This Just In: Depression and Anxiety Special Edition

I mean, who doesn't have depression and anxiety sometimes.



And, I think any high pressure position in life presents those emotions.



I can only imagine the terrible memes that await this young man. Oh hearken ye my people! Let us lift him in joyful noise!

There is a difference between being depressed and having depression. Tanner has a real problem because he is not only taking medication for his problem but see's a counselor for it. Real depression is a very difficult challenge and anyone who makes fun of Tanner for it is a classless loser. I hope he is able to overcome this challenge and have a normal and productive life. He always seems really happy in the public so it appears he is coping well.

I'm grateful for Tanner speaking up about his issues. I think anyone who is feeling depressed should know that there is help and support out there. I don't claim to know what the difference between real and fake depression is, but I know anyone who is hurting should be shown love and compassion.

I thought this was a given for all BYU fans.

A link to an article would have been nice. I had no idea what you were talking about. Here you go:



http://www.heraldextra.com/sports/college/byu/football/byu-quarterback-tanner-mangum-opens-up-about-mental-health/article_166c5abe-c9c0-5bed-a6c2-64c35cde2c36.html



My wife suffers from severe depression at times. As someone who has never gone through depression myself it is very difficult to understand what they are going through. Even my mother-in-law who is a nurse (so I would think she would understand this type of thing) has had a very hard time accepting that her daughter has depression because she thinks that something is "wrong" with my wife or that it somehow looks "bad" on the family. It's like it has to be talked about in hushed tones behind closed doors.



One of the best things that helped my wife was accepting that she did have depression. Good for Tanner for speaking out. That is a very hard thing to do.

hawkwing wrote:
I'm grateful for Tanner speaking up about his issues. I think anyone who is feeling depressed should know that there is help and support out there. I don't claim to know what the difference between real and fake depression is, but I know anyone who is hurting should be shown love and compassion.

I wasn't talking about real and fake depression. People can be depressed and not be diagnosed with depression. There is a difference.

frdbtr wrote:

I'm grateful for Tanner speaking up about his issues. I think anyone who is feeling depressed should know that there is help and support out there. I don't claim to know what the difference between real and fake depression is, but I know anyone who is hurting should be shown love and compassion.

I wasn't talking about real and fake depression. People can be depressed and not be diagnosed with depression. There is a difference.

That's fine, but I think someone who is depressed has a real problem. I'm not a medical professional and I don't know where that line of is how often a person can feel depressed before being diagnosed with depression but I hope anyone who is feeling depressed can know there is love and support for them out there even if it's their first and only time feel depressed. I hope I'm making myself clear, I'm not trying to argue.

hawkwing wrote:

hawkwing wrote:
I'm grateful for Tanner speaking up about his issues. I think anyone who is feeling depressed should know that there is help and support out there. I don't claim to know what the difference between real and fake depression is, but I know anyone who is hurting should be shown love and compassion.

I wasn't talking about real and fake depression. People can be depressed and not be diagnosed with depression. There is a difference.

That's fine, but I think someone who is depressed has a real problem. I'm not a medical professional and I don't know where that line of is how often a person can feel depressed before being diagnosed with depression but I hope anyone who is feeling depressed can know there is love and support for them out there even if it's their first and only time feel depressed. I hope I'm making myself clear, I'm not trying to argue.

I see what you are saying. The difference is, you can wake up in the morning and feel sad and not want to go to work, call in sick, spend the day relaxing and feel better and then go to work the next day. That is feeling depressed. When you don't want to get out of bed for a month, that is probably depression. There is a difference. I understand the love and understanding part as well because feeling depressed for a day or so can become long term if someone doesn't feel understanding from the people around them. Having said that, my whole point with my statement above is Tanner obviously has more than the "blues" if he is on medication for his depression.

byufan4ever wrote:
Even my mother-in-law who is a nurse (so I would think she would understand this type of thing) has had a very hard time accepting that her daughter has depression because she thinks that something is "wrong" with my wife or that it somehow looks "bad" on the family. It's like it has to be talked about in hushed tones behind closed doors.



