NationStates Jolt Archive

For whomever this applies to, how have you dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts (I'm not talking about just thinking about it, I mean considering it)?

I've been depressed, but never to the point of seriously considering suicide. If you can, I'd reccomend seeing a professional. If you can't getting angry at people and masturbating are good ways to distract yourself.

I was depressed a couple years ago... I never cut or anything, but I seriously just wanted to die... life seemed so pointless. Anyway, I really sympathize with people who are depressed and I know what they are feeling. It's a horrible feeling and no one should have to go through it....

Actually, the other day I wrote a song about depression... and getting through it... Nice song too. lol.

Any suggestions for someone (ie me) who is, but is to pathetically lazy to bother with a professional and has trouble getting angry at others? And masterbation ain't helpin.

and don't suggest sduicide, I've tried, I can't do it, stupid morals

The best way is to try and find something you can lose yourself in and just stop thinking. It isn't easy and certainly does not completely stop the depression. But I have found that it is helps.

...Certainly better than a professional who is only looking at the clock to see how much he has made, unless you are extrememly lucky and can get free or cheap professional help.

I've fought a lifetime battle with depression. Two attepmts so far, and with a few exceptions, I haven't gotten advice beyond the "get over it" variety. Meds work, to a point, but they aren't foolproof.

Too bad all the cheap/free professionals around here don't really help, or at least so I've heard, being too lazy to bother

Too bad all the cheap/free professionals around here don't really help, or at least so I've heard, being too lazy to bother


I've actually had professionals tell me "get over it". And being depressed isn't being lazy. You're being too hard on yourself.

Also, if you are tense and constantly stressed out (about work, school, health, etc.) this just strengthens the depression. Sadly, in most societies such stress is nearly impossible to overcome only because everything relies on work or school... sorry bout the tangent, supposed to be a suggestion on how to cope with depression and maybe even beat it. If you can afford to be more carefree about work or school, etc. go with it.

Play first person shooters, :mp5: paintball, :gundge: or sit on your porch and shoot at the little kids who ride by on their bikes. :sniper: Does wonders for me.

Seriously, if you don't like getting angry at people, do one of the first two (or both) to help you out. In the end, there is no hard feelings. Unless you got shot in the balls by a paintball. Then you're angry.

I don't exactly suggest the third one, though...

Then if that doesn't work, do what everyone else said. Masturbate.

Don't commit suicude, though. It's not cool. Just think what it would do to your loved ones.

Suicide makes no sense. Why would you kill yourself? Why not OTHER people.

That's what I would do, if I was going to commit suicide.

Abuse helps me cope, but not many peole are willing to abuse me because I have nothing to offer, which is, ironically, the reason I'm depressed

I've actually had professionals tell me "get over it". And being depressed isn't being lazy. You're being too hard on yourself.

I get the impression my grandmother was like that when she was a psychiatrist, thank the powers that be she's retired.

Don't commit suicude, though. It's not cool. Just think what it would do to your loved ones.

One reason I can't

Abuse helps me cope, but not many peole are willing to abuse me because I have nothing to offer, which is, ironically, the reason I'm depressed

You mean you're depressed because you can't get a dominatrix?

First realize that it's not your fault for feeling suicidal. Some people may try and make you feel guilty, but don't let them. Suicide happens when the pain that piles on a person exceeds their coping with the pain, there is nothing to be ashamed of. You are not a bad person, or crazy, or weak, or flawed, because you feel suicidal. There is two major ways to deal, on eliminate some of the pain, tell people and projects to go chill, tell people who want things from you "no" and take time for yourself. The other way is to find help with coping with the pain, ask for help from friends, teachers, crisis help lines, even here is a good step. If you need someone to talk with I'm sure lots of people here would help, but we are not proffesionals and I would recomend seeking help from one. If you really need someone to talk to, my AIM is KPhysicsGeek.

(edit to remove phone number don't mind the AIM)

I wish you the best of luck.

im more depressive than depressed. the difference being its not a constant feeling, but an every-now-and-then-i-want-the-world-to-die-and-oh-me-too type thing.

i dont THINK about suicide, but occasionally, ill be like, gah i dont give a fuck and take too many anti histamines, or dunk my head in the sink to see if ill drown. stuff i know wont kill me, but i wont give a damn if it does.

though ive generally improved in the past year.. come to my senses, that things arent as bad as they seem.

