2mo ago

I do not want to do anything. Is this addiction?

Sorry for mental health kind of question, but I do not know better place to ask about this stuff.

Nowadays, I lie down on a bed and just watch twitch streams all day, with a little bit of browsing lemmy in between. I do not want to do anything, pretty much any activity seems to cause exhaustion. So, I just do bare minimum and return to bed, watching twitch for over 5 hours.

Another is that I feel I cannot do anything good enough. I cannot study effectively, cannot do menial tasks without being stressed. This is especially concerning for me because I am taking a graduate program, but I also doubt I could do any kind of real work. I just don't think I have capability to read complicated texts and remember it clearly, write a decent piece of literature on some subject, or just about anything at all.

Is this related to addiction - can addiction make me feel exhausted all the time? Also, how can I escape this permanent lethargy? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

38 comments

Better place to ask: https://lemmy.world/c/mentalhealth.
This sounds like depression. I think you should get an eval from a mental health professional.
- Thanks, I did not realize it was from depression. I regularly visit psychiatrist for depression and anxiety, and I thought my depression was once cured. I guess it did not get better.
  
  Update your psychiatrist about how you're doing. Depression varies throughout your life, but the good news is you probably just need a slight adjustment to your treatment.
  
  Keep at it. I had similar symptoms and tried a handful of SSRIs that made no difference for me, and gave up for a while, but my current doctor got me on a SNRI that did the trick.
  
  Bad news about depression. The clinical kind? The stuff you're describing? We don't have a cure yet. We have stuff that will alleviate symptoms and allow a person to live an almost normal life, but it doesn't cure it. Worse, you might find a medication that seems to fix it, but your body may eventually adjust to it and the depression will come back.
  Talk to your psychiatrist. They should have some suggestions that might help.
  I've had to deal with depression my entire life. The fight is constant and real. Don't give up.
- probably the best advice anyone here can give.
  At best, we're just taking guesses here. At worst... well... this is how you end up drinking twenty bottles of tequila a week, seeking the medicinal value of the worm slathered in tabasco sauce

Sounds like ADHD and depression.
- It definitely does.
  I have both and this describes me a T. I realize that if I don't find a job ASAP, I'm about two weeks away from being single and homeless. But actually getting off my ass and doing something about it is just too much work. I'm panicking and don't know what to do. I already applied to 30+ jobs on Indeed and was rejected by every single one. I can't even get one interview.

Sounds more like depression than addiction. Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in, but common symptoms of depression include:
Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy doing
Persistent tiredness or lack of energy
Difficulty concentrating on things
which sounds like what you're describing. It might be worth talking to a professional.
- Therapist here. This is correct. While almost any activity can be addicting, OP isn’t describing an addiction, which would involve distress in the absence of a particular activity, even when other activities were engaged in. What OP is describing is much more like the apathy/lethargy we see in depressed people, which often results in persistent engagement with easy distractions.
  
  Hey would you recommend becoming a therapist?

Sounds like me, I was diagnosed with depression.
You might want to see a doctor. Maybe medication, maybe therapy, maybe other forms of, what I consider to be experimental treatments, like TMS or ECT, do not try the last 2 until you've exhaused your options.
I'm still dealing with depression, medications no longer works, might need to keep trying different medications. Ugh its rough. I feel you.
(Also, did you ever get infected with Covid? That can also cause cognitive issues. Other health problems can also cause depression and brain fog.)

I'm gonna say something different from the other comments and call it a burnout. You ran out of mojo. Need a refuel. Gotta find meaning again and let it power you up.
That can happen easy and fast or slow and difficult. It's up to chance. In general, people pick up a hobby or take up sports and then do everything else in order to support that joy. More rarely, some people choose activism as joining something greater than themselves drives them to push past this state of couch potato ism.
- While this sounds wonderful, if this person is suffering from depression, everything you just described will feel either completely impossible for this person, or like absolutely and utterly useless wastes of time.
  Exercise, nature, and activities certainly help depression, but the difficulty lies in actually finding the energy and give-a-shit to do those things, which in my experience was impossible without outside help (like therapy and meds).
- You might be right, but there's not that much in the post that clearly points to burnout. The comment about stress might, but it really depends what OP meant there, and whether that stress feeling is related to their work, or something else.
  If it is related to their work, then yeah, burnout could be a big part of it. In which case talking to a supervisor or a school counselor might be a good idea.

Sounds like burnout/depression/ADHD over addiction.

Hey my friend, fellow depressive here. It's not addiction, it's a massive struggle. This is a vital time, the only way out is to face your circumstance.

do you exercise or walk to commute? without enough movement the body will slowly adapt to feeling tired all the time. good news is that 15 minutes of heart-rate-raising exercise will do wonders and you can find plenty of beginner videos on youtube you can do in your bedroom. it can also help alleviate brain fog and help your depression a bit too
- Not OP, but even with exercise 4 times a week I still feel tired enough to want to take naps in the middle of the day, and I still have brain fog / whatever condition is causing me to not be able to think and analyze in real time. I suspect it's related to depression.

When’s the last time you had blood work done?
- This is a good avenue to go down, before assuming mental health. I've had some vitamin levels through the floor and just felt like shit. It would have been very easy to misdiagnose as solely depression.
- Good point. During my extensive research of one person, I’ve noticed that this year my SAD seems less crushing since taking 1000 vit D each day.
  So yeah. Good place to start
- OP, make sure to get your thyroid levels checked, that can also lead to lethargy and depression.

