Four Myths About Depression
January 10, 2022
2.5 min read
Yes, even when everything is going right in your life, you can still feel depressed.
Written by Simon Spichak
Depression is one of the most common mental health challenges we face, affecting more than 1 in 5 students. During an era of misinformation, it is important to understand depression within the sociobiological context, understand that you are not to blame, and destigmatize its treatment.
Sometimes it might be hard to get help when you feel fatigued or apathetic; the pervasive myths about this mental health disorder might make it harder to seek therapy or treatments.
Myth #1: You Can Just Exercise or Snap Your Way Out of It
Depression isn’t just a feeling, it is an issue that involves the brain’s biology, the stress axis, as well as other social determinants. While exercise has beneficial effects on the brain, it does not mean it can cure depression. Depression isn’t a choice that we make when we wake up in the morning. Exercise and lifestyle changes are not a replacement for psychotherapy or antidepressants.
Myth #2: Antidepressants Don’t Work
Antidepressants do work for depressed individuals. There are a lot of challenges in finding the right antidepressant for the right person, managing side effects, and finding the perfect dose. Nonetheless, they are an important tool that psychiatrists may prescribe to target some of the biological aspects of depression.
Myth #3: You’re Not Depressed, You’re Lazy
Researchers have identified fatigue as a common symptom of depression. Even when you are feeling better after a few months of treatment for depression, the residual fatigue can still hit hard. Remember, fatigue is a sign from your body that something is off. You shouldn’t feel guilty or be guilted about being tired if you deal with depression.
Myth #4: You Can’t Be Depressed If You’re Successful
We need to stop gatekeeping people who are feeling depressed. There is no official misery threshold that you must meet to have real depression. Since there are biological aspects to depression, you can feel awful even when everything is going well. People focus a lot of effort to hide their symptoms and their depression. Remember, there are plenty of folks that are depressed for no discernable reason.
Remember to take care of yourself if you’re struggling with depression. You matter!
Please note that this post is written for educational purposes, it is not therapy. If you need to talk to a professional please book a consultation with a psychotherapist through Resolvve.
