Reactive depression - impacts at home/in relationships

abailey54

Hi OP

I think a lot can be said for having a bit of a rest, you'd do it for a physical illness so why not do it for mental illness.

The good thing about counselling, I think, is that it gives you an hour that is just about you and it forces you to stop worrying about how everyone else is doing and what you should be doing to help them, if only for that hour. You could also use it to explore ways of venting your stress to prevent future episodes of depression

I get depressed fairly often and not sure that I have any tips - I just allow myself the time to be depressed, warn dh not to expect too much from me and muddle along until it lifts. I'm sure there are better ways to deal with it but that's what works for me

valk_scot

I've been there. I did opt for anti-depressants as my GP said they would bascically give my brain a chance to slow down from the overdrive it had been on for so long. They did make me feel a bit spaced out at times but they did what they were supposed to do which was make me feel well enough to put other mechanisms in place (diet, exercise, councilling) and most importantly let my sleep patterns settle down again. Six months later I felt confident enough to taper off them again and though it took me considerably longer to feel even halfway normal again I do think they helped me in the initial stages. If you don't fancy them though how about the herbal remedy St Johns Wort?

As to the tension in the shoulders, how about a heat pad? The long thin floppy type that you heat up in the microwave and which contains wheat and lavender (if you like lavender, of course) is good to drape over tight shoulders, or wrap round your neck in bed.

Oh, and get outside in the daylight as much as possible, it's a depressing time of year atm anyway, even without feeling low for other reasons.

System

I suppose you can be depressed for several reasons. One such reason is a hormone imbalance or such like.

Another reason could be a depression due to circumstances. I suffer with the latter.

FBaby

What you describe relates much more to stress than depression. I thought this with your first post, even more with your second. You say yourself that you are surprised by the diagnosis of depression, yet he diagnose you not with that general condition but specifically 'reactive depression'.

As stated before, unless your GP has training in Mental Health, he is not really qualified to make an official diagnosis. He might think it might be this or that and suggested remedies, but in the end, it doesn't matter what he diagnose you with, what matter is how you feel. You are aware of your emotions and how they are affected by what is happening to you. That's what matters most. If you get to the stage when you think you can't cope, you can either decide to try some meds, or be referred to some counselling.