DEBATE: depression as a symptom vs. depression as a disorder

[DizzyDolly]

I'm trying to find an answer to the question: is depression a symptom of something else, or is it an actual disorder in it's own right?
The reason for this comes basically from frustration with my own personal experience. Over 3 years ago, my doctor diagnosed with depression. I have low self esteem, felt sad and had no interest for anything, so these symptoms fitted the diagnosis for depression. However, as time progressed, fatigue and brain fog have began to become a big problem in my life. I've been to several g.p.s round my g.p. practice and as soon as I mention fatigue, regardless of the brain fog they fob me off with "depression can be so exhausting" and this makes me mad because the more fatigued and the more I experience brain fog, the more it affects my life, so this then makes me feel depressed. I began looking into this on the net and found that appearently doctors will ask you 2 things: first how long the fatigue has been a problem for and then they will ask if there has been any weight loss. If there hasn't, they will automatically diagnosis this as psychological. Applying this to my situation, the site seems to be true about doctors. This makes me more mad because I think I may actually have CFS or adrenal burnout as of so many other symptoms point towards these and depression is actually listed as a symptom of these. To make matters worse, they ignore the fact that my diet could be causing this because I have told them about how lacking my diet is in many nutrients and minerals and I think that a nutritional plan etc would eliminate the depression, but do they help? no. Depression seems to be classed as a symptom to many other diseases or an unhealthy lifestyle or both and I believe that some doctors just wanna make it a disorder so they can fob you off with a bottle of pills or a waiting list, not really addressing the underlying causes. Has anyone else had any experience with this sort of situation, or have I just had bad experience? Does anyone agree or disagree? Please, I'd be interested to hear any feedback. p.s. I'm not trying to generalise all doctors here as I've heard about good doctors really caring about their patients. What I'm trying to point out that there are certain doctors who don't care so have made it out to always be a disorder so they don't have to spend more of their time or spend more money in treating this. Are there any completely pro disorder or pro symptom peep out there, and why is that?

[RicardoODurnin]

Hi there, I am not a doctor but I can give you my opinion based on my own experience and what I have learn about it.
First, I think there are two distinctive kind of depression one been a symptom of some dramatic expirence ( like the dead of some one realy close, etc ).
The second one ( the worst ) is a quimical unbalance in your brain, this kind you can also subdivide into two diferent once, bi-polar which basicly means that you have realy low depressive periods but you also have periods in which you are realy hipper, exited and can do any thing that you want.
The other one ( the one that is beating me up ) is sever depression.
I have been diagnost with this about three years ago. I do not question way anymore, at first it drove me crazy and I wanted gone yesterday but unfortunaly for me I haven yet foun a medication that works.
I have tried everything, some times it works for a month and then stops and I have to try another med.
I am a vegetarian ( for the last 30 years ), I am an alcoholic ( I quit drinking when this start 3 years ago ), I never give a deam about exersise or take care of my self.
It could be any of these things, I do not know but it does not matter for me anyway, what matters now is to find a med that give my life back.
There are periods that I can not move from my bed for a month, do not take a shower for weeks, it gets realy bad in my case.
I found out that alcohol is bad for depression so I quit, coffee (specially) whith sugar is also bad for depression ( I use to drink two pots a day ) I aslso quit that, nicotine is also bad for depression but I smoke since I was 8 years old, I do not have it in me to quit that.
I check out the natural stuff and after talking to my psycaystry ( regular doctors are not the best for this problems so make sure to see a phsycastry ) I am taking B12 vitamins, Fish oil capsuls, Gingko Bilova, and my prescription Zoloft.
For the last month or so I have been feeling better, as unbelibeble as it may soun what did the tric for me was to change my scheduld, I go to sleep at 3:00 pm and I wake up at midnigth, play in the compu until 7:00 am take a shower and go to work until 2:00 pm and at 3:00 pm I go to bed and start the cicle all over again.
There is a study that shows that sleep depravation makes yor brain produce serotin which happen to be what the meds try to do.
In respect to been tired and dizzy it may be that the medicine you take does not agree whit you, however it is true that depression can beat you up and make you realy tired.
It may also be your thyroid, have it check, it have similar symptoms.
Good luck, I hope you get something out of this.