Can Positive Posts Here Lead to Depression? [Archive] - Crossdressers.com - #1 Community & Forum for Crossdressers, Family and Friends

Persephone

01-13-2010, 02:43 PM

There's a whole big news story (example at the bottom of this post) out there about people becoming depressed, even claiming that they are contemplating suicide, after seeing the movie Avatar and coveting life on Pandora so badly that their own lives lose meaning.

CNN's "psychotherapist" Stacey Kaiser said, "Here's my parallel. We see this phenomena all the time. We see somebody go to a romance movie and they walk away and they're not with Prince Charming and they don't have a person like that so they have a bit of depression."

It got me wondering. I always look at what we do here as encouragement and support. I love to read the positive posts, and try to post my own activities in the same spirit.

But, is there a "darkside"? Do some people find these posts depressing?

In discussing ways to deal with this, Kaiser went on to say that "any time you can bond with a community of people who feel like you feel, then you feel better."

So, instead, is being a member of our "community of people who feel like you feel" a positive experience?

Hugs,
Persephone.

Avatar-Induced Depression: Coping With The Intangibility Of Pandora
Tue Jan 12, 4:27 pm ET

The beautiful alien planet Pandora depicted in James Cameron's 'Avatar' is so captivating that some audience members are becoming depressed and even suicidal when they fail to find meaning in real life after the film is over.

Writes Jo Piazza for CNN.com:
On the fan forum site "Avatar Forums," a topic thread entitled "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible," has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope. The topic became so popular last month that forum administrator Philippe Baghdassarian had to create a second thread so people could continue to post their confused feelings about the movie.

Here are just a few of the ways people are coping on Avatar-Forums.com :

"I just watched avatar a few weeks ago and I'm feeling depressed and sad. It's like I want to reach out and be in Pandora. I'd do anything to be in Pandora. I've tried so hard to dream about me being on Pandora but it hasn't worked."

"Ever since I went to see 'Avatar' I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na'vi made me want to be one of them. I can't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in 'Avatar.'"

"Because, at this point, there isn't pretty much anything else that can be done. Until the release of DVD/BluRay. But even that won't take away all of the depression. Because you know you can never actually go to Pandora, as it exists only in our imagination... sigh... :("

Whether or not these posts are for real there is reason to believe the affliction is rooted in legitimate despair.

For the CNN video (with audio) story, click here (http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/showbiz/2010/01/11/pn.depressed.after.avatar.cnn.html)

Karren H

01-13-2010, 03:00 PM

aggi123

01-13-2010, 03:09 PM

Hmmm Avatar didn't make me feel that way. Though reading about everyone's wonderful stories on this site has certainly pulled me out of depression and embracing who I truly am. Nothing depressing about that :)

Brandi Wyne

01-13-2010, 03:15 PM

It's a balancing act, I'm sure. We do need support and I have joined a local support group. We all went out a week or so ago and had a great time. as ladies out and about Later I got depressed because my life is still divided and both areas bring about doubts and fears.

If I'd gone and had a perfectly sh*tty time of it, I don't think I'd have received any reverse encouragement from that experience. All I know is that we are who we are and finding support where ever we can is important. I have a lot of things to work out in my journey through this life and I appreciate a kind word now and then.

Remember, we are not in the main stream and will have to give more to find our way. So, I hope we can each be that source of encouragement for the others here and elsewhere.

:hugs:Hugs to all of you

Kathi Lake

01-13-2010, 03:44 PM

I came out of Avatar feeling very positive. I thought it was a cool bit of escapism. That may just be my personality, though. I happen to like my world very much, thank you!

I would say that someone who comes out of a movie depressed because they don't live in that fantasy world has other issues to begin with. For one, I'm sure they think their world sucks, and anyplace - especially a place where mountains float and you can ride magical unicorns, or their equivalent - would be better. That's just my opinion, I can't dispense advice anymore since I let my license lapse. :)

Kathi

Phyliss

01-13-2010, 03:45 PM

Leave it to CNN to find talking heads full of psycho babble.
This is no more than a case of "The Grass Is ALWAYS Greener on the other side.
The entire long winded movie is about Evil Capatalistic Earthlings wanting to destroy the "peaceful" natives for wealth.

