My perspective on depression being an atheist, nihilist, and depressed

I'm 15 and a boy, if you want context on my experiences you can check my other posts. I've always been non-religious, agnostic for most of my life, but atheist for the past few years, now more anti-theist (I actively oppose religion as I think that overall it does more harm to society than good, no hate to any religious people, I know most religious people aren't bad people, every person is an individual and should be treated as such). I also happen to be a nihilist (I don't believe that life has any inherent meaning or purpose) as well. Some would say that this might be making my depression worse, but even if that is true (which I'm not sure if it is), I'd much rather be part of reality then believe in (what I view to be) a fairytale to keep me going. I shouldn't have (and don't want to) to put my faith into some invisible man up in the sky to get me motivated. If I ever become motivated, I want that to happen because of me and me alone.

One should not believe in depression.

Yes, depression exists and that's a fact.

What the masses call depression is really a lack of hope.

A person does not lack hope because of depression.
Depression is the label given to those who lack hope.
Do the math

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Are you implying that I don't have depression? I'm confused.

Despondence and lack of motivation is one of the main symptoms of depression, of course it's not the only one but you get what I mean.

A person does not lack hope because of depression.
Depression is the label given to those who lack hope.

Depression does not exist.
Lack of desire and motivation is a symptom of the lack of hope.

I will put it another way:
Your belief that life has no meaning and purpose is the cause of your "depression".

My nihilism may be a factor in making my depression worse, but if you read my first post, you'll see that the primary cause of my depression is my parents. But as i said, even if it is making my depression worse, as the post explains, I'd much rather be realistic than believe in (what I view as) a fantasy to make me happy.

The good news is that you can be free from your parents in a few years if you can financially support yourself.

If you stay depressed and cannot support yourself you will have to suffer as a dependent.

BECOMING INDEPENDENT IS A REAL GOOD PURPOSE.

You will learn that life can have meaning without believing in a religious fantasy.
Life is hard for EVERYBODY.

If you want to find peace and a desire to live you are going to have to work hard for it.
Best Wishes!

My point is that you're confusing nihilism and pessimism. Nihilism means that life has no inherent meaning, that doesn't mean that life can't have ANY meaning. Even if life can't have any meaning (like I believe), that doesn't mean that one can't live a fulfilling life without a sense of meaning or purpose. You think otherwise and that's fine. Other than that, thanks for the encouragement.

You are ok. Don't label yourself as depressed.

You are just an intelligent 15 year old in this crazy world.

Be Well!

That's OK. You are 15 and you are in the middle of the years when teenagers try to make their values steadfast. Good that you have found some of yours! You want your life to be realistic.

One way to be realistic about depression is that you will find a lot of scientific results (search Internet or use library) that tells that there are several factors that contribute to recovery. One of them is hope, a goal to fight for. If you are into nihilism, you have to create some meaning for yourself. Is there something you will like to do as a grown up? If you haven't found out yet, may be you should invest some time thinking about that, so it will make you able to choose your education-road. Do you have any hobbies (swimming, hiking, gaming or whatever?) If you don't have one I suggest that you use some energy at finding one and try to find hope in reaching your goal (-s). If you already have one, try to create a new one added to the first.

To get out of depression you have to create something to work toward either that is at the work- or hobby area or something else (like being able to build a family of your own later, as an example).

You have to learn to set small steps in your recovery and be able to not see backsliding from time to time as something strange and unwanted. I happens to all.

So it goes for the other areas that affects recovery like what type of food you eat, your sleep routines, - physical activity, your social contacts.

If I were you I would have thought upon all these areas and thought about how to reach them all, step by step (integrate them).

Science has also showed that for some people medication can be the best, for some psychological therapy, while other benefit best on a combination of therapy and medication.

Science has also shown that in America religious life is a buffer against making the depression worse. However scientists do not agree about if this effect is related to religion or to the shared social life and goals (the everlasting life).

Perhaps such scientific results could inspire you to find something else to fight for than finding a religious community. What about becoming a member of the Red Cross or some other volunteer organization. If you are a nihilist, you have to create something meaningful for yourself.

I write this to you as a person with scientific education and a person who cannot see any contradiction between science and religious life. Science is about the natural things while religion relates to the supernatural.

To be human, however, is also about respecting others right to choose their own religion or to choose to have no religion at all (The Human Rights).

I respect your choice and wish all the best for your recovery!

A note at the end here: The forums are for support, not for religious debate. There is a special forum for those who need to talk about religious "things", but it is not allowed to debate for or against religion in the forum.

Be well!