I had a very interesting discussion with my PC yesterday about depression. You see, I've been losing weight for the past several months at the rate of about seven pounds per month, and he believes that the loss is due to depression.

I told my doc that I hadn't felt depressed lately...that in fact, I'd felt better the past few months than I had in years. I've been laughing, moving, getting out of the house, and working hard at controlling the "stinkin'-thinkin'". But then he explained to me that sometimes, by focusing too much on controlling the depression instead of channeling it out, all you really accomplish is to make it more devious.

You might start having more headaches. You may become more sensitive to allergies, or start catching more colds because your immune system is suppressed. Or you might begin inexplicably losing weight to a dangerous degree, like me.

A printout he gave me read like this:

Depression has numerous causes, only some of which are psychological. In many cases there may be no associated psychological problems. The depressed patient often complains of fatigue, anxiety, and sleep disorders. The patient may also have headaches, stomach cramps, diarrhea, or other pains. The patient may or may not feel saddened.

So basically, as he explained it, even if you manage to control the depression in your mind well enough to function normally, it can change directions and begin to affect the body, even though you don't even feel depressed at all.

Any thoughts on that, anybody???

Well -- I'm astonished and confused. (and let's not forget stupid ~sigh~)

First - I'm astonished there was any PC on earth that would/could talk to you about depression.

I thought we were SUPPOSED to control depression in our minds. Control and crush it. Yeah, go, team, go, crush that stuff.

" I've been laughing, moving, getting out of the house, and working hard at controlling the "stinkin'-thinkin'". But then he explained to me that sometimes, by focusing too much on controlling the depression instead of channeling it out, all you really accomplish is to make it more devious. " I don't understand that a bit. Seems to me that TRYING to get out and not do the stinkin-thinkin is like channeling it. What's "channeling" it? Why/how is that different/better?
I'm not making much sense, huh?

I am very sorry you're losing weight. I hope that ends soon.

this caught my eye.
are you getting to be underweight per the body fat charts?

I think i agree with your PC that it might lead to inner or other troubles IF you are ignoring or covering any feelings.
But if you are truly feeling better about things and doing activities because you are feeling better then he would be wrong.

So I guess the answer is to look inside yourself and see what fits.

BMI chart-
http://owndiet.com/weight_height_charts.htm

Jingle...actually what you said makes perfect sense to me. But after rereading it, what I said sounds a bit confusing...

I think what the doc was getting at is that people can sometimes falsely convince themselves that they are happy, or fool themselves into being so. They don't talk about their problems or even remember that they are still there, lurking in the background, building up secret pressure until they "out".

I personally think the doc is wrong about me. I'm pretty open about how I feel, and only try to cover it up around my kids and when I'm among strangers. I think that I have simply gotten better. But I do see his point, and wonder how it might apply to various people.

You know...the old "hide it" vs "show it". I think there's a time for each, and sometimes for both.

Oh, and Jo, the answer is yes. It's not so much my weight that's a problem as my distribution of body mass. I'm all lean, with very little of the "essential fats" that my body needs to function properly. No bad cholesterol, but none of the "good cholesterol", either. I just seem to be melting slowly away...

so you are the wicked witch! and here all this time i thought it was a she.

did you eat today yet?

(((idealist)))

Interesting topic! Don't let your mind fool you my friends. Talk about your feelings...whatever you are feeling.

I found Pters words about our minds fooling us and will post them on SOS forum.

Hmmmm ... this is food for thought .... (yes, pun intended! )

I remember a psychiatrist who often said: "Fake it 'til you make it." I understood that to mean that I should pretend I was fine .... pretend I was not stressed and depressed ....

I guess maybe she meant it as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Be very careful here, this could also be something physical, rule out anything physical first before you decided its actually depression.

I know cancer can cause you to lose weight very quickly in the way you said it can also cause depression,,,

Anytime there is a phsycial illness there can be depression but, its not psycological in nature its physical..


be very careful!

Xena

Hi Idealist

that is really interesting about how your doctor has confirmed that Depression can ramify into so many other channels, including weight loss

Good that you discussed the weight loss with him, and that he feels it is most likely related to the depression

I know that with my husband and son, both of whom have depression comorbid with their Tourette Syndrome, it is really important for them to "work out" their depression....ie as I have mentioned before, they both have their own ways of expressing and going through depression and it is essential to them for that process to occur, because both know that if they"bottle it up" or try to pretend it isnt there, it WILL manifest in other ways, so validating what your doc told you.

You take St John's Wort for the depression, dont you? My husband finds it helpful too, tho my son prefers 5HTP

As an aside, but on the same theme, for people with Tourette who try to suppress their tics for any length of time, they usually get a resultant flare up in OCD or depression or rage or frustration etc....whole gambit of stuff. A psychologist who himself has TS, Dr Duncan McKinley warns how supressiing certain symptoms can cause this deflection to others.........
again reinforcing the concept your doctor explained to you

sounds like you have a PC who is on the ball

((((Idealist))))