IT'S "make believe" , people, a fictional story. Get out of the movie theater and get a life.

Yeah I've read all sorts of accounts of the wonderful adventures of shopping , dinning out , flying , relationships, and a host of other things. Good for those people, just gives me a reason to look forward to doing those things also.

Nicole Erin

01-13-2010, 03:50 PM

It is perspective.

My sister once asked if I ever watched "cribs", it was on and we were watching it, I asked her what it was and she goes "To show you how bad your life sucks"

When you see someone who has life better, you feel inferior. When you see someone who has it worse, you realise just how good you have it.

In the media, yeah it is based on fantasy. People who are perfectly beautiful and have perfect lives. Or even if they are piss poor like in that 70's show "Good times" they are still laughing and having fun, people might think "Why can't I have so much fun?"
So movies are fun to get into fantasy but they are just that. And yeah, it CAN be depressing to see even a depiction of perfection and then you compare to your own life and it is like "well mine sucks". MAny people feel that way.

NOW about positive posts here or any forum/chat line or even real life...

My opinion is when someone is always talking about how great they have it, they are probably still feeling insecure about something. It is like they have things as good as they say but still feel like they are lacking something.

I used to visit this one dance forum and we had this one lady who was always talking about how great her life was. The money she had, the promptions of her husband, friends they had, how her son was going to go to Yale or Harvard, about the fancy suit and tie parties they attended.. Dare I say God himself would have been envious.
Some people just love to toot their own horn and I think what they *really* want is people to tell them how great they are.

Even the beautiful people are more F'ed up than you think. They just hide it well.

And me, I am by no means perfect. I often feel "wishful" and I often feel "thankful". I wish I had more but am thankful for what I do have.
I wish I passed better en femme but am thankful I have the freedom to at least go out dressed as I want.

EDIT - Can someone maybe PM me with a summary of what avatar is about? I saw a preview on youtube and all I remember is a bunch of space aliens running around in a forest. Looks to me like a movie that I would walk out of feeling like "Well there is $7 I will never get back".

Stephanie Miller

01-13-2010, 03:55 PM

I knew I shouldn't have watched M.A.S.H.! That darn Klinger. See what he/she did to me?
Next thing you know I'm going to go out and blow up a roadrunner! :Angry3:

msniki48

01-13-2010, 04:03 PM

Guess its time to go back to doom and gloom stories that way everyone feels their live are better than the poor schmuk that admitted crossdressing to his wife and she divorced him and took all his money and the kids and told everyone she knew and he lost his job but looks really pretty in the pink frock down on skid row??

God I feel better already!! :D

Lucky I don't get depressed!! :)

It's funny the way you present this hypothetical event...lord knows weve all seen a few [go down the tubes]...but i believe you are right in that it does make you feel as though you've got it a little better than that person. I do love the positives that are shared, but it does also make you wish you had some of them....catch 22

i know a wonderful transexual .as she was going through transition...very positive...then she lost her job, couldn't get one, suffered from deep depression lost appartment, the car etc. it was an eye opener for me in real time... and made me think twice of how good i have it with half a loaf of bread...rather than go for it all and loose the whole loaf. it stopped my thoughts of transition in it's tracks till i could think about it more.

So in essence we need good threads....and we need plenty of Bad threads in order to keep us all Balanced! :battingeyelashes:

hugs

msniki48

Emma Leigh

01-13-2010, 04:05 PM

If I come out from watching a movie, I dont think anything other than whether the movie was good or bad, I never compare myself to the characters, because it isnt real.
With regard to this site, i have only become a member fairly recently, and it has changed my life in a number of ways, but mainly because before I joined, I felt unbelievably isolated. I thought I was unique!