First realize that it's not your fault for feeling suicidal. Some people may try and make you feel guilty, but don't let them. Suicide happens when the pain that piles on a person exceeds their coping with the pain, there is nothing to be ashamed of. You are not a bad person, or crazy, or weak, or flawed, because you feel suicidal. There is two major ways to deal, on eliminate some of the pain, tell people and projects to go chill, tell people who want things from you "no" and take time for yourself. The other way is to find help with coping with the pain, ask for help from friends, teachers, crisis help lines, even here is a good step. If you need someone to talk with I'm sure lots of people here would help, but we are not proffesionals and I would recomend seeking help from one. If you really need someone to talk to, my phone number is 314-454-1158.

I wish you the best of luck.

You just gave your phone number to a total stranger, and in the math thread you gave your IM name to someone else you didn't know. I hope you know what you're doing.

My inactivity is only dooming myself to sitting alone in a fairly empty room (minus the computer) staring at the knife for all eternity

My inactivity is only dooming myself to sitting alone in a fairly empty room (minus the computer) staring at the knife for all eternity

Then stop being incative. Go outside and hang out with some friends.

Friends? The only friend I have is worse off than me, in that he sometimes runs off on tangents about hate and destruction, which happen to bother me. The other people I know are all facist jerks with whom I don't get along. And I can't meet people because I'm a nerd who didn't learn his social skills before getting unceremoniously thrust into real life.

Friends? The only friend I have is worse off than me, in that he sometimes runs off on tangents about hate and destruction, which happen to bother me. The other people I know are all facist jerks with whom I don't get along. And I can't meet people because I'm a nerd who didn't learn his social skills before getting unceremoniously thrust into real life.

Well then get out and find people. Dude I'm not the most socialy graceful person but I can still go out and make friends. And how exactly are the people you know "facist jerks".

For whomever this applies to, how have you dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts (I'm not talking about just thinking about it, I mean considering it)?

I have had depression since I was in the 6th grade. One thing that really helps me is to drive out where no one can hear me and scream at the top of my lungs at the person or situation that hurt me. I find that getting out those emotions of hatred or sadness really help me.

I've had really bad depression for the last 7 years. The tragic thing was I didn't start off depressed. I was a moody teenager, and my parents couldn't tell the difference between moodiness and depression. So I took Prozac, which made me feel like superman, but eventually I stopped taking it when it's effects wore off.

Then when I was 19 my family's house burned down. On Christmas. With us still in it. We got out and fought it with water and fire extinguishers, but in the end we just had to watch it burn. A week later my grandmother died. I started having horrific dreams at that point, ones that plunged me into the depths of hell. Then 3 months later my grandfather died. My 3.7 gpa crashed and I had to leave school.

I stayed at home for the next year. It took my stubborn ass that long figure out that I wouldn't make it without therapy and anti-depressants. So I finally tried them and 2 months later I was back in college and finished up my degree early.

I don't like anti-depressants. The brain is the least understood organ in the human body, and to subject it to chemicals that affect sentience and sanity is more than a gamble. Nobody can tell you what Ablify will do to a person's soul 30 years from now, because no one knows. They can only explain to you its effects on the synapses of the brain. They had no idea that when I took it I would suddenly have megalithic dreams and inexplicable streams of logic that made sense only to me. The shear ignorance that even a Harvard-educated psychiatrist has about these drugs is very... depressing.

Suicide makes no sense. Why would you kill yourself? Why not OTHER people.

That's what I would do, if I was going to commit suicide.


You're really not helping, troll.

when i feel sad or depressed i go running, its lots of fun and it helps

First realize that it's not your fault for feeling suicidal. Some people may try and make you feel guilty, but don't let them. Suicide happens when the pain that piles on a person exceeds their coping with the pain, there is nothing to be ashamed of. You are not a bad person, or crazy, or weak, or flawed, because you feel suicidal.


Thank You. Good to know that someone gets it. :)

Then stop being incative. Go outside and hang out with some friends.


Thanks for the overly simplistic answer. Getting over depression isn't just a matter of sheer volition.

Thanks for the overly simplistic answer. Getting over depression isn't just a matter of sheer volition.

He is talking about his inactivity so I decided not to baby the guy. If you want to cuddle him by all means do so. But I won't be a party to that.

I delt with all of that. What saved me was that in my mind, I had this whole conspiracy thing going on... and I thought that all my friends were plotting behind my back, and in the end I thought that killing myself would be letting them win... so I ended up doing everything in my power to NOT die... all the meanwhile getting less depressed. It's interesting. Just remember that in the end, it has more to do with chemicals in your brain than it does to do with how shitty your life actually is. Some people have much worse lives, and it doesn't bring them down. That thought always gave me strength.

May I suggest this site I made: http://www.hostultra.com/~r00bix - it deals with depression.

