Do you believe some normies think stating being depressed would be kind of cool?

[noname223]

There is this meme "I have crippling depression." Maybe you heard of it. I think also a lot of healthy people have sent that meme because they thought it was cool or funny. I am not sure what opinion I have on the question of the title. Stating some teenagers would find it trendy to label themselves as depressed (or emo) can be kind of dangerous. Because it plays down the danger of mentally ill teenagers. On the other side I have heard some doctors saying having mood swings is part of the puberty and the hormones. I am not sure whether this phenomon is more widespread in young people than in other age groups.

I had a friends (now we are not that close anymore) he pretended to have depression as a teenager and wanted to say he knows the feelings I have. Most of my friends me included me thought/think he was exaggerating his mental state. He talked a lot of bullshit also about my mental illness This was one reason why I stopped seeing him as a close friends. I am very senstive about hurtful comments. Yeah he often made jokes about my sanity. I can deal with that if I know the friend is fully loyal. But I did not have full trust in him...

When I was in college with my somewhat only friend and opened up about my mental illness she answered "yes I know depression, I have this always...". This was complete bullshit. She was fucking healthy and pretended that. She was my only friend in college and I admit it she listened to my fucking paranoia. But stating such a bullshit plays down mental illnesses. I am very convinced she never had depression. She sounded more bored about life and pretended this was a depression.
I hope it does not sound like I would question someone who is in pain about their illness. But I am pretty sure about it I have talked with them about the feelings they had. And both sounded pretty pretty healthy.

What do you think about it? Do some normies label them as victims for getting attention? There are also speculations some members of suicide/mental illness forums were in reality healthy and just wanted attention. I think this is only a very small minority. But these people exist.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I wouldn't go as far as to say they're all faking it. Plenty of people can feel depression or depressive symptoms at varying degrees so just because someone is a normie doesn't mean things can't happen to them that would potentially mentally cripple them for at least a day or two. The difference is in how easily they can be snapped out of it and how likely they are to develop chronic depression.

And remember just because someone acts comedically about depression, doesn't mean they aren't still suffering a great deal. Taking it less seriously could just be their way of coping with it.

 

[noname223]

I wouldn't go as far as to say they're all faking it. Plenty of people can feel depression or depressive symptoms at varying degrees so just because someone is a normie doesn't mean things can't happen to them that would potentially mentally cripple them for at least a day or two. The difference is in how easily they can be snapped out of it and how likely they are to develop chronic depression.

And remember just because someone acts comedically about depression, doesn't mean they aren't still suffering a great deal. Taking it less seriously could just be their way of coping with it.

I have to agree partly. Making this argument is kind of dangerous. WIth the first person I mentioned I am not 100% sure if he had a mild form of depression.

The other person on the other hand I am like 99% sure she glossed over how depression feel like.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I have to agree partly. Making this argument is kind of dangerous. WIth the first person I mentioned I am not 100% sure if he had a mild form of depression.

The other person on the other hand I am like 99% sure she glossed over how depression feel like.

Yeah, it's unfortunately too complicated. Maybe they got so good at faking not being depressed that they could fool other depressed people or maybe they really were completely lying. Only they really know for sure.

 

[Bone]

I feel like meme-ifying depression and other mental illnesses has absolutely led to tons of people "claiming" it. For example-wasn't there a thing on TikTok where lots of younger people were claiming to have DID (split personality disorder)? Tumblr also caused this too iirc before, now IG and reddit...

 

[LastFlowers]

It has absolutely 100% become a trend, and I have no doubt that it's not just teenagers latching onto it, I've even seen some of the same types of people land on this website, more so after all of the articles blasted it to the public.
The majority of people I see openly "meme" (notably w/ no originality) and make a big show of their supposed suffering (usually in places like FB and Instagram) are those who are out and about in the world and still enjoying privileges and benefits that most here are starved of, they LOVE labels, they salivate over them, because when they get a mental health label (or otherwise) they use it to justify their shitty behavior, shift blame, and attention-seek (& not in a way that is warranted).

It's a game to them (but good luck getting them to admit it), because they don't actually have to endure the genuine hell and consequences of being labeled and being transparent about their woes.
Those with legitimate concerns and diagnoses often have them used against them, even to the point where their only solutions are blocked, this is something which malingerers and childish spotlight grabbers don't worry their little heads about, because they don't actually need a solution in the first place.
In the same way that they have an endless well of energy to source from, so their complaints and "look at me" whining is never-ending, unfortunately outlasting and getting in front of those who are writhing on the ground beneath them.

