Hey, hon - I'm glad you like it! (Also - at the top of the blog, there's a link to an Archive/Site map which leads to a post with more links to most of the blog's posts by topic/subject ^_~).
Anyway, I'm glad the plot bits help (that's one of the biggest downfalls of fanfiction in general, bad planning). As for the cutting thing, I actually got over that ages ago, so it's no big deal - freaks people out all the time, though, so that's fun. >:) And most mental illnesses and stuff are stereotypes. The psychology behind self mutilation, drug addiction, alcoholism, anorexia/bulimia, and other common mental issues like that are badly stereotyped by Hollywood.
As for depression, here's my take on it: there are people who are genuinely medically depressed. There are issues with their serotonin production, and they can be medicated to help these people get back on track with their lives. BUT, I also believe these people are rarer than the media would have us believe. Many, many, people seem to complain about depression and blame their hypothalamus (the part of the brain that plays a key role in serotonin production in the body), but the thing is that they aren't having depression due to a medical issue - their lives suck. They're in a bad place right now, and refuse to admit that they're just have trouble coping, and so use this kind of depression as a scapegoat. The doctors go along with this so people feel better, and because the drug companies benefit from this (and doctors benefit from drug companies in our lovely capitalist medical system). Depression is used to explain away everything from being unable to work to being unable to socialize to, well, having trouble remembering how to be human. I've been there, I would know.
I don't know your life situation, or what you're going through right now. But if your doctors are diagnosing you with depression, but you're not "feeling" it, then my guess is that the depression you feel is just because something in your life isn't going as well as you'd like, and medication isn't going to solve it - being proactive in your life will. You're not weak, and there are many people all over the country and world who are in the exact same position as you are right now.
There probably is someone out there judging you - everyone has a person like this in their life, and in some of our cases, several. But also, when people seem to know you're depressed, it's not always because they spontaneously developed telepathy. That's actually why I included the thing about symptoms and the difference between what a character feels and other characters see - many, many writers are quite familiar with their own feelings, but very few are well knowledge in how other people view it in them. This is also how many people get confused as to why their mental issues are so visible, or so unknown to those around them - they don't quite process the difference between what they feel and what they show.
...I think I'll add that in the blog post. :)
As for the high intelligence thing - yeah, one of the main things I heard when my cutting issue initially became public was, "You're such a smart girl, why would you do this to yourself?" I was the smart girl - I was the annoying kid who always knew the answer without even trying and regularly scored at the top of my class. :) But I didn't do any of this because I was dumb - my logic really played no role in this at all. Smokers are often the best ones to tell you all the health risks of the cigarettes they smoke - and while they're telling you the multiple cancers and cardiovascular disorders smoking will bring up, they'll light up on the spot. Alcoholics often know how bad the drinks are for their body, and while not all, many, many drug addicts also know exactly how bad the things are for their body. They just don't care - they choose being happy, or the high, or numbing the pain, over longevity and good health. Some of the smartest people in the world indulged in these things. *points to Sherlock Holmes and Greg House :)* These types of illnesses aren't a sign of stupidity - they're just signs of no longer giving a damn.
Also - doctors aren't liars. But, they are human beings like us and just as easily misguided like us. :)
no subject
Anyway, I'm glad the plot bits help (that's one of the biggest downfalls of fanfiction in general, bad planning). As for the cutting thing, I actually got over that ages ago, so it's no big deal - freaks people out all the time, though, so that's fun. >:) And most mental illnesses and stuff are stereotypes. The psychology behind self mutilation, drug addiction, alcoholism, anorexia/bulimia, and other common mental issues like that are badly stereotyped by Hollywood.
As for depression, here's my take on it: there are people who are genuinely medically depressed. There are issues with their serotonin production, and they can be medicated to help these people get back on track with their lives. BUT, I also believe these people are rarer than the media would have us believe. Many, many, people seem to complain about depression and blame their hypothalamus (the part of the brain that plays a key role in serotonin production in the body), but the thing is that they aren't having depression due to a medical issue - their lives suck. They're in a bad place right now, and refuse to admit that they're just have trouble coping, and so use this kind of depression as a scapegoat. The doctors go along with this so people feel better, and because the drug companies benefit from this (and doctors benefit from drug companies in our lovely capitalist medical system). Depression is used to explain away everything from being unable to work to being unable to socialize to, well, having trouble remembering how to be human. I've been there, I would know.
I don't know your life situation, or what you're going through right now. But if your doctors are diagnosing you with depression, but you're not "feeling" it, then my guess is that the depression you feel is just because something in your life isn't going as well as you'd like, and medication isn't going to solve it - being proactive in your life will. You're not weak, and there are many people all over the country and world who are in the exact same position as you are right now.
There probably is someone out there judging you - everyone has a person like this in their life, and in some of our cases, several. But also, when people seem to know you're depressed, it's not always because they spontaneously developed telepathy. That's actually why I included the thing about symptoms and the difference between what a character feels and other characters see - many, many writers are quite familiar with their own feelings, but very few are well knowledge in how other people view it in them. This is also how many people get confused as to why their mental issues are so visible, or so unknown to those around them - they don't quite process the difference between what they feel and what they show.
...I think I'll add that in the blog post. :)
As for the high intelligence thing - yeah, one of the main things I heard when my cutting issue initially became public was, "You're such a smart girl, why would you do this to yourself?" I was the smart girl - I was the annoying kid who always knew the answer without even trying and regularly scored at the top of my class. :) But I didn't do any of this because I was dumb - my logic really played no role in this at all. Smokers are often the best ones to tell you all the health risks of the cigarettes they smoke - and while they're telling you the multiple cancers and cardiovascular disorders smoking will bring up, they'll light up on the spot. Alcoholics often know how bad the drinks are for their body, and while not all, many, many drug addicts also know exactly how bad the things are for their body. They just don't care - they choose being happy, or the high, or numbing the pain, over longevity and good health. Some of the smartest people in the world indulged in these things. *points to Sherlock Holmes and Greg House :)* These types of illnesses aren't a sign of stupidity - they're just signs of no longer giving a damn.
Also - doctors aren't liars. But, they are human beings like us and just as easily misguided like us. :)