How do YOU deal with depression?

juicyl

For those of you that feel flat on antidepressants, it could be that seratonin (SSRI) based drugs aren't for you. I've been put on SSRIs before and they make me feel either flat or, occasionally, more depressed. My problem is a lack of dopamine in my brain, and antidepressants that address that really make such a difference.

bitemebankers

juicyl wrote: »

For those of you that feel flat on antidepressants, it could be that seratonin (SSRI) based drugs aren't for you.

Indeed. Drugs like sertraline and fluoxetine don't help me at all - if anything they do the opposite. But there are more antidepressant drugs than you can shake a stick at, so it's worth having your doctor try a few alternatives if the first one doesn't work.

Beachview_2

My Mum suffered from depression on and off over the years, but wasn't diagnosed for quite some time. Then she took SSRI's I think, which helped her a lot. She felt much better and stopped taking them after a few years.

For myself I found things like keeping very busy, even just housework.

Gardening helps as its good to get out in the fresh air, and if you need a little silent cry, then nobody else in the house knows. And you can see the results of your work.

I used to draw and paint which gave me something to do, and it was relaxing. Though I haven't done that in years, and probably never will again. I got a digital camera, so that ended the painting and I have loads of nice photos instead.

Pets are great too when you feel depressed, I have a dog and when there were times I thought everyone else would be better off without me, I thought of the wee dog, he would need me to look after him. And for some reason a dog always loves you, so would break its little heart if you weren't there any more.

When I had no job, I did a part time course to get me out of the house, something to do and to meet people.

Going out in the car with the radio on too:) as long as its nice uplifting music.

Going to the beach is great too, especially on a day if you feel very low.


Another thing when depressed its probably a good idea to avoid negative people... if possible.

Sometimes nothing works and I just want to lie down on the floor as it feels like the only place fit for me, or want to curl up and die off. But I nearly always fight it and try to keep myself busy. I go and have a cry sometimes.
I used to hit myself sometimes too, because I hate myself so much. One day I poured hot water over my hand. Ended up having to get special burn gel plasters in Boots. Must say they did an amazing job. Anyway nobody wants to read all that gloom, so I'll shut up for now

atrixblue.-MFR-.

TBH, depression has many symptoms and rear its head in many forms in various different people it hard to say what works.

medications can have downsides, antidepressants tend to have a common side effect of putting on weight and quickly good if your underweight bad if your the type of person to put 2 stone on just looking at a chocolate bar, so what happens when you feel good in yourself and come off the tablets, you look in the mirror and think OMG my clothes are tight my going out clothes dont fit and i cant afford to renew my entire attire wham you get knocked down again.

another side effect, the tablets dont actually benefit you, increased thought of suicide and lack of emotion, hightened anxiety levels, and ignorance to those who love you the most and push away those who wish to help, you become a recluse into your own shell and stay at home quit your job and splash all your cash on nothing, have a set routine by wich you never try to deviate from because it is where you feel the most comforatble being at, see the doctor! why? im fine its you! the tablets dont work so why should others work?.

another side effect, lack of sleep insomnia, can this really benefit someone with depression that barely sleeps anyway? the frustration of staying awake not being able to sleep even when you think of nothing and shut yourself in a quiet dark room, the inability to knock off is so depressing that youll do anything and i mean anything just to get 2 hours sleep, even if it means falling asleep perminantly.

you have CBT i did 6 months of CBT, i found it OK but felt that i was doing those things anyway and trying to alter your thought process when your thoughts are consistant and wont let get a thought in edgways even if it is to slip in a happy thought is somewhat of a challenge its like trying to teach a dog how to change gear in a car!.

