Some of the responses here are insane.
/u/Fyrus >The point is, coping with depression is not the goal. Anyone can find a game or a movie or a band to obsess over when they are depressed, and many do. Coping with depression isn't special, conquering it is. Whether that's by therapy, meds, exercise, this or that, whatever, Dark Souls is not going to cure depression.
For some people depression is a way of life, they may have it do to REAL physical illnesses effecting the chemistry in their body and it may not go away for along time if at all, coping and just staying alive long enough to be treated is the goal for some people. And yes anyone can find meaning in something but no one finds meaning in everything. When you play a game, watch a movie, read a book, listen to a song, and it means something that is a gift!
Art is needed for life. Humanity's struggle is to make sense of the world, to understand why we are here, how often do we ask the question "whats it all mean?" when things go wrong, this is what art is for! We ALL need to escape into a story for a moment everyday that has a beginning middle and end, where things are orderly and make sense. What would your life be like without any stories? We all need “escapism”. This is kind of deep but I believe this is why we feel so cheated when we spend time with show or game only to have the ending leave loop holes, it brings out the fear of death in us, that it is all for nothing, that this game or movie that tricked us into suspending our belief and giving our selves over to this world they created instead of helping me put me in a place where things meant nothing, and it HAS to mean something right? We hate it when that happens.
/u/munchiselleh >Yeah. Escapism is a bandaid but it encourages the wound to fester. Depression will worsen with isolation and idleness, as well as a lack of sunlight, TBH. That being said, anyone who has clinical depression needs to be on meds, period.
According to MAO clinic to be diagnosed with clinical depression you need to have 5 symptoms of depression for 2 weeks, THAT is a ridicules standard for you to say someone must need medication. Even MAO says -However, clinical depression symptoms, even if severe, usually improve with psychological counseling, antidepressant medications or a combination of the two.-
Seems to me they are saying that its possible to get better with counseling and not just medication.
Anyway, feel better everyone!