smash bros and depression

[Shocksauce]

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The only thing I ever do anymore is play smash. I don't know what else to do with myself. When I play, I feel like I don't have to worry about life. I get lost in the game. Does anyone else use smash as an anti-depressant?

 

[Jam Stunna]

It wasn't Smash for me, but when I got kicked out of college, I played Disgaea obsessively. I put over 200 hours into it in less than a month. I was depressed too, and it gave me something to do when I stayed up until 6:00 AM every night.

 

[Teran]

For me it was lots of alcohol and sex.

No not really, I was never depressed. It's all about keeping a stiff upper lip and not making a fuss.

 

[yiledly]

i have to work the night of the midnight launch. if i get all my cleaning down i can get out at 11 than to gamestop to get my brawl. im going to have some brawl songs on my mp3 player and while im on deliveraries play that.

 

[cannedbread]

i kind of feel you

it fluctuates though, some days i'll wake up and play smash/look at smash videos/research obscure thing's about smash like all day. i'll have to force myself to shower or eat or something or someone will have to remind me. if i'm not playing or occupied i mostly get anxious about my future and think too much about little things i shouldn't worry about like why is new jersey called new jersey or i shouldn't have done this or that or whatever.

but some other days it's not that bad, i'll go for walks and listen to music and draw like i do normally, or play other games. i really wish i could be the type to go around the world and compete so i get sick of this game more and not spend all my free time playing.

 

[Jaedrik]

My sister is a psychologist, I talk with psychologists quite frequently. I've met many an intellectual people who think precisely as I do:
Video games are a release, not an escape, a very very very good release, they prevent more mass murders than they cause, but it's good to take everything in moderation.
And yes, I felt like this at a time, but then again I didn't feel it much because I was always releasing it on video games and prayer.
If I ever become Pope, my first encyclical is going to be "The Theology of Video Games."

 

[Teran]

Videogames are totally an escape for me dude.

 

[KRDsonic]

I used to use video games as an escape when I was younger.

Now I play music as my "anti-depressant". Thing is, playing and writing music works better for me because when it's all said and done, I have something I can look back at and share with people and say "This is what I created". With video games, it's kinda like... "This is what I did... in this game that no one cares about anymore. And people who haven't played this game won't even understand a single thing I'm talking about."

That's just me though.

 

[Melomaniacal]

For me it was lots of alcohol and sex.

No not really, I was never depressed. It's all about keeping a stiff upper lip and not making a fuss.

If only physical disorders were treated the same as mental disorders.

"You know, man, you wouldn't need that insulin in the first place if you just kept a stiff upper lip and didn't make a fuss."

 

[ndayday]

I've read that a few times and I think you might have switched the two?

 

[Melomaniacal]

I've read that a few times and I think you might have switched the two?

Nah, I was trying to be sarcastic, and the quote was meant to demonstrate that.

Mental disorders should be treated more similarly to physical disorders. It's ridiculous to treat mental disorders the way we do now, which is demonstrated by what would happen if we were to treat physical disorders how we treat mental disorders.

 

[Jon Farron]

I use video games, and music as an escape.

If I'm depressed or sad, picking up a game will give me an escape from reality. If I'm bored or wishing I was somewhere else than at home or w/e, I listen to some music and imagine I'm living the song.

and Melomaniacal you're seriously not making any sense .-.

 

[Melomaniacal]

I can promise that I'm making perfect sense. Read slowly. Where are you confused?

 

[KRDsonic]

I'm assuming Melo is saying basically that telling someone "just keep a stiff upper lip" doesn't cure depression, because it's not just that someone's sad, it's that they have a disorder that's causing those emotions, often times when there's no reason for those emotions to be felt in the first place. Thing is, a lot of people mistake being sad for being depressed when there is a difference.

Also, there are a lot of people who do treat physical disorders like that. I can't count how many times people told my mom "Just be positive and everything will be fine!" when she was going through cancer.

