[XserenityX]

I don't know how I got there but I stumbled upon some websites I really shouldn't have read. People were saying depression and anxiety arent real. I'm on my way to getting a psychologist because i believed that I had depression for years. But now I'm worried that its just because I'm selfish. That I can't just suck it up like other people... I now depression and anxiety are real. But I'm worried that mine isn't. And that when I do finally go to the therapist they will say the same.

I didn't even know depression existed until one of my friends told me she had it and was in the hospital a few years ago. Is it possible I got depression because subconsciously I wanted it?

I don't know where this is coming from. But it's a legitimate fear. I'm afraid that none of my feelings are real and it's all just me subconsciously wanting attention and not able to just deal with life.

I'm not saying this stuff isn't real because it is. I'm asking if its possible that mine isn't.

[Sam2]

Take a big breath. Depression and anxiety are very real. You have to remember that anyone can put whatever they want on the internet. No one screens it for accuracy or puts a warning on it. You could put up a website that said chickens could talk spanish. Would that make it true?

The internet has given us alot of good things. We have access to information, fast communication with people we love, and can check to see where to shop for A,B or C.

Unfortunately, it has also given us some bad things. If what you are reading feels wrong, looks wrong or is not backed by anything, you might want to check other sources. If depression and anxiety were not real, then why do people in double blind studies respond to anti-depressants while the ones how took sugar pills did not? They didn't know what they were taken.

Look at ERs. There are people coming in with anxiety attacks so bad that they pass out from hyperventilation. Others are attempted suicides. I doubt they did that because they were happy.

Listen to your therapist. Be careful of what you believe and don't believe on the web. In this case, your therapist knows more about the subject that Joe Blow.

Sam2

[davmid]

Originally Posted by XserenityX

I'm not saying this stuff isn't real because it is. I'm asking if its possible that mine isn't.

My guess is that if you feel it, it's real. It doesn't matter how you came to this point, if you think that you need some help figuring out your feelings and thoughts, you should get it. It can only help...

[phaset]

I was diagnosed with depression 15 years ago and still have a hard time with the same question. If you are hurting that is all that matters, not the label. I wish someone would tell me that though...

[adam_k]

Depression and anxiety are real, but they also have levels of severity. People can be slighty depressed and it affects thier lives some, but may not cause a lot of major issues, or people can be very depressed and barely able to function. When you are on the fringes of it, it may not feel like a big problems and you could question whether it is a real issues. When you start checking off more and more of the symptoms for major depression it becomes quite clear that something is wrong.

Just because it may not affect your life as much as others, doesn't mean it should go ignored or untreated. I think depression starts out small for a lot of people and then grows and grows to the point where people question the value of life.

I would at least talk to a psychologist to get a better idea what it is and if it affects your life much.

[Phreak]

You're asking if something is possible. Anything is possible. It's also possible that how you feel is symptomatic of a very real personality disorder.

If in doubt get checked out

Phreak

[bronzeowl]

I go through periods where I feel the exact same way. That doubt that what I'm going through isn't real and is nothing more than an invention of my mind. I think it's fairly normal to experience some doubt. I'm not sure why. If I had to guess I would think many of us don't want to believe it is real.

The fact is, depression and anxiety are both very real. It has nothing to do with being selfish, or being unable to suck it up. To someone who has never experienced depression, they simply cannot understand what we are going through. They may see us as selfish as such because they have never been depressed or anxious. Throughout my life, I have found that the best way to experience empathy toward another person's situation is to have gone through it yourself.

Your feelings are real. If you can feel it, it does exist. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

[Dionysius]

It`s real, one can`t "pretend" to be depressed the feeling is definitely real.