Not to sound clueless, I know there are a lot of people out there with chemical imbalances, etc. but it’s so crazy to me that are so many rich and successful people that end up severely depressed.

I’ve gone through depression a few times in my life, but it was always over some perceived feeling of lack (lonely/tfw no gf, chitty job/tight finances, etc)

But it’s crazy to me when you see someone successful, attractive, with kids and traveling, end up depressed or suicidal. Does it have something to do with the FOMO associated with rampant social media use ?

Probably spiritual emptiness, material and superficial attainment only goes so far...

because I guess at a point, when you have money, all people want from you, is your money

they don't want to know you for you, and they don't want to spend time with you for you, they just want to use you for their own benefit

I guess the definition of 'friend' changes when you're rich or a celebrity

Things don't bring happiness. Yes, life is better when you have more money, etc but up to a point.
When you have all your basics covered, it really is meaningless to get "more". I don't think many people would love acquiring material status throughout their lives as a goal and purpose.

Using Testi as an example, who cares if anyone is driving a Porche whatever. Drive one for yourself if you wish, but it is meaningless to drive one for others. Unless you are young or a bottom dweller, people aren't careening their necks to see who is driving anything except if that car is cutting you off.

sometimes you win the race, but lose your mind.

Ah, the good ol’ existential void, I know it all too well.

The hedonic treadmill is a real thing I guess

Just because you have the resources doesnt mean you are happy bruh.

There is a lot more to happiness than money. Health (including mental disorders), family, relationships, etc. There are a lot of things out of your control in life.

To some money may not even be an issue... it could be the loneliness, the emptiness, lack of direction, confusion, etc... too many variables to really pinpoint what drives someone to being suicidal. Examples:

There was an incredibly rich man who died on the streets, he had 6.2 million in his bank account was fed up with society as a whole. He had everything but.. happiness and fulfillment.



A boy just took his own life because he accidentally shot his friend while showing him a gun.


Way too many factors!

The expectations of yourself compared to your family and imbalance in this world, being given things and than seeing someone struggle for food and water.

Access to drugs/alcohol. Lack of motivation.

But I see a lot of successful people with families (wife, kids, etc) end up depressed or going off the deep end. Everybody I talk to with a family feels so happy and fulfilled. I feel like if I was making good money in a successful career with a great wife and healthy children, I’d feel grateful daily for whAt I have. Not to say I wouldn’t get stressed/upset/have a bad day sometimes, but I couldn’t imagine getting severely depressed in that scenario

Maybe what they define as being successful isn't your definition of being successful.

because we're a needs based species; in other words, we create problems.

so, if someone has all their chit together, they generally start to create problems --> drugs, alcohol or just some form of it. that may be why dudes like bill gates invest and leave a lot on the line, it gives them that edge. again, some form of it. that "fix", something to "address", that "need"

There's no rose without a thorn.

Life is about the journey not the goal srs. Accomplished a couple major milestones in my life and felt more empty after. We always have to be striving towards something, when the best is behind you it's easy to get depressed.

I never understood suicide period. A human life is like a fraction of a second compared to the universe in which we live. I want every second of my time here.

Its truly startling how important it is to have a goal to chase.

To people who are suffering, every extra second is another second of suffering. So they rather end it.

The same personality that gave them it all is what killed them. Nothing is ever good enough. Moderation doesn't exist.

they never suffered misfortune in their lives so a little bit of misfortune and they break

anyone that's rich and is miserable is a pathetic *******. with money you can do anything. you can improve your life in every aspect.

That is because you have perspective. You know at this point in time you would be grateful everyday to have success.

Some of us can continue to have that perspective, but some will lose that perspective. The successful lifestyle becomes the new normal, something you experience everyday and a new baseline for measurement. Economic utility plateaus.

I remember my first job and the much lower pay I started at. I remember feeling so rich that I could do anything.
I think this feeling would be normal for most people, but over time most people will feel inadequate.
It's evidenced by how many people with household incomes >$200k lament how poor they are and how much they're struggling.
They have lost perspective if they ever had it in the first place.

Right OP? If any of us had income of $200K, we would live like kings and it would be more than enough to do everything we want. Until it isn't enough.

