1356: Well Enough

[dEadERest]

Originally Posted by Junkenstein

meditation as a cure for depression is like praying to cure cancer.

and you know this why?

[Junkenstein]

Originally Posted by dEadERest

and you know this why?

cause i tried. meditation just made me feel worse.

[Montucky Jess Jess]

Originally Posted by Junkenstein

i take them daily and i am against them. so i guess thats not the explanation you're looking for.

Haha... actually, I take wellbutritn (an anti-depressant) everyday, hate myself for it, feel like less of a man, so... as odd as your comment is, I totally understand what you mean! Lol.

It literally wasn't until 13 months ago that I went to a friends wedding. He is someone I admire and his wife is a doll. Whilst eating burritos the next day, hungover as all fuck, he said, "Oh honey, we forgot to take our pills." He promptly popped out a little plastic pill container. "Luke I didn't know you and Sabrina were drug addicts!" I say. (weed isn't considered a drug in my circle) So he laughed and told me 1 was a multivitamin, 1 was this and that, AND 1 was an anti-depressant. This blew me away.

Dude, I would never have thought of you as depressed - your so outgoing and social and etc. He explained that you utilize the technology we have and do your best to take care of yourself. He also called me a 'dumb-shit' and said that .."of course I'm not depressed I take these so I'm not!"

People talk about taking care of the body, but never, ever: the mind. A healthy and properly functioning brain is essentially imperative for an existence worth living.

I lost the first 30 years of my life trying to balance my 'so-called natural' imbalance of chemicals in my brain. I used hard drugs, lost friends, family, and jobs...and this was when I WASN"T doing drugs. None. Nothing I did on my own worked. I thought of killing myself in every way, even shooting vodka and cocaine w/ a syringe, into my veins! This I did more than once..Jesus fuck I scared my friends...the ones still around at that point...I was miserable,(still am to some degree) but it's amazing how much they help. I consider it a crucial step towards reclaiming your fucking life man!

And like Chemda said to intern Lucas, "You can always stop taking them.."

I suppose I didn't have to write all this. I could've just said, "Yeah Junk, I feel ya there..." but what the hell...

[Junkenstein]

no i like your post, dude.

i know more and more people who wouldve easily done without thpills, but depression can be quite shitty, even if i still meet lots of people who say its "the rich pussies fake disease". so when you're really down and a doctor tellls you he can cure you (and some of them are freakin conivncing), and pops you pills, you take them.

for some its good, i guess. it also depnds on the pills. but still, it starts as something that supposedly helps you feelin better than it becomes somethinbg you have to take or you'll get worse. so it does suck. whenever i ponder that i'm 32 and i think stuff like "i wish i could quit those without going into withdrawal", my skin crawls.

[GossipTGirl]

Originally Posted by Junkenstein

meditation as a cure for depression is like praying to cure cancer.

That may be true, but I don’t think that people give meditation the credit it deserves. Meditation may not cure depression on its own but I think that it’s one of the many things that can help you on your road to recovery. I think people are totally unaware of how much stress and tension they hold in their bodies and how much, just taking really deep breathes every now and then, can clear your mind and help get rid of some anxiety.

And yeah, it’s not just meditation, it’s mindfulness. It’s being aware of yourself; your body, your breathing, your thoughts etc. It’s active listening and a whole bunch of other things.

But I guess everybody’s different – it doesn’t hurt to try though

[Junkenstein]

Originally Posted by GossipTGirl

But I guess everybody’s different – it doesn’t hurt to try though

i guess. as i said, i tried and it failed badly. and back then putting expectations into something to get me out of depression and seeing failure after failure was quite shitty.

it is a disease, so when you try a cure and it doesnt work, it aint nice and it does hurt.

[Bucho]

There's a good episode of Penny Arcade TV where the boys talk about their own battles with mental demons and how medication has helped them stay on track and not adversely affect their creativity.

Mike Krahulik even had a fear of drugs very similar to Lucas - in fact maybe moreso because he wouldn't even smoke weed - and for a very personal and understandable reason he revealed in this episode.


