The relation of addiction and depression

[dholliday]

Supposed to be on a posting break but had to jump in here as the locked PSH thread revealed some surprising opinions from a couple of members about the nature of addiction.


Remember we had that thread about depression that Groucho started? It's one of our best-ever threads, full of well-meaning empathy of our fellow man. I imagine one or two blues were really helped by it.


The PSH thread got locked because of a couple of key misconceptions:

- addiction isn't worthy of empathy like depression as you 'choose' to take a substance.
- addiction shouldn't be a problem if you're rich as you have resources to stop it.


In my opinion, this is primitive thinking. It reminds me of how the mainstream viewed depression say 20 or 30 years ago. Back then, it was 'pull yourself together, lad!'. This thinking has evolved since then, and so should the thinking regarding debilitating addiction.

The Downward Spiral can grab hold of anyone, regardless of status. And it can manifest itself in depression or addiction, or both (comorbidity). The main debate about the comorbidity of it tends to be about which came first. Does the depressed person spiral into addiction as a way of escape? Or does the addicted person spiral into depression as he can't quit?

There's no clear answer. Until there is, we'd do well to empathise with sufferers of either affliction.


Some further reading:

http://www.dualdiagnosis.org/resource/depression/

http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/depression-addiction.htm


Feel free to voice a different opinion. Maybe speak of your own experiences. Let's try and keep it respectful.

 

[d34noj]

I feel I ought to apologise, I'm partly the reason the thread was locked.

My personal viewpoint, which I feel I put across too strongly is that addiction is down to the 'addictee' so to speak. There is nobody else that can help them if they dont want to help themselves, I had 3 months of days and nights sat next to a bed in intensive care because of addiction and a previous 10 years of beatings from my dad due to the drink.

He was given opportunities to help himself but declined them all, in my opinion he was weak and this is where my opinion is formed.

As I stated I apologise, ive also PM'd Tommye to personally apologise as I think I went a bit far - this subject is very close to the bone for me.

 

[Walken]

I feel I ought to apologise, I'm partly the reason the thread was locked.

My personal viewpoint, which I feel I put across too strongly is that addiction is down to the 'addictee' so to speak. There is nobody else that can help them if they dont want to help themselves, I had 3 months of days and nights sat next to a bed in intensive care because of addiction and a previous 10 years of beatings from my dad due to the drink.

He was given opportunities to help himself but declined them all, in my opinion he was weak and this is where my opinion is formed.

As I stated I apologise, ive also PM'd Tommye to personally apologise as I think I went a bit far - this subject is very close to the bone for me.

I think we all see that mate, I've also had personal experience of addiction, but have a very polar opposite opinion to yourself, but given your circumstance anyone could forgive you for getting wound up by the subject, you've done the big thing and apologised so fair play to you

 

[dholliday]

I feel I ought to apologise, I'm partly the reason the thread was locked.

My personal viewpoint, which I feel I put across too strongly is that addiction is down to the 'addictee' so to speak. There is nobody else that can help them if they dont want to help themselves, I had 3 months of days and nights sat next to a bed in intensive care because of addiction and a previous 10 years of beatings from my dad due to the drink.

He was given opportunities to help himself but declined them all, in my opinion he was weak and this is where my opinion is formed.

As I stated I apologise, ive also PM'd Tommye to personally apologise as I think I went a bit far - this subject is very close to the bone for me.

Thanks for your post, mate. Sorry to hear about all that.

Perhaps in these cases, the addicted weren't suffering from the illness of depression, they were simply addicted?

As I said in the OP, we have people who are simply addicted. We have people who suffer from depression. And we have people who are afflicted with both.

I think this is the awareness I'd like to share. Agree with you that your experiences would form a very negative view of those who abuse and destroy through their addictions. It shows, however, that not every case of addiction is the same.

 

[Tubey]

I feel I ought to apologise, I'm partly the reason the thread was locked.

My personal viewpoint, which I feel I put across too strongly is that addiction is down to the 'addictee' so to speak. There is nobody else that can help them if they dont want to help themselves, I had 3 months of days and nights sat next to a bed in intensive care because of addiction and a previous 10 years of beatings from my dad due to the drink.

He was given opportunities to help himself but declined them all, in my opinion he was weak and this is where my opinion is formed.

As I stated I apologise, ive also PM'd Tommye to personally apologise as I think I went a bit far - this subject is very close to the bone for me.

Here is your mistake - I agree completely with that sentence, but some addictees have the ability to do so, a lot of others simply find it a lot, lot harder. It's not a selfish, conscious decision they make - they are driven to do it.