how far do you have to go?...to get help, i mean GPs often prescribe tablets, if you refuse (you cant be that depressed according to some GP's) and its a struggle to convince GP's to refure you to the local MHT, local councelling refurals can take an age thats even if they pick the refural up in the first place at the other end, you may get to see a councellor 5-6 months later with persistant call to them, a CPN? some are fantastic, some are so depressed themselfs you can feel the rush of bordom come over their eyes in 10 mins of your consultation and then the lights go out and they often miss half of what youve said, then you have the problem of his boss a psychiatric consultant, who will most likely never ever see you, but pass judgment over you treatment to the CPN, most CPN hands are tied by them, that when you get a CPN that wants you to be treated in the best way you often hit the try this tablet didnt work? up the dose! says the psyc, that didnt work, up it again, that didnt work? try this other tablet says the psyc, that made you suicidal? ok up the dose says the psyc! ok your cannot function at a normal level because weve given you a higher dose, come off all the tablets alltogether and wait 12month for a refural to be actioned to see a specialist!.

once youve battle those you feel so better in yourself for accomplishing your battles with the MHT, you almost feel as if your walking on air.

do i suffer depression, according to my CPN no, according to his boss i do, according to my CPN he refured me anyway to a adult mental health specialist consultant, ive gone through many different types of tablets from anti psycholtics, anti depressants that either flattened me off or made little difference after a while of taking them, pounding my CPN that my family history of depression is minimal, my family history of autism,ADHD,bipolar,apsergers is high that A either its an extreme co-incidence for that or B these something in the water or C theres some genetic link there somewhere, does the psyc think A? most probably, does the CPN think C definately, and while this toeing and froeing between someone who has seen me almost on a weekly basis for 12 months vs someone above him that has never seen me passing judgement over my treatment im left in limbo!.

so theres depression, re-occurant depression, and the tablets, cbt, councelling dont work kinda limbo depression.

jollymummy

fannyanna wrote: »

I think this depends on what causes the depression.

Is it an environmental factor or a chemical imbalance?

If it's a chemical imbalance I would suggest that there is likely to be a need to medication in the long term.

If it's an environmental factor then I think medication will just help to relieve the symptoms but will not cure the cause.

In your situation do you have an idea what may be causing your depression? I'm not asking you to share your inner feelings but it might be useful for you to know what the root cause is.

I think this is an excellent post. I suffer on and off with depression and CBT helped me, I learnt coping strategies that I've used a lot over the years,especially over the last 2 !!!!!! years......I tried anti depressants and they just didn't help me.

However, after many years my OH was diagnosed with depression a year ago, he has a chemical imbalance,he has been prescribed anti depressants and has never looked back after years of wondering why he felt so down.

Everyone is different.

Good luck OP.

gravitytolls

skattykatty wrote: »

Out of curiosity Sunshine...what kind of counselling course are you undertaking that doesn't require you to have your own personal counselling? Intrigued.

GravityTolls: a question for you - a weekly, 60 minute, counselling session works out as 0.6% of your entire week!!!! Does it still seem self indulgent?

Any self respecting counsellor or therapist will probably let you know that you could feel worse before you feel better, which can be anxiety provoking in itself. That's why, once stabilised with meds, it may be more suitable to begin a talking therapy.

If you are totally anti-counselling/therapy...you might want to read Dr David Servan-Schreiber's book: Healing without Freud or Prozac

Hi Skatty.

Please don't misunderstand me, I think the talking therapies are immensely valuable, my comment relate to my own mental health issues and lack of self worth than any feelings that counselling is a waste of time and money.

I feel it would be self indulgent for ME to spend an hour talking to someone about ME. But this is my issue, not a general comment on the value of such therapy.

lemontart

I have been fighting it for years - up until this year I have done pretty well avoiding the need for any medical intervention by attempting the following

finding one thing to make me smile each day
when feeling absolutely awful going to bed and sleeping when possible
and sitting in the car watching the sunset/sunrise

Unfortunately this year all failed and I was hospitalized but I was happy to do so as I had reached the very bottom of the dark hole with no windows - still fighting it one hour one day at a time.

This time my family understood more as I have been in declining physical health too so they saw a manifestation of illness, so they can deal with it. When I was ill with it 20 years ago they did not even though I had more than one stay in hospital - I got told by my mother I did not need to be in hospital when I knew being out was possibly a terminal issue. That was because there was no physical illness attached.