Support for people with Depression

joyfull

WantToBeSE wrote: »

I know we are not allowed to ask for medical advice (which i am NOT doing), but i am wondering if people have any suggestions for treating depression without the use of medication?

Mindfulness meditation.

Plenty of stuff on the net and youtube.

Wish you well.

lovethymini

WantToBeSE wrote: »

I know we are not allowed to ask for medical advice (which i am NOT doing), but i am wondering if people have any suggestions for treating depression without the use of medication?

I was told that drinking 3 - 4 cups of green tea helps with depression. I have not tried this yet as I love builders tea too much.

I would also say that sometimes, you just need to allow yourself to stop and let yourself crash/cry/sleep, rather than to try and keep going. I really notice the difference when I do this.

Finally, consider taking Omega 3 as this is often found to be lacking in diets of people suffering depression.

Best wishes to everyone during this difficult time of the year.

xxx

catkins

Hi, feeling really low today and with no one to talk to I thought I would post here.

I have suffered from depression for more years than I can remember - sometimes I cope with it, sometimes I don't. At the moment I am probably at just about the lowest I have ever been. I am a worrier at the best of times but things aren't going well and I am worrying about so much. OH has almost no work, I can't work because I have fibromylgia and suffer from migraines (usually at least one a week). We have practically no money coming in and soon I doubt we are going to be able to pay our rent and then obviously our landlord will want us out. With no children I don't think the council will help and there is no one we can stay with so I am terrified we will be homeless. My dad is not at all well and I am worried about him, my husband has some health issues, my migraines are getting me down and there are a few other things which I am worried about.

I have been unable to sleep, eating very little, crying all the time, either just sitting on the settee all day or laying in bed. Everything is an effort even just getting out of bed or getting dressed. I keep thinking about killing myself and read every story in the newspapers about people committing suicide. I really just wish I could go to sleep and never wake up because I don't think I have the guts to kill myself. I have also hurt myself purposely by putting my hand over a boiling kettle and burning myself badly twice.

Yesterday my husband managed to get me to the doctor. I just sat and sobbed and he did most of the talking. The doctor said I should try and be positive!!! Fat lot of good saying that is. He gave me some different antidepressants which I think are pretty strong but when I took the first one yesterday it made me feel awful - I was sick and then felt sick for hours, I had a major panic attack and just felt strange and had to go and lay down for about 4 hours. I am now scared to take a tablet today.

I know I have things to be grateful for - a lovely OH, a roof over our heads at the moment, my lovely dog but I just can't feel positive at all

LameWolf

Catkins I'm so sorry life's such a pain at present; if the tablets made you sick, I honestly think you should go back to the doctor and tell them - is there a different doctor you can see at the practise if you feel the one you saw wasn't terribly helpful/empathic? The point being, if you're not keeping the meds down, they won't be doing you any good (I have this issue if they try and give me capsules, btw).

What sort of dog do you have? I don't have my own dog, but we're a host family for a dog-sitting service, and I for one find life easier to bear when I have a canine guest. I have an elderly Labrador staying just now; she's going home on Sunday though, so next week is going to be dog-less, and therefore a challenge.

I don't have answers to your problems, but I can certainly empathise with how you feel; I'm on morphine, which barely controls my pain, so I can certainly understand where you're coming from there.

You do know, don't you, that Samaritans will always listen to you if you feel so bad that you're thinking about making the big exit - if you don't want to phone, they also do an excellent email service (I've used it myself).

I wish I could make it all better for you; I can't do that, but I didn't want to read and run; you deserve more than that.

Wishing you better days to come.

catkins

Thank you for your lovely reply Lame Wolf which has made me cry.

I am sure I will get through this as I have always got through bad patches before but when you are so down it is hard to see any light at the end of the awful dark tunnel isn't it? I am just such a worrier and not very good at coping with problems. I know worrying never changes anything but it's too late now for me not to be one!

I have a puppy (don't want to the breed in case someone recognises me) and he is lovely. A lot of days he is the only reason I get up and walking him helps a little bit even on days when I really do not want to. I usually smile at the way he is so excited by everything - leaves, people, dogs, even bits of litter. People often talk to me about him as he is a lovely looking dog and it makes me talk.

I am going to take the tablet tonight before I go to bed but if it makes me feel really sick again or I am sick I will not take one over the weekend and phone the doctor Monday morning. I was a bit upset with the doctor as I feel saying I should be positive is a bit like saying "pull yourself together". I know I should be positive but at the moment I find it impossible

LameWolf

Oh no, Catkins, I didn't mean to make you cry!! Though, in their place, tears can be therapeutic. I'm a worrier like you, so I know precisely where you're coming from - if I'm not worrying about something, I'm worrying because I must have overlooked something I should be worrying about.:cool:

It is very hard to just let go, I know; I wish I had a magic formula, but the only way I've found is to literally, imagine picking up the problem - or whatever I'm worrying about - and putting it in a cupboard, out of the way. I'm a big fan of visualisation!

Your puppy sounds great; I agree, you have to get on and see to a dog's needs, they can't do it for themselves. If I didn't have Megan staying this week, I would not have left the bungalow at all since last weekend, for instance! As it is, my DH gets my mobility scooter out so that I can take her for a walk, and it makes me get a breath of fresh air, too.

