This has to be one of the few things that really frustrates me. People that feel it is alright to have an opinion on something they know absolutely nothing about. In all honestly, this was something I used to do a lot, about games or films or music just so I could keep up with the 'in' crowd at school which doesn't annoy me so much. What does though, is when people have an opinion on medical problems that they don't understand and they can often say some hurtful things.
Someone said a couple of days ago that "Depression is the way you choose to look at things, you could choose to be happy if you wanted to'. Clearly, this person (whose name I wont mention) knows nothing about Depression yet somehow feels that it's okay to have this opinion. I don't know whether they just fabricated their own idea of what depression is, but this is completely untrue. People don't choose to be happy or sad any more than they can choose who they love. You cannot force yourself to be happy and more than the people around you can. Why would anyone in their right mind choose to be unhappy? Even if you don't know anything about the topic itself, common sense should tell you that much.
This person also went on to say 'You just have to think positively to deal with it'. Now this confirms to me that they really don't fully understand this problem. Happy thoughts aren't a cure for depression any more than a kitkat could cure cancer. Sure, it might make you feel a little better, but in the long term it isn't enough to fix the problem. Picture for me a scale, with books on one side representing all the negativity you may be feeling. On the other end a feather, representing all the happy thoughts you have. The good that happy thoughts can do are minute in comparison to the amount of negativity a person can feel. Not only that, but to try and think so positively all the time is exhausting. Depression is caused by a lack of the chemical Seratonin, it isn't something we can turn on and off. People with depression do know how to be happy, they are able to laugh and joke, it's the times when they can't do that where it becomes an issue.
Someone else genuinely asked "Why are people depressed for?", to me it's suggesting again that people have the choice to be depressed. We can all be happy, sad, confused etc. for no reason. Why does it become a choice with depression? The same person also seemed to believe that "People our age don't get depressed". It was at this point that I lost all faith in younger people and face-palmed so hard my face can still feel it. Naturally, I then tried to think of reasonable explanations for it. Maybe this person was just completely unaware of depression as a illness, maybe he just didn't want to talk about how he actually felt, maybe he was just acting up in front of his friends. I wanted to know what real access to information about depression this person had had, I then found out one of their parents was a GP. Yes, one of his parents actually is a doctor, and still this person seemed to know nothing. They were so naive that they actually said "suicidal people are stupid." I don't even think I need to discuss that one. I just feel bad that young people are not fully educated about things like mental illness, to the point where they don't even acknowledge they exist. I'm not angry at this person, I'm just sad that they haven't got the information to make a proper assessment.
All I can say now is this. If you want to have an opinion on a medical issue, read up on it first. Make sure you know what you're talking about. If you don't you could say things that seriously offend people and in turn make you look like a horrible person. You could become that person that just doesn't get it, and who is going to want to ask you for help if they're suffering?
2 comments:
I think a lot of people use the word 'depression' too lightly these days so there can easily be a lot of misinterpretation when someone says they are struggling with it.
A similar thing happens all the time with sexual orientations. A lot of young people will say they are gay/lesbian without really thinking or knowing about it and it later turns out it's 'just a phase'. It puts a bad reputation on those who actually fit in the label and it's not fair because it means we aren't taken as seriously anymore.
Common sense should also tell people not to judge what they don't understand and get their facts right before saying something, especially with things like this. More people need to realise this, and the fact that people with depression can't 'just be happy'. It takes time and effort to get better, just like with any other illness.
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