# The Great Depression Debate-bit of a long 'un



## smooshkin (Dec 17, 2005)

Hi....I dont need an answer myself to this question but i just wanted to see what opinions people had to this....see how broad the spectrum is.....

had a debate/discuss with a friend yesterday....

''Can some people just have depression (i.e genetic/from birth) or does it always have to have a catalyst.

My friend had the opinion (he monopolised the conversation for 20 minutes on his opinion) that depression is and will only be able to be caused if there is a catalyst (poor upbringing/trauma). If someone has a happy/stable home and good job etc etc and they develop behaviours similar to those behaviours in people with depression then they are just being silly and really should pull themselves together.

I stayed quiet on this conversation and allowed my boyfriend to take the reins...he has depression too, but he also comes from a very stable home... hes talented, attractive, in good physical health (depsite his ocd health anxiety issues). His father however has depression, his Nan on his dad's side also had depression and so on and so forth....

We know all about the chems in the brain...so can people just be lacking the balance when they are born or do we ALWAYS need something to tip the balance itself??

I feel that you dont necessarily have to have something happen in your life to have depression, sometimes thats just the way it is...i also feel that my friend has probaly never experienced what it is really like to have depression as supposed to just having a ''bad day''...
What about susceptibility? Im confused with this one...(only because im having a 'brain-fog' day.) Can some people be more susceptable to depression without it being genetic or from birth? Or how much can one person take? Obviously its different for every individual, but a lot of the stuff he was saying seemed to me like he was taking utter rubbish...he said that depression is like his eczema as he would never had developed the condition if he wasnt given cows milk as a child.....

Anyway, thanks for reading this, any opinion would be nice to read....


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Well i think a person can be born with depression. I can remember being depressed as far back as 10 years old even. I had a perfectly normal boring childhood so thers nothing to blame there. I just remember feeling horribly depressed sometimes for no reason.

Just lately though ive been unofficially diagnosed as bipolar and there is a genetic link to that. I think unipolar depression has been shown to have a genetic link as well.

I hate it when people say that your just being silly and acting depressed. Ive seriously come close to giving someone a busted head over that argument. Who the hell want's to be depressed? It's a stupid argument you cant just pull yourself out of depression.

When i was around 14 or so my depession kind of lifted abit. I was still mildly depressed on and off but it wasent major depression. I also had mood swings sometimes but they werent nearly as black or out of control.

But for the majority of my teens i self medicated all my mental health problems with generous helping of booze, weed, shrooms and any other substance that came along. So i might have had it worse if i wasent bombed outta my head all the time.

Weed does work suprisingly well on mood swings but alcohol is the devil for me.

I think you can be born depressed but a catalyst can make you worse or set it off in susceptible individual's. When i developed chronic pain my mood swings and depression became much worse. I was out of control for awile. I still dont have it fully under control.


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## smooshkin (Dec 17, 2005)

Thanks for that. i found that smoking weed has certainly helped ''stabalize'' my mood to a certain extent...except when i first experienced DP and thought i'd 'blown my mind' my mum has major depression at the moment...her husband has told her to get better by christmas...WTF!!! Anyway, my boyfriend is still reeling from the conversation, it all remained very amicable...i just pyschoanalysed him to the highest degree (the mate)...he has a very clever younger brother so i think hes trying to make out like he knows his stuff as well...im sorry to here about your recent news though...i hope you get all the support you need


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## Max_Power (Oct 26, 2006)

I think it can be hereditary because depression can be seen as a chemical imbalance in the brain. Now that's physical, so anything physical can be passed down in genes. It might take some time to be noticable or increase to the point where it gets severe. So personally, i think it is genetic but also can be induced by events in one's life. Because obviously there are lots of people who are depressed for a reason that they know of and when they deal with that reason the depression lifts. Some people can't do that and that's where the imbalance comes in. Even if you dont see it in your parents you can still get it from them because they can still carry the gene but it can remain inactive in them and become active in their children.  sorry i live in a family of scientists this is all they talk about...

-Max Power


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## IMSojourner (Nov 4, 2006)

The medical professionals talk in terms of there being two prongs to depression: a predisposition toward it, and a triggering event.

So, no, just because you're born with a predisposition toward depression does not mean you are going to be depressed.

But of course none of this is absolute. Considering the fact that everybody has pain and suffering, and different experiences, it's not all that hard to find a trigger.

Psychologically, depression has been defined (by Freud, at least) as anger turned inward.

But be brave: nobody who has ever lived is free from neurosis.

The famous actor who craves adulation and gets it from his audience is defending against his neurosis in an acceptable way that works for him and for society.

Same neurosis in a man who hasn't the gifts of the actor gets defended against by his robbing banks and making people fear him.

Same neurosis, different responses; one works, and the other doesn't work well for anyone, least of all the poor person with the neurosis.

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Added: Personally, I find Freud's explanation of personality development to make the most sense, but I disagree on some things that are not considered essential. And I've progressed in psychoanalytic therapy based on his theories.


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## hotrille (May 10, 2007)

I'm not sure why, but just to add.. To me it seems like bi-polar disorder is more ingrained in the body than the depression set on by life events. Has anyone else noticed this? That if you have bi-polar than the depression is a lot 'deeper' and possibly due more to biology than psychology.. I think in some cases it is definitely biological, in other cases, life circumstances.


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## ruyhwong (Oct 4, 2007)

Calms Forte helps me relax and rest with noises everywhere. I was having such sleepless nights and my days were filled with anxiety and depression. then i take Calms Forte. My nerves were finally settled down. What a relief.
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## Guest (Oct 4, 2007)

*Tapes ruyhwong's hands together* :roll:

OMG, I can totally emathize with you..! :shock: I gotta buy so much of that stuff!


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