It would be like if I (someone with viable lower limbs) climbed into a wheelchair and rolled around town, or if I went to the ER for a simple "one and done" visit and posted pictures of myself half asleep in one of the beds with wires & tubes all around me.
(Even if I did have to undergo a procedure, I would NOT have someone take pictures of me to post them later..I will never understand that sort of disgustingly unnecessary self-pandering.)
Anyway..back to the wheelchair example..it would never hit me like someone who was actually wheelchair bound, because I would know I could just jump up and walk away, so all of my focus would be on the attention and pity I would receive, rather than the struggle itself.

Have I ever "joked" about my situation or my own suffering?
Yes I have-occasionally, but I don't actually find any of it amusing in the slightest and I certainly don't post about it in such a flippant fashion all over social media under my own name and face, any humor-grasping coping mechanisms have mostly been implemented in private or behind the scenes with select individuals who share my pain, or perhaps on SS via the meme thread lol.
The healthy ones and those whom life is kind to have started to feel "left out" for once in their lives and so they want to jump on the bandwagon and make sure everybody knows that they, too, have their existence pressed under the boot of society (they don't).

The media and entertainment mediums which romanticize suffering under the mask of aesthetically pleasing productions and pretty faces (actors who get to walk away at the end of the day) doesn't help this phenomenon.
It's a completely unrealistic take the majority of the time, it dazzles those with an inclination for further inflating their own ego, they are causing problems for the rest of us, no longer content with the 5-course meal at the dinner table, they have to reach under said table and slap the leftovers from our mouths to add them to their own plate.
They are not used to being on the outside, it makes them very uncomfortable, and so apparently this is their remedy.
The thing is, if they ever had a 180 forced on them and life turned on its head, they would probably cringe at their own previous escapades.

I wouldn't go as far as to say they're all faking it. Plenty of people can feel depression or depressive symptoms at varying degrees so just because someone is a normie doesn't mean things can't happen to them that would potentially mentally cripple them for at least a day or two. The difference is in how easily they can be snapped out of it and how likely they are to develop chronic depression.

And remember just because someone acts comedically about depression, doesn't mean they aren't still suffering a great deal. Taking it less seriously could just be their way of coping with it.

That's another part of the problem, there's some example from somewhere about how when a child stubs their toe and sobs for hours with a tantrum, it's partially because that's the worst pain they've ever known, and so they have nothing to compare it to, no comforting realization of what would be far worse, no perspective beyond a severely myopic one.
Some adults and teens never outgrow this.
This leads to scenarios such as when someone with the occasional pimple attempts to relate to someone with scarring cystic acne.
(But there are other factors at play beyond this, as I outlined in my own comment.)

I have to agree partly. Making this argument is kind of dangerous. WIth the first person I mentioned I am not 100% sure if he had a mild form of depression.

The other person on the other hand I am like 99% sure she glossed over how depression feel like.

Unfortunately fearing this danger and beating around the bush just enables the dramatic and unnecessary behavior and rhetoric of those who really should have some sense slapped back into them.
(Their nonsense is not harmless.)
What are we to do..sort of in between a rock and a hard place, as usual.

 

[Sherri]

Yes they call it a mild depression. Just had a mild depression for a few months. Hum hum. Some people think it's cool because a lot of celebrities also claim to have it, or have had it.

 

[Ringo]

Personally, I haven't seen it happen when it comes to depression, but I have no doubt it will, since last year I have come across people who claim to suffer
asperger syndrome, autism, bipolar disorder and others based on their perception of these conditions, things like "Oh, two hours ago I felt sad but now seeing a meme I laughed, I must be bipolar", all with the intention of making themselves feel special .

In the end it is more of the same, we tribalize ourselves and want to find things that distinguish us from others, when these cases occur it is very sad that they treat a condition, whether negative, innocuous or even positive, as a trend and label to define themselves...

Remember the fake Emo/Goth trend of the early 2000s? A lot of people were treating self-injury, suicide and disorders as something cool that made them look intimidating and interesting.

 

[LastFlowers]

Remember the fake Emo/Goth trend of the early 2000s? A lot of people were treating self-injury, suicide and disorders as something cool that made them look intimidating and interesting.

