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depression

toolmakerjim

Titanium
Joined
Jun 21, 2004
Location
titusville fl. usa
one of our brothers here has confessed that he has been fighting depression for years.
while this may seem out of place in a manufacturing forum the impact of depression must have a large dollar value assigned due to lost productivity.
my family on my mothers side has a history of depression and as i get older sometimes i get so down i wont get out of bed for a few days, not asleep just bummed out for no good reason. ive even thought of committing myself to see if i could find out the cause and pursue a cure, kinda like the guys in "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest" but that would affect my liscenceing so thats not possible.
so heres my question without being too personal.

how many of ya'll suffer from and treat depression?

my wife, bless her heart, doesnt believe in depression and says "Just get out of it" its not that easy, for me anyway.

so what say ye?...jim
 
Been there, done that. It first showed up on me when I was about 25. Didn't stay in bed, just couldn't work. Went to a shrink, and learned a lot about myself and life. I actually date my life from that point. Things were very confused in my mind before that. I was lucky to find a good one.

As I mentioned in here before, I still get it (mostly from deadlines) and it *definitely* affects the earnings in a negative way. Unless it is a chemical thing, the best is to understand the cause and change that, if possible, or learn to accept it. Treating the symptom is not as good as understanding the cause. That may take some real honest soul-searching, but is very worthwhile.
 
I think the government beams down something from satelites, or maybe it is something sprayed from commercial jet airliners. Or it might be the mercury amalgam fillings I have had since youth. Sometimes for two or three days, I can't hardly lift my arm. It is like having the flu, without any other symptoms.

A stray dog followed me home three weeks ago. She looked like she had had pups and I figure someone threw her out along the road. She helps me feel better. She likes to chase rabbits, squirrels, deer and anything that moves.
 
I have 3 things to help me through the days when everything is goin wrong/running late/ been borked by an operator.

First is to switch off and do some programming (CNC or Java) because one of the best buzzes I found is the YES feeling when you've solved a bug/implemented something cool.
the second is this >>>>> Office cat , he helps me program by sitting on the keyboard or pouncing on the mouse

The third is to go home, buy a tube of beer and annoy the neighbours with some loud music , if the other 2 fail then the last usually works

Boris
 
Boris,

That cat looks like he would kick your butt if you came home whining about how tuff it is in the world!
Talk about a rough, mean looking "I aint scared of nothing" cat.

Wished I had a cat like that. ;)
 
Jim,

Can you request a mild antidepressant without affecting your license?

The little pink pills work wonders once in a while!

other than that, chocolate "herbal remedies"...etc

dont mix the pills and the herbs...it messes with em pretty bad

-Jacob
 
Alcohol and marijuana can contribute to and prolong depression. Its not a good idea to self medicate.

A good friend would remind me when I was in a great mood “ this to shall pass”. It’s a good reminder that I cycle in and out of good/bad moods. Some days Its hard getting out of bed . Nothing different same business same good family, It’s just me in a low spot. It will pass. In the mean time I focus on doing the next right thing.

I have wealth and good fortune beyond the imagination of most in the world. I have a home, good food, Shoes ect.
I don’t make a lot of money but I love what I do for a living. (most of the time)

Ray
 
I'm very open about mental health issues. There is no point in closeting it -- it's a fact of life.

I want to congratulate you on taking a strong first step toward getting this under control.

Depression is the leading cause of death among young people under 18 in the USA. This is not a trivial statistic: it is a red flag that depression is a serious, life-threatening illness at any age.

I was under treatment for depression by a therapist for 7 years starting at age 30. At that point, I was almost certain that I wasn't going to see age 40, either by my own hand or by the risky behavior I was engaged in.

I would broadly categorize depression as having two parts -- what you'd describe as a chemical imbalance, and what you'd describe as a belief imbalance. Fixing the chemical imbalance is a necessary, possibly temporary, part of the solution. However, if your thinking about yourself and the world remains skewed, all the modern pharmaceutical science won't get the problem adequately under control.

Your comment about cannibis gives me a pause: generally, folks with depression don't seek out a recreational depressant.

