Depression

I know they did treat people like this. I had a girlfriend who was diagnosed with it when she was young. She just found out a few years ago, when she switched psychiatrists, that she was misdiagnosed. She really only has severe, clinical depression, what previous doctor thought was manic phase, was her true personality.

Gayle,ONLY has severe,clinical depression!Any type of depression cannot be called ONLY,as all depressions are life altering to ones who has it,also to thier family and close friends.

With respect,

still b my friend?

Kay

I am well aware that depression cannot really be called only. I suffer from severe depression myself, both situational and chemical.

My point was, they were treating her for an illness that she did not have, treating her for both sides of that illness. When in reality she only had one part of the equation, depression. Not mania, or anything else connected to bipolar.

gayle,I realize what you mean about"only" now.

I am happy for your friend that she was finally diagnosed with depression,and not bipolar.Bipolar is a life-wrecker disease that must be treated forever.Unless a new drug will "CURE"it.Two things I pray for.a cure for cancer,a cure for bipolar.Iam now about to go into the manic stage,after so many years I can detect when its coming,mainly with my thought process and wanting to do and do and being unable to just be!

Ihave an appointment to see my psy.next week and he will adjust my medication.

I too am happy for my friend, and I feel great sorrow over her misdiagnosis. She was treated for bipolar from her teens, to her mid-forties, and that was not what she had.

I wish that for now you can find the right medication(s), and that one day they will find a cure.

I am an artist and moods do effect my work, however depression for me kills any inspiration so vitally needed for creativity.

I think depression is possibly why Van Gough cut off his ear but I stretch to believe depression inspired him to paint beautiful paintings.

Maybe for some its possible, for me no.

I am currently reading a book entitled "Lincoln's Melancholy" How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness.

Apparently, Abraham Lincoln suffered from depression, except that in those days, the 1800's, they called it melancholy. According to this book Lincoln would sometimes become paralyzed by his depression, and other times he'd tell jokes and become the center of attention. (Sounds like bipolar to me). This book also makes a point that I agree with from my own experience. The book, authored by Joshua Wolf Shenk, states that often the depressed becomes engrossed in his or her job because it may be the only thing they can focus. When I was in the throes of my depression I would be on my computer all day and all night. I hardly ever slept at night and during the day I'd take cat naps. My wife and children would complain about how unnatural it was for anyone to spend so much time on the computer. My reply always was that I was working on websites that when completed would generate income. Now don't get me wrong, there were times when I too was paralyzed and could not function at all. I had no affect and nothing could make me smile. I only felt normal when I was on my computer.

Recently my medication was changed and I am feeling "normal" again. No hint of depression. The other day I tried going online to work on one of my "websites" and realised how useless they are and how much time I wasted. My wife was right all alone.

Many comedians have revealed that they suffer from depression, think about it some of the jokes you hear could only have been thought up by a depressed person.

In summation, our 16th President was depressed and he functioned, (he had his bouts of isolationism, and irrational behavior) Mike Wallace suffers from depression and he is able to function normally, he is a famous journalist. Maybe there is some truth to the statement that depression creates creativity. It doesn't happen for everyone but for some.