Why does depression get to the point where you want to stop talking to others?
33 Answers
Last Updated: 03/24/2024 at 9:27pm
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Polly Letsch, LCSW
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
I provide non-judgmental, person-centered, objective therapeutic treatment for individuals of all ages to improve social, emotional, mental and other areas of functioning.
Top Rated Answers
When you have nothing left to say or, more specifically, that you have lost hope that any conversation will make you feel better.
Honestly you feel like no one understands you so what's the point of talking if you don't want to be a burden
Because your mind lets you think that you are no longer worthy or important to anyone. So, eventually you stop talking to others because that's what you think they want.
As somebody who is in remission from Major Depressive Disorder, I think that it is because it is because depression is often not feeling "sad" (in my opinion this is a common misconception) - rather it is feeling "nothing".
Under those circumstances, talking to others can just feel too hard. However, in my experience, recovery is possible - I now enjoy talking with others.
Most people feel they are either being a burden to others by expressing how deeply they feel, others are scared of being rejected if they reach out, which would only make them feel worse. Sometimes it is simply being so unmotivated that making the effort to reach out to someone else is just too much.
Depression makes persons socially anxious so they stop talking to others. Depression makes you want to be by yourself all the times.
Anonymous
June 20th, 2016 2:41am
It can feel like people don't get what you are going through. If things get bad enough, you feel like not talking to people is better than having to explain yourself again and again.
Anonymous
May 31st, 2018 1:31am
Because you feel unimportant, unwanted, or just useless. Eventually people get tired of continuously trying so they just stop. For me, not talking is a way where I guess I cope because I feel like I’m an annoyance to people around me and if I don’t say anything, I can’t get hurt.
I’m going through this right now I feel like I can’t talk at all or start a conversation to save my life and when I do start it it’s because I put so much thought into what I want to say I struggle with anxiety and depression so it’s hard to conversate and when I do I mess up on my words like I got slurred speech but it’s only because I been going through this feeling for you and I don’t really talk so I probably developed a phobia that I got a speech disorder or something because that’s my answer to why I can’t talk
Depression can be exhausting and isolating. It is an illness that takes a toll on your brain and your body, and when you lack energy, it can be difficult to talk with others.
Depression makes us feel separate from the rest of the world, like we're different or less than everyone else. This, paired with lack of motivation to do things in general, can cause us to push other people away even when we still need them.
Isolation is a common response to depression because our emotions become so consuming that we regress to an earlier developmental stage in life, one of infanthood where our cognition is egotistical in nature. We only see and feel our own needs and emotions, like when we are hungry or need attention. With depression, we can only feel our own pain due to its engulfing nature and it evolves into a quasi-identity that separates from the external world.
Depression can cause you to lose motivation. Though it may not seem that way, just getting up in the morning, showering, eating well as well as getting dressed are "simple" tasks that someone struggling with depression may find overwhelming or debilitating. Maintaining your social relationships is no different. It's important to be kind to yourself when you're feeling depressed. It's okay if you're unable to keep up with tasks that seem otherwise "simple" and "easy."
Anonymous
October 17th, 2016 6:55am
Because when you are depressed, the only thoughts in your mind are about how you have done something wrong.
Anonymous
April 10th, 2017 1:33am
Sometimes we are afraid of what others will think about us. So we keep things to ourselves. Depression is a hard battle.
There's such a stigma around mental health issues that the chances are you won't have told everybody you are ill, which can lead to misunderstandings. I think a lot of it comes from a fear of judgment, because depression tells you you're not good enough, or that people hate you. There's also the fear that people won't understand and might think you're attention seeking or lazy. Teamed with a lack of motivation and severe tiredness, it can make it seem like a much better option to curl up in bed and not speak to anybody, although this makes me personally feel worse in the long run.
