[Bren]

Just wandered what everyones experiences are. I suffered from it about 5 years ago & put my then partner through hell.

[shahedz]

mum has it real bad

[tapzilla2k]

I have quite it bad. I have major depression (worst form you can get).

[huntere]

Originally Posted by tapzilla2k

I have quite it bad. I have major depression (worst form you can get).

Well it would seem that way wouldn't it?

[huntere]

Originally Posted by huntere

Well it would seem that way wouldn't it?

Sorry, irreverent comment and I mean no harm, just slightly warped humour - I have had andwill probablt continue to have boughts of the "blues" as I call them.

Smile

[mij]

Have been told that "ST.John's Wort" is worth a try for any one suffering the blues. Plenty of info on the net.

[Ewan154]

I've got really bad depression

[Ewan154]

I've got really bad depression at the moment.

[la gran siete]

Originally Posted by Ewan154

I've got really bad depression at the moment.

Try st Johns wort otherwuise go and see your Doc

[anna the dub]

I have suffered quite badly with depression in the past. Was on anti depressants for a few years, and was receiving counselling and seeing a psychiatrist for a while. The treatment does work, as I would say I am in a fairly good place now and on a level keel. Still have bad days, some very bad ones, but not the months on end I used to suffer from in the past. For me, the things and incidents in the past that used to debilitate me, no longer have the power they used to.

[Gary D]

there are a few of us on here who have suffered from depression of various types and severities over the years.

its horrible and very misunderstood by those who have never had it.


Gary

[la gran siete]

Originally Posted by Gary D

there are a few of us on here who have suffered from depression of various types and severities over the years.

its horrible and very misunderstood by those who have never had it.


Gary

Yup!

[Digger]

I went on a 3 month course of Prozac many moons ago. It brought me to an even keel emotionally which was what I wanted. It did make me feel a bit. . .what's the word . . .emotionless actually, felt neither happy or sad, but the relief from no longer feeling incredibly depressed and truly fed up with my lot was a real godsend. I too recommend going to discuss with your doctor . Also suggest whether it be wise to get some counselling such as CBT Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for example just to get to the bottom of it?

Best of Luck (to anyone suffering)

[Setenza]

Originally Posted by Digger

I too recommend going to discuss with your doctor . Also suggest whether it be wise to get some counselling such as CBT Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for example just to get to the bottom of it?

Digger, I went to see my GP in April. My debts, the lies, the breakup of my marriage and a ton of other crap was seriously taking its toll.

On discussion, it was decided that I try CBT via my local branch of MIND. It was being piloted in my Health Authority area.

It's not for everyone as there are many different manifestations of depression. But it was applicable to me. I stayed the course and followed an online course over several months. I regularly repeated the exercises and listened to the relaxation exercises. By and large it has been beneficial to me.

Don't get me wrong. It doesn't put the world to right. But it does help me with my thinking processes and allows me to avoid the usual pitfalls that negative thinking can create.

I had a very bad evening last night. So I went straight back to the web site and worked through a few modules. It helped me focus again.

Here's the link. Read up and give it a try. It might help. I certainly think that the underlying principles are sound. The people behind it have a good pedigree, too. No charlatans or bollock talking yank, pseudo-babble.

http://www.livinglifetothefull.com

Hope it helps someone

[BrokenArrow]

I dropped out of my A Levels because of depression. But it only got worse once I was on the medicine - Paroxetine (A form of seroxat) and Risperidone (An antipsychotic). I don't know how Risperidone can possibly be on the market. It absolutely killed my mind.

A year later the psychiatrist decided I was actually manic depressive. He changed me over to Lamotrigine (A mood stabiliser), Aripiprazole (Not sure - Maybe an antipsychotic), and some other antidepressant starting with an A. After a little hiccup with the changeover making me faint a few times my mood immediately lifted. I could actually think for myself again having come right off Risperidone. I'm off the other "A" antidepressant now and I'm just on the two I mentioned.

I tried talking to a psychologist for a few months but he was useless. I would go through a lot of problems and his replies would be fairly bland. "Ok." "Maybe you shouldn't do that." "That's normal".