 

[Luigitoilet]

melo is saying that depression is a result of chemical deficiency or imbalance in the brain. its not something people can just will away or choose wether or not to have

 

[Melomaniacal]

melo is saying that depression is a result of chemical deficiency or imbalance in the brain. its not something people can just will away or choose wether or not to have

Pretty much.

Just like physical disorders.
Which is why we shouldn't treat mental disorders differently.

 

[Yodery]

Pretty much.

Just like physical disorders.
Which is why we shouldn't treat mental disorders differently.

BLESS. THIS. POST.

Mental care is so ****ed up, and not really taken seriously in this country, (Murrika) it's sad really.

 

[Life]

I don't know enough to really have a worthwhile opinion, but for the sake of arguing (tldr: here, have some talking points I've seen on the internet):

Not every cure comes in pill form. Other than maybe a painkiller, you wouldn't really take anything to recover from severe injury, for example--you would do physical therapy. Grief counseling is an example.

Part of the problem with mental illnesses is that we know very little about them (particularly personality disorders--at what point do we call someone abnormal?) We can say "chemical imbalance in the brain" all we want, but for such a simple-sounding diagnosis, we lack any sort of cure-all because every case is a little different (quite like cancer now that I think about it, or the thing with flu vaccines). And unless you're dead, it's a little difficult to actually test brain chemistry and figure out exactly what's wrong. Because of all of this, any given medication works for some people but is ineffective in others.

I'd also bring up the "America takes a crapton of pills already" argument, though it strikes me as a little... I dunno. Simplistic? Who says those pills aren't effective?

Lastly, studies do show that a positive attitude helps out with a wide variety of diseases.

Again, just posting for the sake of argument. Don't know very much on the subject.


----------------------------------------


As for me, I react to stress with sadness. I think. It's bizarre. As soon as I have something due I get super apathetic about actually doing it (so many last-minute essays and compositions LOL -- yeah, I'm a music tech/composition major), but like now when I'm on break I'm chomping at the bit to continue. Gonna correct a couple mistakes I made this semester, ready to roll for January.

 

[Melomaniacal]

I'm not saying anything about medication or overprescriptions in this country. I'm saying that responses like "you'll be fine, get over it," or the like, aren't appropriate when talking about mental or physical illness.

 

[Luigitoilet]

I feel like I should say that I do think there is a fine line between melancholy that is induced by lifestyle or outlook on life, and clinical depression. people overuse the word "depressed" often when they just mean sad or melancholy. one's perspective and disposition towards life goes a long way...but mental illnesses are actual physiological things, and any debilitating ones need to be treated as such, as opposed to spawn of philosophy and mindset.

 

[ndayday]

Nah, I was trying to be sarcastic, and the quote was meant to demonstrate that.

Mental disorders should be treated more similarly to physical disorders. It's ridiculous to treat mental disorders the way we do now, which is demonstrated by what would happen if we were to treat physical disorders how we treat mental disorders.

Oh gotcha, I guess I should have considered that option. Really like the analogy though, I hadn't really considered it that way until my psychology professor gave the same analogy a few months ago. You don't tell someone with a broken leg to go walk it off, you give them their little cast and x-rays.

 

[KRDsonic]

Just figured I'd say, since people are talking about medication, that sometimes medication is the answer for mental disorders. Lots of people in my family are bipolar. My mom was bipolar to a point where she wasn't able to keep and maintain friendships because she would always drive them away, but once she was diagnosed and given Abilify, it completely changed her and made her normal. Same thing with one of my uncles who suffered from severe depression his whole life, and now he's taking some kind of medication that fights that off and he's able to live a somewhat normal life now too. I don't personally know what it's like, since I was only on medication for a very short time (stopped taking it because I'm able to handle myself without the use of pills) but yeah.

 

[Life]

So how do we tell the difference between clinical, chemically-induced depression and, well, everything else?

Unrelated, KRD will forever be associated with Gheb now because of that arcanine

 

[KRDsonic]

I'm not certain, so I won't pretend to know, but I can give my thoughts. Also, I think clinical depression and chemically-induced depression are the same thing.

