So I'm replying to this post because what you say about chronic depression hits close to home and I will apologize right now if I sound like a dick, but that is not my intention whatsoever.
The thing about depression which you need to understand is that it is a psychological problem and not a physiological one. It is not like a flu or COVID where everyone gets varying degrees of the same symptoms. It is completely different for different people. You say you went to work everyday and didn't let it hamper your work and thats great but generalizing that to everyone with depression is wrong. I was diagnosed with chronic depression too back in 2020, alongside a healthy dose of anxiety with multiple troughs as my therapist called it ranging from mild to severe depression that went on for almost a decade (simply because I was not willing to accept it and seek help due the stigma associated with it in my country). Now I worked for 2 years while depressed (till may 2017) and I was miserable every minute of it even when I was reconized as one of the best employees in the company. It meant nothing to me since I was mostly working on auto and separating my emotions completely. Anyways at some all that came crashing down and I resigned and got into that same pattern you described for you friend. I know why I followed that pattern and I'll explain that later.
But moving on in 2019 I went for higher education in a foreign and pushed through the 1st semester somehow but all that misery that had built up crashed down on me in the 2nd one and I got to a point I never ever want to get to again and lets just say the only reason I'm typing this right now is because I failed at that too and luckily for me found a much better option and I can say wholeheartedly that I'm glad to be alive right now.
Gettin back to your friend. I was in a similar pattern of playing games , wathing movies/series/streams just so I could keep all that built up misery (emotions) at bay simply because I was not even close to brave enough to handle them. So I would spend all my awake time keeping myself occupied with something/anything to feel somewhat sane and as such I dreaded going to sleep since I had nothing to distract me there. But after going to sleep somehow, I would start that exact same pattern again and as you can imagine this only worked for so long till 2020 as I described above.
Now the reason I made this post is not because of BD - at this point I don't expect an update and I will get back to this later. The reason I made this is just to give you an example of depression affects people differently and your friend might need serious help. From experience, what I can tell is that you fight your way everyday through it but I genuinely feel you need help to really get over it and actually move on with your life. If you acn talk to your friend instead of judging them based on your experience, since they might be afftected by the aame illness but in an extremely different way. Just a suggestion and its entirely your choice, don't take this to mean "yo dawg, you know nothing about depression and I'm right!" Thats not it. Just simply an example of a different reaction to depression and I hope it can help your friend out.
Now back to BD. The way I see it, there are 2 option. 1) he really is going through depression/anxiety or any other mental (makes no fucking sense) health issues that have supposedly been going on for over a year. In this case he really should shut down this whole patreon bs and seek help either from someone who knows him very well or from a professional (and I do mean professional not one of those judgmental assholes with a degree in psychology/psychaitry whatever) because he ain't getting over this the way he's been going about it.
2) it all bullshit and 2k renders don't exist. Dude is just buying himself time to play catch up for 1 year of nothingness.
I'm more inclined towards the 2nd one simply because I don't know him and there have just been too many devs before him, who've followed this exact same pattern. Funny thing is, when I got out of the whole situation I described above and started working again I wanted to support some devs and BD was one of them. For obvious reasons I decided I would wait for the next update and well here we are - money saved.
Anyways, too long a post, but I do wish you and friend the best. Hope thing work out for both of you.
Lets take this in steps.
I NEVER stated depression was physical. Thats entirely YOU readin that out of the blue.
It IS a disorder with severety differences. Thats actually all it is. You dont get different kinds of depression, you get degrees of severety excactly same symptoms. Some symptoms you might not have effectively, because you learned how to cope with them normally.
And you CAN generalize how you let depression effect you. Its purely and entirely a mental state, derived from a possible deficiancy in your bodys ability to administer/produce the three drugs seratonin/endorfins/forgot last.
"simply because I was not willing to accept it and seek help due the stigma associated with it" and this is the crux of it and why ppl with depression usually doesnt get better. And the first part explained why you even with your accomplishments and later attempts at getting further in life, didnt matter. You still didnt attend to the problem.
