Economy
In reply to the discussion: Weekend Economists Reminisce: Black Monday October 19, 1987-2012 [View all]Tansy_Gold
(17,857 posts)And is it unique to Japan?
Maybe not.
I went through something similar about 10 years ago, and I recognize the same symptoms plaguing me occasionally now, too.
Then the doctor prescribed Zoloft but told me it would work in 24-48 hours if my problem was "ordinary" depression. If I didn't feel significantly better in two to three days -- and he told me I would definitely notice if I did -- then the problem was "situational depression" and had external causes that pills couldn't fix: A job I hated, a boss who took unfair advantage, lack of fair compensation, threats of being fired, etc. etc. etc. After three days I felt no better and discontinued the drug.
The point being, of course, that these external factors are not immutable. Someone caused them, and someone can fix them. Or the sufferer can (if it's possible/feasible) get out of the situation, and many of the symptoms disappear quickly.