Anyways, I know that at least for me, I have times obviously where something bad happens in my life and I'm really sad for a while. Thing is, that's caused by the events in my life, meaning that's not actual depression, that's just sadness or grief, and it tends to end once things get back on track or I get over whatever it was that happened. Then there are times where my life is completely fine, everything is going right, but out of no where I'll suddenly get this wave of emotion come over me, which ends up being very strong (I won't go into detail). Thing is, during those times, I would usually stop and think "Why am I feeling like this? What is it that's causing me to feel this emotion?" and usually I can't think of an answer, because there is no outside cause for it, so during those times, I know it's actual depression. It's just a chemical imbalance in my brain causing it. I don't think most people tend to try to reason it out like that. I mainly just do because my mom pointed it out several times when I was younger. I don't really know how to tell if someone else is clinically depressed or not, I only know how it works for me, from my experiences and from psychiatrists I've talked to.

Also, the Arcanine is just a Wolf boards thing. Except that only a few of us use it.

 

[Luco]

Funny that we got really off topic. I'll answer to both discussions though because they're really interesting.

First of all, i'm not gonna deny, i'm probably guilty of using smash to get me out of some tough stuff where my brain just didn't want to cope. IMO there are times when stuff like that is valid and times when you can't constantly escape from your issues like that because they keep coming back.

That said, using smash to take your mind off something to clear your head, or something like that which will help you deal with the issue is probably beneficial. Dunno tbh and I disagree with a lot of what my mum says about games these days...

Anyway, on the subject of physical/mental issues, it's sad how western society treats mental illness, we're often subconsciously embarrassed of going to a psychiatrist or doctor so we decide to put it off which can further propagate the problem.

THAT said, there are actually some times when it DOES require inner strength to over-come a problem. Often it's done in concert with help but I went through a year and a half of depression and made my way through it, among some other stuff.

I dunno, I think it depends on the person and the situation. I think it's like a physical ailment where if it's just a cut or bruise, you can shrug it off and get over it. If it's something serious... shrugging it off definitely ain't the solution.

 

[Uncle-Kenny]

If you feel as though smash, or any video game, is sucking up a large portion of your life then it's probably not healthy. Besides the obvious exceptions of actually working in the game industry and being a tester or something, but that's besides the point.

Depression... Honestly, I'm not sure how it's clinically defined or whatever pre-requisites you'd need in order to be diagnosed with it but I'd say that if you've spent a long period of time (several months and/or years) in a state of gloom and self-loathing and/or severely lack in self-confidence or motivation, go ahead and classify yourself as such and seek appropriate help.

To be honest, I don't believe there's any shame in therapy, regardless of the severity (or lack thereof) of your emotional state. The point is, if you feel as though you need the help, seek it. You don't need to reach the clinical definition of depression before you deserve help, to the contrary you should actually be getting help as soon as you feel you need it in order to prevent yourself from falling that deep in and potentially never coming back.

It's a slippery slope.

And if you don't think it's that serious then just talk to some good friends about your problems, do what you enjoy and try to find something productive to do. Playing video games might be a form of procrastination; make an effort to put it down and do something else. If it's difficult, try to force yourself. Never stop challenging yourself to make an earnest effort.

 

[Melomaniacal]

For the record, clinical depression usually has symptoms outside of "feeling sad," like fatigue, body aches/pains, etc.

 

[Lukingordex]

Just adding something to the discussion:

Religious people tend to be more depressed than non-religious people,a research showed it.

 

[Luigitoilet]

please provide a source for such mass generalized claims like that

 

[Luco]

If you feel as though smash, or any video game, is sucking up a large portion of your life then it's probably not healthy. Besides the obvious exceptions of actually working in the game industry and being a tester or something, but that's besides the point.

Depression... Honestly, I'm not sure how it's clinically defined or whatever pre-requisites you'd need in order to be diagnosed with it but I'd say that if you've spent a long period of time (several months and/or years) in a state of gloom and self-loathing and/or severely lack in self-confidence or motivation, go ahead and classify yourself as such and seek appropriate help.

