Do you think its possible depression can have some hidden benefits?!
Question: I'm just wondering if depression can have a good side, maybe it is there for a reason? Have you ever benefited from a bout with depression, like it helped you to make decisions or change your ways at all? Do you think depression has a reason for existence?
Answers: I'm just wondering if depression can have a good side, maybe it is there for a reason? Have you ever benefited from a bout with depression, like it helped you to make decisions or change your ways at all? Do you think depression has a reason for existence?
Well think about it - it must have some evolutionary benefit, or it would have been bred out.
People prone to chronic depression actually make better workers - they work harder and more diligently. Non-depressive people are more likely to slack off and be careless, having an optimistic feeling that everything will work out somehow and nobody needs to worry (do you want someone like that running a crisis centre?)
They tend to see themselves realistically - when asked to rate what people thought of them, depressed people's scores were close to what people actually thought, while non-depressed people believed themselves to be more attractive than they really were. This suggests that depressive people probably have overall better judgment.
Finally, studies in Sardinia show that people with chronic mild depression but a stoic attitude live longer and are less likely to develop dementia in old age.
Of course, these studies are based on people with chronic mild depression - what you might call a depressive or pessimistic type by nature.
Severe depression is an illness, but you can see why it has evolved. As historically, conditions tend to be negative rather than positive, I'm convinced these grim and possibly unpopular people have saved our species from destruction many times.
Maybe it gives you a different perspective?
No.
i do not think so
no
Hm the only way i see depression as good is when you dont have it anymore. It does give you perspective and much more appreciation for the little things which happen which when depressed you didnt notice or thought were against you.
I could never say that depression, in and of itself, is a good thing, but suffering of any kind can either make or break a person. It depends on the person's attitude toward it. Coming through a bout of depression can make you more compassionate toward others who are suffering in any way. Depression has also made me aware of personal issues that I need to work on in order to be a healthier person and maintain healthy relationships with friends and family.
I think that some ppl who have a serious case that they fear won't end but do come thru gain perspective and perhaps some compassion that they didn't have. That's some ppl. Others don't. It's like anything in life. Personally, I have gained understanding and compassion for mentally ill ppl but that's because bipolar disorder can give you a taste of many illnesses. That said, I was a compassionate person before and would very much rather live without it.
I'm with zini, the benefit is when it is lifted.
There is a reason for its existence just like there is a reason for bronchitis or pneumonia or an allergy...sometimes a predisposition to it aggrevated by life circumstances or an acute case, or chronic...In any event it is real (see MRI images).
The one decision that folks with depression should make is to get it as managed as possible.
No. When you are depressed you cannot make any decisions or function properly. There is no up-side to depression.
I'm loath to think of it as a truly beneficial condition, but it does serve as a massive reality check.
Despite what Hobbes said about life being nasty, brutish and short, I tend to believe that abject misery is not the natural human condition-- and that, if I'm doing something that brings about, or puts me in a position where I am prone to develop feelings of abject misery, I ought to back up and try something else.
The difficulty, of course, is that I'm stubborn and I stupidly refuse to pay attention to the warning signs of incipient depression.
I have battled depression and I would say that depression will only deepen and make you less likely to make any changes in your life.
I think you will only become withdrawn into yourself even more.
Well for me I learned that only thinking of myself and my problems got me nowhere. I learned how to be strong and overcome something since I am no longer depressed.
It also kept me from spending money because I never felt like going out!
Ultimately, no, I don't believe truely that depression can have any good outcomes. Though, the only good thing about it is that there is medication which can relieve one's depression...so the relief could be the only good thing about depression.
Some Scientologists (who I personally believe have no say in reality, because one of their "prophets" was a Sci-Fi writer) believe that some aliens were dumped into volcanoes and their spirits can make the human mind depressed and wearysome. This sounds outragously untrue and unrealistic to me, and that Scientology is simply another cult in which seeks to take your money.
I believe truely, that depression is simply a mutation of the human brain which causes people to have extreme emotions of sorrow and unhappiness, for no apparent reason. Sometimes depression can be caused by unreasonable conditions that the human mind is going through, such as being fired every time you start a new job, or being hopeless in relationships, and ect.
But, the sort of depression which occurs for no reason, is a mutation, just like people that are double jointed, for instance, is a mutation of the human body. These "mutations" can be caused by pregnant woman smoking during pregnancy, drinking, and other things that are linked to complications in the baby.
Sometimes, though, mutations occur for no reason at all. When a baby is growing inside the mother's womb, DNA is copying its self over and over again, in order to make the baby grow. Sometimes, the DNA accidentally mis-copies its self, and something abnormal occurs in baby, such as having deformed hands, or perhaps even depression, or bad vision, and ect.
But all in all, depression doesn't have any major benefits.
I hope this was helpful to you.
no it wouldnt you wouldnt have a lot of money and might not be able to eat everyday you would have to have old clothes and you could lose your jobs another depression would be horrible
while unpleasant, i think it teaches you a few things:
contentedness in every situation
compassion for others who are going through it
it makes you think about your priorities, what's important
gets you thinking less about material things and more about life itself
forces you to grow and persevere even when you don't feel like it
In general, it's a time to just reassess and think about different aspects of your life. Once you get out of it you can look back and go, "well that was hard, but I made it through - bring on the next challenge"
Yes, I think it can have its hidden benefits with the right person. Yes, I do think depression has it's reason for existence also.
I benefit from depression at times. I find myself trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing with myself and the reason I feel depressed. Some how I end up on top and doing things that I didn't think I could because I push more to make change. Part of that change is getting rid of the depression by doing something amazing. I started my property company like this.
Btw, great question. Maybe you'll help someone realize they can use depression to create something positive in their life by asking this in such a highly populated online community.
i think when youre depressed all you focus on are problems and down-sides. so no.