One of the best things that helped my wife was accepting that she did have depression. Good for Tanner for speaking out. That is a very hard thing to do.

Older folks have a really difficult time with this. I deal with depressed folks all the time in my job and it can be a bear getting them to acknowledge what's going on. I once tried to talk to an older family member about what is clearly severe depression. She and her husband basically don't talk to me any more because I have somehow shamed them. The real shame is she could be so much happier.

It's the shame aspect that gets me. Every organ in your body can have something going on, why does the world shame people when the brain has depression? I see it as an issue to cope with like any other that comes our way.



When we don't cope with it, and don't talk about it, and pretend people just shouldn't have it--omg that is terrible.

There is a way to describe the difference between merely "feeling" depressed, and otherwise being unfortunate enough to have clinical depression. It makes it more understandable to the non-medical/lay folks.



Environmental Depression:

This is situational, and therefore temporary. It's based on sad, or stressful circumstances. All people can, and do experience this. Although it can be profound, and debilitating, it improves when the difficult circumstances resolve. It's outwardly visible severity can be somewhat muted by an individual's strength of character/stoicism/stiff upper lip, but the stoic still suffers inwardly. These sufferers are advised to "hang on, persevere; better times are coming." Sometimes antidepressants are prescribed briefly, to help people weather the storm.



Physiological Depression:

This is a very different thing, and is caused by insufficient synaptic function of certain cerebral neurons. Feelings of severe anxiety can result from inadequate neurotransmitter molecules, especially norepinephrine and serotonin, which act at these synapses. The anxiety is closely linked to depression. Severe anxiety is exhausting, stressful, and when it subsides, the individual is left with severe depression. These events are not related to external incidents, circumstances, relationships, or behaviors. They cannot be managed by advice, counseling, psychotherapy, or by other attempts to improve attitude, hope, or belief. This kind of anxiety/depression is a physical disorder, and not a spiritual, or psychological one. It must be respected and managed as a purely physical disease, such as diabetes or epilepsy. Still, behavioral/attitude problems usually exist as overlying issues, due to the sufferer's conscious level of frustration/hopelessness, which naturally result from the inexorable/incurable nature of the underlying physiological problem. These people need pharmaceutical therapy to stabilize their physiological problem with the neurotransmitters. Only when relieved from the severe anxiety/ depression, can they then respond to counseling for hope, self esteem, and moral support from others (which they also need).

Great post BOID. I think that's very insightful.

Thanks, Hawk.

I haven't posted much on this site but have enjoyed reading everyone's posts over the past couple of years. I was very touched by what Tanner posted on his page. I have suffered from mild depression and anxiety for most of my life. Once I was able to recognize it for what it was I was able to take corrective actions that have helped me without resorting to medication. I was very lucky that it is very mild.



Our oldest child hasn't had the easier path that I had. It started coming on as she hit 7th grade and became unbearable for her about 2 years ago when she was in 9th grade. She all but turned into a shell of herself and her fun nature all but disappeared. She tried everything from prayer to fasting and still couldn't get her feelings of worthlessness to leave. As we began to notice the changes and tried to talk with her, she would go from depressed to angry in seconds and then to sobbing from getting angry. It took us 2 years and 3 doctors to finally find a medication that worked with her system and we still have our struggles.



As a parent there is no scarier thing than have your child openly talk about ending their life. Her testimony was hurt by the depression because of the way many treated her at church and how she had a hard time believing that god made her in a manner where her brain tells her she should hate herself. She is slowly regaining her testimony and things have gotten much better over the past 6 months but my wife and I are constantly on edge. I post this not to tell you our story but to let others who might have children or spouses that struggle that you are not alone.

