If we have been depressing (because like it or not, it's a pattern of behavior we choose as a reaction to our pain)

This made me laugh so hard. I have a severe mental illness and I don't choose when I am depressing and when I am not, much of it has to do with what medications I am on. Right now my meds are not doing well, but usually I'm pretty upbeat.

If you haven't felt mental illness past a simple heartbreak or the typical suicidal feelings everybody gets, just stop speaking on the subject like you know about it.

@OmegaMNSR@xanga - If anything, I wish I had taken my own life sooner

How absolutely ignorant. We are CHOOSING to have a mental illness??

Educate yourself on mental illness. It's like telling someone they've chosen to have cancer. Comments like yours make me VERY angry.

I don't think the writer meant that we CHOOSE to be depressed (like we want a mental illness), but rather that we can choose to try to find a better solution than suicide. 

I have never suffered from any form of mental illness, yet. But I have been through horrible situations, I have felt depressed, devastated and moments of despair. but I always have a faith that, things will turn out fine, that i will feel better, and that faith, has kept me going on and holding on all this while. this faith doesn't comes from any religion or god, its comes from my friends,  people who still love me dearly, and people like yourself, who post this to motivate others. So, thank you very much. 

I have so much to say I wrote it down in a book. You'll see then.

I liked this, apart from the choosing part. Its simply not true for most cases. But the rest of the post was kind and true so I'll let you off

Is this what God taught you?
That would probably explain why it all sounds made up on the spot....

@psihavesurveys@xanga,@deadasitgets@xanga,@newportbreeze@xanga,@chadwilly@xanga,@under_the_carpet@xanga@ZombieMom_Speaks@xanga,@Epiphany,@MyPublicSite@xanga - I clearly need to make a clarification. 

I didn't mean to communicate that any person is ever responsible for a mental illness. That would be more than ignorant, it would be irresponsible and damaging. I'm sorry if I poorly communicated my message and caused any hurt. I tried not to word this post in a way that would give such an impression but it seems that many received that message through my wording. My words "When we've been depressing..." could have been better stated, "When we employ behavior that depresses..." I was using a verb.

When I said that we choose depressing behavior what I meant is that when we hurt we often function out of pain in a way that creates more pain or sustains the pain we've been experiencing and as a result don't find our way out of depression. Often times we choose to sit on the couch instead of going outside, we choose to dwell on a problem instead of a solution, choose to isolate ourselves instead of socializing, etc. We do not, however, choose to hurt because our Father left us or our spouse died. I'm not saying that anytime we feel depressed it is because we choose that feeling. There is a distinct difference between feeling, action, and chemical makeup. The three all affect each other but they aren't the same. To be depressed is not a choice. To depress is a choice. Nobody should ever be blamed for their pain. People should be held accountable for their choices and behavior. People should be taught how to identify their behavior and why they behave that way and how they can best behave in a way that helps them to meet their ultimate needs.

To better understand the rest of this idea in fair fashion one really ought to check out the rest of Choice Theory. As I indicated in my footnote, this notion comes from a very highly respected counseling book/theory called Choice Theory which derives from Dr. William Glasser. A lot of people dislike some of his ideas at first, especially when they discover he has never prescribed anti-depressents, but when one looks at his results it's hard to disagree with a lot of his strategy. Even if you end up disagreeing with him in parts his book is definitely worth reading.

Several successful counselors (who have counseled for several decades) that I have personally met and worked with have followed Glasser's theory with great results. I've also used Glasser's theory in my own life and in my lay counseling with others who have suffered depression. I speak only from experience and trust in respected and successful counselors who are trained and experienced in the issue of helping those with depression (and similar issues). 

I hope this helps to clear up any confusion that has come from this post. 

@TheGreatBout@xanga - I'm training to be a counsellor so I'll have a read of this Choice Theory, we've not studied it, I don't know if I'd go by it but it's good to know all the theories, even if I don't agree, I can still learn from them and respect the ideas behind them.

"Don't kill yourself; kill what you don't like [about yourself]."

I may not follow any set religion, but thankfully, after a plan of killing myself recently, I decided to voluntarily go into a psychiatric fascility.  I just got out today and feel great.  Whoever God is, I thank them.

@MyPublicSite@xanga - @Epiphany - @ZombieMom_Speaks@xanga - @newportbreeze@xanga - @deadasitgets@xanga - @psihavesurveys@xanga -

I find it extremely ironic that the church here is talking about depression when they have been the ones much of the time manufacturing false guilt and shame (depression) for the last 2000 years. Gay teens is only one example. He said "let's make the choice to walk out of pain". Riiight! That sounds all peachy and fuzzy but if people could just "walk out of pain" then the multiple billion dollar psychological mental health industry would not exists. Neither would drugs. This is an insult and the church needs to keep their mouths shut about the very thing they have been very very much of the time responsible for. Unfrickenbelievable!!!