Posted by linkadge on August 25, 2013, at 20:04:12
In reply to Re: A peculiar kind of depression, posted by Sebastian Flyte on August 25, 2013, at 17:16:22
I hope what I am about to suggest does not trivialize your feelings. Certain kinds of personalities (possibly obsessive) become very focused on one object, goal or obsession. This personality type can become very dissatisfied if that particular goal is not attained.
Its not that the goal is not worthy, or that the feelings are not real. However, the respons to it may be maladaptive, however.
For example, I often find that emotions like obsession, jealosy and depression go hand in hand. Crudly speaking, too much dopamine can create feelings of jealosy, desire, lust and obsession. Serotonin helps balance this out by diminishing desire and enhancing self resiliancy.
In your case, being obsessed with an individual may be normal to a certain extent. If however, this individual is simply put 'unavailable', then
further obsession (to the point of depression) is simply not adaptive. A different personality type would probably 'get over it' sooner. The desire would be toned down, the feelings of 'I can find another' would take over. The individual might be satisfied with a more friendly relationship.If the serotonin goes too high and dopamine too low, then the individual may simply be completely apathetic and not caring about the reciprocated desire of others. They may expeirience little or no desire to be in a relationship with others. They may feel more self sufficient.
Do you need to be 'chemicaly castrated'? No. You don't want to feel nothing. If it is like you say that this individual is *not* an option, then you need to look at other options. There's plenty of fish so they say. I know this is hard when the mind is so obsessed with only one. However, one needs to decide if they want to live a life of suffering or not!
Do you find that you have an obsessive personality in other areas of life? For example, do you become fixated on an object you want to purchase and feel unable to get it off your mind until you buy it?
Clinical depression is clinical depression regardless of the cause. If you get to the point that you are hopless and depressed day after day, it really doesn't matter what the cause is. The fact is that it is unhealty to spend long periods of time depressed. It shrinks your hippocampus! It causes heart disease. It shortens the telomeres!
Find something that helps, medication or otherwise, it doesn't matter.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:1049646
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130730/msgs/1049707.html