Is depression ever considered attention-seeking?

kilojoule

kilojoule

1
CrazyGirl said:
I had expressed my feelings of depression to someone I had considered a friend. Instead of being supportive, he told me that I was seeking attention and only associates with friends who are positive and upbeat. After telling him this, he wanted nothing to do with me.
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:thinking:
Having depression does not equate to being attention seeking.
And having depression does not mean a person can't be positive.


Is there anything from the conversation with your friend that you've left out? because it seems like his reply is a little out of context and doesn't really seem to add up:idontknow:
 
Argentum

Argentum

Well-known member
Depression in and of itself isn't attention-seeking, so this person was not only rude but incorrect, as well. I think that maybe some people get a bad impression of depression from seeing angsty teenagers, and without enough publicity to make it a truly known problem that impression doesn't fade. People should be smart enough to educate themselves beyond the very first thing they see, though.

I made a few "friends" in the past who would complain for hours a day about their "depression" and then stop talking to me when I put my foot down, so off forums like this I'm wary of people who seem too eager to talk about it. Attention-seeking is a real thing, too, but a friend should be able to tell the difference - they're not strangers, after all.

If you decide to talk to your friends about it in the future, broaching the subject of mental health in general could give you the chance to "weed out" people who make assumptions.
 
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