Can CPAP cause depression/anxiety?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I refuse to become depressed in any shape or form. If I feel down, I go DO something, a walk, read a funny book, whatever it takes.
And YES, I don't like being tethered to this machine for the rest of my life any more than everyone else. I have had cancer at age 26 with 3 young kiddies at home to care for, I have had a viral infection in my brain that has left me stone deaf in one ear and dizzy all the time, I have asthma, I have a heart problem, I lost my hubby at age 60 to flesh eating disease, I have 2 grandkids that have cerebral palsy...................................... and on and on.......................
BUT I still have a smile on my face when I greet anyone and have a disposition that refuses to be put down......... stop whining, it will do no good to you or anyone in your family, don't be a crabby gus and DO SOMETHING FUN.... try a volunteer job, you will enjoy it.
Off my soap box now..........
Cheers
Nan

Nan, you've had a terrible time and very many challenges, and you should be commended for being able to deal with them, but that doesn't mean everyone else is... you . It's a lot about perception - if someone feels lousy they feel lousy, and what worked for you may or may not work for them, but they shouldn't be looked down on for their feelings or made to feel less than adequate.

How did I know you would be the first one to come back at me Julie. Yes, it is about perception, if you feel that you are going to fail... you will... simple! I'm just saying that everyone can change their attitudes and put on a happy face, it may take time and much effort but it will work. You don't think that I didn't fall into the poor me pit a time or two, sure, but I HAD to change my thinking one way or another... and I chose to not let myself go down that road for the sake of my family. Perception is all about choices, you either do nothing and let the big black cloud envelope you or pull up your socks and DO SOMETHING better for yourself. There is always someone that you can talk to if you can't do it yourself.
Cheers
Nan

It's just that so many people with clinical depression - not to say by a mile that it applies to the OP - are told 'just pull up your socks, snap out of it... etc." but until you've 'been there', you can't know what it means... if it were that easy, if they could they would, the world would be a very different place.

Julie wrote:It's just that so many people with clinical depression - not to say by a mile that it applies to the OP - are told 'just pull up your socks, snap out of it... etc." but until you've 'been there', you can't know what it means... if it were that easy, if they could they would, the world would be a very different place.

So many people believe that depression is simply extreme sadness. And it's obviously not.

I thank my husband, whose silliness had made me smile, snicker, or downright double over
with laughter for the last 47 years. Comedy heals, even if it is not terribly good.
Go for a walk, but get some sunshine--it hits your brain with good stuff you probably need.
Hang out with people who are goofy, watch kitten videos, or old comedy films.
Help others.
Feed your soul. Learn positive self-talk. Gloomy thoughts manifest as more misery.
It may not be all you need, but it could be a start.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... n-20032977

"Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest."


I have the feeling this thread has morphed into something more than it started out to be.


Den

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Roman Hokie wrote:

Julie wrote:It's just that so many people with clinical depression - not to say by a mile that it applies to the OP - are told 'just pull up your socks, snap out of it... etc." but until you've 'been there', you can't know what it means... if it were that easy, if they could they would, the world would be a very different place.

So many people believe that depression is simply extreme sadness. And it's obviously not.

The opposite of DEPRESSION is not HAPPINESS, but VITALITY. - Andrew Solomon

Roman Hokie wrote:

Julie wrote:It's just that so many people with clinical depression - not to say by a mile that it applies to the OP - are told 'just pull up your socks, snap out of it... etc." but until you've 'been there', you can't know what it means... if it were that easy, if they could they would, the world would be a very different place.

So many people believe that depression is simply extreme sadness. And it's obviously not.

Okay - I'll put my two cents in now. FWIW- myself and Roman are both degreed in mental health, so we are giving information about depression and anxiety that is based on the DSM V (Clinician's manual used as a standard by all in our field), our schooling, and our collective experience (18 years) in the field.

Try to think about depression as being on a continuum - there is a low end and a high end, and of course everything in-between. These are some reasons why depression can so complex. The same is true for anxiety, or anger, or obsessive-compulsive disorders, etc.