Thank you for sharing your story.

uncoug wrote:
I haven't posted much on this site but have enjoyed reading everyone's posts over the past couple of years. I was very touched by what Tanner posted on his page. I have suffered from mild depression and anxiety for most of my life. Once I was able to recognize it for what it was I was able to take corrective actions that have helped me without resorting to medication. I was very lucky that it is very mild.



Our oldest child hasn't had the easier path that I had. It started coming on as she hit 7th grade and became unbearable for her about 2 years ago when she was in 9th grade. She all but turned into a shell of herself and her fun nature all but disappeared. She tried everything from prayer to fasting and still couldn't get her feelings of worthlessness to leave. As we began to notice the changes and tried to talk with her, she would go from depressed to angry in seconds and then to sobbing from getting angry. It took us 2 years and 3 doctors to finally find a medication that worked with her system and we still have our struggles.



As a parent there is no scarier thing than have your child openly talk about ending their life. Her testimony was hurt by the depression because of the way many treated her at church and how she had a hard time believing that god made her in a manner where her brain tells her she should hate herself. She is slowly regaining her testimony and things have gotten much better over the past 6 months but my wife and I are constantly on edge. I post this not to tell you our story but to let others who might have children or spouses that struggle that you are not alone.

My prayers are with you and your daughter who, of course is also a daughter of our Father in Heaven.

The biological science is very interesting. They've actually identified some of the main genes responsible for depression. They can test your DNA to find out if you have those genes, and if you inherited those genes from your mother, your father, or both. I happen to have got them from both sides, meaning I have about 20% of the brain chemicals that help a person cope with stress of what the average person has. When the tub is full, so to speak, no problem. But the tub empties quickly, and once it's empty my ability to cope in a practical, healthy manner drops off steeply. It's good for me to be aware of.

I appreciate and admire the courage it takes to post about these details. If anyone needs any help, let me know.

One interesting correlation is high intelligence. It seems to be a price that some among the super-intelligent must pay. I don't know how the genetic link occurs, or if anyone knows, but this observation has been made.



My wife and I are very functional, but when sleep deprived, the tank (good analogy, Mars), runs out. After a good night's sleep, then everything is back in order. Our tendencies for this seem to have compounded in our children, and all three of them carry an increased burden.



Our story goes very much the same as uncoug's post above. It was bewildering and frustrating to see this happen, and it took us a long time and a lot of counseling to finally get it sorted out. One of our kids was hit hard by this disorder when he was 14 years old. He tried to compensate by acting cool and non- chalant, but before long, he could not think his way through his school work, and eventually could not get out of bed. He had been a straight A student before, and he did not know what was happening to him. He kept trying to blame his struggles on external events or circumstances. He was in denial because he was terrified of the possibility that the problem had arisen within him.



Eventually, we found a particularly insightful counselor who told him that the depression was not his fault, and it did not define him. He referred our son to a pediatric psychiatrist. Several therapeutic trials were unsuccessful, but finally some partial relief was afforded by pharmacological manipulation. It was as though our son had been semi comatose and then finally woke up. His old self re- emerged.



It is still very difficult for him, but his character and personality are recognizable again. It has been a great relief for him to know that his problems are physical, and not the result of sinfulness, or lack of faith. We have tried to comfort him, and our other children, with the reassurance that the Lord does not choose to heal all of us. There remain among us, righteous individuals that are still blind, still paraplegic. Severe anxiety/depressive disorder is like those other physical challenges. It is perhaps his lot in life. We all have our particular challenges to carry in this mortal life, and that is perhaps one of his, one that he must learn to cope with, as he endures to the end.



He still requires medication in order to be functional and happy, but he has regained some testimony that his Father in Heaven, and his Lord, Jesus Christ, have not forsaken him. His best moments come and go, but he is able to feel, spiritually, during his best moments.

Thank you all of you that have posted personnel stories and experiences on this thread. It has been insightful and helpful and reminded me what a good bunch of people are on this site.