[Notoriousglo]

The other day a family member was talking about how people with problems hide from life with addictions, anxiety, and depression. This person is extremely nice and not judgmental really, yet I felt saddened that the person said depression is hiding from life. If depression's an illness, then it's not hiding, right? If it's hiding from life then I feel like a loser and start to question why I would make a choice to be this way....sigh. What do you guys think?

Hey,

I have been 'depressed' for many years, and I don't believe in the chemical imbalance.

I am not really sure why people get depressed either, apart from the serentonin issue, I do feel like I am hiding away and get easily put off things. It is like my resilliance has gone, so you are not alone and I think you'll find many others are feeling the same way hope this helps or puts your mind at rest a teeny bit.

[Hellion]

I really do not think depression is a choice at all, I know i didn't choose to be depressed. Also I don't really see it as 'hiding' from life I think depression can more or less contribute to hiding from life at times because it takes your energy and motivation to deal with life....but depression is painful so I think much of the time people try to get away from the pain however they can and don't always have the best way of doing so.

A lot of times addictions come from someone trying to allieviate their pain via drugs, and becoming addicted which then can add more issues but its not so much hiding from life as hiding from the severe pain it seems to cause. If any of that makes sense.

[Altered Moment]

The depression causes me to hide from life. When I am not depressed I do not hide from life at all. I participate in it. When I am severely depressed I have 0 energy, 0 motivation, and everything is so overwhelming. Hiding from life is not the motive but the outcome of the disease. I would much prefer not to hide from life but that is what it causes.

As Hellion says addictions are a way to escape the pain of life or just to escape for a while the general stress of life. They are often used as a coping mechanism to deal with everyday life. This would mean the pain is just so powerful or the person has just not learned healthy coping mechanisms. I don't think the intention is to hide from life but to deal with life.