A Simple Change To a Star Wars Video Game Helped Me Fight Depression

Kotaku - I am a very flawed individual. I am physically flawed, sure, but mostly when I say I am flawed I am referring to my mental state. In the past 17 months, I have had frequent visits with both a psychiatrist and a therapist, and we have been taking aim at those flaws. We have made great strides, but there are things about me that are so innate that it's difficult to wish them away. As anybody who has struggled with severe depression for a long time can tell you, a pill can help, but it is not the ultimate solution. We must constantly reexamine ourselves in order to address our myriad flaws.

[arnsekar]

Looks like Ben Affleck in Agro

[ChocolateGiddyUp]

It kind of does...Argo by way of Hot Topic

[arnsekar]

Epic name btw

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

I'm glad it helped! Kingdom Hearts and Shadow of the Colossus helped me through the death of a friend. :) We can connect with these characters and experiences...and it does help. This is the side of gaming the media never talks about. :/

[BitbyDeath]

I seriously thought this was going to be about the dancing LOL

[Irishguy95]

One of the best things to get rid of Anxiety or Depression has been realizing how stupid it is getting Anxious or Upset over nothing/ It might sound simple, but it's actually hard to fully come to terms with it in your head that you are worrying over literally nothing and letting it affect you so badly, this can also be used for failing with a women, "plenty of fish in the sea" when you properly realize that you get over it easier

^^ Experience..unfortunately

Edit---**** you vista! Not letting DevC++ work for me nor Windows Visual 2010-2012/
Need Windows 7

Also, to Kotaku guy, it's a bit mad that a game helped you realize this ain't it? Same principle, but it's just a power in game instead of a 'life' experience thing, instead of "Oh no, my character is ruined" you thought "Um, I can just work around this, it's not so bad, there are more options". Still, it's nice that something helped you get it

[bubblebeam]

Ignorant comment.

What people fail to realise is that mental illness isn't something that you can easily "choose" to ignore. It is a chemical change in your brain.

It is real, and people have to accept that. You tell people to get over things, but you don't know what they have been through.

One of my friends from ages ago was depressed, and he took his life. I kept telling him it would get better, but when he lost his job, his girlfriend, his friends on top of all the other crap that was going on in his family, he couldn't take it.

I applaud the author for this. It is sometimes hard to accept you are depressed.

I'm sure everyone at one stage has had some form of anxiety, maybe leading into an exam, or being the new kid in the class. Imagine having that feeling every time you go outside, until you have such little self worth that you would kill yourself??

Maybe I misinterpreted what you said Irish, but next time word it differently. We don't need to start the whole "mental illness isn't real" debate, as it is VERY real. Plus, it really offends peolple who are going through mental illnesses and people who have lost someone to it.

[Bimkoblerutso]

Good god. That's some heavy shit right there, man.

Funny enough, when I was suffering from severe depression way back when, I had to disassociate myself with videogames for a very long time. I know it's different for everyone, but for me, getting lost in video games only made it harder to come back to reality.

[Cam977]

Good to know.