Discussion Is Depression a Luxury?

[Unsure and Useless]

As someone who grew up in a family that has been through difficult times, I often heard people say that depression is something that only people in luxury have, that those who have depression are individuals who live well.

To make this poll relatively unbiased, I'll explain the mindset.

According to people with this thought process, depression is only something people in luxury have because they have the time to be depressed. In other words, if they had to work to make ends meet, they wouldn't "have the time to be depressed." The most famous person who believes this is 50 Cent who says, "I think depression is a luxury. Where I'm from, you can't afford to be depressed."

I just wanted to know you guys' thoughts on this subject.

 

[Life_and_Death]

one of the major reasons for being depressed is because theyre trying to make ends met. financial issues can easily drive anyone to that point. this mindset makes zero sense. and im not sure id trust the opinion of someone with money to comment on people without

 

[_Alfarooq_]

As someone who grew up in a family that has been through difficult times, I often heard people say that depression is something that only people in luxury have, that those who have depression are individuals who live well.

To make this poll relatively unbiased, I'll explain the mindset.

According to people with this thought process, depression is only something people in luxury have because they have the time to be depressed. In other words, if they had to work to make ends meet, they wouldn't "have the time to be depressed." The most famous person who believes this is 50 Cent who says, "I think depression is a luxury. Where I'm from, you can't afford to be depressed."

I just wanted to know you guys' thoughts on this subject.

Kind of, it reminds me that I don't have much longer of a time left to continue existing. To be living in a society of narcissists, to be the only failure in this family or society if not the world, to be made fun of all the time for being myself, being unmotivated, seeing evil people do things whether its to me or others all the time, I can confirm that my existence is a mistake

 

[flightless bird]

i think people talking about things they have no clue about is more indicative of a luxury.

 

[MidnightDream]

Is a broken leg a luxury?

 

[Brown-Jacket Revy]

No. Depression didn't just manifest suddenly in the 20th century, within first world contexts.

I think some people in certain cultures may not even know about depression, or what it is, or consider the fact that they might be depressed, but their behaviors might nevertheless reflect that of a depressed, or otherwise disordered person.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

Lmao no

 

[february in alaska]

Nobody has the "time" to be depressed. You can be the poorest, most overworked, oppressed person on earth and it's just going to make depression hit that much harder. It's not like mental illness is something that only effects people without "any other problems", anyone can have it, and it can be devastating regardless of how well off you are in other regards

If you're underprivileged and suicidal, there's a higher chance of you dying from something else just because of living conditions/disease/financial stability/etc., so the statistics probably won't show that. But depression doesn't discriminate

 

[ElectronicPoet]

This is such a ridiculous mindset, honestly. If you're depressed, you're depressed. Some people may not focus on it as much, they may be so busy they block it out. They may be able to push it down and continue working. But it affects everybody differently. Just as someone may be able to bury it and keep on, it could debilitate someone else. Depression is not a luxury, it's an illness. People who claim it's a luxury clearly have no clue what they're talking about.

 

[leavingthesoultrap]

No. You can be depressed, poor, sick and overworked all at once.

 

[wait.what]

Well, "depression" the diagnosis is something you have to pay a mental health professional to give you, so there's that. If you have to diagnose yourself, you might call it despair instead, I suppose.

 

[Himalayan]

Maybe search for cases on Google to prove your theory. No, it's not a luxury. People in poor villages do it too.
In fact poor people are almost always insane

 

[Forever Sleep]

Depression itself? No- I'd say anyone can experience it. As a label/diagnosed thing though- debatable. Put it this way- I once went on a guided tour of a WWII submarine. The man that lead us had served during the war. One of the group asked him about mental health- SAD syndrome (Seasonal Affective Disorder- lack of daylight,) PTSD, depression etc. and he said- no- it simply wasn't recognised back then. Did the people that worked in those dark, cramped, smelly, dangerous, isolated conditions still suffer? They must have. They couldn't even contact their families as regularly as officers can now. There wouldn't have been any leniency back then though- by the sounds of it. You were just expected to get on with it.

I think the same can go in a watered down fashion with people in regular life. If you happen to come from a family that doesn't believe in such things- you won't get the same support to go and be diagnosed. You could still have stuff wrong of course but- it won't be recognised- you'll still be expected to get on with it. There will be plenty of high functioning people with mental illness out there.

To an extent, I come from this kind of background. My Dad has issues with the labels of mental illness and depression and he scoffs at the idea of therapy. As a result- it was actually a friends Mum who finally encouraged me to go and talk to someone because I was really struggling. I wouldn't say I have severe mental health issues but- for what it's worth, I was diagnosed with mild to moderate depression by my GP after that.