Nicole Erin

01-13-2010, 04:08 PM

I knew I shouldn't have watched M.A.S.H.! That darn Klinger. See what he/she did to me?
Next thing you know I'm going to go out and blow up a roadrunner! :Angry3:

Now Steph, don't go destroying the grand canyon now! You know that is where the show looks like it was filmed, right in your home state.
(hears the whistling of when Steph falls off some high cliff)

LAdies all this talk of passing, if you ever want to feel better about you femme looks, watch MASH, gyod Klingerr was the worst looking CD on the planet. Perspective.

Joanne f

01-13-2010, 04:25 PM

First of all the main difference between here and a movie is that a movie has a visual effect and a audio effect and when you put the two together it can have a very powerful effect on your emotions and we know music can do this just by it`s self so when you add the visual effect it can work magic.
But on here you do have the visual effect plus a written account and some of the visual effects and written accounts are going to effect some people, they are going to inspire them to want or do more in the hope that they will also look like or do what others have done .
Now it is possible that if their expectations are not met then they could possibly fall back into some sort of depressed state, and is it even possible that this visual and written accounts could also have some sort of effect on wife`s /So who are looking and reading accounts of what others have done and get worried that their partners want the same which may again lead to some sort of depression.
So yes it is possible but hopefully it does not happen but if it did i hope we would hear about it .

Kate Simmons

01-13-2010, 04:29 PM

The answer is to co-create one's own world and in turn create one's own positive experiences. I've been doing this since puberty when I identified with comic book super heroes. I just modified it when I started expressing my femme self. This way you can continue to function in the "real" world and still be happy being yourself. Simple really.:)

minalost

01-13-2010, 04:50 PM

Loni

01-13-2010, 04:59 PM

i have not seen the movie avatar. will not till it is in the discount bin at walley wourld.:D

i have suffered depresion all my life, it takes will power to not get that way, but just a song, thought, can get me into a "funk" and i can bounce back and fro many times a day.

but not kill my self.:thumbsdn:

sure my life stinks, but it is my life and i am going to try to do the best i can with it. both parts:o

after almost getting killed this past june...i hurt (back and feet), very bad headon car accident.
but it is great to be alive and bitching about it:eek:

life can be a problem at times for any of us. but the sun will rise in the am...and somewere it is happy hour:drink:

.

Tamara Croft

01-13-2010, 05:01 PM

IT'S "make believe" , people, a fictional story. Get out of the movie theater and get a life.Bloody well said :clap:

sterling12

01-13-2010, 06:23 PM

Yes, as I was growing up my parents constantly reminded me that movies were FICTIONAL, and they were portrayed by Actors who weren't anything like their characters.

If people suffer from depression from "Avatar," there is something very wrong with their heads! A smart four year old could tell you that most of it is ANIMATION, and that The Director probably had The Bad Guys portrayed by humans to give the "evilness" more credibility.

I know a lot of Gurl's who go out, including myself. Example? Joann definitely doesn't tell you about her adventures to depress people. She just doesn't have that kind of psyche, and anyone who has met her would agree. We tell all of you about going out to "inspire" others to do the same! We think it's great, we think it's fun.

Perhaps, if we could inspire some of the rest of you to go out as your femme selves, you wouldn't have to indulge in fantasies about make-believe worlds like "Avatar!"

Peace and Love, Joanie

GaleWarning

01-13-2010, 06:33 PM

I tend to avoid the problem by NOT watching movies!
:)
Haven't seen Avatar, don't plan to.

Wen4cd

01-13-2010, 06:40 PM

I used to work with a dude who went apeshit and murdered his family after he saw Matrix.

Kathi Lake

01-13-2010, 06:43 PM

I used to work with a dude who went apeshit and murdered his family after he saw Matrix.Yikes! Or, as Keanu would say, "Whooooah!" Sounds like someone's grasp on reality was a bit tenuous.

