this site is fairly interesting

[lauralh]

Do you have Dysthymia? or various other mental disorders.

While I personally am more in favor of lifestyle and behavior changes to combat depression and such, I sometimes read my friends list or comments on my posts and think "damn kid, you need some meds." Not gonna name any names, but when a friend of mine a few months ago told me that he thought he might be depressed, I was thinking "Um no shit dude, I knew this years ago." But he read a lot about it, started taking St. John's Wort, and stopped merely feeling sorry for himself. And, well, he's not in such a terrible black hole anymore...

erg, more later. I am sleepy.

Comments

No shit.

[sarahbliss.livejournal.com]

I think half the people I meet could use a dose of anti-depressants and almost all of them could use valium once in awhile.

That being said, I'm sick of everything being a "mental disorder". Not every freaking personality trait that happens to be a little extreme in a person is a "disorder". Let's just create a nation of whiny self-pitying victims why don't we.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

There are levels and levels, I think. The problem is that (nowadays) there are so many people that it's easier to define what is "normal" or at least average (if most people do something, it's normal). If you deviate too far from the average, then you're mental. I know a lot of people use this as an excuse not to seek help, but I personally think that if you're going to pretend to be part of this society, you need to try to at least fit in on the edges.

[discogravy.livejournal.com]

I've had dysthemic depressive episodes before. They're Not Fun.