irrepressible wrote:
Dude not even one trigger? No drugs or Alcohol? Injuries? Health? School? Work? Family? Girlfriend? Nothing?

Profound feeling of sadness for no reason at all?

dubmeup wrote:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative

I don't know what it is RA, but I'm beginning to suspect you've never had clinical depression
My uncle was a "snap out of it! Pull yourself together!" type of person...until he copped for the same shit, then he understood.

Maybe The Big Smoke is the trigger...Western Civilisation. Do people in tribes, rainforest folk, get depression?

irrepressible wrote:
Maybe i have clin­i­cal depres­sion which causes me to research conspiracy theories.

Yet the great conspiracy is that nothing is random and everything is cause and effect.

There is certainly a correlation between clinical depression and conspiracy forums.

irrepressible wrote:
I would also be curious to hear Psychiatric research on if the west = depressed

If you had clinical depression RA, you probably wouldn't bother your arse to switch your computer on.
With that shite, you can't even think straight...I'd spend hours sitting there staring into space. I couldn't even bring myself to eat a lot of the time.

.......... wrote:
Does the word emphatically help you get it? Assuredly? Confidently?

.......... wrote:
well duh

is there anything behind that comment you'd like to expand upon ra?

dubmeup wrote:
Haven't got the bottom of this phenomenon yet dubs give me a little more time...

One day leaders of the major fields of psychiatric medicine will read this thread like a doctrine.

All in hope for a higher quality of life of every creature on the earth and in space.

My considered opinion is the following:

(i) I completely agree that our way of living is conducive to mental disorders, on many levels, in many different ways. Many diagnoses of depression are incorrect. In fact, the people involved just feel objectively miserable about their circumstances and about the way the world is (even if they don't consciously and objectively understand it).

(ii) Many / some psychological conditions conditions contained in the DSM-IV are completely erroneous.

(iii) If the nature of society and culture were healthier there would definitely be substantially less mental disorders. This need not involve tropical islands and Playboy bunnies, it could just be a more collaborative, tolerant and co-operative society that was less atomised and materialistic. Actually, most psychological studies have found that there is a minimal correlation between material wealth in the Western sense and happiness, or at least perceived happiness.

(iv) Even if you lived in an absolutely perfect utopia, many people would still suffer from clinical depression as there is strong evidence that it is related to brain functionality and structure. Without doubt the reaction between genes and environment (often referred to as 'epigenesis') can have a positive or negative effect on this, so living circumstances can affect it, but you will always have people with clinical depression. It existed long before we even begun to understand it, there are notable historical examples including Vincent van Gogh.

(v) If you looked at a population of, for example, Tibetan hill villagers there would be less incidences of unhappiness and misery because the way they live is closer to our real nature that the way we now live in the West. However, there would still be people there that suffered from depression, what would differ would be that they would (i) feel that they had a real purpose, (ii) have the direct support of a community.

(vi) I'm not sure about a correlation between conspiracy forums and depression, but I don't think 'happiness' is an appropriate state of mind at this point in time, anyway. I'm not happy about the state of the world, about all the suffering and misery and poverty and needless slaughter that takes place. I'm not happy about the fact that people don't care. Maybe I can't change that, but I'm not just going to reconcile myself to it because very little about the world in which we live is either natural, necessary or unavoidable.

wake_up_bomb wrote:
Outstanding post...you scare me sometimes wub

www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the...ts_of_happiness.html

'appiness eez a state of ze mind

.......... wrote:
In 1998 everything was okay for me. I was living in a nice place, had a job that I felt secure in (later found out that I should not have felt that way) anyhoo, I was quite content with my life, hobbies, etc. I always said that all I needed to be happy was a lack of worry and pain and I had neither.... so all was good.

On a Sunday, I was vacuuming the house when all of a sudden I felt a distinct wave come over me. It was a big energy force that I felt coming towards me and over my head and "whoosh" it pulled me down and instantly I felt not so good at all. I went to lie down until the feeling passed, and then "whoosh" another wave came over me and pulled me down even farther, and then a third one... and instantly I felt depressed.

These waves of some kind of energy force came from outside of me and felt like they were several feet over my head and I felt them push me down. I was not debilitated.... I went through my routines and life as usual. I did not do anything about it just muddled through. If I remember correctly, it lasted a month or so.

There was nothing that triggered this. As I type this.. it just occured to me that maybe as I was vacuuming I kicked up some dust that had something in it and breathed it in? Maybe not.

Other than that possibility, there were no triggers whatsoever.

It is also possible that I had psychically picked up on forces that were working against me?

It was so strange and I will never forget those waves coming out of nowhere and engulfing me and pulling me down. It was very distinct and there were three waves... each one pulled me down further..

I'm lucky enough to have never suffered from depression, but I can't help wondering whether there might actually be unseen triggers - we're bombarded with all kinds of radio waves & stuff. Not saying it's the answer, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Its probably something we will take a long time to understand
If ever!

Happiness is one of lifes little mysteries, its deep in the inner psyche and really we rely a lot on external influences to control our moods. So its understandable that we look to outside influence first and expect some kind of trigger for it





I would go even further and say you are not just a part of humanity but a part of all life of all consciousness, of the entire universe.
The human mind can see beauty, it can see art, it can feel emotion. Understanding why you feel emotion to any aspect of input is key to becoming master of yourself imho. You need to be very self aware.

beautiful post andyh

It s nice to see this side of you from behind the necessary nitty gritty of how-do and Where-from that you courageously tackle.

Good on you, mate

mikey mikey wrote:
Like I said, I may not be religious but I can see the appeal of religion and the positive aspects of it.
I'm primarily very spiritual and I try to be as positive as poss with ppl, (usually using my sense of humour!)

Brilliant post, andy

It all goes back in the box, anyways!

My fave spiritual video is this one



Even when things are pretty shitty

wake_up_bomb wrote:
Great Post WUB...