Depression can make you poor
May 23rd, 2008 by zania
Have you ever stopped to think about how expensive depression can be? I know, thinking about that can make you even more depressed, so if you would rather not carry on reading this, it’s best if you skip this post now.
Okay, for anyone who has stuck around, let’s think about depression and money a little more. But before I begin, I have to say this post is written with a touch of irony. It is not meant to provide any advice or harm. It’s just my cynicism coming to the fore 
You think or know you are depressed. There are several things you might do about this:
- You may visit your doctor. In some countries this is free, in others you pay, one way or another. He or she may give you medication for your depression. These cost money and, if they work you may be on them for quite a while. For Major Depression seeing your health practitioner is essential, don’t get me wrong. I’m just adding up the cost.
- Your doctor may advise you to see a counsellor (analyst) to help you deal with depression. In some countries, you can get a short course of counselling for free, but these are often very limited. So you make an appointment to see a private analyst. These people are never cheap. You can end up spending a great deal of money in your attempt to get rid of that persistant black cloud.
- You may decide to do some self-help for your depression. Happier, the book I referred to in my previous post, is one of thousands on the market just waiting for you to buy it to try to help yourself out. Will reading self-help books work? They may or may not; this depends on you and the type of depression you have. Either way, that’s more money spent.
- You may decide that you could overcome your depression with a spending spree. Okay, if you are suffering from Major Depression, going out shopping (or even stepping outside the front door) may not be somthing you want to do, but, if you have mild or moderate depression or perhaps Dysthymia, you may well think that treating yourself with a purchase or two might help - so you spend more money.
- What about a holiday? If you live somewhere cloudy and grey there is no doubt that a trip to the sun could make you feel happier, even if it cannot deal with the clinical symptoms of your depression. But can you afford to take a vacation right now? If you can (or do it on credit) that’s more money spent.
- Perhaps you own your own business and finances are not good and this is making you feel depressed? It wouldn’t be the first time if someone in a state of depression spent money they really couldn’t afford on schemes to make their business a success.
Any of these things are going to cost you money. You may have health insurance to pay for your doctor’s bills and antidepressants, or you may live in a country where healthcare is free and you can claim benefits if you have to take time off work while you get over your depression. But in the long term, this will cost you, either in higher insurance fees or in lost earnings.
And of course, spending money haphazardly in an attempt to beat your depression may also cost you money you cannot really afford.
See where this is going?
The outcome could be debts which will leave you feeling even more depressed.
Such is the catch 22 of dealing with Depression. Most attempts to help yourself stop feeling depressed are likely to make you poor.
[...] I write for a living. No readers means no wages and we all know that, whether we like it or not, being poor can lead us into depression. A ‘Catch 22′ situation, but I am trying to deal with [...]