Kathi

danielle.cd

01-13-2010, 07:01 PM

the only thing i would get depressed about is that i dont have a butt or hips i look like a pencile with an uper body, but with enough money , wait thats it its the money thats what does it the money yeah if i had money im sure i would have a butt <cause then i could afford to transition > but seeing how i dont ill just have to live huh. not depressing just not fair thats all its not the movies its, its the money

docrobbysherry

01-13-2010, 08:33 PM

There r MANY reasons for feeling depression. Depression is NOT something to joke about! U can't argue with someone about the way they FEEL! It's REAL to them!:sad:

Many people r bi-polar, to a greater or lesser degree.

Alcohol and drugs r a BIG factor, legal and otherwise.

Maybe MOST important, is the fact that we r CONSTANTLY bombarded from every media source, with pictures of all the THINGS we don't have, and the PERFECT people who have EVERYTHING!

Is it any wonder that young people r committing suicide at a record rate?

Lastly, is the difficulty SOME people have, in confusing fantasy with reality! Like 60 y/o men, that think they can mimic a young woman!:o

Engendered

01-13-2010, 08:47 PM

I think movies in general are too short to immerse me fully into their world. It's 2 hours and then it's gone. Books however I get far more into. (Also longrunning tv shows) Recently, specifically, it was the Twilight series. By the time I'd finished the 4th book I felt like I knew these characters and I felt a little hollow afterwards that they were gone. Who wouldn't want to be friends with Alice? A crossdressers best friend.

I actually had a rare crossdressing dream last night where I had been turned into a vampire, and the idea of being forever young and pretty...amazing. Anyway, *that's* neither here nor there.

Back on topic, the real world is tough, and it's far from ideal. So I can somewhat relate to feelings of depression of people who want a fantasy that can't actually exist. But I'm generally cynical of real life. Love should be wonderful and ever-lasting. *sighs* :)

I went on a bit! :eek:

Alicia Grey

01-13-2010, 08:50 PM

Yes I saw Avatar, I thought it was a wonderful movie. The scenes of Pandora were awe inspiring, and the evil corporate goons did their best to bring it down. It's the story of conquest for the minerals of a peaceful people in a beautiful setting, so that life where the corporate goons lived can maintain a status quo.

I felt that the story it's self was a downer. But the special effects on Pandora were magnitudes above where the corporate world existed. Also the choice of a corporate soldier being wheelchair bound, being transformed into a fully articulated avatar gave another positive feeling on the side of the Pandorians.

As for real moviegoers having a depression shows to me that either the depressed moviegoers have little going on in their lives. Or could it be a stunt from the Avatar Ad Agency.

sherri52

01-13-2010, 08:55 PM

Karren I wish you'd stop telling everyone my life story.

AmandaM

01-13-2010, 08:56 PM

The Brady Bunch used to depress me. How come my life isn't like that? I had to realize, no family is like that.

Nicole Erin

01-13-2010, 09:52 PM

The Brady Bunch used to depress me. How come my life isn't like that? I had to realize, no family is like that.

Smart ass.
That show used to depress me cause it sucked so bad.

Melinda G

01-13-2010, 10:20 PM

Can't comment on the movie Avatar. Haven't seen it. I'm two thirds of the way through a lifelong boycott of Hollywood. As Jay Leno likes to say, "The movie should be rated NW8, for not worth eight bucks.:D

"Turn off the TV"
"Turn off the crap"
"Kick off your high heels"
"And climb up in my lap" Jimmy Buffett

AllieSF

01-13-2010, 10:47 PM

Some people are depressed and/or get easily depressed. That will happen to them under a lot of circumstances. Should we stop the positive threads and posts and then concentrate on the negative ones and then depress the rest of us? I think not. I do feel for those that suffer from depression. However, we just need to go on with our own lives, support the others when we are able and wish them the best in dealing with their own issues. Life goes on with or without us. I prefer to be included in enjoying life side. Otherwise, I will get depressed.

