[skybird]

I'm new to this chat room, and to chat rooms in general. I am NOT, however, new to depression. It's been a thorn in my side since I was 9 years old (I'm now in my 20's). Even though It's been such a persistant problem, I still don't understand it at all. I take meds, go to therapy, etc. etc. One person tells me I have a chemical imbalance, another says my brain waves are messed up, yet another says I don't deal wity my emotions correctly, and my family says I'm not religious enough. My real question is, is there even really anything wrong with me? Is it possible that my state of being is a normal reaction to a difficult and frightening world? Please help me out on this. I can never get better if I can't even trust my own sense of reality (I'm not delusional, by the way. Just confused). Please help me on this. I know a lot of you have and still are dealing with this stuff too. Thanks so much.

Skybird

Welcome to Psych Central.......i, too, have depression. i've been diagnosed with bipolarII and my lows are lower than my highs are high.

i can understand your frustration about getting a handle on it. it can be very difficult to deal with. are there any support groups in your area that you could attend. talking to people, that are in a similiar situation, can really be helpful.

i don't believe that religion has anything to do with your depression. depression is an illness. it's not a thought process.
try to find someone IRL that you can open up to and keep posting here.

there are lots of really good people here who will try and help you......xoxoxo pat

[Hopefull]

I think depression is probably a bit of a lot of things. I can't speak for you. But, I am a very negative thinker by genetics (siblings all have a tendency to think in a negative way) and upbringing (my parents were rarely positive towards me). I find that my religion (Christianity helps me) but it can also hurt you. I find that I expect too much out of myself in the area of helping others. I mean, if Jesus died for me, I should be willing to sacrifice for others. Due to this, I tend to never feel like I have helped someone and turn into a walking guilt trip. But, knowing that Jesus understands, loves me and is with me always helps me to keep living. As for the neurotransmitter theory, I am not sure what I think. (T has suggested that I take an anti-depressant) I think it is mostly based on how anti-depressants work. They figured that if this is what they do, then there must be a low level of serotonin in the brain.
So, I would say that every individaul's problem is different. On the dealing with emotions, I stick mine in my black hole of denial (Gee, does that sound mentally healthy?) Some people may have a depression that is a stress/life situation problem. For others it is a complex combination of life stress, past experiences making one more susceptible to things and biology. I suspect that you could find someone with a different theory than all of these.
I hope you can find what works for you. As for whether you even have a problem, I suspect that only you can find that answer.