You're blaming people for having a personality trait and/or a genetic predisposition that they can often do little to nothing about.

You've made the mistake of relating your own narrow experience to everyone who has been addicted to anything at any point in the human race it seems, which is the incorrect thing to do. Everyone is different, addiction isn't black and white.

 

[roydo]

I feel I ought to apologise, I'm partly the reason the thread was locked.

My personal viewpoint, which I feel I put across too strongly is that addiction is down to the 'addictee' so to speak. There is nobody else that can help them if they dont want to help themselves, I had 3 months of days and nights sat next to a bed in intensive care because of addiction and a previous 10 years of beatings from my dad due to the drink.

He was given opportunities to help himself but declined them all, in my opinion he was weak and this is where my opinion is formed.

As I stated I apologise, ive also PM'd Tommye to personally apologise as I think I went a bit far - this subject is very close to the bone for me.

Anyone who has been as close to the results as you have been is bound to have a strong viewpoint. No worries about that from me.

And fair play for apologising.

 

[Pat's Van]

Anyone who has been as close to the results as you have been is bound to have a strong viewpoint. No worries about that from me.

And fair play for apologising.

 

[EFCNIK]

It's funny how people who call themselves liberal minded tend to be the most hard faced and dismissive of people in desperate need.

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

I feel I ought to apologise, I'm partly the reason the thread was locked.

My personal viewpoint, which I feel I put across too strongly is that addiction is down to the 'addictee' so to speak. There is nobody else that can help them if they dont want to help themselves, I had 3 months of days and nights sat next to a bed in intensive care because of addiction and a previous 10 years of beatings from my dad due to the drink.

He was given opportunities to help himself but declined them all, in my opinion he was weak and this is where my opinion is formed.

As I stated I apologise, ive also PM'd Tommye to personally apologise as I think I went a bit far - this subject is very close to the bone for me.

Terrible that you've had to live through that mate I genuinely feel for you.

I've lost someone through alcohol addiction as well, albeit under different circumstances & I can fully understand why you feel as you do, as the frustration that family & friends feel about their loved one not taking the help available is totally understandable.

You can call it weak, but when the addiction is at it's worst, it's far from easy for an alcoholic to stay away from the stuff. Especially in a society where drink is everywhere & forms a massive part of the average social life of most Brits.

In the States there's a massive issue with 'prescription' drugs, which are largely available to anyone who'll simply pay for them. This creates addicts who often mix their usage with street drugs & alcohol.

 

[Pat's Van]

gargh, I've posted Mork in the wrong thread sorry

 

[d34noj]

gargh, I've posted Mork in the wrong thread sorry

Dont apologise mate, Mork & Mindy is awesome.

Thanks for the comments to everyone else - I understand its a very narrow minded viewpoint and I should have thought about it before I got on my soapbox.

Ive had plenty more than just my dad - cousin beating my grandma up to steal jewellery etc so heroin addict are in my opinion the bottom of the gene pool, this is a personal opinion and I shall leave it at that.

Alcoholism is different due to the fact its legal, not frowned upon as 'dirty' and affects a wider range of victim shall we say. I just cant comprehend why people can't 'just stop', be it drink or drugs - I know the psychological reasons, I even know the part of the brain that does it (sat reading about it when he was in IC) it just baffles me.

 

[tommye]

.

As I stated I apologise, ive also PM'd Tommye to personally apologise as I think I went a bit far - this subject is very close to the bone for me.

no need for apologies. You have your opinion, I have mine. They're different but nothing to fall out over. Thanks anyway. X





not really got the time to add my say on this atm.


will get back to it later.

 

[ijjysmith]

This thread is not for me.

 

[Pat's Van]

Dont apologise mate, Mork & Mindy is awesome.

Thanks for the comments to everyone else - I understand its a very narrow minded viewpoint and I should have thought about it before I got on my soapbox.

cheers mate, don't know how that happened

I could try deleting or editing it but might make some of the other posts not make much sense, might be better just leaving it

 

[Big Doug]

Im on the fence tbh, the people who seek the help deserve it 100% and I sympathise with them fully, but their is alot of people who KNOW they have a problem and choose not to seek help in which I find it hard to sympathise with.

and for me not everything that is popular opinion right now is better than primitive, give me the "primitive" thinking that murderers and serial rapists etc.. deserve life without parole rather than the "enlightened" view of letting these drains on society out to go ruin/end another innocent life. Off topic but I hate this notion of us "knowing better" now than we ever have when half of this country couldn't find its own arse with both hands!