption than in the past.
Growing gap in economic inequality.
The above is exasperated but the 'perfect lives and bodies' portrayed on TV and in magazines that are often beyond many people.
A media culture where the modern age is criticised from every angle as being a) a degradation from the past or b) still too slow to progress.
The youth are also constantly attacked for their attitudes or habits while having no way onto the housing ladder in an economic climate that mostly offers low paying or zero hours contracts.

All those factors have an impact, I think. And of course some people will face all those issues and still be unaffected by depression, but the chances are significantly raised by that toxic cocktail of modern issues imo.

You make some great points Eilzel.

However the 'growing gap in economic equality' is surely less now though than it was generations ago. 
Back in the day people accepted they were working class...middle class etc, now it seems everyone wants as much as their neighbour, and obviously that breeds resentment because it's never going to happen.

I do think people have a fairer chance of bettering themselves now, university is open to more women and more working class kids for eg.

They have a fairer chance at getting a good education, but the job pool is dire. Jobs for life don't exist anymore, agencies have an almost complete hold on lower income jobs and zero hour contracts leave hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, in a state of uncertainty. I think it's massively underestimated how many are in jobs like those.

Combined with the immense obsession with social media, where everybody seems to have the perfect life, and celebrity culture, the inequality is broadcast daily.

Eilzel wrote:

Syl wrote:
You make some great points Eilzel.

However the 'growing gap in economic equality' is surely less now though than it was generations ago. 
Back in the day people accepted they were working class...middle class etc, now it seems everyone wants as much as their neighbour, and obviously that breeds resentment because it's never going to happen.

I do think people have a fairer chance of bettering themselves now, university is open to more women and more working class kids for eg.

They have a fairer chance at getting a good education, but the job pool is dire. Jobs for life don't exist anymore, agencies have an almost complete hold on lower income jobs and zero hour contracts leave hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, in a state of uncertainty. I think it's massively underestimated how many are in jobs like those.

Combined with the immense obsession with social media, where everybody seems to have the perfect life, and celebrity culture, the inequality is broadcast daily.

And yet only the other day it was reported that employment is at an all time high.

Discontentment is a problem for sure.   And a vacuous lifestyle.   Eventually, all the social media posturing and selfies and photoshopped apps etc, collapse and become meaningless, and when your life has no meaning, then it's not worth living.

And check this out....

Children as young as 11 are being taken into care over fears they are addicted to gaming with 13 youngsters removed from their families in two months due to concerns over computer use
Kids from Yorkshire, Merseyside and London, were taken into care over gaming
In some cases, parents were ones addicted to games and neglecting children
Experts are now warning parents to watch out for signs of addiction in kids
Signs are losing interest in friends and shutting themselves away to play games

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6634195/Children-young-11-taken-care-fears-addicted-gaming.html

HoratioTarr wrote:

Eilzel wrote:

Syl wrote:
You make some great points Eilzel.

However the 'growing gap in economic equality' is surely less now though than it was generations ago. 
Back in the day people accepted they were working class...middle class etc, now it seems everyone wants as much as their neighbour, and obviously that breeds resentment because it's never going to happen.

I do think people have a fairer chance of bettering themselves now, university is open to more women and more working class kids for eg.

They have a fairer chance at getting a good education, but the job pool is dire. Jobs for life don't exist anymore, agencies have an almost complete hold on lower income jobs and zero hour contracts leave hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, in a state of uncertainty. I think it's massively underestimated how many are in jobs like those.

Combined with the immense obsession with social media, where everybody seems to have the perfect life, and celebrity culture, the inequality is broadcast daily.

And yet only the other day it was reported that employment is at an all time high.

Discontentment is a problem for sure.   And a vacuous lifestyle.   Eventually, all the social media posturing and selfies and photoshopped apps etc, collapse and become meaningless, and when your life has no meaning, then it's not worth living.

Employment is at an all time high BECAUSE there are so many low paying/agency/zero hours jobs.