I've been through some fairly strong lows since then but nothing nearly as bad as Winter 2005/06. I turned to alcohol around that time, so I don't remember much other than always being drunk and miserable.

I never attempted suicide, more "tried it out" a few times, just to see what it's like. I mean I was never serious about killing myself but I self harmed with various medicines.

In the two and a half years since I dropped out of school I've done next to sod all and I've started to stagnate. I've been working in a community centre for people with mental health problems where I made some new friends, which is good because my old school friends have abandoned me.

I was going to start at college again but some major changes to my life have suddenly sprung up and I don't know where I'll be in a few months.

[Setenza]

Well you seem to have a handle on your problems BrokenArrow, so that's a start.

Yet in the mid of all your personal problems, you're working in a community centre helping others.

That speaks volumes about you.

I can't offer any indepth advice or guidance. I'm not a professional in this field and I don't know the in's and out's of your entire life.

But I sincerely hope you just keep moving forward. That the new friendships grow and that you find solutions and peace of mind.

You can always talk here.

XoD.

[denonDave]

Originally Posted by Gary D

there are a few of us on here who have suffered from depression of various types and severities over the years.

its horrible and very misunderstood by those who have never had it.


Gary

Too true. My wife took her own life after several years of chronic depression. The feeling of helplessness while seeing a normally happy and intelligent person hitting the depths is indescribable.

I wish there was another word for depression, it's not the same as feeling 'down'.

Dave

[Praxidike]

I've suffered with it for as long as I can remember, sometimes I just want to throw everything away and start a new life. It's quite bad at the moment actually, although there are a few times when it just fades away a little and it's not so bad. It's just so weird, like there's a cloud hanging over you or something, everything's so 'full', like it's dark and stuffy. Tried alsorts of stuff, but just given up and resorted to ploughing on and dealing with it, which has sort of helped, accepting it and trying to sort it out rather than fight it with random pills and things.

[shahedz]

Originally Posted by denonDave

Too true. My wife took her own life after several years of chronic depression. The feeling of helplessness while seeing a normally happy and intelligent person hitting the depths is indescribable.

I wish there was another word for depression, it's not the same as feeling 'down'.

Dave

Sorry to hear that about your wife Dave

[tapzilla2k]

Originally Posted by huntere

Sorry, irreverent comment and I mean no harm, just slightly warped humour - I have had andwill probablt continue to have boughts of the "blues" as I call them.

Smile

Laughter is the best medicine of all. No worries

[dazzafact]

My father in law committed suicide on Christmas eve 1999 after suffering in silence with depression caused by losing a daughter to suicide 4 years before. The way in which my wife has dealt with all this sh!t has been fantastic especially as she was only 21 when he died.

I have suffered bouts of depression for the last 18 years; at its worst 12 years ago, all brought on by me being disowned by my family. I found it very difficult for the first few years being a teenager with no home and no family and slowly losing my friends due to my uncontrollable desire to depress everyone.

I feel that I am in control now, I kind of accept the fact that I can't be happy all the time, and remember that when I'm feeling low. My wife has got to grips with my mood swings. Sometimes she helps, sometimes she makes them worse. But she understands, which a lot of folk don't.

[Shady]

Hi Chaps

Another vote here for St. Johns Wort.

A close family member has been feeling generally 'grumpy' for some time now, and like many didn't think it was depresssion and just needed to 'snap out of it'.

This was dragging down his family and was noticable that he was not himself. He spoke to some work colleagues and one suggested St. Johns Wort.

He took this, and in the words of his wife - it was like flicking a switch. The change in his outlook and behaviour was immediate and is there for all to see...

...the only problem is he is more susceptible to the sun and burning - so has to wear a hat to keep his baldy head from burning

...small price to pay I guess - and especially given some of the sad tales posted already - he got off lightly...

Good luck to all...

[GasDad]

If it's bad, go and see you GP.

Following a lot of facial surgery (removal of tumours) which left me looking somewhat odd, I was suffering from depression / anxiety (worries about appearance and will the cancer come back etc).

I had 10 weeks of CBT - it frankly turned me right round. It might not be for everyone, and all they suggest you try might not work* - but in many cases it will help.