Sally2005

01-13-2010, 10:58 PM

No! Constant stress and a negative attitude over a long period in time leads to depression. People was are depressed want to hear good news. And, when people say a move made them dpressed, they really mean the move made them feel sad...its not the same thing at all.

sometimes_miss

01-13-2010, 11:15 PM

There are pluses and minuses to this. Sure, it's nice to know that there are others who share the same affliction. But it's also depressing to know how many have non supportive mates, and how many have none at all. I still find it odd at how many revel in how wonderful it is to be a crossdresser, when I know that is the major hurdle preventing me from finding a female mate.

Barbara Dugan

01-14-2010, 12:02 AM

I really dont have many reasons to feel depress but I feel most of the time and actually this forum has become a great tool to help me cope better with it.

Melinda G

01-14-2010, 10:59 AM

There are pluses and minuses to this. Sure, it's nice to know that there are others who share the same affliction.

Hmmm. I never really considered my crossdressing an "affliction". And I'm kind of thankful that it has prevented me from blundering into another restrictive marriage. All men are created free and equal. Then some men give up all their rights and freedom and get married.
By the way, you'll get more sex and more variety as a single person than you ever will married.:D

Frédérique

01-14-2010, 11:00 AM

It got me wondering. I always look at what we do here as encouragement and support. I love to read the positive posts, and try to post my own activities in the same spirit.
But, is there a "darkside"? Do some people find these posts depressing?

I don’t find positive posts depressing in the least, since this is NOT a competition. It’s great to know that someone is really successful being who they have decided to be, even though I get the feeling I’m looking at the tip of an iceberg through a keyhole. As such, it’s hard to get up (or down) about someone’s post – it’s all relative. When you think of it, it’s amazing that someone is active as a crossdresser and is so excited, worried, thrilled, or guilty about it that they write about their feelings. That shows a level of commitment, an acceptance or non-acceptance (and subsequent personal struggle) that makes this site tick. The only kind of post that depresses me is one written by a casual participant that reads like a back-handed slap against the crossdressing or transgendered community. Posts within a thread that support that kind of behavior (in a meek “thanks for coming – good luck” way) depress me even more, but, fortunately, that rarely happens…:straightface:

Tamara Croft

01-14-2010, 12:17 PM

All men are created free and equal. Then some men give up all their rights and freedom and get married.And some turn into miserable old misers who have nothing better to do than whinge and moan :rolleyes:

By the way, you'll get more sex and more variety as a single person than you ever will married.:DWell who would want sex with a miserable person like you? You probably whinged about that too :rolleyes:

sissystephanie

01-14-2010, 01:20 PM

All men are created free and equal. Then some men give up all their rights and freedom and get married.
By the way, you'll get more sex and more variety as a single person than you ever will married.:D

After almost 50 years of a very lovely marriage, I could sit at my computer for hours and tell you why you are wrong, Melinda! But I am sure that my effort would be totally wasted!!

I did not any give up any rights or freedoms when I married. Nor did I gain any when she died! I am not a person who gets depressed, or stressed out! Sure, I occasionally get stressed, but it usually lasts for maybe 5 to 10 minutes. There is too much to LIFE for that to have a real lasting effect! If your life has any real meaning, there is too much going on daily to allow for depression! There is no room for it in my life!!

KimberlyJo

01-14-2010, 01:35 PM

With regard to this site, i have only become a member fairly recently, and it has changed my life in a number of ways, but mainly because before I joined, I felt unbelievably isolated. I thought I was unique!

YOU ARE UNIQUE! Just like everyone else :)

And some turn into miserable old misers who have nothing better to do than whinge and moan :rolleyes:
Well who would want sex with a miserable person like you? You probably whinged about that too :rolleyes:

Ouch...OWNED!

gemsay32

01-14-2010, 06:57 PM

I'm just thinking to myself that's pretty pathetic. If they want pandora they should sign up with the peace corpse and head on over to africa and help some poor malnourished families survive the tyrant leaders that bully them around like trashed wives. It's just a stupid movie. Cameron has a history of making movies like this.

