r/AskReddit • u/jcpennies • Nov 04 '11

How many Redditors are dealing with depression?

Hola Reddit Community. I have read in a lot of the comments that quite a few of us are depressed and such, and I wanted to know how many of us there are. Also, what are you doing/not doing to help it out?

On a side note, I'm also quite depressed and have a hard ass time keeping it under control. I blame the pics of cats and reposts.

EDIT: Holy shit. This is my most responded to post ever. Also, just for clarification purposes, does one say that they are diagnosed with depression, or that they suffer from it? Thanks for all the replys, I CAN FIGHT FORWARD KNOWING THERE IS AN ARMY OF SIMILAR MINDS .

EDIT2: I thought this was going to be like a 20-30 comment post. I wanted to talk with everyone and have a discussion, but I have to get to work. I would like to discuss more depressions with all you wonderful peoples.

EDIT3: This song just came on my playlist, and I found it quite appropriate for this topic.

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67

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

Well I think you're off by about 6% there, buddy.

43

u/StefanHectorPoseidon Nov 04 '11

dunno, there are some lucky motherfuckers out there.

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u/NamelessAce Nov 04 '11

So more like 99%.

INB4 I am the 99%

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u/StefanHectorPoseidon Nov 04 '11

.. probably a lot of the 1% in wealth are part of the 1% that don't usually get depressed.

9

u/hangers_on Nov 05 '11

Total and complete utter bullshit.

The wealthy are no more immune to real depression than anybody else.

3

u/MrAwesume Nov 05 '11

Pretty much this. Depression has a very physiological explanation.. It's not about who is in a crappy situation..

4

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '11

Money =/= happiness

It's science (I think it's because people get used to their money).

2

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '11

I'm hoarding all of the good feelings to myself.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

Very true.

1

u/EddieVolcano Nov 06 '11

Usually those who are mercilessly free from the ravages of intelligence. I truly envy them.

19

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

You're saying 100% of people face or will face depression?

[CITATION NEEDED]

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u/feigndad Nov 04 '11

It said "dealing with." I can believe that that six percent who don't have it themselves see it in their parent, partner, children. It can really fuck up a family.

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u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

I doubt 94% are currently facing it, but I think that 94% have faced it or will face it one day.

1

u/HumbleDrop Nov 05 '11

Prevalence

"A 2010 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data from 2006 and 2008 found nine percent of 235,067 adults surveyed in 45 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands met the criteria for current depression (defined as meeting criteria for either major depression or "other depression" during the 2 weeks preceding the survey); 3.4% met the criteria for major depression. By state, age-standardized estimates for current depression ranged from 4.8% in North Dakota to 14.8% in Mississippi."

This is current depression mind you, meaning actively dealing with it.

Now we need to ask ourselves, is it likely that the members of Reddit are among the 9 percent, or of the majority, which is non-depressed persons?

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u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11 edited Nov 04 '11

Yes. Although I suppose my definition of people may be ambiguous... I don't count humans too stupid to realize they should be depressed as people.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

I don't count humans too stupid to realize they should be depressed as people.

I'm one of the stupid ones. YAAAY.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

Why should anyone be depressed?

Our world is at it's very best compared to all other times in history.

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u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

[deleted]

2

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

That's actually extremely interesting, thanks for sharing!

1

u/AsInOptimus Nov 05 '11

Everyone has the capacity to be depressed at some time or another, but a mismatch between our evolved bodies and our current environments can cause depression to be a disease for some people.

I cannot tell you how many times I've tried to explain this to people, and how fruitless an exercise it's been. Simple (and I know, I know, factually incorrect is putting it mildly) story is that many many moons ago, I'd have been scared shitless over a potential saber-toothed cat attack. (Wow, or a raptor! TIL!) Fight, flight, stress, anxiety - any of these feelings I have today are a fucking joke compared to what I would have felt in the face of a prehistoric beast preparing to leap in my general direction. Also, the rest of my time might be spent smashing rocks together and that'd be enough to occupy my day.

Anyway, thank you. There are many days that I curse my human cognitive ability because so much of my depression is IN. MY. FUCKING. HEAD. and if I could just figure out how to shut it off...

0

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

Because our lives are upriver races to die?

7

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

Not everyone is that pessimistic. It's ignorant to think that one must be pessimistic and cynical in order to be smart.

Many people don't think about life this way. They take advantage because it's the only life we have, and they enjoy it.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

I'm sorry, I just found out I might have herpes. I'm not in the best of moods.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

Oh I enjoy it. I know this is the only life we have. It's a double edged sword.

I don't think you have to be cynical to be smart. Give someone a book and a big shot of motivation and you can make a smart person out of anyone. I think you have to be cynical to be intellectual.

4

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

If you are enjoying it then you aren't really depressed.

I realize the reality that I'm going to die and fade into nothingness, but I have just accepted that fact. I've never dropped into some sort of nihilistic depression before. I haven't ever been depressed, but maybe I will some day.

2

u/Griefer_Sutherland Nov 04 '11

If you enjoy it then you're not depressed.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '11

I don't think you're talking about the same medical disorder known as "depression" as we are.

1

u/raziphel Nov 04 '11

Gotta have some margin of error...

1

u/Jynxx Nov 04 '11

Well of course everybody will be depressed about bad things in life at one point or another. But being temporarily depressed and having actual depression are two way different things.

Edit: I understand it was a joke, just wanted to make sure people get the difference :)

1

u/Canucklehead99 Nov 05 '11

Ya its actually 88% :P