You're right. I believe it all comes back to how much willpower you have. I'll try to elaborate on this topic as soon as I have the chance because it touches many people, including myself. I'm still struggling with depression but I'm doing all I can in order not to give in to it. It's tough but as you said, we will eventually get past it if we try hard enough.
Thank you for your feedback :)
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
I don't think so at all. It has nothing to do with will power for some folks. In fact, I know it isn't. I can think of a few off the top of my head who have more will power in their pinky finger than most of us put together. And they still suffer from clinical depression.
Part of the stigma with depression is this very line of thinking -- that if you just had enough will power, you'd find a way to get healed. OK, there is some will power involved in finding tools that help a person with recovering from something as brutal as clinical depression. But the dialogue needs to be perhaps more all-encompassing.
I have a former college roommate who was severely abused as a child. She suffers from serious clinical depression to the degree that she voluntarily admits herself to the mental health ward every few months so she is not a danger to herself. She simply cannot help how she is feeling, and so enrolls in a place that is safe so she is not harming herself or others. She has been treated by various therapists, therapies, and doctors, and continues to improve over the years, but she and I both know that her likelihood of full recovery is unrealistic. And that's OK. It's just the way it is.
I have another former coworker who is bedridden from time to time due to lack of dopamine as well as Vitamin B deficiency. She suffers from both, among other things. She gets injections, takes medication, exercised daily, watches her diet for allergies and processed foods, and is charming and driven to do the best she can for herself. But she unwittingly cascades into a state of non-recovery about twice a year, for several weeks. Her husband and children simply have to endure. And it's so tragic. And she doesn't know where it comes from. But she is the LAST person on earth I would consider lacking in will power or attempts to heal and be whole in her mind. She was never abused or involved in any kind of traumatic event. She simply lacks the kind of brain chemistry needed to keep herself upbeat most of the time. And so needs help.
There really are so many factors at play, from trauma, to brain chemistry, to genetics, to allergies, to sleep issues, to neurological disorders, to PTSD, to medications, to family dynamics and thinking patterns.
I think until we change the brain patterns and brain chemistry, it's a long row to hoe. But there are several ways of going about each, and there is no one answer for any of it.
just my 2 cents.