what’s depression and why are so many people suffering from it, Is it really so bad or are they trying to make an excuse to skip their work?
In: Biology
Some other people already explained the role of brain chemistry and neurotransmitters. Nobody truly knows what *causes* depression or why people are suffering from it, we just know that manipulating the serotonin levels in the brain can help relieve it. Many believe that there is a genetic predisposition and that some people’s brain chemistry is just more prone to depression, but there is also abundant evidence that it is environmental. This goes back to the nature vs. nurture debate. We cannot look at an individual and say, “Your depression is 30% genetic and 70% environmental.” Our understanding is not that clear.
There have always been people who have been described as melancholy or despairing, and suicide has always been around. However, it is very clear is that there is something about our modern world that is exacerbating the problem. Social media, for example, has been linked to a drastic uptick in depression (especially among teens). Meanwhile, chronic depression is virtually unheard of among people who live in primitive (or traditional) societies. The current hypothesis is that our modern world tends towards isolation and competition, whereas in more primitive societies people remain constantly surrounded by close family and everyone serves a role.
Anyway…
The second half of the question asks, ‘is it really so bad?’ The answer is unequivocal: **Yes, it really is that bad.**
It is hard for a cognitively normal person to understand just how bad depression can get. You have probably been sad at some point in your life because you suffered a misfortune (such as a death in the family, losing a job, etc). Take a minute to think about the saddest, most disappointing moment of your entire life, and then imagine that sadness lasted *forever*. Even when circumstances indicate you should be happy (like if something good happens to you) you still feel a deep, crushing sadness.
But it gets worse.
Your body is constantly fatigued. You feel guilty or ashamed all the time. Your anxieties are overwhelming. Even when good things happen, you know you don’t really ‘deserve’ it. You don’t want to be around people, because they make you feel ashamed and humiliated. Their happiness just reminds you how miserable and different and alone you really are, so you stop talking to them and put in earbuds so don’t have to listen to their voices. Then you realize that listening to music at an unpleasantly high volume can distract you from your miserable thoughts, so that’s what you do.
You are so tired, frustrated, angry, and bitter that you can’t focus on your work. Some days you can’t find the motivation get up, or move, or even eat. You just lay in bed contemplating how worthless you are. You sleep as much as possible because sleep is the only time you don’t feel miserable. You can’t make long-term goals because *why the fuck would you*? You’re just a worthless piece of shit and everything you do is shit, so putting actual effort into accomplishing things is just a waste of everybody’s time. The people you meet actively hate you, so why would you bother socializing? Eventually you stop washing and shaving because *who fucking cares*, right?
You are the absolute bottom of the human totem pole, and if you haven’t lost your job yet its just because your boss hasn’t realized what a piece of shit you really are. He’s going to figure it out sooner or later. And then you and your whole family are going to wind up living in a cardboard box but *at least then you’ll be getting what you actually deserve*.
So you hate your life, you hate yourself, you can barely summon the energy to actually function from day to day, you are a burden and a nuisance to the people around you, and you know it’s just a matter of time before your whole life just falls the fuck apart… so why not save everyone the hassle and skip straight to the end?
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