The discussion continues regarding the list of tips I posted on how to manage depression. Chad raised some concerns and questions, sincerely and thoughtfully presented. In response to a comment someone left on his blog, he raises another question — an excellent one, though I don’t have an answer.
I want to say this nicely and eloquently, but I can’t, so I’m going to resort to bluntness. Is management of depression achievable or is it mere deception for the depressed?
I think that there are infinite levels of depression and all of them are difficult to measure with any sort of metric. It seems to me that an individual can go through several different levels on any given day. If the depressed individual follows this list, some other list, or the Atkins diet, is there any way to effectively measure the result?
Thanks for the plug and support!
This question occured to me because a friend of mine is on a medication that, if it works, is supposed to slowly elevate him to a peak of… contentment, happiness, I’m not really sure and then he falls back to a low.
Clearly they have established a metric to track this sort of thing, but I’ll wager that its a fuzzy measurement at best.
*I* am the only yardstick of my depression, and my perceptions are faulty at best. I know when I feel good, but I often fail to realize I’m on a downward slide until right before I hit bottom. It’s kind of like Wile E. Coyote walking off the edge of the cliff, not realizing he’s strolling over thin air until he looks down, by which time it’s too late.
What I like about the tips for managng depression is that the help cultivate awareness and routine. I don’t know that you can reasonably assign metrics to progress, but there is comfort in process, and being concious of the rhythms of one’s body and moods goes a looooong way.