Now, having said that, I'll be a bit more friendly. I once had a dream where all the fruit was about as big as my fist and bigger. Even berries. The trees seemed as tall as buildings, wide as stadiums. It was beautiful. The problem is that this isn't reality. It's idealized. Reality will never fit our idealized views of it. If you come can to terms with the reality around you, and learn to appreciate what's there, then you that's even more beautiful than the ideal.

Jacqui

01-14-2010, 07:18 PM

I haven't taken off my 3D Glasses since I saw the movie two weeks ago.

Everybody's blue....and tall!

Rebecca Jayne

01-14-2010, 07:30 PM

NicoleScott

01-14-2010, 08:37 PM

Let's see now. Avoid uplifting movies because they might cause depression. Maybe I should go to more tragedy or blood and gore movies to lift my spirits.

docrobbysherry

01-14-2010, 08:56 PM

Let's see now. Avoid uplifting movies because they might cause depression. Maybe I should go to more tragedy or blood and gore movies to lift my spirits.

Just do what I DO to get depressed: Read a newspaper!:doh:
I wonder if that has ANYTHING to do with why their failing? :brolleyes:

Melinda G

01-14-2010, 10:18 PM

What does "whinge" mean. Never heard a word like that before.

And some turn into miserable old misers who have nothing better to do than whinge and moan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Melinda G
By the way, you'll get more sex and more variety as a single person than you ever will married.

Well who would want sex with a miserable person like you? You probably whinged about that too

You know nothing about me, and that's a personal attack. Go read your own Forum Rules. Or do they just apply to others?

msginaadoll

01-14-2010, 10:41 PM

I dont think its the positive posts. I think its the positive pictures. You see all the pics of our lovely ladies here and you go, wow I can never look like that. You start mumbling, then grumbling then turning green with envy then blue in the face, then..... So how bout ending the picture gallery? Just joking sort of...

txrobinm

01-15-2010, 12:26 AM

Gandalf and Frodo were having a conversation. Frodo wished Bilbo had not found the One Ring, and that he didn't have to witness the rise of such evil as Sauron trying to enslave the world. Gandalf wisely said "so do all who live to see such times. Our only choice is what we choose to do with it (this time we have)". It's paraphrased, but you get the idea.

Sure, it could be a better world, but don't lie down and cry. OK, cry if you want, but then get up and CHANGE your world, by trying to have a positive impact on every person you come into contact with. This takes courage, and knowledge of yourself, and a caring spirit. Teach, volunteer, help a fellow traveler on this globe reach their goal, and slowly the world WILL change into something better than it is now.

Kerigirl2009

01-15-2010, 01:22 AM

I'm sorry my male side is ging to come out on this one. DEAL with it, thats life. Everyone should like me, BOO HOO HOO i just feel like crying.

People that can't deal with make believe should not go to the movies or even read a book. So ok back to reality for me, I mean my alternate reality. Im so confused. You should feel bad for me cuz I feel so depressed now. JK :)

Joanne f

01-15-2010, 06:34 AM

Gulliver`s Travels and Watership Down are two stories that is said to have a hidden meaning , maybe only some can see it and what they see depress`s them , does that make then weak or just susceptible to more feelings than some.
How about music or the Colours on a battle ground doesn't that not get people to do things that they might not otherwise do , and how about when they read out War of The Worlds on US radio did that not effect a lot into committing suicide, Oh had to add this one in , do not some peoples post get you to react in a way that you may not normally do. so it is a bit silly to say things cannot effect people .

Jocelyn Quivers

01-15-2010, 08:04 AM

You take away from movies what you want so the reporter must have a crappy journalistic life.
A fantastic feel good movie is "The Blind Side" and its a true story, go figure they didn't mention it.

As far as it goes when I feel low I come here to raise my spirits.

Ce la Vi

I actually saw that movie a few days ago. I was depressed upon leaving however with the knowledge that I will never have slender shoulders and arms like Sandra Bullock:sad:

Tamara Croft

01-15-2010, 10:49 AM

What does "whinge" mean. Never heard a word like that before.Same thing as whine, you know, what you're always doing!