Yes, I remember Tumblr. Lol.
It was like I was witnessing a blood-soaked soap opera half the time, certain users started to be like characters in a gory teen drama.
I just wanted to see dumb joke threads and nonsense about anime, but then there was the rest of it..
And the love affair with eating disorders too, just became a weirdly fetishized act to starve yourself to the point of being a skeleton (I have had EDs in the past and I still found it odd, the superiority complex surrounding it more so than actually finding some type of comfort in losing that amount of weight).
Everyone was "becoming bisexual" and playing at being trans, even if they genuinely were not either. An insult to people who actually are and have to deal with the stigma.
Again, harks back to what I said previously, people just becoming actors, unbothered because they know they can walk away at any moment.

 

[Ringo]

Yes, I remember Tumblr. Lol.

Oh, I completely forgot about that site, I just had in mind the primitive internet I used to visit as a child and some schoolmates who made those kinds of comments.

Everyone was "becoming bisexual" and playing at being trans, even if they genuinely were not either. An insult to people who actually are and have to deal with the stigma.
Again, harks back to what I said previously, people just becoming actors, unbothered because they know they can walk away at any moment.

Tumblr was full of people like that, people desperate for identities and who did not cope well with that period of small but constant changes during adolescence and early adulthood, I like the analogy you used, because it's accurate, they build a character which they can get rid of once they get bored without being crushed by the weight of the authenticity of those conditions. Those are the inconveniences about entering a closet just to get out afterwards.

 

[LastFlowers]

they build a character which they can get rid of once they get bored without being crushed by the weight of the authenticity of those conditions

Exactly.
I mean, there may be some inconveniences afterward like you mentioned, but it's not the same as having to endure the permanent reality.
There were also several users who would get attached to an already established tv/film character and would want to become them so badly that if an individual was say, female, and obsessed with a character that happened to be a male, their solution was to literally "become a man" and subsequently play dress-up for their followers.
Then they would move onto the next one.

 

[Fragile]

Not only is this not a new thing, it's kind of out of control right now. It also evolved beyond depression and anxiety, now people self diagnose with very complex and rare illnesses because it's trendy and glorified to label yourself with your struggle, regardless of how real it is. The only people who call this out tend to be the ones who actually have a real diagnosis, but they seem to be a minority in their own communities nowadays.

The scariest part is that there is a clear social contagion going on, and many of these attention seekers are literally grooming others by diagnosing them with these serious conditions, it usually involves vulnerable people who find nothing but hugboxes, lovebombing and a sense of community in social media groups once they start self diagnosing, some of them actually believe that they are suffering from something they don't have.

There's this subreddit r/fakedisordercringe where they have countless of examples of this behavior in the most blatant and fake ways imaginable, it's a trip, but a very interesting rabbithole that will change your perspective in many things once you dig deep enough.

 

[Foresight]

I can say that although I wasn't faking mental illness as a teen girl I definitely romanticized it a little. I was naive and didn't understand the gravity of it. I thought it was kind of cool to be ~deep or whatever and to live life on the edge. The lyrics to the rocks songs made sense to me and the troubled girls in movies were relatable. I was a dumb kid like most people. I think a lot of teens might fall into this category, but the illness can be just as dangerous as anyone else.

Now that I'm an adult I understand there is nothing cool about it. I understand it much better than before. I definitely wasn't faking it then though. I had my most earnest suicide attempt at 18. I don't know the words to place it. I wasn't fake but I definitely didn't get it fully.

 

[Manaaja]

I don't know about normies, but I seriously doubt they do that. I have seen depressed people who wish they were more depressed, even on this site. So maybe all those normies who wish they were depressed, are actually depressed already and wishing to be more depressed.

I know in some art circles, some artists make great art while depressed. And then when they are less depressed, their art is worse, so they wish they could be more depressed to make better art. Of course you don't always need to be depry to make great art. (depry, I'm gonna use it, it sounds cute and is shorter and easier than depressed.)

But personally, I don't understand why anyone would want to be depressed, unless it's something like "my art was better when I was depry" or "I was treated better when I was depry" or "I got disability money when I was depry" or "I was taken more seriously when I was depry" or "It would be easier to ctb if I were more depry". I must admit that sometimes I awfully think that "What if this would make it easier for me to ctb?" but that's not what I really want. I want to be happy. I want to be myself, I want to be free, I want to be happy.