Penny Arcade - PATV Episode 17 - Drugs


By the way, let me mention this - someone totally needs to make a KATG TV that shows the behind the scenes shenanigans of KATG the same way PATV shows the Penny Arcade peeps. I'd do it myself, but there's an ocean in the way.

[prettyplease]

I am a therapist working on my PhD to become a psychologist, and I'm supervised by one of the world’s top suicide researchers, so this episode really hit home for me. Lucas was awesomely honest and insightful about the issue and Keith and Chemda asked questions that were right on target with what a good therapist should be asking. If Lucas were my friend I would suggest a few things:

1. Get a regular sleep schedule. Any good doctor or therapist will tell you to do this first, because its one of the most effective ways to start treating depression. You should try to sleep the same hours every night, so get a set bedtime and waketime and stick to it (no naps!)

2. Be physically active. Again, this is something a doctor/therapist would tell you right off the bat. If you start feeling down, you probably want to hide out. Do the opposite and go for a walk, hit the gym, whatever gets you up and moving.

3. Find a therapist who specializes in cognitive behavior therapy. If you’re on the cheap, look for universities training psychologists. They usually offer the most up-to-date therapy techniques, plus they’re more affordable. There’s no harm in shopping around, either. Lucas in particular sounds like he would be an awesome client to have and a great match for cognitive behavior therapy, so it would be shame if he didn’t give therapy another try.

4. Consider meds, but its not a must-do. For treating depression, newer therapists are trained that medication can be a great boost, but its not 100% necessary if the person really commits to therapy. If you’re willing to try it, meds can rock. There is an element of finding the best fit with meds, so find a doctor you trust and be willing to try a few different medications. (Having a therapist around to coach you through finding a good medication can also be really nice, we know how frustrating the process can be.)

5. If you’re feeling suicidal, you should be talking to SOMEONE. Ideally you’d have a therapist to talk to when you hit the suicidal moments, but like Keith and Chemda mentioned, hotlines can be a great resource. I like them because they’re 24-7, so if you don’t want to bother a friend at 2am when you’re feeling suicidal, you can get all of it out to some anonymous person on the hotline. Try 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-SUICIDE.

Sorry for the long post, but its not often that you get to participate in such an open discussion about these things. Thanks, KATG (& Lucas!)

[DietCokeGeekGal]

This was a tough show to hear. So much of what Lucas echoed my own experiences. I had a friend who killed himself in high school, and my senior year was interrupted for my first hospital admission for suicidal ideation/planning. I've had 3 major episodes since then, and I'm 30 now. Lost jobs, lost friends, compromised everything somewhere along the way. Things are good now, but I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

All that talk about Charlie Sheen on the show made me laugh until I realized that what he is experiencing is pretty much the polar opposite of my experience with depression. You can't be talked out of it, you can't be reasoned with, you're just not rational.

My heart really goes out to Lucas. I wish I could say I had more faith with psychiatry, and that I know that a pill is the answer, but my experiences have been mixed. I think the science really is in its infancy compared to other medical fields, as much as I would love to just believe unwaveringly in it. Diagnosing diseases by symptoms is not generally considered good medicine, I think I've read.

I personally have been helped enormously by therapy (which I would agree is helpful in reversing bad thinking habits, cognitive distortions that someone mentioned), drugs, meditation, and exercise.

I really wish you the best, Lucas. If you were my friend I'd drag you to a therapist based on what you said. That's a scary place to be.

[dEadERest]

Originally Posted by Junkenstein

cause i tried. meditation just made me feel worse.

prolly weren't doing it right. luv ya junkenmima but meditation is not something one "tries" . .

Originally Posted by GossipTGirl

And yeah, it’s not just meditation, it’s mindfulness. It’s being aware of yourself; your body, your breathing, your thoughts etc. It’s active listening and a whole bunch of other things.

yes. oh, so very yes.
the equipment is designed for 10,000 years ago. there is no manual.
but to be mindful is to reign in and calm the mind.
there are always reasons why you can't.
I sat once, waiting for a friend, on a grassy spot on the river walk in Universal in Orlando. Was truly a challenge to tune out the environment and focus on breath.