You know nothing about me, and that's a personal attack. Go read your own Forum Rules. Or do they just apply to others?I know enough about you to know you do nothing but moan, not my fault you took it as a personal attack and it's not my fault you're such a miserable person!

utah beauty

01-15-2010, 11:17 AM

Sometimes when we only see the positive in life, it becomes really depressing. I'm not a fan of personalities that only see things in a positive light, and are afraid to recognize the negative out there too. There is only positive if there is negative, happiness if there is sadness... one doesn't exist without the other, or it would have no meaning. So if people leave Avatar or a great vacation they went on, or get dumped by someone that they liked a lot... I'm afraid that unless they experience the negatives in life as well as those positive highs... they won't ever find real happiness... (and that could bring up another wholly different subject of how to define happiness) ... but that's my 2 cents.

Joanie_Shakti

01-15-2010, 01:14 PM

I have a tendency to get depressed once in a while. But I do not find the positive posts here depressing at all. I'm glad I found this site and it shows that there are others out there like me.

I haven't seen Avatar, but upbeat movies and those with a positive message don't depress me either. In fact, I prefer those types of movies and television shows. What I find depressing are the news programs. It seems that they focus on the bad to keep the public brainwashed. I used to like horror movies but I feel that the modern horror, "Saw" and the like, are bad for the psyche. I started rejecting the horror genre when I tried to watch "Hellraiser" years ago. Couldn't get through the movie. Give me a Vincent Price movie or even something like "American Werewolf in Paris" or "The Howling." But today's horror seems to be torture and gore for their own sake.

I watch sitcoms on tv, or shows like "Ugly Betty" and "Desperate Housewives." When they were on, I liked "Pushing Daisies," "Monk," and "Arrested Development." In movies, I prefer a romantic comedy or crazy fun like "Superbad" and "The Hangover."

No, positive posts here do not depress me. Rather, I like it when I hear good things about other people. Instead of envy, I feel that if nice things happen to others, I know that they'll happen to me too.

rocketscientist

01-15-2010, 01:59 PM

Nicole hit the nail right on the head. You know the Styx song"The Grand Illusion", says it perfectly.

christina marie

01-15-2010, 02:33 PM

ok, sorry if my little snicker is offensive to anyone, but are you flippin' serious? ? ? i think i have seen most of the "epic" films of the last 40 or so years, and have yet to feel the compulsion to end my life because i couldnt step into the screen. same goes for someone elses good life. where is the sense of perspective in this question? where is the ability to separate fantasy from reality? i could be a little more understanding on getting bummed that you cant have a life like that person you read about on the interwebbiethingie, because theres a slim chance that some of that stuff might have actually happened, but a movie? ? ? a movie that could be classified as nothing other than pure fantasy at that? do we really need to be more understanding to those who cannot make the distinction between what they see on a screen and what they see outside their window,or is this just natural selection at work? i know that sounds a little harsh, but isnt this basically a common sense issue more than anything else? or is this the result of years of obsession with"political correctness"? on the off chance that something good should happen in my life,should i keep it bottled up inside so that no-one else would feel lacking because they dont have exactly the same good fortune as me? next, theyll be recommending that we all give up walking,lest we step on an ant. . . talking heads my foot,methinks they be talkin'out another orifice! (sorry to rant but this kind of stuff gets to me!)

Joanne f

01-15-2010, 03:42 PM

OK forget about the movie`s and think about the tital ,Can positive posts here lead to depression , so i will look at just one possible way it could (remember i said possible not probable).
Lets say that there was a Cder who wrote " i started out wearing panties only then after a time i started to go out dressed , then with the help of many i decided that this was not enough so i transitioned and am now a complete female and have everything that i want and i am so happy .(i think that is pretty positive) but i could be wrong.
Now lets say that a SO who was struggling with the fact that their partner was wearing panties and was finding it difficult to cope with it , then they come on her and read the above bit about someone who was just into panties but then ended up a complete female , which was a positive post for that person , could that not send that SO into some sort of depressed state or at least a anguished state .
Just a thought and i am sure it could happen with other scenarios, but then my imagination does run wild some times .

