Don't know what to do . . .

kathfisch

Chris, I just wanted to say hi :hello: and well done for posting :T

I haven't seen your thread until now but I really hope the CAB can see you on tuesday and that you can have a positive plan in place.

Depression is a very hard thing to live with... baby steps are needed as someone else said.... and you will get there!

Best of luck

lil'H

hi Chris, welcome and well done on posting. unlike others (no names needed) I have every sympathy, and with that little income I am sure there aren't many cutbacks to be made. Can I ask if anything in particular triggers your panic attacks, and also how is incapacity benefit affected by part time work? Only ask as a friend of mine had really severe depression, had worked in an office environement as was very good at his job until he became ill. He ended up getting a job after some time off as a gardener, and whilst not earnign much he enjoys the work, being outside, working on his own and enjoying being out of his house. Can you think of any type of job which even a few hours a week may be something that you could do and enjoy? Also keep pushing for free couselling, maybe try and see a different GP?

With regard to the debts you are in no position to be able to make decent payments on them at the moment and that is through no fault of your own, so definately get advice from the already mentioned agencies.

Keep us informed, and good luck with everything,
Lil'H

flower_chops

Hi Chris,
welcome to this site. You are already putting the wheels in motion to help clear your debt and once you've had your CAB appointment things will hopefully be clearer.

As for the "pull yourself together" mentality, it truly isn't like that. I won't go into it as previous posters have put it more eloquently than I have. Keep pushing your GP Chris, or change GP and get the treatment YOU want.

I have suffered with depression on and off for years with my debt only inflaming it. This year I have been relatively depression free but one thing that did help was this website. My depression was related to a lot of self esteem and confidence issues and tackling my debt not only helped me financially (lol) but acted as a catalyst to me feeling in control and much, much more confident, not only with money, but in other areas ie. work. I won't let banks bully me so I sure as hell won't let other people! The other upside to it is that it is a good thing to confide in people (maybe your grandmother and a friend) because as soon as people realise the pressure you're under financially they will understand more. My friends thought for ages that I was being moody and unsociable as I kept rejecting offers of going for meals etc. As soon as I told them of the situation they were really understanding and we planned lots of cheap nights in!

The depression may be something you have to battle with for a while but there are plenty of us here to listen, help and support you. The debt CAN be tackled and trust me, it would empower you so much too! You are on the right track and deserve a big well done for that. Best of luck with your CAB appointment and from a personal viewpoint I have found cccs very good.

Take care,
Colleen.

mrslawrence2003

going2die_rich wrote:

BLAH BLAH BLAH STUFF ETC
.

i'm going to take a wild guess and say i dont think you've had much experience of depression.......am i right?

i have to say, having suffered (and actually still suffering to a certain extent) fm debilitating physical illnesses that have seen me hugging a toilet for days on end alternating with being stuck in bed for days on end, i had a far harder time coping with stress / depression and panic attacks. i found the depression far more debilitating than anything else and i fear it's return more than anything else. it is sheer hell on earth. waking up in the morning, thinking 'oh god, i have to get through another day and i dont know how im going to do that' and then bursting into tears and thinking everything's hopeless. i had my OH's kind words of 'pull yourself together' and 'you're so weak' to help me as well. luckily i also had an extremely understanding mother who on the end of a phone could coax me out of bed and into work and keep me going day after day after day. yes i had anti-depressants which i hated with a passion and would never EVER touch again. did they help me? no they did not.

but look - here i am - working again, loving life again, coping with life again. have you looked into getting referred for cognitive behavioural therapy? how about counselling? and when you get a little bit more income - hypnotherapy? everything seems to be desperate now - but it will get better. that said - you need to try and push yourself as much as you can. instead of lying in bed in tears, make yourself get out of bed and into the shower. ok - so u might end up sitting down in the shower sobbing - but you're out of bed. little steps and little goals. dont look at the big picture for now - tackle each thing seperately, and hopefully this may avoid so many panic attacks.

not sure if this will help at all and also feel rather embarrassed about putting all this here. feel free to pm if u want any further info/advice/waffling

Starry-eyed_surprise

How're you doing Chris? Hope you got on ok at the CAB