We all will go through emotions of sadness and periods of grief/non-clinical depression as we go through our lives.

Depression and anxiety- and all of what we refer to as "mental disorders, but more appropriately are emotional dysregulations- can have a genetic predisposition (scientifically proven) in some individuals. What this means is that some people are predisposed biologically to developing a mental health disorder at some point in their lifetime (again, there is plenty of research to back this up; do some homework, if interested.) If an individual has this genetic component for depression/ anxiety/ another MH disorder - they absolutely CAN NOT simply 'snap out' of it, think/ dance/ laugh, etc. their way out of it completely. Changing thought processes to more positive ones can certainly help improve mood, as this is what therapists try to teach in CBT therapy; however- it is critical to understand and remember that thoughts alone will not resolve a genetically predisposed depression/ anxiety-based/ other MH problem.
However, unless you are a trained MH/ clinical social worker/ psychiatrist who understands the type of emotional dysregulation a person is experiencing- you should think before you give someone a dismissive response, because you can't 'know' what a person is experiencing just because of what you've been through in your life. Each and every person experiences things in their own way, at their own pace, and we each will interpret our experiences based upon our applied understandings of past knowledge, which could be entirely different from what you or I believe. And that's okay! No one has the right to tell other people they MUST view the world from another's point of view - we are not a cult here!

To our depression naysayers and SNAPOuts - what I think the others would like to get across is that famous line that many of our moms taught us when we were young: "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." You are actually doing more damage to people than what you think is well-intentioned good. There is no way you can tell from someone posting in a forum whether or not that individual has a clinical (read biological) mental health problem that CAN NOT be fixed with words and thoughts alone. I do believe what the folks here are asking for is that you all show a bit of empathy, and if you can't or won't show that, then respectfully please stay out of the conversation.

Depression, anxiety, and the other MH disorders are a real thing, and that's why the medications work for a lot of people (not all.) Some of the theories in depression & anxiety are that the brain is low on some of the neurotransmitters, such as serotonin or dopamine. One problem is tho, you can't open people's heads each day and see that - "hey- you're low on seratonin," so you have to keep dosing to stay at what's considered therapeutic levels. Make sense?

One of the arguments in this thread is the question of " Which came first OSA or depression?/ aka/Which came first- the chicken or the egg?" Answers: OSA. Depression. Both. None. Does it matter? Some people are born with OSA, but you probably would have known that long before you got to this board. If you were genetically predisposed toward depression, who can say if/ when that may have started also, as we don't have the ability to look inside brains yet to figure that out. If you weren't predisposed toward depression, did you have another emotional dysregulation? You could literally spend ALL day trying to figure this out and get nowhere For example, depression and anxiety go hand in hand. Try separating the two- nearly impossible. And does it really matter? At the end of the day, we want to help the whole person learn how to take care of themselves to feel better so they can live happier and healthier lives

The original question/ argument: "Can CPAP cause depression/ anxiety?" Answer: No. And if you go back to the beginning of this thread, it was answered the same before by a Psychiatrist and others - No. The CPAP is just the treatment. It is an inanimate object (machine.) What can cause the depression and/ or anxiety is your thoughts and feelings related to your cpap diagnoses and treatment. From everything I have read, CPAP is very difficult for most people to adjust to both emotionally, physically, and even spiritually for some. It makes perfect sense to me that people would consider cpap to be a 'cause' of their depressions; it simply takes a little bit of educating to help others realize it's likely their thought processes surrounding adaptation, and REM sleep could also be another factor. Yet the best advice for someone posting here about depression and adapting -especially in the beginning phase of treatment- would be to refer them to see a trained therapist or trusted advisor/church pastor, etc.