Nowadays, I lie down on a bed and just watch twitch streams all day, with a little bit of browsing lemmy in between.
I cannot study effectively, cannot do menial tasks without being stressed.
When did this start? How long have you felt this way? Was it gradual or sudden, getting here?
- This became serious one or two months ago. Maybe depression took place of anxiety.
  
  Maybe depression took place of anxiety.
  Sounds right to me. For me, depression and anxiety are two sides of the same thing. For me, both mean I'm not coping with reality well. I've been struggling myself recently, even though I am on medication. FWIW, I have also struggled with addiction and you aren't far off. Addiction generally starts as another way of coping, but you probably aren't there yet. Addiction, for me, is defined as: I continue doing this despite more consequences than rewards. If something helps me forget the reality I am struggling with, I tend to get addicted to that part of it, regardless of what that does to the rest of my life. All of these issues will feed into each other.
  I wish you happiness though. One or two months is a long time to be miserable. Listen to the majority of ppl in this thread and reach out to a professional. Just going to your regular doctor or a urgent care type place will work to start if you don't know where to start in your area. In addition to medication, therapy helps (or if that isn't available, just talking with someone about your problems). DM me if you want to talk, I'm all ears. Helps me to try and help others.

Well, as you can see, everyone is saying it's not addiction. It's depression. So I'll be the odd one out. I'll say it's not depression. I think it's chainsaw.
.......I'm just making the silliest of jokes to try to cheer you up. But seriously though. You should get some actual professional help. And I don't mean that insultingly. I mean that as they are the ones who know far more than I would. They can get you on the path to healing!
Otherwise you end up on the internet, with some random asshole making silly jokes because it's all he knows how to do when someone is hurting. Remember when I said it was chainsaw?

I appreciate the consensus about consulting a medical professional. Finding the right psychiatrist or therapist can make a big difference—some professionals are good, and others may be an even better fit. Psychiatry often takes time, but it can bring real improvement once the right medication and dosage are found. Medications in mental health require patience, as they typically take 2-4 weeks to show effects, and tapering off them is a gradual process to ensure safety. So you and just get off of them immediately.
For instance, a medication like Vraylar has long-lasting metabolites that can remain in the body for 160-180 days after stopping. This extended presence can offer stability for some, though others might find it very concerning. Medication journeys are highly individual—side effects can range from acceptable to troubling, and it’s worth taking the time to find what works best for you. Getting off a medication can be a relief or a burden.
Therapy complements psychiatry by addressing the emotional and behavioral side of healing. Relying only on medication may seem logical for managing depression or anxiety before you can move forward, but working with both a therapist and psychiatrist often leads to faster, more comprehensive progress. Psychiatrists focus on finding the right medication to help you function, while therapists provide ongoing support, helping you navigate commitments and challenges that might feel overwhelming without guidance. Sometimes the therapist may not see that the right med or does is available for the next step.
Ultimately, having both as part of a collaborative team can provide the balance and support needed for a successful mental health journey. I am so sorry that this takes money for some countries healthcare system and the cost of meds or visits. It's worth finding out about mental health and helping yourself and others nonetheless.

I had similar symptoms and in my case, I had a sleep disorder, an anxiety disorder, depression, vitamin D deficiency, and other problems.
Go call your doctor and explain your symptoms to them in detail. Your problem is the type that should be medically evaluated by a professional.

Sounds very similar to the shit ive gone thru.
Get your thyroid levels tested. Can't remember if its hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism but one of them has symptoms that are very similar to depression. Low energy, tired, lack of motivation, feeling drained. It took a long time to get myself on the right medication but the biggest break thru in that time was getting my thyroid levels straightened out. Most of that time was spent with professionals who thought I was suffering from depression.
Id recommend seeing someone that specializes in ADHD and all the other comorbidity disorders. As well as asking your primary for a script to test your thyroid levels.

Could be depression linked to social media addiction. Depends on the amount of screentime, and don't take what I'm saying as actual advice. But if you want to try something, try cutting down your screentime and see if it alleviates it. Could be burnout from work as well. I've had several bouts of light depression to where EVERYTHING seems like a chore to do just because my job is so damn demanding.

It's time to start taking Prozac.

It definitely sounds like depression. But depending on what your addiction is to, there could be some overlap in symptoms which could make it hard to isolate.
For what it's worth, it also sounds similar to what some people experience with long covid/brain fog. If these feelings are relatively new, and you've tested positive for covid in the past, that could also be worth giving consideration to, as I'm pretty sure this is affecting a lot of people who may not even realize how severe their conditions are yet.

I would strongly suggest seeking advice from a medical professional (if you have the means) rather than advice from strangers on the internet. I'm I can't say what advice a professional might have, because I'm not a medical professional, but it will almost certainly be better than what anyone here can give you.
And if you're not sure if your problem is worth talking to someone about, that in itself is a sign that something is wrong. I know it's hard, I've been there, but please understand it is the best course of action (again, if you have the means).

Have you had covid? I have had a similar experience, and I suspect it's a form of long covid affecting cognitive abilities and memory. You may want to look into it, as this is currently being studied.

Echoing depression get to a doctor. If they give you problems you can try a dose of magic mushrooms.

could also be long covid

38 comments