Do you ever have good days and bad days -- and some good days are REALLY good - boundless energy, rapid thinking, can't get the car to go fast enough, using a lot of superlatives in your sentences?

OR do you get agitated, irritable, combative, and have a short attention span?

As you mention with your depression, are either of these for no apparent reason? If this is the case, you may have bipolar disorder, not depression. Bipolar is quite often misdiagnosed, which is why I mention it.

I would strongly advise that you start the process of looking for a therapist. The sooner, the better. Start with the therapist, and they will recommend a psychiatrist. They need to work hand-in-glove.

When you go to visit a therapist, it's quite important that you feel somewhat comfortable with the person because your goal -- the work you do in therapy -- is to discuss personal information. Also, it's reasonable to discuss the process of therapy, what methods they use, what your goals are, and the like.

I would most strongly suggest that you start working with a therapist before considering checking into a mental health facility. Self-admission to a facility is one data point that is used to judge the severity of ilnesses. It's an unfortunate truth that this data point about you can have negative impact on security clearances and insurance.
 
Have you seen a doctor Jim? That's the first thing I would do. I hope your wife comes around to believing. My ex suffered from clinical depression and it was rough living with her highs and lows. She wouldn't see a doctor, {she is one of those, "there's nothing wrong with me"} and it finally got so bad I couldn't take it any more.
I imagine we all go through depression to some degree now and then. I know some times I can't hardly force myself into the shop and get started but when I do, it gets better.
Michael
 
I know some times I can't hardly force myself into the shop and get started but when I do, it gets better.
That's exactly the way I am Michael. For me, depression is an emotional response to stress, not a mental illness. Learning that was one of the major things for me when going thru my 3 months of therapy.

I can't recommend professional help strongly enough.

It might be such a simple thing as understanding why, and making a behavior modification.
 
well i was on prozac many years ago and wellbutrin also but they didnt seem to help any got tired of falling asleep at stop lights.
and i did go see a shrink about 15 yrs ago and his diagnosis was that there was nothing wrong with me but he only saw me 5-6 times or so.

about the cannibis. it seems to affect me differenly than most. i get a euphoric reaction rather than a depressent one and it seems, at least to me, to make me focus on the task at hand better but it is illeagal so we'll just leave it at that..

the bipolar statement may be true as one great aunt was hospitialized for that and one of my first cousins suffers now from that, i'll research that.

i often wonder if my brain is wired differently my IQ is 137 and i cant or wont forget the past so thats always been a problem. and 2 of my grandsons are ADHD and i wonder about me at their age as i recall myself doing what the worst one does.

i dont think the wife will ever change. if there was ever a AAA personality its her. she is driven and goal oriented but we arent close like we used to be.

anyway im glad that you guys are sharing...jim
 
I got down just last week. I'm self employed, and also work with other companies for commission as part of my income. Company I've had a dealer-type relationship with for 12 years now finally has gotten to be too much. The owner is a complete spoiled rich kid with no idea of anything but bullying to get his way. He is also very simple. I am stating that as a fact that I've learned over the period I have known him. I have also conferred with others that know him and whom I repsect and they too have thoroughly reached this conclusion.

The product, developed by his father, is so good I just ignored his silly rear-end thinking until I had enough. "Enough" came for me when he called and was chewing me out, strictly out of the blue. He had been at the office about five minutes when he made the call.

This call came at 3pm! He was gone again for the day at 3:15. He disappears for months at a time playing pool all over the country. His father has gone to Florida to retire and doesn't know a bit of this. His sales manager told me the "work hours" of the day I got the call, and tried to apologize to me, and was symptathetic. He hates "the Mutt" too. I don't have to take that. I fired this company from my repertoire.

Then after a few days I started seeing all the things I no longer am putting up with, and don't plan to again. I am now pressing more of my own deals, and to heck with the commissions that were just a piece of what was feeding his sorry hide anyway.

Still, it's not easy dropping a product line I've been so familiar with, and have been selling successfully for this long. I paid a whole lots of dues getting this company name recognition in my territory. Getting no better than treated like a dog for my trouble got me down.

