Depression is nothing more than lack of self-esteem and identity. The depressed doesn't believe in themselves, they don't believe they have a destiny, they have no faith - nor do they work at creating it. — Agustino
What causes depression? Expectations that you deserve X or Y to be given to you. — Agustino
Who the hell are you to complain and ask why you're suffering, etc.? — Agustino
God told Job no point arguing with me. Who are you to question my decisions? I am the Lord your God, and if I decide to let you suffer, then you will suffer. — Agustino
There's a certain strength of the will that they (we) lack. there's a certain build-up of emotional and spiritual detritus that leads to an inability to cope with anything, or deal with anything real. This is what leads to the "alternate reality" of the depressed, the addicted, the suicidal. It is exactly that, and don't mistake it: this world is an alternate reality; a nightmare world. — Noble Dust
There is something important here, but to put it this way does not make it easy to get at. Perhaps one could put it more open-endedly, that there may be a function, that depression 'works' in some way as a response to the world. Another question that I like better is, "what are you depressing?" — unenlightened
Again, someone may not love their partner but the suggestion to leave them would cause a number of other 'losses' that it far outweighs it, thus one forms a certain tolerance that they blindly conform and silence their own voice to maintain a relationship that they are really unhappy in. — TimeLine
To articulate the right language to speak and fight this monster takes time... — TimeLine
Well to change the situation in the world takes time, to say what needs to be said, or whatever, but my experience is that the change of mind is like flash of insight, or a burden dropped; it is instantaneous. "Actually, fuck it, I am the sort of person that walks out when the show is over." Years of misery can end with a simple insight. — unenlightened
Bin there, done that, got the scars. "I am not the sort of person that walks out when the relationship gets difficult." - is an attractive identity, that might look from the outside more like a doormat. — unenlightened
Depends. If you have strength of character you won't be a doormat. You'll be an invitation to something more. A doormat is characterised by need - a doormat is captive to their needs, self-centered and will do anything to get them fulfilled. A doormat is obsessed and attached to winning.Bin there, done that, got the scars. "I am not the sort of person that walks out when the relationship gets difficult." - is an attractive identity, that might look from the outside more like a doormat. — unenlightened
No, you mean they always invent reasons why something can't be done, coming up with constraints they're not actually under.Yes, but how can you not recognise the constraints you're under? Most people are very good at this part - too good. They always find the reasons why something can't be done. — Agustino
Not necessarily - they may also overestimate the constraints they're under, blow them out of proportions.No, you mean they always invent reasons why something can't be done, coming up with constraints they're not actually under. — Noblosh
Willpower can break passivity and inaction.Your rhetoric suggests that willpower alone can break constraints one step at a time. — Noblosh
Does it mean I'm trying to persuade every single time I tell you something about my own beliefs? I don't think so. Even an atheist can understand the meaning of "God gave you that so you have the duty to" -> you didn't create yourself nor are you responsible entirely for who you are - so you have a duty to the world (which gave you everything).You may negate any of your attempts at persuasion and may neither take advices nor complaints from me but your "God gave you that so you have the duty to" paradigm surely doesn't fool me. — Noblosh
It is actually telling that you mentioned Thoreau. Well over a decade ago now when I was young... — TimeLine
I think learned helplessness might be relevant to what's going on in the mind of a depressive. The thing is, learned helplessness experiments were about specific situations. The elephant in the video learned to be helpless abut the rope tied to its leg. But where's the evidence that learned helplessness is also general as in the case of depression? When we are depressed we aren't depressed about one thing. It's more of a mood thing. It would be interesting if there were experiments on generalized helplessness.Depression also goes by another name, which I was wondering what some of you think about. Namely, 'learned-helplessness'. — Question
It would be interesting if there were experiments on generalized helplessnes — Purple Pond
Doesn't follow. That's my main problem with your reasoning: you come up with unfounded imperatives.you didn't create yourself nor are you responsible entirely for who you are - so you have a duty to the world (which gave you everything) — Agustino
In psychiatry depression is considered a chemical perturbation and is, obviously,treated as such. How much philosophers will subscribe to this interpretation depends on the degree of difference they see between mind and body. The body affecting the mind is scientific but the mind influencing the body is, as yet, psuedoscience. — TheMadFool
So, the placebo effect is just superstition gone wild? — Question
To be frank, the placebo effect is still explainable in terms of chemistry. — TheMadFool
That depends on whether you're willing to make the strict claim that beliefs are all material. But, then if we suppose that for a moment, how do you explain the efficacy of some beliefs? In other words, how or why are they so effective? Makes homeopathy relevant at the dismay of the doctors — Question
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