To be honest, I don't believe there's any shame in therapy, regardless of the severity (or lack thereof) of your emotional state. The point is, if you feel as though you need the help, seek it. You don't need to reach the clinical definition of depression before you deserve help, to the contrary you should actually be getting help as soon as you feel you need it in order to prevent yourself from falling that deep in and potentially never coming back.

It's a slippery slope.

And if you don't think it's that serious then just talk to some good friends about your problems, do what you enjoy and try to find something productive to do. Playing video games might be a form of procrastination; make an effort to put it down and do something else. If it's difficult, try to force yourself. Never stop challenging yourself to make an earnest effort.

I agree but at the same time, if it's just a case of using video games to keep yourself from waging war with yourself until you can find a solution to some problem, I don't have any problem. It's when you start constantly using it to get away and not have it solve anything that IMO it becomes an issue.

Also, whether you find it obvious or not, society generally frowns upon this kind of stuff. I applaud that you are one of the few who truly don't mind it but how do you translate that to the rest of our culture? :/

There are also times when you just don't know you're depressed or just don't feel like you should see a doctor. I know none of that came to me when I was depressed, then again it's not like there even was a psychiatrist out there so meh. I knew I was depressed but I didn't feel like I wanted support, I just wanted time to deal with it... the only person I ever talked to about it while I was depressed was my mum and we were living together for a year and a half so she would have noticed eventually anyway.

Dunno, that's just how I feel.

 

[Lukingordex]

please provide a source for such mass generalized claims like that

Sorry,I saw it 2 months ago and I don't have the link anymore.

 

[Teran]

If only physical disorders were treated the same as mental disorders.

"You know, man, you wouldn't need that insulin in the first place if you just kept a stiff upper lip and didn't make a fuss."

^^ Doesn't know how to keep a stiff upper lip.

 

[Falconv1.0]

What ****ing country are we in again? Last tine I checked it's the one over medicating any kind of possible disorder we can diagnose, we stopped telling people to be tough for ANYTHING a loooong time ago.

 

[Luigitoilet]

What ****ing country are we in again? Last tine I checked it's the one over medicating any kind of possible disorder we can diagnose, we stopped telling people to be tough for ANYTHING a loooong time ago.

I wasn't aware the entirety of this forum is in the same country.

 

[Dre89]

Religious people are statistically happier and have lower suicide rates. I've seen that in multiple sources.

People saying that there's a difference between feeling crap and actual depression are wrong.

Chemical induced, chronic depression isn't the only type of depression. Depression comes in many degrees. For example, dysthymia is constant low-grade depression. It is induced by psychological and environmental factors, not chemicals in the brain. Many people experience this, and it is medically classed as a type of depression.

So no, the term depression is not overused. What people may be doing is exaggerating how severe their depression actually is.

 

[Melomaniacal]

Also, for the record, "chemicals" should be "neurotransmitters," and yes, even dysthymia is rooted in neurotransmitter over/underproduction.

 

[Dre89]

Technically, everything is NT related because they're involved in all emotions, but dysthymia is psychological in nature.

Dysthymia is caused by things like social isolation, feelings of worthlessness etc. It is cured by activities such as social networking and getting new hobbies.

 

[Jiji]

Usually. Sometimes it's because I'm feeling down and need to kick some butt on a video game to cheer myself up, other times it's because I just wanna practice.
Could be both.

 

[crawlshots]

some people are depressed because their pasts were jacked up. possibly most of us to a degree. we all have longings and needs as human beings and having those ignored or violated early on messes with your outlook on life. finding joy on a daily basis will naturally be harder for these people.

I actually think that lots and lots of video game playing these days is fueled by denial or suppression. it's a very easy escape from reality. and very fun. a psychologist would tell you that exploring your past and dealing with the areas of pain is the cure. it's not quick or pleasant at all but it pays off.

 

[Shinn/Killz]

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