Some wealthy people send their children to "normal people" camps or activities because they understand how important perspective is on the psyche.

I know a guy who is an actual CEO, but of a mid-tier company. This company was acquired by a very large international global fortune ranked company. He was excited and thought how his talent and intelligence and ambition were going to skyrocket him. Getting acquired was an opportunity that he was going to take advantage of. He had a normal, humble middle class upbringing, worked hard and luckily found his way to a CFO position of the mid-tier public company that paid well, the CEO retired a few years after, and the CFO was groomed to be the next. The acquisition occurred and made many people holding options a little richer than they were before. There was excitement abuzz, he was sure of his next steps. He is still "CEO" of the acquired company. The global fortune company has no plans to promote anyone from their new division (generates $1B) into their overseas headquartered corporate offices, and no plans to use anyone at their new division as a regional/USA headquarter. And my friend is not happy or satisfied. He is married still with 2 teenagers, in his 40s and has everything you could want looking from the outside. He feels like a loser.

money-wise, he should be doing very well. I don't know now, but before the acquisition, he was pulling between $200-300k/yr salary, and his stock earned him a couple million.

It’s amazing what chemicals in your brain can make you feel.

That would suck feeling like that.

Nobody has it all, and you don't know what's happening beneath the surface

Brb solid career, perfect kids and wife, but secretly battling an opioid addiction since a lower back injury in 2008
Brb CEO 10k/day, mansion, supercars, but wife is banging the pool boy while CEO spends 80hrs/week driving the company
Brb brb

srs

blows my mind how people so readily understand how drugs and alcohol alter your behavior illogically but when it comes to depression and other mental disorders they suddenly want to apply logic to it and call people pussies and whatever else

it's not something that makes sense, that's why it's a disorder

Ive got bipolar

Everything could be going amazing in my life but if I was depressed at the time I would feel terrible

Equally everything in my life could be awful and falling apart but if I was having a manic episode I would still feel on top of the world

When you have mental illness all that matters is what's inside your head as it colours your view of everything else

Depression crew here. I consider myself to be mildly successful, at least more than the generation prior to me was (my parents).

I don't feel this extreme much anymore, but when I would... most of the time it was because the idea of feeling as miserable as I could was a terrible burden that I didn't want anymore - worse, I didn't want anyone else to be affected by it. Imagine that, feeling that your only affect on people was to make them miserable too. That is a god-awful feeling. And when those around you don't understand that you're actually sick, point out how miserable you are, and how much of a drain you are on them, that's enough to not want to feel like that any longer, or allow others to endure it with you.

Think of the happiest you ever felt. Feels good right? Depressed people don't feel that way as much because their threshold tends to be much lower. Now imagine expanding that mildly happy feeling across what could be your whole life. Years of feeling like you're going to be happy ONLY this much... That, too, is a terrible realization and feeling.

When you feel like that, no amount of money or fame can pull you out. It doesn't work like that. I'm relieved I was able to find some true happiness in life that got me out the way of the mental gymnastics, but to say you're immune from being susceptible to these feelings, no matter what level of success you're at, is a pretty obvious lie.

that sounds ridiculous to me. just sounds like boredom. if i had the money i would do so much to improve my life. constantly non-stop. there is so much i would do with money. there would be no way i'd be unhappy with making a good amount of money, but i think it depends on the job mostly. if the job is **** then yeah ur life is gonna be ****. but if we're talking just like good job, good money. then **** no way i'd be unhappy. i'd take courses and classes and nice vacations. i would have so many projects. i would treat people who don't have money to go eat and ****. i think even like 60k/yr i could live my dream life, if i loved my job. i've been like 20-25k/yr or much less the past 10 years ****. can't do ****

Seriously.
Last year Kate Spade offed herself. That death hit me hard, cause she had it all and she has a young kid. Even with money you can still see a therapist if you feel "lonely."
If I had boat load of money, I'd be doing something different everyday, srs.

same here. there is so much i would love to do but i don't have the money. if you're lonely there is so much you can do, there's a whole different world out there, not just the same city or country. you don't have to just limit yourself to meds and therapy and **** like that. you have the money to find something you love. you can try it all. average person is very limited to what he or she can do because of money.