Jobs like that are increasingly the likelihood of depression, not helping it. Imagine living life not knowing if you are getting work or pay from day to day. Nothing sounds so depressing.

I think that money worries can weigh heavily on people, and possibly trigger off feelings of hopelessness. This is why people should save when they can, and stop buying unnecessary things when they do have money. Save it instead - you never know when you're going to need it.

Eilzel wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

And yet only the other day it was reported that employment is at an all time high.

Discontentment is a problem for sure.   And a vacuous lifestyle.   Eventually, all the social media posturing and selfies and photoshopped apps etc, collapse and become meaningless, and when your life has no meaning, then it's not worth living.

Employment is at an all time high BECAUSE there are so many low paying/agency/zero hours jobs.

Jobs like that are increasingly the likelihood of depression, not helping it. Imagine living life not knowing if you are getting work or pay from day to day. Nothing sounds so depressing.

There was a time when agency work paid very well. I used to do secretarial temping and the pay was better than having a permanent job. That seems to have changed these days.

Then there's the question of genetics. I've pretty much avoided the thread about the monkeys because that kind of thing upsets me, but to what degree is mental illness like depression linked to genetics?

Then there's the issue of Vitamin D, something which interests me lately. It's been said that a large proportion of the population is deficient in Vitamin D, and that might lead to mental ill health, amongst other things.

Last year we had a massive heatwave, so you'd think that people would get plenty of sunshine and UV rays, which are required for the synthesis of Vitamin D, but then perhaps people didn't go out in it much, or they wore a ton of sunscreen.

Eilzel wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

And yet only the other day it was reported that employment is at an all time high.

Discontentment is a problem for sure.   And a vacuous lifestyle.   Eventually, all the social media posturing and selfies and photoshopped apps etc, collapse and become meaningless, and when your life has no meaning, then it's not worth living.

Employment is at an all time high BECAUSE there are so many low paying/agency/zero hours jobs.

Jobs like that are increasingly the likelihood of depression, not helping it. Imagine living life not knowing if you are getting work or pay from day to day. Nothing sounds so depressing.

What is to blame for that?

Raggamuffin wrote:

Eilzel wrote:

Employment is at an all time high BECAUSE there are so many low paying/agency/zero hours jobs.

Jobs like that are increasingly the likelihood of depression, not helping it. Imagine living life not knowing if you are getting work or pay from day to day. Nothing sounds so depressing.

There was a time when agency work paid very well. I used to do secretarial temping and the pay was better than having a permanent job. That seems to have changed these days.

Me too. I temped for years and earned more doing that than regular work. And it's still pretty much the same. I have a friend who runs an employment agency...you get a good wage, holiday pay. If agencies are paying poorly then they are scam agencies or not genuine, so avoid them.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

There was a time when agency work paid very well. I used to do secretarial temping and the pay was better than having a permanent job. That seems to have changed these days.

Me too.   I temped for years and earned more doing that than regular work.   And it's still pretty much the same.   I have a friend who runs  an employment agency...you get a good wage, holiday pay.  If agencies are paying poorly then they are scam agencies or not genuine, so avoid them.    

Most of the agencies in my area closed down, so I assumed there wasn't much temp work around. I wouldn't want to do it now. I had burn out in the end after I wandered into a very tense situation re one job.

Eilzel wrote:

Syl wrote:
You make some great points Eilzel.

However the 'growing gap in economic equality' is surely less now though than it was generations ago. 
Back in the day people accepted they were working class...middle class etc, now it seems everyone wants as much as their neighbour, and obviously that breeds resentment because it's never going to happen.

I do think people have a fairer chance of bettering themselves now, university is open to more women and more working class kids for eg.

They have a fairer chance at getting a good education, but the job pool is dire. Jobs for life don't exist anymore, agencies have an almost complete hold on lower income jobs and zero hour contracts leave hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, in a state of uncertainty. I think it's massively underestimated how many are in jobs like those.

