Posted by fachad on March 21, 2002, at 19:53:29
In reply to types of depression feelings, posted by JohnX2 on March 21, 2002, at 6:41:10
John,
I think that there are two factors that influence how much "sadness" vs. "emptiness" a person feels.
First, there is the acute depression vs. chronic depression issue.
I think that those lucky folk who go through life basically fine, then *wham* a Major Depression hits them, then it remits (with or without meds) and they are fine again and live happily ever after, tend to feel very severe SADNESS while they are depressed. Their episode(s) of depression are acute and severe.
This is in contrast to us unlucky folk whose depression is more constant and chronic. If you are depressed all the time, or for a long time, your psyche goes into some kind of self-protective analgesia.
Your nervous system is just not built to handle that much severe misery for so long, so it just kind of "shuts down" the irritating stimulus of painful sadness. That's where the numbness and emptiness come from.
The second factor that relates to the "sadness vs. emptiness" issue is post-medication brain changes. This is different from, but related to, the chronicity issue.
Most psych meds, and especially SSRIs, have an emotional anesthetizing effect. They are like Novocain for your painful neurons. That can be a good thing if you are suffering from severe sadness. But many people, myself included, who have taken them for a long time report blunted affect, apathy, numbness, etc. Those symptoms tend to persist, to a greater or lesser degree, even after the meds are stopped.
So either chronic depression or long-term exposure to psych meds, or more dramatically both, can shift a person from experiencing depression as sadness to experiencing it as numbness.
Just my take on it, anyway.
>
> When I get extremely depressed I just feel extremely empty and lose all ability to feel pleasure. Maybe if it is really bad I have obsessive thoughts about death. I also have really bad feelings of worthlessness. But I never cry or feel very emotional. I feel a void.
>
> Mild depression for me is of the atypical variety.
> Lack of motivation, interest, etc.
>
> Occasionally, but very seldom, I may feel "SAD". But this is something totally different that I hardly ever experience. Here I feel emotional and maybe a bit teary but I am not depressed. In fact, post "SAD" I usually feel good.
>
> Is this common for people. Or do most people who are depressed feel emotional and get teary eyed, etc? Are certain depressions/dx's prone to some symptoms over others?
>
> Just wondering.
>
> John
poster:fachad
thread:99188
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020318/msgs/99326.html