Posted by cubbybear on May 28, 2003, at 10:42:21
In reply to Re: how supportful are your friends with depression?, posted by stjames on May 28, 2003, at 1:41:09
I read this entire thread with a sense of amazement, now being on the outside looking in. If you'd like, go to the Psychobabble archives and scan through January and February of this year for me--Cubbybear--and LyndaK. I haven't seen Lynda's name on the board for a while, but all I can tell you is that for a couple of months, she,and others on this board were basically my only sources of support. during severe depression.
Things can always be worse. I'd like you to consider this: I live in Bangkok Thailand and my family is in the U.S. They were all quite concerned and supportive via E-mail and telephone, but this was FAMILY. When it came to friends, I had only my English-speaking colleagues at work, who were helpful to an extent. They had been through the horrors of alcohol or illegal drug addiction and previously suffered from depression as well, so at least they knew what I was going through. But here I was, about 9000 miles from home, in a different culture, and the Thai people all around me were/are by far the worst "friends" you can have when you're sufferng. I've lived here for nearly 5 years and will NEVER understand certain aspects of their culture and ways of reacting to your problems. Can you imagine, what it's like, trying to explain what you're going through (I even showed them the Thai word for depression), and the typical reaction was a SMILE OR LAUGH?!? I'm NOT kidding! After my bicycle, camera, and money were stolen on separate occasions, the typical reaction was a smile. I've tried to get an explanation for this from Thais who speak English well (there aren't many) and their explanations still baffle me.
At leat you can take comfort in the fact that you're living in your native country, everyone around you speaks English, and you can buy the meds you want.
And lastly, you WILL overcome your depression with the right medication. Hang in there. As I always say, things could always be worse. And a TRUE friend would stand by you throughout the ordeal and beyond. I'm lucky that there ARE a couple of guys who put up with my incessant phone calls for support. The others who drifted away couldn't have been called true friends in the first place.
We're all here rooting for you!
poster:cubbybear
thread:229517
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030525/msgs/229703.html