Combined with the immense obsession with social media, where everybody seems to have the perfect life, and celebrity culture, the inequality is broadcast daily.

The job market has definitely changed, people may be employed, but like you say zero hour contracts can never give the same security as a permanent job you know you are safe in, and it's true that a job for life is as rare as hens teeth.

But people can be better educated, they have the freedom to travel further afield looking for employment, and workers, especially women do have a lot more rights now than they did back in the day....so it's not all doom compared to how it was 30 or 40 years ago.

Money worries obviously contribute a lot to how people cope mentally, if you cant afford to eat or pay your bills it has to have an effect, but poverty today in no way compares to the poverty decades ago....yet more and more people seem to suffer from depression than they did back then.


Personally I think social media has a lot more to do with the rise in depression than anything else. Why live in the real world with actual flesh and blood creatures that you might have to make an effort with, when you can be anything you want to be...little effort involved, and get hundreds of 'likes' from total strangers who dont know you from Adam?

I agree the job market has changed but I think breaking up family units may have something to do with it, few people would leave the area they were born in as there was usually employment in the area, as in the Rhondda valleys, the work was there, communities were formed around that, families were quite big and interconnected, there was always someone to talk to and someone to help and support you. Now you have to move away singly or as a small family unit to another area for work, your support system has gone until you maybe find some good friends, in time, it then depends how much you can expect from friends over family.

The whole structure of society has changed, especially in the last 20 or 30 years.
Discontent breeds depression, and so many people do seem discontented with work, home, partners, life in general. We tend to live in a throw away society now...and sadly for some that includes family.

Maybe it would be a good idea to concentrate on what makes your life happy....happy people tend not to suffer from depression.

1...If you choose to pick a partner to have family with stick with it....dont give up just because stressful times arrive, cos sooner or later they usually do.

2...Be content with what you have instead of coveting what others have.

3....Be kind and respectful to others, if you are you tend to get that back in life.

Three  things that many people used to live by, maybe they would still work, simple things often do.
I'm sure other people will have better ideas that I wish I had thought of.

Apart from real, actual cases (clinical) there are some  people who like to wear the label. They just keep saying “Oh, I’m depressed” and so they become miserable.

Honestly, I see it all the time. Example:

18 year old girl I work with...tells me a few months back that she’s severely depressed, she’s been depressed since she was seven years old. I told her bollocks, no you’re not, you’re here working, laughing and chatting...stop telling yourself you’re depressed, perhaps you’re just feeling low or hormonal.

Guess who told her she was severely depressed?
An online test. So she went to her GP and he gave her anti-depressants.
She didn’t take them.

She has a boyfriend now and she says she feels a lot better.

Right?

If I'd got a Girl Friend, [about20] I'd never get Depressed !

nicko wrote:If I'd got a Girl Friend,  [about20]  I'd never get Depressed !

Bet she would!

eddie wrote:Apart from real, actual cases (clinical) there are some  people who like to wear the label. They just keep saying “Oh, I’m depressed” and so they become miserable.

Honestly, I see it all the time. Example:

18 year old girl I work with...tells me a few months back that she’s severely depressed, she’s been depressed since she was seven years old. I told her bollocks, no you’re not, you’re here working, laughing and chatting...stop telling yourself you’re depressed, perhaps you’re just feeling low or hormonal.

Guess who told her she was severely depressed?
An online test. So she went to her GP and he gave her anti-depressants.
She didn’t take them.

She has a boyfriend now and she says she feels a lot better.

Right?

Yes. Severe clinical depression would rule out being able to work, laugh, chat, or do anything very much. There is such a thing as dysthymia where people suffer from low level depression, and antidepressants might help to lift the depression. I would only recommend antidepressants when all other attempts at solutions have failed.

Totally agree rags.

There are some really good comments in this thread, if I was feeling depressed I'm sure reading through it would help.

