Suicide is still a thought in my head if truth be known..but i am not depressed, it may be hard for people to understand....Am i sad? not today, but maybe later..my mood fluctuates all the time. But its not the chemicals in my head that is the problem,its this world, people....Sometimes i just dont want to be here. I think calmly, clearly, when someone is depressed they dont. Thats the point i make. That word depressed suggests mental health issues. When sometimes its a life issue, which people dont seem to understand-some of us, sometimes feel like we just dont want to be on this earth any longer. Ofcourse maybe that is rare, but it does happen.

I work with the mentally retarded and the developmentally disabled. People with down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, people with mild/moderate/severe retardation, etc. Let me tell you, I have never experienced so much discrimination in my entire life as I have since started this job ten months ago, and ALL of it has been directed at my MRDD peeps.

I've had businesses deny them access to restrooms. I've had people yell at them for touching a product in a store. I took a few of them out to lunch and a 'normal' man, who had been eating his little taco, took one look at them and said (loudly), "I can't look at this shit!" and moved so that he was facing away from my clients (we're supposed to call them 'clients', but they're so much more than that).

These are some of the best people you will ever meet. They are so sweet, so kind, so funny, so touching, and yet, to most people out in the public, most people who consider them normal, my clients are all a bunch of 'fucking retards'.

I wish 'normal' people were more understanding towards people with challenges and disabilities. I wish the world were a better place and they weren't stigmatized. But you know what? They're not stupid. When someone yells at them, "hey retard!" they *know* they're being made fun of. They know they're different. And they're made to feel horrible about something that they can't control? It makes me sick and it disgusts me.

It's a huge pet peeve of mine.

truly committed (imported) wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:11 am Suicide is still a thought in my head if truth be known..but i am not depressed, it may be hard for people to understand....Am i sad? not today, but maybe later..my mood fluctuates all the time.

That sounds like bipolar disorder, which is very closely related to depression. Chemically speaking, depression is just a form of bipolar disorder where you spend most of your time at one pole. There are other related conditions too, like atypical depression, and various dissociative disorders.

truly committed (imported) wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:11 am But its not the chemicals in my head that is the problem,its this world, people....Sometimes i just dont want to be here.

Technically speaking, everyone you think and feel IS the chemicals in your head. They're the same thing... unless you believe in some kind of magical soul or something.

truly committed (imported) wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:11 am I think calmly, clearly, when someone is depressed they dont.

Depression isn't stupidity. People with depression can think very clearly, and are often very creative and insightful. They're often very rational about their feelings.

truly committed (imported) wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:11 am That word depressed suggests mental health issues. When sometimes its a life issue, which people dont seem to understand-some of us, sometimes feel like we just dont want to be on this earth any longer. Ofcourse maybe that is rare, but it does happen.

Actually, most cases of depression are exactly what you are describing. You're confusing depression with some kind of insanity. Depression is considered a disease because it interferes with people's lives. They can't do the things they would like to do, and they suffer. Even suicide is hard to do for the depressed -- suicide is most likely to occur when a depressive person starts to feel better or has a period of elevated mood. Weird, huh?

Go through the DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and atypical depression. It's quite interesting, and you gain some insights into your own condition.

I'm quite in favour of suicide for those who have no alternative, but I do think people should make a serious effort to understand their mental state first, and should explore other options if they are available.

Depression and similar things are a big problem over here in Europe too.

Around 58,000 people in the EU die each year as a result of suicide or self inflicted injury. This compares with around 50,700 deaths per year as a result of motor vehicle traffic accidents and around 5,350 as a result of murder or homicide. [1]

Most suicide deaths are linked to mental illness, and in particular depression. 15% of people who suffer severe depression commit suicide, whilst 56% attempt suicide

I myself have beem diagnosed with aspergers-syndrome, and the biggest problem for those who are different is, we are always judged by the standarts of the average. Instead of finding strength in diversity, society disfavors people who are different. But the different folks can add with their unique view and perspective to the experience of the human condition.