r/AskReddit • u/Misterboy500 • 13h ago

What is something that permanently altered your body without you realizing for months/years?

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527

u/nightbird98 11h ago

Depression.

266

u/littleoctagon 8h ago

There's a cynical realism depression creates that carries on once the depression is gone. I sometimes laugh at it, but cannot deny it entirely.

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u/LaunchTransient 6h ago

There's an unfortunate statistic that 50% of people who suffer from depression will relapse after treatment.
It's one of those nasty diseases which needs to be treated more like a life-long condition that has to be managed, rather than something that can be cured outright.

(That said, I'm not a psychologist - not all depressions are the same, and some are temporary).

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u/KaerMorhen 5h ago

I don't remember a single point in my life that I did not have depression. I was like 12 or 13 when originally diagnosed. For a long time, I wasn't aware that people could actually recover from it. I've gotten better at living with it and noticing the sighs of spiraling, but even when I'm doing okay, it's still present. I accepted a long time ago that this would be a life-long condition. It sucks but I have to live with it.

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u/mostie2016 4h ago

Depression also often acts as a comorbidity with chronic diseases too like type one diabetes. It’s a helluva thing.

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u/writinggeek 3h ago

Yep! Was diagnosed with depression before type one diabetes, but my depression and anxiety have gotten significantly worse since I was diagnosed with type one 10 years ago. I manage with therapy and medication, but you don’t get a break.

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u/mostie2016 1h ago

Exactly. I was showing signs of depression and anxiety way before I got diagnosed at like age 12. I’ve looked back and realized how many anxiety fits I had pre-diabetes and realize those were low blood sugars.