a lot for me, I think

sure it doesn't help me that I have all my issues and because of them my life hasn't quite turned out the way I wanted, but I also think it's what other people do and how other people react that causes it (if not more than the issues themselves)

I am constantly having to explain myself, and constantly justify stuff and I don't think my life would be too bad if people were just accepting and validating, rather than what they are.. or tend to be in my experience, the oppositte.

[shortbread]

My reaction to my interaction with others certainly causes depression, or makes my existing depression worse. I don't think people are setting out to make me feel like shite, but how I feel about myself in response to a situation can send me into a downward spiral. Obviously if people are deliberately trying to make me feel awful then it's best to cut them loose and that causes depression/grief, because I've lost someone else in my life.

I have a strong basic need for belonging to a family or family like group and an need for intimacy - and those are missing from life for reasons that are beyond my control and that certainly is a cause of my depression.

I'm very sensitive so someone could just say or do something that can get me depressed. I feel like my world is filled more with people who depress me than lift me up. Especially, I feel like I hear more criticizing than compliments.

I find myself alone a lot more than I want to, even though I appreciate some alone time. I prefer to be alone than to be with bad company by far. Unfortunately, it seems like the only choices I have is to either be alone or with not-so-great company.

[RoxanneToto]

I’m pretty sensitive, too, though at the moment most people around me are, thankfully, generally nice, kind etc and I’ve grown a slightly thicker skin (not by much, but more than past me did) but if you’d asked me when I was younger? I’d have said most of my depression was caused by others!

[TunedOut]

I have not had much depression for a while due to medications and knowing what I need to focus on when I feel it emerging. That said, I now do a much better job recognizing when a question is truly a question verses an accusation. There are people who ask questions (about both the obvious or leading questions meant to lead you down a path in order to corner you) that are actually accusations of myself or others. I do a lot better job now of not really responding (something like, "I know, sorry", of course, sometimes I do owe an apology but I no longer let them go on and on tearing me down). IMO, there are people in this world that knowingly (they enjoy seeing others suffer) or unknowingly (they could have an anxious, fearful, complaining kind of depression--IMO, there are many types of depression--some people with depression have a loving core and never take their negativity out on others) stir up trouble because of the disconnect that they are feeling inside. Also, some people who have negativity (most?) are just hurting--perhaps they haven't received much love but we have to be careful to not show them our most loving side while they are being extremely negative (when they dismiss our love by saying it is fake, etc--basically tell us we are terrible people when we are trying to do our best). This can be exhausting and pull us down into depression too.

[sarahsweets]

My depression is my own however how people choose to treat me over it is not.