All good things......(or semi-good, anyhow!)

Good news is I'm already quoting for another company, and I have a good customer lined up for a major sale already.

""You can't solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that created it in the first place."
--Albert Einstein
Read that statement. Take it apart bit by bit. See what how it applies to where you are. As a matter of fact, I'm about to do just that myself!

EDIT: I believe I'm going to call "the Mutt" tomorrow and tell him to go to hell. I forgot to do that.

Richard
 
well i was on prozac many years ago and wellbutrin also but they didnt seem to help any got tired of falling asleep at stop lights.
and i did go see a shrink about 15 yrs ago and his diagnosis was that there was nothing wrong with me but he only saw me 5-6 times or so.

about the cannibis. it seems to affect me differenly than most. i get a euphoric reaction rather than a depressent one and it seems, at least to me, to make me focus on the task at hand better but it is illeagal so we'll just leave it at that..

the bipolar statement may be true as one great aunt was hospitialized for that and one of my first cousins suffers now from that, i'll research that.

i often wonder if my brain is wired differently my IQ is 137 and i cant or wont forget the past so thats always been a problem. and 2 of my grandsons are ADHD and i wonder about me at their age as i recall myself doing what the worst one does.

i dont think the wife will ever change. if there was ever a AAA personality its her. she is driven and goal oriented but we arent close like we used to be.

anyway im glad that you guys are sharing...jim
Ahhhh a little light here. 5 or 6 times with a GOOD shrink is enough for him to know if there is something seriously wrong. My guy had me pegged after one visit. The therapy (group) time was for education.

The high IQ can be a problem. I met many in MENSA who were so smart they missed the simple things, and could over-analyze a problem to death. That can cause a kind of mental paralysis.

My problem at that time (at 25) was that my marriage was bad and I didn’t know it. I could sense it without understanding it, and had no clue about how to deal with my feelings.

Fortunately for me SWMBO and I very seldom have a difference of opinion and things are very smooth. When we DO have a problem, it sets me off into my depression. That, and deadlines, seem to be the only things that do it to me now.
 
well i looked at the bipolar NIMH site and thats me, all except for the losing interest in sex.
in the past 6 weeks i dont think ive gotten over 3 hrs sleep a night and some times i'll go 2-3 days with out sleep...jim
 
With all due respect to all involved - I'm not a big believer in the psychiatric arts. I say "arts" because they are not true sciences. To be considered science, there would have to be an actual diagnosis of a problem. Pshchiatric illnesses are, even today, still theories. (as they can't be pinpointed, like say, cancer)

Medicine, on the other hand, is applied in areas where an actual condition can be measured and diagnosed on a standard, known criteria. You can't be a little bit sick with the flu, or a little bit pregnant - you either are, or you are not, and the proof is just a microscope slide, or piss test away.

So do mental disorders exist? Well, I'm no Scientologist. There's certainly something that plagues certain peoples' brains. But for me, I was diagnosed as a youth with ADD, or whatever the hell they happen to be calling it today. For me, being diagnosed was as bad as calling me a retard. (remember when they used to use that term?) I wasn't going to let anyone tell me that I was crazy. I overcame my supposed illness, even as I spit my medication for almost 10 years. Amazing recovery. What is my mind, or mind over matter?

I believe that there is a lot of truth to mind over matter. Sure, you can pickle your brain, and chemically alter your system. But I'm not conviced that it's required. If a shrink can convince you, in a rational manner that you have a problem, why can't you do that for yourself? If you can't do it, does it have to be a shrink? There's tons of alternatives. As long as you believe it works for you, it probably does. But if that's the case, why spend your money on institutionalized junk science?

One of the first things that I changed that significantly improved my mental health, was a good nights rest - actually a consistent sleep schedule, and a change in diet. Works wonders. My eating rules are simple - no hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup, less meat, lots of veggies. Even my high grocery bill can't get me depressed!

Sorry to pop in over the top of you RJ - I just have a hard time lending credence to a system that sought to lay the blame on my "faulty" mind, rather than where it squarely belonged. (I'll keep that to myself)
 








 
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