"Gettin back to your friend. I was in a similar pattern of playing games , wathing movies/series/streams just so I could keep all that built up misery (emotions) at bay simply because I was not even close to brave enough to handle them. So I would spend all my awake time keeping myself occupied with something/anything to feel somewhat sane and as such I dreaded going to sleep since I had nothing to distract me there. But after going to sleep somehow, I would start that exact same pattern again and as you can imagine this only worked for so long till 2020 as I described above."
This is the default setting for someone doing nothing about his wellbeing. You chased seratonin. The instant gratification part of your body. Just like my friend. And this is why depressed ppl stay depressed. They dont go for long term happy drugs, only short term. They dont last, and at some point they dont even work anymore, because your body gets oversaturated by it.
"The reason I made this is just to give you an example of depression affects people differently and your friend might need serious help."
You pretty much described standard depression that every depressed person has. And showed the distractions they find themself caught in. Instant gratification to at least feel anything.
My friend does get help, he just doesnt respond to it. He instead uses it as an acceptance of his bad state, and indulges in it to a degree that makes him worse. It becomes a "valid" excuse for him to keep chasing seratonin and not havin to do the hard work. And its actually to the point where he is starting to lie to his therapist to get further validations and diagnosis' so he can cement his position even more. He is chasing with every fiber of his being, the easy way out. And then when he at rare moments get a glimpse at real life, he gets further depressed because now a lot of time has passed him by, and he has done nothing in that time.
"From experience, what I can tell is that you fight your way everyday through it but I genuinely feel you need help to really get over it and actually move on with your life"
Here you are just salty as fuck. Maybe its jealousy, I really dont know. But you and I both know what Chronic depression means... well unless you were lying. There is NO getting over it, its for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. You know, what chronic actually means. I am at a state where I have accepted it, and work with it. I am well aware I will never feel "happy" ever again. I am aware I wont feel in love again.
I have through 20 fucking years learned how to prioritize what to spend my energy on, because its lacking. I have learned what to cut out of my live, who to cut out of my life. So I can function at a minimum, without feeling like taking my own life.
I have been working for many years with this. And have been working on so many aspects of my life to get here, at a state where I function. Its not fucking pride, its PRIORITY. Its simply discipline. And its something every single depressive person needs to learn. Discipline keeps you functioning, and paying attention to stress and how you process bad thoughts, is what keeps you from relapsing. And its why with severely depressed ppl, this is what they teach them. How to keep bad thoughts at bay, how to keep your hygene, how to keep doing your chores/job, how to fall asleep or how to keep a sleeping schedule. How to stay on track with exercise and any dietary needs. Its to teach discipline, so you can help yourself all the while teaching what helps.
Why am I mentioning my friend (in your eyes in a judgemental way). Because he is the polar opposite of a functioning depressive person, and Dev here has the same airs around him. I mention myself, because I AM a functional chronic depressive. I dont wallow in my despair, I stop the dark and debilitating thoughts, I dont use excuses. But I DID. I was my friend. Untill I learned the simple fact.... to get better, its all on YOURSELF and how you think and act.
Thats part of why my friend lives in my house. So he can see, that it works. So he can learn the difference, because he doesnt get it on his own. And I dont want my friend to become chronic or waste 10 years of his life, doing what I did and you do, that doesnt work.
Ive been chronic depressive for 20 years.. Aka, its been 20 years since I was diagnosed with chronic depression. I had depression way before that. And I didnt learn fast enough.
With depression there are three types in general. Those that learn fast, and get out of the depression (with or without help, doesnt matter, they learn fast they need to put in effort to change). Those that learn way too slow (me), and those that never learn (never gets to be functional or just ends it themselves). And you learn fast among depressed whos who. Do they use their diagnosis to stay as they are, or do they use it to get better. (and for the ME's, a long state of of the first untill they realize). If they seem to wallow in their state, they wont ever be type 1. If they use their diagnosis to keep stasis (me), and the last, if they use their diagnosis to keep stasis and use it as an excuse to be worse or get attention (might even seek more diagnosis' to validate even more excuses). Ive spent way too much time dealing with depressives. Having been in groups, having been teaching groups, having mentorships with them to help them get further. You really really learn what signs to look for. They are simplified here, but pretty explanatory.
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