Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 3621

Shown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

answer

Posted by Something to think about, ......... on March 11, 1999, at 19:42:17

Something to think about....

I worked in a resteraunt part time during school, I had a manager named jeff, he was the type of guy you loved to hate because he was always in a good mood, and when ever your around him he would make you feel better.
I walked up to jeff and asked: how do you do it?, how can you always be in a good mood and soo confidant all the time?
he said: well when i wake up in the morning the first thing i do is make a choice, a choice to be in a good mood or a bad mood, i choose a good mood every day. life is all about choices.
one night the resturant got robbed by 2 armed gunman, they put a gun to jeffs chest and said: whats the combo to the safe, and get all the money.
jeff was scared stupid, and at that moment he made a choice, to live or to die, he made a choice to live, he opened the safe and gave them all the money.
right before they left they shot jeff point blank, and said: nobody knows anything...
jeff was rushed to the er, a nurse kept frantically asking him questions: are you allergic to anything, and jeff yelled 'yes'.....'bullets', now operate on me like a live man not a dead man, at that moment jeff made a desicion, to live or die, he chose to live.

I use to suffer from panic attacks, and depression, but now I am going farther in life than i ever have before. every morning when i wake up i choose to live and not be afraid, and i choose to be in a good mood.
yes anxiety and depression are hard to handle at times but they WILL NOT beat you, unless you choose to let them,
make a choice!!
Dante A.

 

Re: answer

Posted by saintjames on March 11, 1999, at 22:55:32

In reply to answer, posted by Something to think about, ......... on March 11, 1999, at 19:42:17

> Something to think about....
>

> I use to suffer from panic attacks, and depression, but now I am going farther in life than i ever have before. every morning when i wake up i choose to live and not be afraid, and i choose to be in a good mood.
> yes anxiety and depression are hard to handle at times but they WILL NOT beat you, unless you choose to let them,
> make a choice!!
> Dante A.


James here.....

I don't know who to take this.... 1) are you saying we depressives can just think ourselves happy ? If so then try to walk in my shoes !
Please go elsewhere with those silly rose colored
glasses !

2) If you are saying you can beat mood disorders with help...then I am with you !

james

 

Re: answer

Posted by Terry on March 11, 1999, at 22:55:47

In reply to answer, posted by Something to think about, ......... on March 11, 1999, at 19:42:17

Dante -- So your point is that people with mental illness should just wake up and decide to be in a good mood and snap out of it? I don't think so. There is so much evidence now that mental illness is biologically based. I think you can definitely help yourself with positive thinking, therapy, etc., but for many of us, we need medication too. Nothing worked (including many years of therapy) until I got on medication. For the first time in my life, I feel empowered because I have the tools to cope now. I am glad you have "overcome" your panic attacks and depression as you say with positive thinking, but for a great many of us, that's simply not enough. Many of us already feel guilty because we couldn't "cure" ourselves of our mental illness on our own. But I can no more cure myself of my disorder than person with cancer can cure himself/herself without chemotherapy. Sorry if I'm too defensive here but this is a touchy subject for me, as I'm sure it is for many other people battling mental illness. Terry


> Something to think about....
>
> I worked in a resteraunt part time during school, I had a manager named jeff, he was the type of guy you loved to hate because he was always in a good mood, and when ever your around him he would make you feel better.
> I walked up to jeff and asked: how do you do it?, how can you always be in a good mood and soo confidant all the time?
> he said: well when i wake up in the morning the first thing i do is make a choice, a choice to be in a good mood or a bad mood, i choose a good mood every day. life is all about choices.
> one night the resturant got robbed by 2 armed gunman, they put a gun to jeffs chest and said: whats the combo to the safe, and get all the money.
> jeff was scared stupid, and at that moment he made a choice, to live or to die, he made a choice to live, he opened the safe and gave them all the money.
> right before they left they shot jeff point blank, and said: nobody knows anything...
> jeff was rushed to the er, a nurse kept frantically asking him questions: are you allergic to anything, and jeff yelled 'yes'.....'bullets', now operate on me like a live man not a dead man, at that moment jeff made a desicion, to live or die, he chose to live.
>
> I use to suffer from panic attacks, and depression, but now I am going farther in life than i ever have before. every morning when i wake up i choose to live and not be afraid, and i choose to be in a good mood.
> yes anxiety and depression are hard to handle at times but they WILL NOT beat you, unless you choose to let them,
> make a choice!!
> Dante A.

 

Re: answer

Posted by saintjames on March 12, 1999, at 2:09:27

In reply to answer, posted by Something to think about, ......... on March 11, 1999, at 19:42:17

> Something to think about....


James here.....

I'm blind, but not today. I have cancer, but not today, I have crons disease, but not today, I'm dyslexic, but not today, I'm black, but not today.

See how ez it is !

james

 

Re: answer

Posted by tim on March 12, 1999, at 3:59:02

In reply to Re: answer, posted by saintjames on March 12, 1999, at 2:09:27


I've read that whole story about the happy guy already. It's one of those things that gets forwarded all around the internet. I first read it months & months ago.

 

Re: answer

Posted by HooWha on March 12, 1999, at 4:02:51

In reply to answer, posted by Something to think about, ......... on March 11, 1999, at 19:42:17

I think there's a little truth to what you say,
but my experience is that when my depression is
under control, I can be like that person, Jeff,
you talk about. It *does* take a choice, but it's
no harder than choosing to go out for a morning jog
on a cold day. A little effort, but not really
a big deal.