He is talking about his inactivity so I decided not to baby the guy. If you want to cuddle him by all means do so. But I won't be a party to that.


Then by all means, go somewhere else. Telling someone with depression to "get over it, you big baby" DOES NOT HELP! IT OFTEN MAKES IT WORSE! OK, "get over it? Fine. Why don't you tell us all how to "get over it"? :upyours:

when i feel sad or depressed i go running, its lots of fun and it helps

Bingo. And when you get to the point where you think you can't keep running, just think of all the things you've done wrong in your life.

You can, in a way, chase your fears and shortcomings away with enough running. Also start exercising. And stop masturbating so often. It's great when you do it, but you cannot but help feel depressed afterwards. A healthy body is the first step to a healthy mind.

Then by all means, go somewhere else.

I said I wouldn't coddle him but that doesn't mean I would leave. Yes getting over depression takes more then just self motivation however you can't get help unless you want it. I'll continue to post my opinion if he asks it in an appropriate way. If you have a problem with it well too bad.

Depression is a disease which is usually caused by a chemical imbalance of some sort in the brain. More often than not it is serotonin not being transfered from one part of the brain to another preventing normal everyday behaviour from taking place ie, sleep. This can distrupt anyone's life and more often than not it is people with a higher intelligence that find it harder to deal with suicidal ideation and don't seek help for it.

Any person that say's "get over it, go hang with some friends and forget about whatever it is that's bothering you", is as futile as telling someone with diabetes to stop having a seizure when they haven't had their shot of insulin.


Economic Associates -You should really read up on the subject (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web3/Ho.html) before you spout off your ignorant views in person to someone with actual depression and they go fucking mental and hurt you.......... or worse they hurt themselves.

I said I wouldn't coddle him but that doesn't mean I would leave. Yes getting over depression takes more then just self motivation however you can't get help unless you want it. I'll continue to post my opinion if he asks it in an appropriate way. If you have a problem with it well too bad.


Your opinion isn't helping. Don't talk about something you know nothing about. Has it occurred to you that maybe he does want help, and that's why he posted on this thread? Your ass-kicking approach isn't appropriate in this situation. You're blaming him for his depression, and that's just about the worst thing you can do. Billus, the thing to do is talk to a professional. If their style of therapy doesn't suit you, you have the right to find someone else. But talk to someone. Trust me, the worst thing you can do is keep it inside.

Your opinion isn't helping. Don't talk about something you know nothing about. Has it occurred to you that maybe he does want help, and that's why he started this thread? Your ass-kicking approach isn't appropriate in this situation. You're blaming him for his depression, and that's just about the worst thing you can do. Billus, the thing to do is talk to a professional. If their style of therapy doesn't suit you, you have the right to find someone else. But talk to someone. Trust me, the worst thing you can do is keep it inside.

1. Why would you post a thread on suicide and saying you have thought about it if you didn't want some form of attention/help.
2. When have I ever said this is all his fault? All I have said is that getting out and making friends isnt that hard. You want to blow this out of proportion go ahead I don't care.
3. I agree on the talking to a professional part. If you have seriously considered killing yourself then it is a good idea to get help. There is no shame in asking for help.

But talk to someone. Trust me, the worst thing you can do is keep it inside.

Good advice! In fact it's the only advice you need before you actually do it.

All I have said is that getting out and making friends isnt that hard.


For some people, it is. And for your information, showing compassion isn't "coddling".

I tried talking to friends first. Although it got to the point where no one would listen anymore because they were sick of me. So I found an escape, not in drugs or booze, but in a movie. The movie itself stopped me from commiting suicide on three seperate occasions. And if you think I'm bsing you.. why am I still here? Granted there is more to the story but I'd rather not dump my entire personal life onto a forum.

For some people, it is. And for your information, showing compassion isn't "coddling".

Well the he can join a club, find people who share the same interests, talk to people online, etc. There are any number of ways he can go out and make friends that aren't incredibly hard. But when he says my inactivity makes me sit here and stare at a knife I'm inclined to tell him to get off his ass. And for your information tough love isnt blaming the problem on someone.

Having suffered from depression since childhood, I know where you're coming from. I also know what it's like to not have any real friends. For most of my life, this was not a choice, but after high school (I had some good friends then) it became one. I found it less stressful to just embrace my loner attitude than force myself to socialize.

I took antidepressants for something like seven years, until nothing worked anymore. They helped at first, but it destroyed my REM cycle. The reports of Prozac causing suicidal tendencies make sence to me, because I only began considering it after I started taking it.

