Why is it so hard to manage depression, even though one might have studied depression, and knows all of the right things to do?

That is an excellent question. Sometimes there are factors that one does not even realize. For instance If one is Gluten intolerant or has an unknown food allergy ... It can create brain fog, depression, aches and pains, just feeling ill constantly. I believe every individual with depression needs to evaluate their entire well being.. right down to the food we eat ... So many factors in why we are depressed - realize it - but cannot help ourselves. Someone needs to come up with a whole evaluation process in one's being... right down to the food we intake - medical - relationships - how we were raised ect...

Depression, even though well researched and documented, is still a personal experience that can not be managed through just theoretical and practical knowledge. Depression affects all aspects of being which in many cases will lead to the feeling of uncertainty, loneliness, feeling out of touch or detached with oneself and one's physical and social environment and perhaps not feeling much at all. These feelings can not be helped or be fixed through self-management. It is important to realize that there are times in which external help will be needed.

Depression changes the way people think and feel. If you are depressed, and you lack the motivation to seek help or do the things you KNOW will help you, it doesn't really matter if you have studied depression or not. If you don't have the motivation, and if the disorder is clouding your thoughts, you can't use the information you have sometimes. In my case, I have depression, and I "know" a lot about it. When I'm having a really bad day it's like I can't use the information because it's hard to think- it's hard to do things. Depression is a serious disorder. THANKFULLY there's a lot of things you CAN do. Just because managing depression is difficult, does NOT mean it's impossible :)

The reason it is so hard to manage depression even though one might have studied depression and knows all of the right things to do is that some times it is hard for people to take their own advice they can give great advice but when it comes to there own life they seem to have a hard time living by the advice they give. Some times they are in denial about having a problem because they feel that they know all about this subject and shouldn't be having these problems and forget they are human to have issues and problems just like every body else.

As a teacher and coach, I am a lifelong learner. Books are indeed my "drug of choice!" LOL. And I have tried to read my way out of depressed feelings. While it has been over 40 years since I was in and actual diagnosed depression, there have been times in my life when I have experienced depression. And my best thinking got me there. Staying in my own head (a VERY dangerous neighborhood to be in,) I couldn't read or think my way out. Whether in therapy with a qualified therapist, or just having the opportunity to talk with someone who would listen empathically, I have always found it better to discuss my feelings. Just getting them out of my head (and not only by journaling, although that helps,) has made all the difference for me. Sometimes, we feel like we are all alone in the world in how we feel. And that can be a very dark, scary place. Sometimes, we just want to crawl under the covers and not come out again. And I get that, because I have been there. It's then, that I have forced myself to talk with a trusted friend first to know that I am not alone in the world, that has made the next step and the step after that possible. And it was once shared with me, that if I was the first person ever to feel that way, all of the help and support in ways of support groups, individual and group therapy, and anonymous listeners like Pineapple Support Group would not exist. That landed with me.

Personally I feel its harder to help yourself when you have depression, I can help others but struggle to help myself. I have read so much about depression myself and can understand a lot of it. Usually surrounding myself with positive people benefits my health, most of the time I am surrounding by negative which doesn't help the brain to relax. Focusing on learning to love and appreciate yourself is another thing that is good but that takes a lot of brain training. Listening to people on here and making a positive impact on others is also an advantage as its one of the qualities I doubted myself with. Focus on you, the people who care about you, we can fight depression, we are in control.

Depression is a hard thing to deal with. Even if you know what to do it can be hard to change the way that you feel, you might even think that it is impossible. Depression is insidious. It affects not only your mood, but also your ability to feel, think, and function. It blunts sensations of pleasure, closes off connectedness, stifles creativity, and, at its worst, shuts down hope. It also often causes deep emotional pain not only to the person experiencing it, but to that person’s close family and friends. “It’s not what people think, an act of laziness or a lack of will for change,” says E. Mollie Kashuk, a 21-year-old college senior in Claremont, California. “Instead, it’s genuinely believing that change is not possible for you. It’s genuinely believing that you’re stuck in an overwhelming darkness that will never go away.”