When the depression is not under control (which
only happens for me by external means;
heavy exercise (which I can no longer do due to
physical probs), sleep deprivation, or meds),
I put forth MASSIVE effort just to function.
And that's all it does. It does nothing to relieve
the depression.

When I experienced non-depression for the first
time, it became painfully clear that, for me,
all the positive thinking and mental 'work'
in the world was, by itself [vulgaity warning]
pissing in the wind.

No personal animosity meant here. It's the
pervasity (is that a word?) of the idea that
people can just think their way out of a
depression that angers me.

When I am not depressed, I HAVE a choice,
whether to see the glass as half full or empty.
When I am depressed, I am not given that that
choice. I can verbalize the words in my head,
write them down, say them outloud (Stewart Smalley,
anyone?) a million times, and all the good in my
outlook and mood that should come from that
simply DOES NOT HAPPEN. (When my depression is
under control (meds) it does make a difference.)

Maybe it works for some, but I know that I need
the bio-chemical hardware fixed before I can even
begin to work on the software.


Best wishes,
HooWha

 

Re: answer

Posted by HooWha on March 12, 1999, at 5:18:04

In reply to Re: answer, posted by saintjames on March 12, 1999, at 2:09:27

> > Something to think about....
>
>
> James here.....
>
> I'm blind, but not today. I have cancer, but not today, I have crons disease, but not today, I'm dyslexic, but not today, I'm black, but not today.
>
> See how ez it is !
>
> james

I have leprosy, but not today. And I'm on fire,
but not today. I am being 'probed' by alien
abductors, but not today. I need Viagra,
but not... oh nevermind.

Ya, I DO feel better. No, wait, it's the
crack.

-HooWha

"Oh heavenly world, deliver thy gifts unto me...
NOW!"

 

Re: answer

Posted by Terry on March 12, 1999, at 11:31:07

In reply to Re: answer, posted by saintjames on March 12, 1999, at 2:09:27

Mental illness is not a joke. And it's not something we can "think ourselves out of." Let's stop trivializing a very serious and complicated topic and move on in a more appropriate manner.


> > Something to think about....
>
>
> James here.....
>
> I'm blind, but not today. I have cancer, but not today, I have crons disease, but not today, I'm dyslexic, but not today, I'm black, but not today.
>
> See how ez it is !
>
> james

 

Re: answer

Posted by Anonymous on March 14, 1999, at 23:52:17

In reply to Re: answer, posted by Terry on March 12, 1999, at 11:31:07

Dante: I thank you for sharing that story, and I'm sorry you have taken such grief for it. I think that HooWha's first message expressed my position best - positive thinking *will* help, but not when you are in the grip of depression. I suppose it might to the extent that you can tell yourself you will get through the day and keep living, but it would certainly be difficult to think yourself out of depression, especially if biological. Unfortunately, HooWha and James could not leave well enough alone with their first messages and have deteriorated this thread. If you disregard positive thinking (which, by the way, I admit I don't do well), you take away a tool in life. And if you guys would read it again, it's not about magically thinking yourself happy. It's about choices. Sometimes, we have less control over choices (being in the grip of depression, for example). But, what if instead of choosing an impossibly large goal (being happy), you choose to keep living? When you drag yourself to work everyday, isn't that a choice? Some people don't, you know. If you guys are in a terrible depression now, then I can understand your reactions to Dante's story. However, that is no excuse to be sarcastic and stupid, and belittle someone who was trying to share something.

 

Re: answer

Posted by HooWha on March 19, 1999, at 2:27:31

In reply to answer, posted by Something to think about, ......... on March 11, 1999, at 19:42:17

If you were hurt or upset about my second message Dante, I am sorry. Your message was meant with the best intentions and wishes, I'm sure.

I have to respectfully disagree with Anonymous' interpretation, though. I read it as exactly saying that you can think your way to happiness. It says "...and i choose to be in a good mood." When in a depression I do not have this choice. It doesn't work. The switch can be "on", but the light's doesn't light.

I do believe in positive thinking, BTW; it's critical, and truly is the path to happiness. Acceptance of what, and being happy with, whatever you've got IS possible, IMO. Zen sort of stuff -- Yeah it's true. But, NOT when you're clinically depressed. Learning that the hard way cost me 30 years.

Because of my experience (and maybe it differs from Dante's) I am lead to think that that author has never experienced clincal depression, and is also confusing depression with "everyday blues." I am lead even more to think that because it's so common for people to do that. Again, maybe Dante doesn't mean that, and he/she and Jeff are just different than me, though.

If the word "depression" wasn't thrown around so freely, and if society in general could accept that will alone cannot conquer every problem in the universe, I might interpret the story differently. If one is normal, though -- is in a 'normal' mood -- then yes, I believe what he/she says is valuble. Very valuble.

If you meant that Dante, then I agree. And I apologise for my making fun of you. But if you meant that it's always a choice, I disagree. And apologise for making fun of you. (It was more of a joke about the concept, BTW, though this doesn't excuse the effects it could have on someone). That latter idea has meant much loss for me, and keeps me from speaking to really anyone about my mood disorder(s). I do not believe it, and cannot bear to hear that blasted sentiment.

-HooWha


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