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by QuantumYeti 1553 days ago
As someone who slipped into depression ~15 years ago and has had limited success pulling out of it, I would definitely consider it to be an altered state of consciousness. I remember what I used to be like before, and how I used to behave, and the relationships people seemed to want to have with me. Even recently, I was able to experience a glimpse of that former life when I got a job and was able to hold it for a few months. I think it definitely is an altered state, and it frustrates me to the verge of (re?)insanity that you can buy alcohol everywhere, but can't get generic SSRIs over the counter. At the moment in the US, you can't get an SSRI prescription without going to a doctor every 6 months to let them look at you for 30 seconds, mispronounce your name, and then declare you ready to continue taking their medicine. And that's if you have insurance. The US medical system is too paternalistic, imo.
1 comments
MrYellowP 1553 days ago
People don't need more drugs to counter depression,

people need a better life so they don't get depressed in the first place.

"but we can't change their lives, so it's better for them to take antidepressants".

No! Nonsense!

People are depressed, because their lives suck for whatever reasons.

When they take antidepressants their lives still suck, but - like a slave! - they just learn to accept it as it is.

When you take a painkiller against pain, the pain and its source don't magically vanish. It's all still there, you just mask it out.

Are you feeling sad? Just take SOMA!

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grandchild 1553 days ago
I feel this is an overly simplistic view of depression.

I imagine there's a thousand reasons for a state like depression to emerge — some, but not all of them external. I think the Venn diagram of people with depression and people whose "lives suck for whatever reason" is not a single circle.

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QuantumYeti 1553 days ago
> People need a better life so they don't get depressed in the first place.

You know, I think I actually agree with you on that point, despite the rest of your post. I won't address the rest of what you said, because it'd just get nasty.

The problem, in my opinion, can be described by Maslow's hierarchy of needs. In the US (probably elsewhere too, just speaking for myself), the layer below physiological needs, like clean air, shelter, clothing, etc, is: "Get a job." Without that, you're dead.

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