Depression has pretty much shaped my personality, in that I am extremely cynical and unfounded optimism pisses me off to no end. What most people don't seem to get is that things like 9/11 and Katrina really didn't effect me at all. More of an "oh, that's too bad" comment and then moving on. My humor is very dark and dry, to the point where even my own family has a hard time telling if I'm joking or not. I've had to drop out of college three times because the suicidal tendencies and depression threatened to consume me.

Ok, getting to the suggestion part. For a few years I had what may better be described as a death wish. I was too lasy/scared to actually do it myself, but I kept hoping for some freak accident or whatever. This has only abated when I stopped living for the future and started living for the now. In other words, I am literally living day by day. I only look ahead on things that require it, like finances and appointments. If not for my job, I would quickly lose track of what day it is. Things that do not concern me RIGHT NOW are rarely more than a passing thought.

Easier said than done. It took me two years to get where I am now. I am fully aware that I cannot continue to live like this, and I'm already taking steps to extend my horizon. But for now, while I still feel like life has no purpose, I just don't think about it. It just makes matters worse.

On a side note, I'm pretty sure my job has helped a lot. I was never very athletic, and hated exercise. My job involves lifting boxes, so I'm getting paid for exercising, which makes it less of a hassle. :D

I'm nowhere near conquering my depression, and my urge to destroy everything still haunts me, but I'm many times better than I was even a year ago. I get comments on my improvement quite a bit.

I guess my point is to dump any unnecessary stress from your life. It's your life, don't do something just because you "have to" or let people guilt you into it. Do it only because it's required or because you want to. At least in some form.

Ok, that was seriously too long, but I hope it helps in some way.

Well the he can join a club, find people who share the same interests, talk to people online, etc. There are any number of ways he can go out and make friends that aren't incredibly hard. But when he says my inactivity makes me sit here and stare at a knife I'm inclined to tell him to get off his ass. And for your information tough love isnt blaming the problem on someone.


"Tough love" is what you do for incorrigible children, not for someone suffering from depression.

Well the he can join a club, find people who share the same interests, talk to people online, etc. There are any number of ways he can go out and make friends that aren't incredibly hard. But when he says my inactivity makes me sit here and stare at a knife I'm inclined to tell him to get off his ass. And for your information tough love isnt blaming the problem on someone.


You're ignorant. I'm not insulting you, or atleast I'm not trying to. I'm simply stating an observational fact from someone not in a place of ignorance on this subject.

You're basically saying that if someone stops being inactive then that will sort out their problems, like they have a choice that is comparable to someone without depression. Have you even thought about what it is that may be causing that lack of motivation? Have you thought that this lack of activity isn't even the catalyst for depression but merely a step towards it after it has already started?

I'm gonna post this short essay on depression (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web3/Ho.html) for you again. Read it or remain ignorant and offensive!

For whomever this applies to, how have you dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts (I'm not talking about just thinking about it, I mean considering it)?
i've been pretty depressed for the last two years and finally got diagnosed as clinical just a few months back. i'm still on the councelling/therapy waiting lists but i'm actually getting better day by day just being here with my family - with people who love and care about me.

i coped when it was bad by smoking weed, and lots of it. it started out as just something to do, a bit of fun and an excuse to leave the house (would go smoke round a friend's) but it turned into something far more unpleasant. it turned into a sedative i'd use just to make the day whizz by that bit faster - had i had the opportunity to, along the same lines i'd have probably used heroin (which scares the shit out of me now). i tried to commit suicide once (and obviously it failed).

my advice is, when thinking about suicide, be empathetic. think about the thoughts and feelings of the loved ones you'll leave behind. i called them my 'anchor' because, while i spent almost every day for 2 years not wanting to be alive anymore, the thought of the pain i'd put my parents through stopped me trying it - bar once. like dave mustaine (megadeth) says in a tout le monde, "moving on is easy, what it leaves behind is hard". of course if you don't have any loved ones then i don't have any advice for you because, thankfully, i've never been in that situation.
for general depression advice: take life a day at a time, and remember that - while it may not seem like it to an irrational depressed mind - things will get better eventually. lean on those who care and get help - get help in getting help if need be. talk about things and stop internalising everything. don't smoke weed or use drugs like that (eg alcohol) because all they do is act like a smokescreen - hiding the truth from you, but the problem is still there. go to Glitziness's excellent website (http://www.freewebs.com/understandingdepression/) (currently still a work in progress but still good) on depression.

I have been diagnosed with clinical depression since I was about 13.
Im 31, now.
If anyone has been through this, they know how it feels, so I wont explain, or wax poetic about what life is like for those people who dont.
I'll let others do that.

In my case, I went through practically all of the depression meds.
Zoloft, Paxil, Welbutrin, Celexa, you name it, at one time..I took em.

