Mom sent me this

[NotAMouse]

..... Thoughts????????????

I have so much I could say on this topic. Kind of too frustrated/flustered/fed up to voice any of them just yet.

[NotAMouse]

Summary for those who don't want to watch the whole thing (because the male 'host' guy is annoying and altogether ridiculous)

Science has finally caught up with the Bible! You can change your genes! Choose to think happy thoughts! You CHOOSE to be emotionally or mentally ill because you think bad thoughts! CHANGE THAT AND BE A HAPPY CHRISTIAN!

[scribz]

What science is referring to is epigenetics which is a driver on a micro-evolutionary scale so no. They took something that sounds like it could be alluding to a point they want to make, when actually it's not because their point is 99.9% most likely worth fucking nothing.

Ps. Watched 10 seconds of the video. Confident I summed it up entirely accurate, which says more about the video than any supernatural foresight on my behalfsies.

[Hank]

Taaj said
Summary for those who don't want to watch the whole thing (because the male 'host' guy is annoying and altogether ridiculous)

Science has finally caught up with the Bible! You can change your genes! Choose to think happy thoughts! You CHOOSE to be emotionally or mentally ill because you think bad thoughts! CHANGE THAT AND BE A HAPPY CHRISTIAN!

[scribz]

Actually that was mean of me, it was 25 seconds.

[stark]

stupid people gonna stupid

[NotAMouse]

Makes me upset that people think mental and emotional illnesses like depression, anxiety, etc is a choice. Do you really think I or anyone else would CHOOSE that for themselves? Really?

[stark]

Taaj said
Makes me upset that people think mental and emotional illnesses like depression, anxiety, etc is a choice. Do you really think I or anyone else would CHOOSE that for themselves? Really?

It's hard for people to understand that which they've never experienced for themselves -- you can try to explain, but it'll never fully click in their brains. You just have to go on and know that you know what's best for yourself, disregarding those who don't get it.

In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

[scribz]

Taaj said
Makes me upset that people think mental and emotional illnesses like depression, anxiety, etc is a choice. Do you really think I or anyone else would CHOOSE that for themselves? Really?

It's actually a factor of both. Saying that it's a choice therefore anyone being depressed is just choosing to be so is a huge simplification that ignores the chronic chemical imbalances that can be at play, and more importantly the often lacking support structure that these people need to kickstart themselves back into a functional thriving lifestyle. But saying that it's entirely not a choice and that it just happens is a huge simplification that ignores the personal steps those depressed need to make, regardless of support structure or not, in order to get out of it, as well as those who put themselves in the situations in which they'll become depressed.

One side ignores the external factors that depressed people often need order to actually fight it, which leads to less altruism and care within society and adds prejudice that can make things harder.

The other ignores the factor that most people have varying degrees of learned victim hood which will entirely hold them back if they don't suck it up, stop looking for things to blame, accept where they are, and personally put in the work themselves.

[NotAMouse]

scribz said
It's actually a factor of both. Saying that it's a choice therefore anyone being depressed is just choosing to be so is a huge simplification that ignores the chronic chemical imbalances that can be at play, and more importantly the often lacking support structure that these people need to kickstart themselves back into a functional thriving lifestyle. But saying that it's entirely not a choice and that it just happens is a huge simplification that ignores the personal steps those depressed need to make, regardless of support structure or not, in order to get out of it, as well as those who put themselves in the situations in which they'll become depressed. One side ignores the external factors that depressed people often need order to actually fight it, which leads to less altruism and care within society and adds prejudice that can make things harder.The other ignores the factor that most people have varying degrees of learned victim hood which will entirely hold them back if they don't suck it up, stop looking for things to blame, accept where they are, and personally put in the work themselves.

Well said, Scribblez.

[scribz]

w00 go me :>

[scribz]

w00 go me :>

[Ace of Spades]

Taaj said
Makes me upset that people think mental and emotional illnesses like depression, anxiety, etc is a choice. Do you really think I or anyone else would CHOOSE that for themselves? Really?

Remember, these are probably the same people who think you can "pray the gay away", and that simply having faith that your Super-Cancer+AIDS combination will be cured will cure it.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Essentially the Secret but the Bible version?
*Vomits*

Also, what Scribz said is pretty accurate.
Depression isn't ever a choice, no one goes "I want to be depressed". But certain actions (or lack of actions) taken can throw someone into a situation where they become depressed and hurt, or prevent themselves from fighting through their current depression.

I think even people without Depression can relate to that at least, ever been in a case where a depressed friend constantly brings your mood down? But you choose to stick around cause you want to help them feel better? Or ever been in a bad relationship, but kept dealing with the conflict rather than just cutting it off because you had some shred of hope it could still work?

Both are cases of people's choices throwing them in situations that can cause them get depressed, or at least feel really shitty for a certain period of time.
I do have to disagree with the "Don't care if people don't understand depression cause they don't matter" point Sherlock made though. Although yes, those people absolutely should not matter to you on a personal level, they still matter on a societal level. Simply because if stuff like depression is to be more understood, accepted and helped people need to be able to understand it. We can't help, work with or hope to change something that we cannot understand. That's one of the main reasons charities like spreading awareness.