To be clear: Depression is not a choice. Which is why a man who strongly believes people are choosing to be depressed is getting a proper Twitter smackdown.
Twitter user AsawaeOfAsh is a 21-year-old man who posts philosophical musings like “don’t accept guidance from people who aren’t where you’d want to be” and “I resent the general population of fat people.” So it comes as no surprise that Asawae, not a medical professional, has plenty of opinions on depression. For one, he thinks “99 percent” of people with depression “choose to” be depressed. He also thinks people with depression actively decide to avoid the sun, eat junk food, kill time, and “don’t work towards goals.”
“Notice a pattern?” Asawae ends his cosmic-brain hot take. “Depression is stagnation. Stagnation is death.”
https://twitter.com/AsawaeOfAsh/status/1060702118598844416
Explain why you believe poor choices don’t lead to a poor mental state.
— ASAWAE / 🌓 🏹 (@ASAWAE1147) November 10, 2018
Explain why avoiding accountability and forfeiting control is beneficial.
Please, do tell.
Asawae claims he has depression, and while that may be the case, he certainly doesn’t speak for everyone who has it. Sometimes depression is simply a chemical imbalance that needs to be corrected. Other times, it stems from life stress, traumatic experiences, or mourning a serious life change. Eating right or exercising regularly might be good ways to cope with depression, but if you’re in the depths of its darkness, you often can’t even get to that point. In fact, making depressed people feel bad about being depressed is probably the worst way to treat someone suffering from depression.
It didn’t take long for people to come out and correct Asawae.
you clearly know nothing about mental illness
— niz (@tolkienhoe) November 10, 2018
Ignorance is a choice.
— Vi La Bianca (@AuthorConfusion) November 11, 2018
Now before you get pissed, I’ll explain.
99% of “ignorant” people CHOOSE to:
– Avoid facts
– Consume pop psychology
– Don’t research before posting
– Sound off on things they don’t understand
– Waste other people’s time
Notice a pattern?
https://twitter.com/GalaxxxC/status/1061755267703029760
Get fucked. Do you understand how genetics work? How trauma works? How BRAIN CHEMISTRY works? I’ve struggled with depression since I was 13. Explain to me how I’ve chosen that, since you’re the expert. Actually, no, don’t. I’ll let my DOCTORS do that.
— Kwertzy Industries (@kwertzy) November 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/konekodreams/status/1061788904087580673
So we’re just gonna delegitimize the struggles that disabled people and sufferers of chronic illnesses have? When you physically cant do those things? 99% of people dont choose to “be depressed”.
— Yori (@AnAmazingFeat) November 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/disabilisaur/status/1061806986776506368
Others shared their own stories about depression and pointed out how reality contradicts Asawae’s claims. Asawae is only feeding the stigma the depression isn’t real or can be “cured,” which doesn’t help sufferers.
https://twitter.com/natalie_eilbert/status/1061734176657993730
https://twitter.com/mamanic24/status/1061674812400123904
https://twitter.com/alapahi/status/1061751375061647360
https://twitter.com/BlackDi36964418/status/1061122803724886016
My husband has depression. He doesn’t avoid the sun, he exercises, he eats really well, he gets up every day when he needs to go to work and does his job, and lo and behold there are days he’s still depressed. With respect, you don’t know what you’re talking about
— Author Mason Thomas (@MasonThomas999) November 10, 2018
Some stressed that what Asawae is pointing to are the symptoms of depression, like overeating and holing up in your house.
https://twitter.com/redplant0/status/1061319255482785792
https://twitter.com/Grind2WinPoker/status/1061358831609896960
https://twitter.com/Iyamtebist/status/1061767133078663169
Others just think Asawae should shut up.
https://twitter.com/SlayerzRose/status/1062005306497163264
https://twitter.com/Sae_Young_0/status/1061103964840738816
— mduduzi mdlalose (@edmundmdlalose4) November 10, 2018
https://twitter.com/EvanOutOfTen/status/1062012970929176576
https://twitter.com/BiggieSmollVevo/status/1062003622479826944
We have a new worst tweet I’ve ever seen https://t.co/tfrRzcKN1F
— Trill Withers (@TylerIAm) November 11, 2018
READ MORE:
- What exactly is seasonal affective disorder?
- The best way to make friends as an adult, according to an expert
- How to be less socially awkward, according to mental health professionals
In the meantime, if you deal with depression and want to learn how to cope with it, experts recommend seeking out help from a mental health professional. Alongside support from friends and family, it’s possible to ride it out—but you just can’t snap out of depression because you want to.
If you are a teen dealing with depression or other mental health issues, see PBS.org for a list of resources and organizations that can help you. If you are an adult, see Mental Health Resources.
