I wonder, if a person can ever recover from depression. Recover, fully. And by “fully” I mean feel real happiness again. Be passionate about something again. Care about things, hobbys and human beings again. Recover, so that you would never ever want to hurt- or underestimate yourself again. Just truly love yourself.
Is that a possibility?
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i would have to say no
This was me last year before “things” happened. I was depression free. So, it is possible.
Don’t worry, I feel like utter shit nowadays and feel like my life isn’t worth living. But yep, true happiness can still be felt.
It’s possible to feel happy again. But it doesn’t last forever and thats when it’s easy to slip back into depression. You may not see that as recovery, but if the happy times are genuine, even if they only last a few days, I’d call that recovery. I don’t see depression as a disease, I see it more like an injury. You sprain your ankle and you can’t walk for a while, but you eventually feel better and walk again. But that doesn’t mean you’ll never sprain your ankle again.
Depression works that way with me. Something will make me feel awful, but I’ll eventually fix or get over it. But then something else totally different will get me down again. I don’t think it’s the same “disease”, I think it’s more like being accident prone and spraining my ankle a lot. Maybe the recovery you’re talking about would be like learning how to never get hurt. But that, I can definitely say, is impossible.
Im pretty sure it’s totally possible.
I don’t know, but I’m trying to find out.
I think a person can decrease their depression. Make it more manageable and less of an issue in their lives. I think it will always be there, but can be kept at bay so you can lead a somewhat normal life.
My understanding on this, is simply that a “Full Recovery” isn’t possible.
Depression can not be cured, once you have gotten into the cycle of suffering from depression you can never leave it.
Your options?
You can learn to deal with depression, you can learn to suppress it as much as possible, this varies from person to person and there are many levels of depression, some don’t experience it as severely as others, and depression doesn’t always have the same effect on everyone
can you feel real happiness again when suffering from depression? Absolutely.
Will that real happiness last forever? Highly unlikely.
Can you be passionate about something again when suffering with depression?
Yes, I know so because I have found passions in many things while dragging myself through life burdened with depression and various other mental illness.
Is it easy to find those passions? Not even a little bit. But know it is possible, try to hold onto them when you find them, it isn’t easy.
Care about things/hobbies/human beings.
I for one never stopped caring about others, people are extremely important to me and always have been, there are moments where I feel the entire world is against me, but I have never truly stopped loving people in general, I keep a lot of people close to my heart and even when some of those people turn around and betray me in unacceptable ways, I don’t let such things destroy that love and passion I have for the concept of “people”.
But that is just me, so yes it is possible to care about people when suffering from depression.
Things and hobbies is the same area as passions.
Though in my case it is very hard to find motivation, possible but extremely difficult.
I don’t think that’ll ever be easy.
As for loving yourself I’m sorry but I do not know, I would like to think that is possible but, I myself am stuck in a constant cycle of self neglect. I understimate myself on a daily basis, though i think everyone does so.
Hurt yourself? Physically in terms of self harm yes that is actually possible to stop, after my suicide attempt I was clean 3 years but recently relapsed.
Emotionally and mentally ? Such pain is unavoidable.
In conclusion, depression is forever and can not be “cured” all you can do is learn to cope with it and maybe make adjustments to better deal with situations.
It hinders you in life sure and things become a lot harder, but it doesn’t have to be the end of everything good.
liver cirrhosis cannot be cured. it is a physical disease of the body for which their is no medical treatment known to reverse it.
As far as i am able to understand reality, depression is a collection of symptoms that is caused by biological and environmental factors. It is real in the sense that a person with a personality disorder may find it impossible to act outside of the symptoms of the disorder because those pathways have become their default, not in the way that scars may exist on the liver of a heavy drinker.
Depression isn’t something you catch. It’s a maladaption. It exists in cycles of moods and behaviors.
Im sure some people will never exit their depression. That is different from saying they cannot. To say it incurable is speaking in such a way that encourages the idea that depression is some kind of physical disease that you randomly get. No depression happens because of a humans (their brain/ego) response to life events.
A heavy drinker with cirrhosis cannot will his liver healed. A human being over the course of many years and using different methods may re organize himself, his life, his mind and behaviors and otherwise make such progress within himself to exit depression.
I’m not saying it will happen with everyone who is depressed. But i really don’t see how anyone doctor or patient can have the nerve to toss around such affirmations as “not only does this disease of the mind exist in the way i describe, but you are forever trapped once you have it.”
it’s ridiculous of course you CAN recover. WILL you recover? none of us know that.
I was depressed for many years. suicidal and self harming for years. I found the root causes and worked at them for years. now my life has largely returned to the way it was before i started going downhill almost a decade ago.
what i’m trying to say is…don’t set yourself up for failure by writing yourself into a corner within your mind.
Sure you can have a complete recovery, just like you can have a catastrophic relapse. The catch is defining “complete recovery.”
Why aren’t mental health diagnoses ever terminal? Because I sure feel like they are.
Recover? No. Cope? Yes. Sometimes it’s meds. I fucking hate it, but my brain chemistry dictates I’ll be on medication either a) the rest of my life or b) until menopause proves my theory correct and I stop going suicidal every month. (“Oh, but we can’t perform a full hysterectomy, you might change your mind about wanting children!” Like I did between deciding I didn’t want kids when I was still a teenager and getting my tubes tied when I turned 25? Morons.) Sometimes it’s finding a counselor who doesn’t have their own agenda and who will actually help you. Sometimes it’s a life change of some variety. And sometimes it’s something completely random, like finding someone else who’s just a little bit broken also, but together the two of you almost make up a whole person. Whatever. But recover completely? No. Happiness is possible though. /tired ramble