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<blockquote data-quote="caudor" data-source="post: 4901390" data-attributes="member: 8367">From someone who survived real depressionI'm an avid gamer.&nbsp; I'm 46 now.&nbsp; In 2005, I tried to kill myself (twice) and was diagnosed with major depression.&nbsp; Now days, I'm well and back to my former gamer self.&nbsp; Treatment with anti-depressive medication worked for me.Was it gaming that contributed to my depression?&nbsp; I certainly do not think so.&nbsp; In fact, it was my lack of interest in things I once found enjoyable that clued my family in that something might be wrong.&nbsp; I got rid of thousands of dollars of RPG material in a matter of days.&nbsp; I displayed all the classic depression warning signs.The way my doctor explained it to me is that depression is caused by a chemical inbalance in the brain...it's not a bad mood or something that is the result of some trivial activity.&nbsp; Such changes can occur gradually over time or as a result of some major life event (like in my case, I believe it started with the death of someone that was very close to me).&nbsp;Having been there, I must say it is unlikely that something as trivial as gaming would lead to major depression.&nbsp; During my recovery, I did not game or want to game at all, but as I recovered I found gaming to be soothing...a sort of proof that the world was not all that bad, and that I could enjoy the small things once again.Based on my experience, I suspect that many people that may be borderline depressive might turn to gaming as an escape from the world for a while.&nbsp; Can it be overdone?&nbsp; Anything can.Contrary to the report, it is when an avid gamer suddenly stops gaming that you better start looking at him/her a little more closely.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="caudor, post: 4901390, member: 8367"] [b]From someone who survived real depression[/b] I'm an avid gamer. I'm 46 now. In 2005, I tried to kill myself (twice) and was diagnosed with major depression. Now days, I'm well and back to my former gamer self. Treatment with anti-depressive medication worked for me. Was it gaming that contributed to my depression? I certainly do not think so. In fact, it was my lack of interest in things I once found enjoyable that clued my family in that something might be wrong. I got rid of thousands of dollars of RPG material in a matter of days. I displayed all the classic depression warning signs. The way my doctor explained it to me is that depression is caused by a chemical inbalance in the brain...it's not a bad mood or something that is the result of some trivial activity. Such changes can occur gradually over time or as a result of some major life event (like in my case, I believe it started with the death of someone that was very close to me). Having been there, I must say it is unlikely that something as trivial as gaming would lead to major depression. During my recovery, I did not game or want to game at all, but as I recovered I found gaming to be soothing...a sort of proof that the world was not all that bad, and that I could enjoy the small things once again. Based on my experience, I suspect that many people that may be borderline depressive might turn to gaming as an escape from the world for a while. Can it be overdone? Anything can. Contrary to the report, it is when an avid gamer suddenly stops gaming that you better start looking at him/her a little more closely. [/QUOTE]

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