Not sure I'd call it a luxury to be able to be diagnosed with something! Maybe it's also debatable as to the best way of treating it. So- say someone suffers with social anxiety and general anxiety/depression- which makes it challenging for them to work. I'd say- yes- it would be a 'luxury' to come from a family wealthy enough to allow you not to work. Of course- it depends on the severity of that person's issues. Obviously- if they are vomiting and freezing up- that's one thing but- if they just feel extremely uncomfortable and come home and cry- I know loads of people like that- including me. So yes- to an extent- it can be a matter of luxury/wealth as to how a person with problems is expected to function.

Plus- it may not actually be the best course of action to give them the 'luxury' of not facing their fears. I haven't made the effort to confront my mild social anxiety and as a result- it has only intensified- to the point that it inhibits me from loads in life. Basically- I've let it become debilitating for me. I'm not going to argue that everyone has a choice in that of course. I suspect some mental illnesses are debilitating from the start. Some likely start small though and become debilitating because we are given or give ourselves the 'luxury' of not dealing with them and facing them.

So- a long winded way of saying- I think certain conditions exist- definitely. Their diagnosis to me seems rather woolly though- so that can be a problem. It's how they are treated that involves this idea of 'luxury' though. Some people are pressured to just get on with life where there probably should be more lenience. Others may well have all their needs and vulnerabilities pandered to- when it may have actually helped them to have been encouraged to live a more outgoing life.

It hinges on diagnosis surely and that doesn't seem to be an exact science to me. So- that in my opinion is where the problem lies. I expect most people could in fact go to their GP today and get diagnosed with depression- by saying the right things. You can't fake a broken arm though. It's not to say people with mental illness are faking it. It's hard to judge the severity though because it isn't exactly something that can be measured. Any diagnosis that relies on us describing symptoms has to be less accurate than say- taking an x-ray. When I had gallstones, they asked me to rate the pain on a scale of 1-10. But it was like- I don't have anything to compare this to! I can tell you it's the most excruciating pain I've ever had. I can't compare it to pain I haven't experienced though! As a result- I put the figure too low and they ignored it for ages.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

Anyone can become depressed for various reasons that are caused by their life circumstances. Depression is certainly not a "luxury" to suffer from it.

Depression is a kind of protection mechanism of our brains when sth is "too much" for us and we can't handle it anymore. What protected us when we were still living in nature is a big problem for us in nowadays societies and how our organisms and brains are expected to work.

 

[Adûnâi]

Yes - 1, No - 23, Unsure - 5. I for one view with suspicion Western psychology (let alone psychiatry), and I do marvel at folks in much direr straights than me who don't ask questions that I do. And my case seems to be privileged in many places. I'm not starving.

 

[Life_and_Death]

And my case seems to be privileged in many places. I'm not starving.

im not exactly sure how to word it, so im probably going to word it wrong. and i also want to say im not directing it at you, moreso just commenting on what you said (its possible you even had this in mind when you said it), its just the example you used was kinda yeah but no to me

but just because theres food in the house (being privileged) doesnt mean someone isnt starving. if someone is suffering from anorexia theyre probably depressed
(the ironic part is this was worded poorly because im a little out of it from being sick due to my anorexia lol)

 

[Kundalini Guy]

I think it's one of the "best" mental illnesses to have as in there's worse stuff out there like schizophrenia or bipolar. Depression also has many ways to treat, people with schizo or bipolar have to stay away from most drugs and supplement as it will make psychosis worse.

 

[noname223]

In general no. The implications are pretty off though there might be one certain truth. Considering the state of humankind it seems to be - speaking globally - a luxury to get diagnosed with depression. Most people on this planet will never have decent health care. They will never talk to therapists.

I don't say that this would solve the issue but getting a diagnosis costs usually a lot of money and attention which many will never receive.

 

[兎の耳]

That sounds like something my dad would say. Ironically, despite keeping himself busy nearly all the time and working himself into poor health, he's probably just as depressed as me.

 

[edu0z]

As someone who grew up in a family that has been through difficult times, I often heard people say that depression is something that only people in luxury have, that those who have depression are individuals who live well.

To make this poll relatively unbiased, I'll explain the mindset.

According to people with this thought process, depression is only something people in luxury have because they have the time to be depressed. In other words, if they had to work to make ends meet, they wouldn't "have the time to be depressed." The most famous person who believes this is 50 Cent who says, "I think depression is a luxury. Where I'm from, you can't afford to be depressed."

I just wanted to know you guys' thoughts on this subject.

Some people have to work with depression to be able to make ends meet... one thing does not take away from the other, depression has always existed, it's just that until now it has never been put so much under the magnifying glass of the microscope... I have been through depression in my childhood, in my adolescence and in my working life and I have never stopped working, it is much more difficult but one thing does not take away from the other.

You can force yourself to work with depression... suicidal thoughts, on the other hand, are a much more complicated pain in the ass.