For some, they help.
For me, they took the edge off, but it didnt make my problems go away, it just makes you happy that life sucks.
The side effects were often worse than the symptoms...
Blasting hot liquid from your anus on a regular basis...all sorts of unpleasantness

Eventually, I decided that the drugs werent for me.
I just stopped taking them altogether.

You see, depression is anger, turned inward.
The only way to beat it, is to focus that anger on something else.
Getting pissed at people actually does help, but it isnt very socially acceptable.
You have to get that anger and energy out of your systemm and direct it other places.
Surrounding yourself with people you love can help, your friends especially.
Go places....do things...enjoy yourself.
The more you stay stagnant and stationary, the more time you have to wallow in the dark places, so to speak.

Change up your lifestyle a bit, change can be exciting.

For whomever this applies to, how have you dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts (I'm not talking about just thinking about it, I mean considering it)?

I kill hookers.

Then stop being incative. Go outside and hang out with some friends.

Well then get out and find people. Dude I'm not the most socialy graceful person but I can still go out and make friends. And how exactly are the people you know "facist jerks".

He is talking about his inactivity so I decided not to baby the guy. If you want to cuddle him by all means do so. But I won't be a party to that.

you know i don't think you get it. maybe its that easy for you, but when you have the condition and are really feeling it, one tends to be pretty damn irrational. you might realise that inactivity is a factor in whats making you miserable, but feel irrationally unwilling - or scared - to do anything about it.
myself, for example - i, too, realised that my day-to-day inactivity was contributing to the feelings of depression. but a whole bunch of irrational thought processes ran through my mind, from 'i'm not worth the effort' to being scared of the unknown (once you've been depressed for some time you kinda get used to it, and being "cured" is just as scary as any other percievable major change in mentality - kinda like being scared of having a stroke or going crazy). plus, once these feelings start to foster themselves, things can get yet worse - i developed a very real social anxiety disorder with badass paranoia that meant going outside was horrible, looking people in the eye (and interacting with people normally) was impossible, and as such meeting other/new people and doing activities became a near impossible feat, mentally. without outside help, that is.

plus, as Maineiacs said in post 36, the inactivity may be resultant of some other facet of the depression - its highly unlikely to be the sole cause.

so blanketly saying the obvious answer or "solution" is pretty stupid if you ask me, because its just not that simple :rolleyes:


For some people, it is. And for your information, showing compassion isn't "coddling".
there ya go

talk to people online
ah, but this is a sensible comment. the people you meet and potentially make friends with online may just be text on a computer screen, but they are real people on the other end of the keyboard, and can be real friends dispite not being "real" themselves.
this is great advice if you can't go out into the real world to meet people. certainly helped me get through the last year - being friends with Tink, Kanabia, Moley, Oxana, Peechie, TIN, a number of others (many now departed)... thanks NS! :)

especially because you're bound to meet others in the same situation as you, and it helps greatly to talk to others who are feeling the same as you.
and apart from that, you can get help and councelling of a sort anonymously through the net.... every little helps :P

I deal with being depressed sometimes. Started when I was in 5th grade of primary school (new school after moving cities), and had to deal with bullying and getting beaten up....then I changed school again, and for the next year dealt with the same crap...

Things I found helped:
Find new friends. I changed schools again the year after (high school) and completely disassociated myself from the "friends" that would only give me crap when I hung out with them. It happened again late in high school, so I disassociated myself from them again and found new ones. EDIT- Of course, don't do this if you have a good group of friends. In my case though, they were most of the problem.

If you're being bullied, do a martial arts. I did karate for a couple of years, and it only took one instance of defending myself for everything to stop.

Take up a hobby. I started getting better when i discovered music and picked up a guitar. I found it a brilliant outlet.

I still get depressed from time to time, but I guess that's just teenage angst. I'm nothing like I used to be.


You see, depression is anger, turned inward.
The only way to beat it, is to focus that anger on something else.
Getting pissed at people actually does help, but it isnt very socially acceptable.
You have to get that anger and energy out of your systemm and direct it other places.
Surrounding yourself with people you love can help, your friends especially.
Go places....do things...enjoy yourself.
The more you stay stagnant and stationary, the more time you have to wallow in the dark places, so to speak.

Brilliant advice. Fuck the antidepressants. I didn't need them.


this is great advice if you can't go out into the real world to meet people. certainly helped me get through the last year - being friends with Tink, Kanabia, Moley, Oxana, Peechie, TIN, a number of others (many now departed)... [SIZE=1]thanks NS! :

:) Right back at ya, buddy.