I've had lousy doctors, too, which is why I suggested seeing someone else at the practise, maybe. Recently, when I told one doctor I was finding it impossible to do my housework properly, due to pain, she just told me to leave the housework!!:eek: Lol last time I looked, I didn't have a house-wight to do it for me!:rotfl: I do think sometimes, like anyone else, they can open their mouths without engaging their brains!

Good luck with the tablet tonight - I hope it stays put and does its job - if not, don't delay in contacting the surgery again.

I'm not sure if I'll get online long enough to do more than check my email over the weekend, I have a lot to do (it's when I tackle the tasks I need DH to assist with), so have a good weekend; lots of cuddles and games with the puppy (that's what I'd do). Hopefully the weather will be decent - I find that always helps.:o

_Andy_

@catkins - give the meds some time to bed down. Nausea is a notoriously common symptom of anti-deps and the like. In the early days, your body/brain is getting used to different chemicals and reacting to them.

The fact you have a puppy is awesome - gives you something else to focus on - same for me and my two dogs

From what you wrote, you have a hell of a lot of challenges going on in your life so it's not surprising you're struggling.

If you can find meds (or a combo of meds) that work for you it will def help by at least stabilising things a bit.

RE the suicidal thoughts, I don't think you "don't have the guts", more that there's a part of you (probably subconcious) that doesn't want to end it, which is holding you in there. But I know from experience that that can be really frustrating as the rest of you is screaming that you want to end it!

Let us know how the meds go at the weekend.

Hang in there

Sugar_Coated_Owl

I don't know if anyone will remember me. I used to post on this thread a long time ago under the name 'razorbladekisses'

I'm sorry to hear you're going through a difficult period catkins I hope that with time things start to improve for you. I started taking an anti-depressant a couple of weeks ago and it made me sick but I continued taking it and thankfully the sickness has now disappeared.

I'm currently an inpatient in a psychiatric hospital and one of the groups I attended gave us a list of strategies to reduce stress physically and mentally, one of them was 'schedule worry time' I thought this might be useful to you. So instead of worrying constantly you could set aside permitted time to allow yourself to worry and then when the time is up that's it until your next worry time. It might help it might not but it's worth a try.

It might be worth making a daily routine for yourself so that you don't just sit/lie about all day. Try to make sure you shower and get dressed each day as this will make you feel better within yourself.

Have you mentioned your self-harm and suicidal urges to your GP? If not then I definitely think you should. Hopefully once the anti-depressant starts working then your mood will begin to lift and you won't have these horrible thought to harm yourself. Have you ever heard of a self-soothe box? If not, basically what it is is a shoe box that you can wrap/decorate however you wish and inside it you put soothing things e.g a soft toy, hand cream, a favourite DVD, perfume. Basically anything that will make you feel better. Whenever you feel like harming yourself you should go to this box and use an item or two from it. It may not stop you from harming yourself but it gives you time to just be kind to yourself and hopefully reduce the urge to self-harm.

I would be inclined to see another GP if possible as telling someone who is depressed to 'be positive' is no help at all and as you said it's pretty much them same as saying 'pull yourself together'

Please continue to post here to let us know how you're feeling and getting on.

_Andy_

Meant to add about the GP thing! It took me ages to find a good one so don't be afraid of trying a new one.
Worst one I had was 10 years ago..bear in mind I had a huge record of depression/self harm/etc..went to this GP and said I was suicidal.
His response? Gave me a pamphlet on depression.
I laugh now

catkins

Thought I would just update how I am feeling. I managed to speak to a nurse at my doctors practice on Friday and she spoke to the doctor for me. He said to carry on with the tablets as sickness and feeling sick are a common side effect and will pass. Well I felt awful all day Friday, really sick and having bad panic attacks. I couldn't manage to eat a thing all day but did manage some liquid. I had a terrible night, wide awake, tossing and turning and just really bad panic.

Saturday me and OH took our dog to the local park but I was so panicky I couldn't stay there. Again couldn't eat. I decided that I could probably get through the sick feeling but could not cope with the panic attacks. I have had them many years ago and to be having an almost permanent one I just can't deal with. Anyway I only took half a tablet on Saturday (we were meant to be going to a family thing on Sunday and I would not have been able to face it feeling the way I had been). Sunday was not so bad and we did go to family although I could not stay that long. Sunday night was terrible again though - barely any sleep, sweating, panic, pins and needles in arms, legs and feet.

I have been taking half a tablet since but struggling so much with the side effects. The panic is very hard to accept. I really think if I don't feel any better by the end of this week I will have to think about stopping them. I know tablets can make you feel worse before you feel better but the panic alone makes me want to end it all.

As I type this I don't feel to bad - pretty sick and still not really eating but can just about cope with that. The sun is shining and I am trying to get the enthusiasm to take pup for a walk. I just pray the panic doesn't kick in.

Anyway enough of my rambling. Thanks to everyone who responded to me. I know so many people suffer from this awful thing and it helps to read how others deal or have dealt with it. I saw an item about red nose day this morning and it again made me think how my problems are so small compared with others in this world. I just wish I could think that all the time and stop blowing my problems so out of proportion