Terrific note - thanks for putting it so well! I'll only take issue with one tiny part and that is that Cpap is 'very difficult for most people'. It isn't, except when it is, and that certainly (in my long time here) isn't the experience of everyone, it may just seem that way because the people with problems show up here, but very, very many of us just get it done quickly and easily - as much luck as anything, with DME's, masks, machines, etc... and while plenty do have trouble, some forever, plenty don't, at least not beyond the initial stages of getting pressures, masks, etc. sorted out. And I wouldn't want newbies to give up before getting started because they hear something like that. So there.

But it was otherwise an excellent note!

Julie wrote:Terrific note - thanks for putting it so well! I'll only take issue with one tiny part and that is that Cpap is 'very difficult for most people'. It isn't, except when it is, and that certainly (in my long time here) isn't the experience of everyone, it may just seem that way because the people with problems show up here, but very, very many of us just get it done quickly and easily - as much luck as anything, with DME's, masks, machines, etc... and while plenty do have trouble, some forever, plenty don't, at least not beyond the initial stages of getting pressures, masks, etc. sorted out. And I wouldn't want newbies to give up before getting started because they hear something like that. So there.

But it was otherwise an excellent note!

Thanks, Julie. I happened to take to cpap 'like a fish to water,' but didn't (and don't) want others to think I can't appreciate the struggles they go through. You make really great points also- a lot depends on your ' luck with the DME's, masks, machines, etc...' and the amount of understanding you have going into this from the start! Education is KEY! And you are also right- plenty of us don't have troubles beyond our initial stages of getting adapted! Thanks for the reminder

chunkyfrog wrote:I thank my husband, whose silliness had made me smile, snicker, or downright double over
with laughter for the last 47 years. Comedy heals, even if it is not terribly good.
Go for a walk, but get some sunshine--it hits your brain with good stuff you probably need.
Hang out with people who are goofy, watch kitten videos, or old comedy films.
Help others.
Feed your soul. Learn positive self-talk. Gloomy thoughts manifest as more misery.
It may not be all you need, but it could be a start.

To borrow a phrase, "Laughter is the best medicine."

Nan, has the right idea. If life deals you broken eggs, it's time to make breakfast.

It might not be PC, but life is what it is, every day can be a blessing, only we ourselves can make it so.We don't have any garrentee it will be easy, but it's up to each one of us to try.

The only good thing about a Pity Party, they are self fulfilling, the more people in the party, the easier it is to join one. I don't do Pity Parties, I won't support them. My wife has been living with depression for over 30 years, 10 years ago when I was in the hospital for a quad bi-pass, I got a taste of the disparity of depression. I know it can be real, but many times it's used as a excuse, a way out of being responsible. Many times the meds are a deversion. Sometimes they do work, and are necessary, finding the mix that helps is hard.

Life can be hard, that's not depression, that's reality, or chance to overcome and become stronger. Jim

So glad we have some mental health folks to sweep up after that dirty, alley-cat melee. Now maybe we can all have some apple juice and a nap.



Crud, spoke too soon. Looks like the "Cheer UP Already" Brigade is here to entertain patients in the common room with funny hats and shouting.

chunkyfrog wrote:I thank my husband, whose silliness had made me smile, snicker, or downright double over
with laughter for the last 47 years. Comedy heals, even if it is not terribly good.
Go for a walk, but get some sunshine--it hits your brain with good stuff you probably need.
Hang out with people who are goofy, watch kitten videos, or old comedy films.
Help others.
Feed your soul. Learn positive self-talk. Gloomy thoughts manifest as more misery.
It may not be all you need, but it could be a start.

CF- ALL of these are terrific suggestions for others who are feeling depressed or anxious.
This last line - "It may not be all you need, but it could be a start"- sums it up, perfectly. Thank you!

GettingBetter wrote:So glad we have some mental health folks to sweep up after that dirty, alley-cat melee. Now maybe we can all have some apple juice and a nap.



Crud, spoke too soon. Looks like the "Cheer UP Already" Brigade is here to entertain patients in the common room with funny hats and shouting.

Right let's sweep you right of the board, TROLL!