Recently I enjoyed a call with my TBM mother (age 83) and she informed me that a recent prescription for her knocked her for a loop.

"Is that good or bad, Mom?"

"It was horrible. For 10 hours I was unable to do anything."

"What was the drug prescribed for?"

"Depression."

I thought for a moment, and wondered what in the world my own mother could possibly be depressed by. She has a beautiful and large family of attractive geniuses, has lived a life of frequent repentance and is assured that her eternal Zip Code is very near to the Savior's.

"Why are you depressed, mom?"

"Oh I don't know. It's just that if I don't take something for it, I get really bad thoughts of worthlessness."

I pondered this statement of stunning candor and then

"When I get depressed, I rent a movie and pig out. Have you ever tried this, mom?"

"No. Not really."

"Well, try it, please. It works. I've never been disappointed by it. Go to WalMart, rent a DVD from RedBox and then grab your very favorite Ben and Jerry's pint. Swing by the candy aisle and pick up a pound of Twizzlers, some chips and salsa, and maybe a few perfect looking peaches. Then cuddle up in bed and munch away. Try to save some for the movie.

The next morning you won't respect yourself, but at least you successfully navigated another horrific day of your wonderful life.

"I'll try it."

"You'll love it mom. Millions of Americans avoid responsibility and its suckfulness in this way."

I will call her today to see if she took my advice.

What works for you, have you discovered a great remedy to moodiness, or do you accept it as normal in the tides of life?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke6kU0rD8Jg

Your method seems rather good!

I'll have to add that I have a normally cheerful attitude. I don't get depressed often and if I do have one of "those" days, it doesn't last, not even the full day. My weird and very dry sense of humor allows me to see life "differently" and depression just cannot survive humor. At least that's how it works for me.

I have been eating abnormal amounts of ice cream and chatting with people here. I also love spending time with friends, older people need this even more, especially if they are alone. I'm not talking VT's either, real friends.

Is there a bigger mindf*ck than that little tidbit?

More than likely, your mother has internalized the message
she has heard from the crib: you are a second-class helpmeet.

How can she not feel worthless with that tripe
in her head at this stage of life?
Her kids are grown, husband isn't going to change, too late to find another one, etc.

83 and worthless.
That's because she's no longer able to do all the things the church would like for her to do. I hope she takes your advice.

Depression is very common in the elderly. Sometimes it's brain chemistry changes during aging and sometimes it's the realization of aging, comtemporaries dying, mortality.


I'm glad she saw a doctor but if the medicine prescribed for her was too strong she needs to tell her physician so the medicine can be adjusted. If she doesn't want to try medicine she could try a senior group to make friends.

Once you check off your Mormon boxes the LDS faith is insanely depressing, I can only imagine how bad it must be for an elderly lady.

There are different kinds of depression and different kinds of treatment. I wouldn't recommend feeding the sadness with food as a coping mechanism. The calories add up and then can lead to guilt and depression.

Some depression is situation (Experiences that most people can see make sense for a person to feel down).

Some depression is hormonal. Has she had her thyroid checked? How are her sleeping and eating habits?

Some depression is emotional.

Some depression is physical, because some people have lower serotonin levels. It makes no "sense" to be depressed in an otherwise happy life, but their body disagrees. Even people who "have it all" can get blue.

Point her to something productive. Engage her in social activates. Love on her. Explore hobbies. Find something fun and funny to do! Go for walks in a park. (Endorphins are a magic wonder drug that our own bodies MAKE to fight depression!)

RMM

Wait. Depression causes you not to want to do anything. So you get a prescription for a pill that makes it so you can't do anything for 10 hours?