Joanne f

01-19-2010, 11:25 AM

Avatar seams to be depressing the Chinese government as they have just band it , seams like they think it has a message in it that is a bit to close to home.

Toni_Lynn

01-19-2010, 05:52 PM

PretzelGirl

01-19-2010, 10:02 PM

I'm glad you created this thread. I have often wondered this when I post threads about how my wife accepts me and the fun we have. It never is my intent in posting such things to gloat or go 'nyah nyah'.

My thoughts always turn to wanting to offer hope, especially to those who live in fear, that life as a CDer can and does work out. I've been there and felt the pain of hurt from parents and friends and SOs. I survived and you can too!

I think the same way as you. I have had good experiences so far and have shared them. For some it could be where they think that it is rubbing it in other's faces. But what is the alternative? If only the negative was portrayed, then everyone's opinion would be that being a CD/TG really sucked. If it sucks, who wants to go out? Who wants to tell someone else about it? Positive stories are good for us and lifts us. So they are very much needed even if a few may take them the wrong way.

Joanie_Shakti

02-06-2010, 12:21 AM

There's a whole big news story (example at the bottom of this post) out there about people becoming depressed, even claiming that they are contemplating suicide, after seeing the movie Avatar and coveting life on Pandora so badly that their own lives lose meaning.

CNN's "psychotherapist" Stacey Kaiser said, "Here's my parallel. We see this phenomena all the time. We see somebody go to a romance movie and they walk away and they're not with Prince Charming and they don't have a person like that so they have a bit of depression."

<snip>

Here are just a few of the ways people are coping on Avatar-Forums.com :

"I just watched avatar a few weeks ago and I'm feeling depressed and sad. It's like I want to reach out and be in Pandora. I'd do anything to be in Pandora. I've tried so hard to dream about me being on Pandora but it hasn't worked."

"Ever since I went to see 'Avatar' I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na'vi made me want to be one of them. I can't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in 'Avatar.'"

I just saw Avatar for the first time today. I've found myself a little depressed too, though not to the extreme of the two listed above. For me, I think a lot of it is probably that I had a bad, neurotic week at work this week. And if you read a couple of my posts here, I have a tendency for depression in the first place.

My theory about the Avatar depression syndrome are from a few things I noted about the movie. As I had read before seeing the movie, there is a controversy about "hidden liberal agendas" in the film. I noted that the treatment of the Na'vi reflected the treatment of the Native Americans. There is also a comparison to our tendency of war for oil that is happening now. Also, besides those subliminal influences, I think maybe the 3D process has a different effect on our minds than a regular film. Ever since seeing the movie, I have had images of the Na'vi in my mind's eye.

For myself, there is the conflict of technology vs. living in harmony with the Earth. The technology of the human invaders is cool, I especially liked the robotic war suits that a few of the soldiers used. In contrast, The Na'vi were more of a Gaia type of people. Their world was a living world and all plants and animals were connected. I think a lot of people are feeling this conflict right now with the Earth changes happening.

Finally, there is the trauma of seeing the humans try to destroy the indigenous people. And again, with the 3D effect, I think this gets deeper into the psyche than a regular film.

Now to bring it back to this site and the original post. The devices used for the avatar process were cool. As a person who dabbles in self-hypnosis and light/sound machines, I would love to be able to take the fantasy further and have access to a machine that could put my mind into an actual female body. But I don't think there is any comparison with the mental effects the movie Avatar has on some people, with all of it's underlying themes and subliminal effects, and the positive posts at this forum.

BTW, I saw in the credits that the movie was made under the watchful eye of the ASPCA and that no animals were harmed in the process. I didn't realize that the ASPCA now covers mythical, computer generated animals. We are a truly advanced society. :devil: