[MistyTiger]

Tell that to the people with mental health issues who are able to reach outside voices from online that they never would have met without the internet.

Sure some things are still bad but it's not because of technological advancement. It's not like suicide is some new thing. Or being depressed. There were just different ways of killing yourself, and more things to worry about killing you. That's why suicide is up, in my opinion. The rest of the ways of dying are down, for the most part, so suicide become a bigger problem by proportion.

It's just sad when people believe that online communication can make up for the lack of offline social interaction. I still believe that offline interactions are the best way to live with others.

I love technology and its advancement, but I do not like how obsessive people can become towards it. Tech toys give people an excuse to be anti-social and very self-absorbed.

I am so glad that I decided not to go into mental health work, even though I can be a good listener. I would not be able to get through to them that they are their own enemies. Thinking too much about oneself is just bad. I would rather laugh at everything including myself, than dwell on how awful I feel.

[LV-GUCCI-PRADA-FLEX]

The way I see it is that offline interaction with others is a basic need, but online interaction and text messages can be a great way to interact with other people as well. It's all about striking a balance. You can't just live your life online, but you can use it to facilitate communication as well as get access to different points of views. Sometimes the internet can make you look at the world in a different way. Sometimes going for a walk and being outside can make you look at the world in a different way. But you're right, you do need to go outside more than you need to be on a website (like this one).

[Agent Steel]

So I guess my point is that suicide is mostly an individualistic activity. I feel like the suicidal people are the ones who are too much in their head. They internalize everything when they should let it out. They just keep inside all the negativity and all the thoughts of insecurity and fear.

That is precisely why it is such a terrible, terrible illness. But what you have to understand is that it is not by choice. People who are stuck within their own head are unable to break away. Realize that you have a huge privilege and advantage over those with depression, if you can just break away and get out of your head. Realize that you are extremely lucky and fortunate to have that ability. A lot of people cannot do that.

[Igor Antunov]

I think the only cure is Bacon.

[MistyTiger]

That is precisely why it is such a terrible, terrible illness. But what you have to understand is that it is not by choice. People who are stuck within their own head are unable to break away. Realize that you have a huge privilege and advantage over those with depression, if you can just break away and get out of your head. Realize that you are extremely lucky and fortunate to have that ability. A lot of people cannot do that.

It takes courage to accept that one is weak and that one needs help. I used to think I was fine and that I never needed anyone as emotional support. I was so wrong. Once I realized I needed to let loved ones support me emotionally, I was on my way to recovery. It not only got me out of my head, I let go of most of my insecurities and I gained a lot of healthy self-esteem.

Unfortunately so many people are too proud or dumb to realize that they need help. It takes humility to realize that as an individual, they can only get so far. If I think about it, good kids grow into strong adults because of the love and support that they received over many years from family and friends, both at home and in school. Sadly, this is missing from a lot of people's lives. Some do okay and struggle through while others turn to damaging behaviors.

[Drlee]

That is precisely why it is such a terrible, terrible illness. But what you have to understand is that it is not by choice. People who are stuck within their own head are unable to break away. Realize that you have a huge privilege and advantage over those with depression, if you can just break away and get out of your head. Realize that you are extremely lucky and fortunate to have that ability. A lot of people cannot do that.

You can do it. There are a lot of treatment options. The first step is realizing that you are ill and that the right person can help. Wallowing in despair and self loathing are symptoms of a treatable disease. They are not immutable facts of nature.

[LV-GUCCI-PRADA-FLEX]

I think the only cure is Bacon.

A lot of people with mental illness find meaning in a vegan diet. Just saying

[minivanburen]

You can do it. There are a lot of treatment options. The first step is realizing that you are ill and that the right person can help. Wallowing in despair and self loathing are symptoms of a treatable disease. They are not immutable facts of nature.

I have depression--it is not like an infection where all you need to do is see a doctor in a timely manner, be prescribed antibiotics, and take them in a timely manner. It is far more complex, and we understand far less about it. As a result, it is far harder to treat. It is true there are many people for whom treatment is possible and even very successful. But there are also many for whom treatment isn't possible, or for whom it is possible but not very successful. As a result, saying, "oh, if only they had sought out treatment" is an unrealistic response to suicides.

The real question is what the obligations of the individual are and whether the community has the right to oblige the individual to continue to live, even when he does not want to.

[Bulaba Khan Jones]

I have depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. I have had symptoms of both, as far as I know, from my earliest teenage years. I still recall when I was much younger and how energetic and happy I used to be. At around the age of 13 something switched on, or off, and I've been in a pretty severe state of depression since. This also coincided with some events in my childhood that have left me with post-traumatic stress. I've been on particularly heavy medication when things went to shit. I stopped taking medication about 10 years ago. I'm one of those people for whom many medications have little or no effect, and the side effects simply made taking them worse for me. Things haven't gotten better but they also haven't exactly gotten worse. I feel like shit most of the time. I feel unhappy, miserable, and there's few things that really bring me pleasure. I withdraw from a lot of people because I just can't handle the company after a while, but I've also learned to put on a happy face and play along when it's needed, even though I feel absolutely awful. I've learned to deal with panic attacks that can occur without warning or with very little prompting. It's not easy and some days I wonder why I don't just end it all. I think about suicide almost every day. This might sound concerning, but I've gone long past the point where I actually want to act on it.

The way I cope is by trying to hold on every single day and keep pushing forward. One day starts, I try to get through it, and by the end of the day it's all done. I constantly tell myself that I'm pretty high-functioning. However, it's been difficult to maintain relationships. I have a circle of close friends, but my bullshit has kept me from meeting up in my area with people like @The Immortal Goon and @Paradigm. In spite of this, I have no problems with working and I'd even say I'm a workaholic, work being a distraction from my own thoughts.

These aren't things I ever talk about. Other than my former psychiatrist and therapists, I have not mentioned these things to anyone (excluding the one time Lexington made a thread about something similar, and I shared). I don't give a shit about getting sympathy or pity (I'm just an anonymous guy on the internet), but depression can be more serious than some people understand or realize. Even with medication it's something that just happens, and with enough self-discipline and coping, people with severe symptoms can fit/blend in, but even with a strong will there's just nothing you can really do about it all.

[minivanburen]

I have depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. I have had symptoms of both, as far as I know, from my earliest teenage years. I still recall when I was much younger and how energetic and happy I used to be. At around the age of 13 something switched on, or off, and I've been in a pretty severe state of depression since. This also coincided with some events in my childhood that have left me with post-traumatic stress. I've been on particularly heavy medication when things went to shit. I stopped taking medication about 10 years ago. I'm one of those people for whom many medications have little or no effect, and the side effects simply made taking them worse for me. Things haven't gotten better but they also haven't exactly gotten worse. I feel like shit most of the time. I feel unhappy, miserable, and there's few things that really bring me pleasure. I withdraw from a lot of people because I just can't handle the company after a while, but I've also learned to put on a happy face and play along when it's needed, even though I feel absolutely awful. I've learned to deal with panic attacks that can occur without warning or with very little prompting. It's not easy and some days I wonder why I don't just end it all. I think about suicide almost every day. This might sound concerning, but I've gone long past the point where I actually want to act on it.

The way I cope is by trying to hold on every single day and keep pushing forward. One day starts, I try to get through it, and by the end of the day it's all done. I constantly tell myself that I'm pretty high-functioning. However, it's been difficult to maintain relationships. I have a circle of close friends, but my bullshit has kept me from meeting up in my area with people like @The Immortal Goon and @Paradigm. In spite of this, I have no problems with working and I'd even say I'm a workaholic, work being a distraction from my own thoughts.

These aren't things I ever talk about. Other than my former psychiatrist and therapists, I have not mentioned these things to anyone (excluding the one time Lexington made a thread about something similar, and I shared). I don't give a shit about getting sympathy or pity (I'm just an anonymous guy on the internet), but depression can be more serious than some people understand or realize. Even with medication it's something that just happens, and with enough self-discipline and coping, people with severe symptoms can fit/blend in, but even with a strong will there's just nothing you can really do about it all.

Thank you for sharing this. I've had a very similar experience, though slightly different. My chronic depression onset when I was about 14--like you said, it was like something switching off or on in my brain. Since then I was rarely happy but I was largely functional. A couple of years ago I really fell apart and developed major depression, which has been far worse. I'm lucky in that medication has helped substantially, thank God, but I still have episodes which can last anywhere from a couple days to a few weeks. During those times I have to force myself to get out of bed and go to work, and it takes all of my energy to focus on even the most basic tasks.

During my episodes, I often want to be dead, and sometimes I think about killing myself. What has gotten me through so far has been the possibility that I'll be able to leave the world at least a little better than I found it, and I have yet reach that point. It would also destroy my parents, and I feel obliged, after all they've done for me, to at least spare them that pain.