I spoke to a depressed guy yesterday about this. He said there is a physical pain involved that he could not describe but he said he could see someone killing themselves to make it go away.

He stressed that this is a real thing and not just something in your mind. If it were bought on by stress everyone would have it since just living is a stressful thing. There are some people that say they thrive on stress; I do my best work under stress.... And this is true. It is all a part of how they are put together and some of them also suffer from depression.

This depression thing is real. It is just not understood by a majority of the population.

Yes I'm on meds,and I'm not ashamed.Its a chemical,or lack of thing. Alot of people suffer and go without help,as society expects you to suck it in.Religous people tell you its your relationship with God.I'm glad my V.A. has caring staff.

A friend of mine had a stroke. He lost his $80,000 a year job and is now on Social Security disability or whatever they call it. The Doctors told him he had about two years to live and that he would never be able to drive again. So they said he needed anti-depressants because he had to be depressed.

He wasn't. He said sometimes life throws you a curve and you just go with it. Nobody lives forever and he never thought he would get out of this alive, so while his situation is not great he isn't too shook up about it.

This has never been a guy with a sunny disposition but he always looked at life in a realistic manner. The doctors were amazed he was not depressed, but depression is a thing and even though he has the struggles of Job lain on him at least he is not inflicted with depression.

And if you are seek help. Would you treat yourself for cancer?

I don't see a problem with that. If many are depressed from it, it is a good bet that he might be too. They are playing the odds and being proactive.

Cancer is a physical illness. You can biopsy the tissue. The other is under the realm of Psychology. IMO one is real, the other, a SWAG.

My parents are of that group. I wouldn't say they are not caring either but they honestly believe there is a deity that watches out for them and that I need to get in good with this concept. If it comes out as desired, god is great. If not, god has a plan that you cannot understand but it comes out good in the end. I suppose that as the kids move out and they realize their mortality, they have to have something, regardless of how fictional to latch on to as a promise of tomorrow. Senility probably plays a huge role in it too.

Shazbat.

A local columnist wrote about a chance encounter with Robin at a coffee shop. He came out with his coffee and there were not a lot of tables available so he saw this guy sitting there in sunglasses and asked if he could sit. The fellow said certainly. After a while the writer noticed it was Robin. They had a nice normal conversation. A lady came up and complimented Robin and he was very gracious. Eventually though it came to an end and they said goodby. A great memory for him.

Another person said that being an avid biker Robin would sometimes get into the background of peoples pictures and just look at the camera and smile. Cool. They look at the picture later and there is Robin in it.

Sounds like a well grounded nice man.

I took meds for about 7 years for a mild form of Bipolar they told me I had. Not ashamed to admit it really. I can relate to what the poor guy went through. I remember someone saying Robin was Bipolar, but chose not to take meds because he enjoyed the mania and didn't want to lose his sense of humor. I can understand that. I don't take them myself because it seems to decrease libido, and I won't ever put up with that. I just have to control myself more, and I'm still not sunshine to deal with every day at all, but I get by and I'm better than I used to be.

The best man at my wedding and a good friend suffered from Bi Polar. I'd always wonder if I'd find out he had killed himself or something. He did die this year and nobody said what happened but I suspect it was suicide. A wonderful gentle man.

Back before it took over his life he was a whiz at design in school when in the maniac phase but when down he just couldn't get anything done. He had one structures course that he had to complete before graduating.....took him 3 years I believe to finish it.

The rest of us were graduated and gone and he was stuck in Muncie trying to pass that course. It was not til later the bi polar was diagnosed.

When he took his meds he balloned up and could not fit his clothes. He was married for a while but once in a breakdown period when he was in a hospital his wife sold off his nice XKE and then left him.

There's no advantage to the doctors for not trying to prescribe drugs. In that case, if they didn't they could be looking at a malpractice lawsuit, if he did harm to himself. By prescribing drugs, it also insures your patient will be a source of an income stream for subsequent appointments for more drug prescriptions. Unless your "friend" is required to visit those doctors to keep his SSDisability, he's probably better off staying away from them.

You and others may not realize this, but Williams was a very, very long term legal and illegal drug abuser/user. Drugs were more likely than not the cause of him taking his own life. Anything that makes you feel good (drugs,) will also make you feel bad at some point. That's how drugs work. Drug abusers may not realize this because of denial and or the drugs have taken over the individual.

I didn't see any problem with it myself. I was only making the comment to show that some people are prone to depression and some are not and there is a biological reason for that.

He was giving some drugs that were supposed to help and found they did more harm than good. I got to hear all about it since this was the new occupation he had taken on. One drug they gave him had a side effect of weird dreams. He never told us what he dreamed about but he said LSD could not have been any worse. He stopped taking that was was told he would die soon but so far he is still kicking. As the old joke goes, 'You call that living?'

You would be amazed to know which of your favorite actors take drugs. Williams was just open about it; most are not.

Many people with depression self medicate with the intoxicant of choice, many of which use alcohol.

I doubt it. Scripts last for a year unless they are schedule II narcotics or there is some really cool reason they need to see you which is related to how the drug works.

Yes, because normal people don't have bad days. :rolleyes: I've had rough weeks and such is life. Some days are bad and they go on for a while till you break the streak. Williams abused drugs but I don't know for certain if he died from them or he had got sick of living. Either way, it is his choice. He is a grown man and I respect it whether I agree with it or not. He was not one of the attention whores who threaten to kill themselves to get attention. Met one of them and even offered to buy him a copy of The Final Exit. We pulled out the chair but he wouldn't sit. Transferred out after he got sick of the suicide jokes, I guess.

Q: Why can't you borrow a copy of The Final Exit from the Library?
A: Some people borrow and don't return the book.

Is that a theory or has it been proven fact? I don't bother reading psych so I might not be up to date on it but last time I did, it was a theory? :confused: