Quote:
Originally Posted by Mehraban
Something that comes with depression is excessive empathy. from the way that you talk about your cat it seems "to me" that you are empathizing too much. I'm not saying that you shouldn't care,but don't you think you are empathizing too much. I am known by people around me to be a kind person, but I wouldn't be hurt to this level for the situation that you describe about your cat. I have dealt with depression before. I know how it feels like. Please, talk to your psychiatrist and psychologist about it as soon as possible,There was one time that I was doing very bad and my psychiatrist somehow squeezed me in his schedule and saw me as what is almost was an " Emergency visit". and one of the other things that I learned over the 17 years that I have bipolar disorder is that it is a good idea that your therapist and psychiatrist be in contact with each other, and tell everything to them. And of course your excessive sleep and lack of enthusiasm to work is a sign of depression.
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I agree that it is best that one's pdoc and T communicate well with each other and that when there's a crisis, it's best to try to be seen asap and get fit in.
On the other hand, I do not agree that excessive empathy goes hand in hand with depression or BP in general. I have no children, my cat has been with me for 15 years, and she is like a child to me, and always has been, depressed or not. She hasn't eaten for almost a week, and I'm afraid that once again she is at the cusp of death. This is devastating for me. I don't mean to offend, but I don't think you would be talking of excessive empathy if I were writing about a very very sick child. As I say, depressed or not, my cat means everything to me.
Certainly her being so ill contributes to my depression as watching her pass away, slowly, like this is excruciatingly painful. I am now at a crossroads as to whether to take her to a 24/7 hospital for temporary tube feeding, in the hopes that she will go back to eating on her own, or to allow her to waste away in front of my eyes. It's a choice I have to make. Because tube feeding may only be putting off the inevitable and I may want it only because I, myself, am unable to accept her death at this time; if ever.
As I say, the extent of her illness does make my depression far worse. I wish this weren't the case, both for her -who is clearly suffering- and for me, who, as a human being, does not want her to suffer. At the moment, my focus needs to be on her; I think she is suffering more than I, and needs help to not feel so uncomfortable. If this is empathy (or sympathy, they are two very different things), then so be it.