Anonymous asked this question on 4/5/2000:
I saw a question on here asking why people with depression are "experts" and answer some of these questions. This is my opinion.
I have depression....I know first hand what it feels like. I dont have to read signs and symptoms from a book. I know what the day to day struggle is all about. I am an expert, because i have it and i have been dealing with it for many years.....therfore, educated. It is so easy to read a book and tell someone what to do....but I know from first hand experience and from what i have learned from my doctor, counselors, and other depressed people.
I have learned the most from other depressed people i have met. My doctors give me meds, my counselors make me talk....but i get most of the real questions answered by my fellow sad folks.
I am also a dean's list student in college and have taken many courses in psychology and sociology. But again, I AM AN EXPERT BECAUSE I AM DEPRESSED!
terri_xtian gave this response on 4/13/2000:
Isn't the point of giving your expertise on a subject to let people know where it came from? It's not like you lied and claimed to be a professional. I think being upfront and honest about one's expertise is being responsible-you never said you were a doctor. Neither did I. I was honest. If people want a doctor, they can look one up- I don't think people are so ignorant as to think just anybody on here is a doctor. Personal experience is another school of expertise-it may not have degrees for us, but we are not ignorant of our own lives.
Terri
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