Syl wrote:There are some really good comments in this thread, if I was feeling depressed I'm sure reading through it would help.

I’m cynical about depression.

eddie wrote:

Syl wrote:There are some really good comments in this thread, if I was feeling depressed I'm sure reading through it would help.

I’m cynical about depression.

Maybe some people confuse being fed up with depression.
Then again life and it's sadnesses, death, divorce etc, can depress a person, but that usually passes in time.
Real depression, that comes out of the blue without warning, like a black cloud filling your life.....I have no idea how that would feel thank God, but many people do seem to suffer with it now.

eddie wrote:

Syl wrote:There are some really good comments in this thread, if I was feeling depressed I'm sure reading through it would help.

I’m cynical about depression.

Intereting eddie

Both depression and gender dysphoria are based around how the mind bahaves

You have seen gender gysphoria and like me, take this as a biological factor

Why then be cynical of another aspect of the mind depression?

Depression is real for many factors and have seen and helped people with this, as it is a state of the mind.

So is it real? Its as real as gender dysphoria. In that people go through this

What is still questionable, is how to help people with this.

Social media and poor parenting, is adding to the increase of dark moods for people. They lack self belief and confidence. Yet allow themselves to be unleashed to the circuse that is social media. They have no idea how to confront such fundemental playgrounds. Its why in the end more and more people will succumb in the future to people who are better able to show confidence. More so as they did in the past with hate. That was only based on using peoples perceived fears against others.

Its easyto be cynical about something. So lets put this to the test in regrds to non-humans.

Can animals like mothers, become so distraught at the loss of a child they have

Why is it that some husbands and wivies, dying in short times after having their love shattered by death. Years together never had them be challenged on this love, only death. They then succomb to this death, because a mental health depressive stae of mind takes control of them. Its as if they are willing their bodies to die, as they cnnot be without them.

Its when people are made to believe they are simple nothing and of no self worth. That they come to believ this, because they re plagued with fear and doubt.

So how do you readily cacept one position, when the later depression is actually well documented.

Though I would love to hear  your views as to why you are cynical Eddie

Thank you and gelico for your kind words on the otheer thread.

Really have to go, but would love your reasons on your views  here Eddie

Night

eddie wrote:

Syl wrote:There are some really good comments in this thread, if I was feeling depressed I'm sure reading through it would help.

I’m cynical about depression.

I'm depressed with the amount of baseless 'cynicism' going around in todays world :

Climate deniers;
Anti-vaxxers;
'Anarchists';
Those who deny the existence of any such things as depression, RSIs, pollution, eating disorders, 'structural' poverty and unemployment, expoitive bosses --  basing their cynicism purely on examples of a few scamsters and fraudsters "gaming" the system;
Those 'Anti-government' rebels on all sides, who don't actually have a cause to stand for;
Faux 'Vegans';
Pro-Mining&Oil twonks who are anti-anything in the least 'green';
The "anti-Sciences" brigade who consider it 'smart' and 'cool' to be stupidly ignorant;
Those supposedly "opposed" to wars, who still refuse to understand just why we still need armies and police..

Local BBC radio this morning had a report on the number of police officers in the N/W area who claim sick leave now in comparison to 4 years ago.
The numbers have doubled since then, the main cause is depression.

eddie wrote:

Syl wrote:There are some really good comments in this thread, if I was feeling depressed I'm sure reading through it would help.

I’m cynical about depression.

It's over used I believe. But it's real too. My mum suffered from it. I have a best friend who has it too. It's terrible, and hard to understand if you don't suffer from it at that level.

HoratioTarr wrote:

eddie wrote:

Syl wrote:There are some really good comments in this thread, if I was feeling depressed I'm sure reading through it would help.

I’m cynical about depression.

It's over used I believe.   But it's real too.   My mum suffered from it.  I have a best friend who has it too.  It's terrible, and hard to understand if you don't suffer from it at that level.

That’s why I said I’m cynical. It has been overused and therefore I’m cynical.