R U OK - Depression & Geocaching.

For all your general chit chat, caching or not.
User avatar
Zalgariath
5500 or more caches found
5500 or more caches found
Posts: 1749
Joined: 17 August 09 10:44 am
Location: Sydney, NSW

Re: R U OK - Depression & Geocaching.

Post by Zalgariath » 28 September 12 3:25 pm

I think there is a book in here somewhere. It may sound silly, but we probably have a few psychologists in the community looking for a study! Distraction and exercise combined can be great aides as has been shared here. Particularly to the addictive personality type I think Caching could be a great tool in helping people get out and about.

I wish I had had caching when I went through my rough patch. I look back now and ride it off as fairly standard late teenage depression, but at the time I turned inward to video games, alcohol, and other anti-sociable activities which while distracted me, did nothing to help. It took a visit to my GP who prescribed me a fairly heavy dose of something I wanted nothing to do with to snap me out of it. I knocked back the drugs and fortunately that slap brought me back to reality... and I havent looked back since.

Thanks to everyone for speaking up. Ive never really told that story to many people. It has been 10 years now so I guess I can distance myself from it better. Even now when I am cranky or upset I find within a few minutes of being on the hunt I have forgotten what ever drove me out there. The only downside is while Caching makes you happy... it feeds the OCD beast :P

User avatar
Chrisval7
600 or more caches found
600 or more caches found
Posts: 48
Joined: 07 October 12 5:55 pm
Location: Barossa valley

Re: R U OK - Depression & Geocaching.

Post by Chrisval7 » 13 October 12 6:36 pm

Yes, I am a psychologist and have a particular interest in depression and anxiety conditions. Both can be dreadfully debilitating conditions which can be hard to get on top of.

All of us at sometime have experienced a mild depression in response to life's events ("reactive depression") but a clinical condition is a different animal altogether. It requires a tougher approach and intervention to deal with it.

Research tells us which counselling approaches work most effectively - but exercise is a powerful and easily available remedy. And what could be better than geocaching, which not only takes us out of ourselves but also into the open air for exercise. It certainly gives a purpose and structure to the day as the activity requires planning and execution and some effort to achieve the find. And then the satisfaction of logging another cache!

I have only recently discovered geocaching but wish I had known about this therapeutic activity earlier. Let's not talk about its addictive qualities....
Chris

User avatar
svn07
850 or more found!!!
850 or more found!!!
Posts: 101
Joined: 27 June 08 9:33 am
Location: Manly West, Brisbane

Re: R U OK - Depression & Geocaching.

Post by svn07 » 20 October 12 12:31 pm

Its odd how you sometimes end up where you need to be....quite by accident. Haven't been to the forums for ages, passing by and found this......just a week or so after a "meltdown". Not the first, probably won't be the last. I have been treated for clinical depression on and off for most of my adult life.

Like you Sue, everybody sees me as a happy, outgoing person. They are shocked if they learn that "demons lurk within". I have absolute respect for your decision to speak out here. It's not easy but it is so important in an effort to de-stigmatize depression, anxiety, bipolar and other mood disorders. I try not to shy away from letting people know that is how it is for me sometimes as it somehow "normalizes" it, for me and hopefully for them.

Caching is a great adjunct to treatment, both the active aspects and the armchair aspects (logs, participation in forums etc) but as others have pointed out, please remember that you don't know what is going on in another's world, so chose your words carefully and tread lightly.

Blue sky days to you all.

Post Reply