Poll: Depression Free ME/CFS studies?

[PamJ]

I would be willing to bet that over half of all patients with a chronic, debilitating illness are depressed.
Personally, I lack the ability to do 90% of what I want to do, I've been sick for over 20 years, I don't see a cure in sight, and I'm almost 50. This is just plain depressing. But I'm pretty sure depression is improved by excersize, whereas my illness is worsened by it...

 

[IrisRV]

I would be willing to bet that over half of all patients with a chronic, debilitating illness are depressed.
Personally, I lack the ability to do 90% of what I want to do, I've been sick for over 20 years, I don't see a cure in sight, and I'm almost 50. This is just plain depressing. But I'm pretty sure depression is improved by excersize, whereas my illness is worsened by it...

There is a difference between true depression and low mood. Depression is a serious illness. Low mood is a normal reaction to difficult circumstances and doesn't have many of the features of true depression. I don't know if Newton is making that distinction or not. The self-diagnosis "I'm depressed by x situation" is common in normal conversation, but it's similar to "I got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from working too many hours last week." As humans, we tend to oversimplify serious illness by using it's name to describe normal, but imperfect, conditions.

I agree that many of us are not in a consistently cheerful mood. I'm certainly not happy that I can only do a quarter of what I used to do. Whether that qualifies as clincally depressed is another question.

 

[Strike me lucky]

Situational or secondary depression is whats common in cfsme, not primary depression.

 

[Els]

Don't know how to answer this vote; my brain is too foggy. But I'll give it a try (like I've been doing for many years fighting back to heal from this disease, just saying) : I tend to get "depressed" after mental and/or fysical efforts, or after unforeseen stressy situations, but I wouldn't call it "depression", it's a very very very low state of mind, not having the energy to continue, mostly because you are not believed, or not taken seriously, or not being helped by the people from whom you'd expect it (doctors, friends, family members,.... to say the least...), feeling very very very lonely in your misery. I just know that something is wrong with my neurological system, digestion system, immune system, hormonal system, and "low thoughts" are regularly part of that at those horrible awful "feeling exhausted, almost apathic, no energy to fight back anymore"-situations. (like a prey animal who just knows all is lost, just before it will be killed by its attacker, something like that) This question makes me feel as though I'm caught in the be-careful-not-to-give-the-"wrong answer" - trap. It feels like those in the "you're just depressed" - camp could benefit from "the wrong answer". Maybe the name "depression" is wrong. Maybe it should be called otherwise. But I'm sure our ME/CVS state of mind can be measured in tests during the "good" as well as the "bad" moments. They can come and test me on any given time of day/night, and in any situation I'm in. I'd say "depressed" people lose interest in hobbies, in themselves and others. I don't feel I do that. I'm still enthusiastic to dance or study music for example, but I can't concentrate on it without getting exhausted, grasping for oxygen, getting pains all over if I don't stop after 15minutes. Maybe "desperate" is a better word in the poll question. Just looking/answering at the question of this poll is kind of exhausting. The only way to "survive" this, is accepting the disease. (just like a stressed-out prey animal does just before dying I guess). Accepting, not because I WANTED to, but because I HAVE TO in order to survive this until someone out there comes up with a cause and remedy.