 

[PreussenBlueJay]

I don't understand. I thought depression wasn't cool and was something to conceal. I recall classmates using "bipolar" and "depressed" as hyperbolic expressions but no one took them seriously. Then again teenagers have a lot of emotional troubles without having the experience to know how to cope, so it wouldn't be unusual for them to over-express genuine sadness.

 

[faex42]

I miss Tumblr. It was a place you were safe to be whatever you claimed to be and no one challenged you. There were no ponts or medals to
be gained on Tumblr by being depressed.

 

[sleepyhollow]

I do agree that it can be both dangerous and hurtful for people to glamorize depression or reference it so flippantly as they often do. Many kids at my school dress in ways that are typically seen as being indicative of depression (emo). Although dress like this just to garner attention, it could be a sign that they are experiencing depression, neglect, etc. and they want someone to notice and help them. For some people, though, it's just a fashion statement, and not at all a cry for help. I usually wear colorful, pastel clothing, and almost no one suspects that I deal with things on the inside. In contrast, many "emo" kids get help, whether they like/need it or not. I often wonder, "If I dress like them, will I then be worthy of receiving help?" But I don't want to inconvernience others and attract attention to myself, so I stay quiet, and my peers are none the wiser. Additionally, some people may sound very casual or insincere when they open up about their legitimate depression because they have a difficult time expressing themselves, not necessarily because they are just making it up. Like I always say, don't judge a book by it's cover. However people may appear or speak, it may not be indicative of their true state of mind.

 

[catmewomeow]

people definitely use depression incorrectly as synonyms to normal sadness (along with bipolar for feeling happy sometimes and feeling sad sometimes, and OCD for being neat), but people not taking mental illnesses seriously would still be a major problem if the concept entirely disappeared. even after some serious attempts as a teen, i was framed as someone who almost caused irreparable damage to their body multiple times because i wanted attention and to be special. the bar for "real depression" is constantly raising to be unattainable. and just because someone doesn't seem depressed (they rarely ever do), it doesn't mean they're not.

 

[Forever Sleep]

It's a tricky subject because- how reliable are the diagnoses of mental illnesses by doctors? I'd say- not very. The diagnosis process seems a bit whoolly to me. Just because someone hasn't had an official diagnosis from a doctor, doesn't mean they don't have a mental illness. Just because someone is diagnosed with something- doesn't mean the doctors got it right.

I remember my Dad once saying to me that- yes, I was unhappy but it was different to this other person. This other person was 'clinically depressed'. He may have been right. It's not to knock what this other person had but I thought- how do you know? You don't even know I'm suicidal! Part of the reason some people aren't diagnosed is because they keep it to themselves. My Dad doesn't have much time for people banding about labels of 'mental illness' and 'depression'. He really doesn't have time for therapy or medication. That has absolutely had an effect on me. I've been reluctant to seek help because of that. I truly don't know whether I have anything. I likely would be diagnosed with depression if I did see a doctor now. It was a friends Mum who actually encouraged me to go once and that was the result back then. No doubt- it would be the same again now- nothing's changed.

I do completely agree that some people's situations are far more severe than others. I do just the same think that there are high functioning people with mental illness out there. People who- for whatever reason couldn't let the illness hold them back. Maybe they had families who wouldn't accept they had anything wrong with them. Maybe their families were strict with them and wouldn't let them stay in bed or skip their studies or, not become financially independent. Because they look ok on the outside. They look like they're functioning- doesn't mean they are ok. I happened to see this YouTube video the other day and it struck me that many people who are suicidal probably came across as doing just fine on the outside- at some points in life at least:



As to whether people fake or exagerate it- very probably. Ultimately though, we only know what it's like to be ourselves. I'd say I had anxiety around people. Is it fair for me to call it social anxiety though? I'm not at the stage where I physically puke if I have to be around others. It probably isn't fair to put myself in the same group as them. Has it affected my life and held me back though? Definitely. Perhaps I could get over it easier than they could but- it's still debhilitating. It's tough to compare ourselves to others when- we really don't know what it's like to be them. One thing I have found is that even talking to people I thought were confident and, had it together in life- they still had their own inner battles going on.

What I find most curious here is that some people seem to embrace the fact that they have mental illness while others seem insulted at the idea. But regarding your initial question- I think probably some people do like the idea of being different. They probably do feel different- most of us have at some stage I expect. Maybe they do feel unhappy too- so, maybe it's not unreasonable for them to think they have depression. If only there were proper physical inicators for it.