Hello Everyone, Depression hits people to the rock bottom that they cant see anything nice and at the same time feel nice, they are so drowned in shame, self hatred, negative thoughts that they always I mean I have experienced of always having the suicidal thoughts and I am always on internet to find the reason like saying no to suicide and the things like why should you live even when you know you are completely waste and you don't deserve to be here on this earth because you don't have future because you just get worried to think about tomorrow what next how will I am gonna survive and it kills when your parents show high expectations from you and It makes me so fearful What next . I am worthless Junk Please help me .
Because it feels like no more energy left, let alone the actual socializing, only imagining yourself to get out and socialize can be really draining. There's no positive thing to say, thus there's this constant fear to lose people around you or getting judged by so much negativity you bring in when you talk. Also, the thought of 'you wouldn't get it' makes you just unmotivated and tired to talk. It feels like you just want to lock up yourself alone in a room, and it feels more comfortable and safe in that way, knowing no one can judge you there.
Anonymous
April 9th, 2018 3:45am
Depression can get to the point where you want to stop talking to others because you're struggling a lot deep inside and you're afraid to open up and so to refrain from them intervening in and making it worse or better you decide to stop seeking help or are not ready to seek help just yet and you just keep everything piled to yourself.
Because it gets to the point where nothing matters. When you feel like a burden to others and yourself. like if you leave first it wont hurt as much.
Anonymous
June 9th, 2018 3:05am
We dealing with depression/anxiety you often feel as though no one understands you. Sometimes you may be shame to let others know what you are going through so you’d rather just cut communication out and deal with it alone. Therefore you don’t have to deal with feeling like someone is doing better than you or you’re not good enough or have enough to socialize with them ðŸ˜
The feeling that you r an outsider.
Nothing seems good to you when you are in gloom. Your very own closed ones try to console you repeatedly. But no one is ur closed one according to u at that time. You silence urself. Their useless words like"bukcup urself" "be strong" are too meaningless for u to comprehend. They havent been theough it. So who are they to tell u what to do? Dont you yourself know being strong is a good thing? Yes u know that. You want to listen to something unique. Give patients of depression proper medications and self help guides and dont get irritated if they dont respond according to your "time deadline" that u give to them. Keep a close watch on them. And let things fall into place. They will at the proper time. And i mean "appropriate time".
Personally, it's the cliché advice people give over and over again. Although i know they mean well, it's like why bother. Well, i gotta say...BOTHER! i gave it a shot one day when i was feeling like "why bother" and got a new perspective of that situation. And surprisingly, from someone younger than I. So we must never underestimate any human being, cause you never know where the answer will come from.
B-Blessed & Safe
I think that the feeling of not wanting to talk to other people might come from the belief that you're bothering them or being annoying, because people with depression often have feelings of worthlessness. In reality, people most likely do want to talk to you and you should always try your best to not isolate yourself, although that may be easier said than done.
Depression is an illness like any other and its has both physical and emotional symptoms. A symptom of depression is that everything can get slower (literally depressed) and this affects everything from motivation to get out of bed, to loosing the will to talk and express yourself. Speak to your doctor or a trained therapist if you think you have symptoms of depression.
depression can effect different people in different ways,you may not want to talk to others in fear that they do not understand what you are going through
Because you begin to feel like you are in a isolated and dark place. The sadness you are feeling at this point has exceeded, so your interest in social situations begins to falter. Negative thought are also possibly dominating your brain and the sunshine fades. However, this should not be the case because talking to others can ease your way out of depression.
Depression is real for a real person, a legend really, like my pops, the world is too fake and weak for me to cope...
Sometimes it can feel as if those around us, whether family, friends, or colleagues, don’t truly understand how we feel. You might think people can sympathize but cannot empathize, but more people struggle with anxiety and depression than you may realize.
When we tell people how we truly feel we are more likely to receive their support and understanding which makes our lives a little bit easier.
I understand how difficult it can be to let people know that you suffer with depression But believe me, there is nothing embarrassing about admitting that we struggle. In fact, quite the opposite is true ,it’s admirable because it takes a huge amount of courage to do so.
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