James

* In my case the relaxation techniques didn't work at all - however re-reading all the old science fiction I'd read as a kid did.

[neilios]

Always lived life to the full in my late teens and early twenty's ,when after yrs of social drug abuse finally took its toll.

I lost my house ,girlfriend and job all in a space of 6months,had a complete breakdown ,moved back home and went on various medicines ,including amitriptyline,prozac,sertraline(lustral),zoplicone and loads of others in a bid to raise my mood ,and change my thinking ,intially i didn't even go out of my room at home for 4 months ,i couldn't stand to be around people at all.

Eventually settled on a course of cipramil ,and a course of CBT .

Carried on the cipramil for a good 4yrs ,had a couple of bouts of servere depression while on the tablets but all in all they seemed to work,thankfully now i managed to break their hold 2 yrs ago and been reallly happy ever since .

What you will find is though that the blues are not even closely related to depression ,many people don't understand ,but somehow you must begin to like yourself again and accept that you are who you are and not try think too introspectively about things.

Unfortunatly some of us are more predisposed to this illness than others and accepting that is half the battle ,it is an illlness ,but thinking about it in the right way can help so much.

When i look back to how i felt about myself and life six yrs ago its amazing how much progress you can make ,sometimes i felt so bad i didn't think i'd make it through the night,thankfully at the moment i,m on an even keel.

Good luck
neil.

[Ewan154]

I have been on Fluxotine antidepressant for over a year now. I don't really feel that they are helping me. If I ask the doctor if I change my pills she says I should go and see a psychiatrist. I don't think seeing a psychiatrist helps at all and is a waste of time.

[Bren]

Seeing as everyone has been kind enough to give their experiences i will give mine. About five years ago i was in a bit of a mess financially. I detested my job so much that i was vomiting in the morning just thinking about it. My then partner had a vile temper & i never knew what mood she would be in. I had nearly a year off work & for five of those months i never left the house. I did not get out of bed for six weeks & had to be bathed in bed. Finally i broke the cycle & left my job & my ex. My family were wonderful & without them i don't know where i would be.

I still feel really bad on occasion,like when i started this thread. I call my depression 'the Howlers' as in the Howlers are circling today. I broke down in the supermarket at the weekend & cried for no reason whatsoever. I am feeling a lot better now & really want to avoid going back on tablets. I was on Seroxat which are banned now i believe but may be wrong. My belief is that The Howlers never go away but become more manageable.

[Pat_C]

I've never suffered from depression myself, but I know people who have, and am aware that it can be far more debilitating than many people would imagine. I am a little surprised that it is as common as it appears from this thread.

I hope that you are all able to find the strength to overcome or at least alleviate your problems, and to seek whatever professional help and personal support you need to get there.

[neilios]

I always felt that prozac and seroxat made me really emotional and tearful ,and sometimes angry ,powerful drugs.

Cipramil on the other hand was alot milder ,just upped to the correct dosage to stop the panic attacks and emotional problems.

Coming off though is very difficult ,the anxiety etc seems to come back ,but get through that and things go back to normal.

[la gran siete]

Radio 5 live has been discussing this very topic this morning . Only caught a bit of it but a few things stood out :
a) you need a sympathetic GP . If your current one just gives you 3 minutes then precribes you an antidepressnet and thats it , you need to change him( frankly he should be reported).
b)Too many antidepressents are prescribed when patients are just feeling miserable and are not depressed. Depression is much more to do with poor self esteem issues, feeling bad oneself and not being able to relate to the outside world on a normal level.
c) antidepressent should be prescribed in tandem with cognitive behavioural therapy
d) Never come off the tables too soon otherwise symptoms will return with a vengeance
e) there still faaaar too many people who fail to see this as a disease and believe one should just pull oneself together

[gamingboy]

I suffered from what I’d call the "lows", after I broke up with my first proper girlfriend. Not sure what else to call it.

I didn't want to go to college, just couldn't handle it. I didn't want to do much and just generally mopped about for about six months. Feeling sad and crying. Sometimes went, sometimes did. So got asked to leave and didn't finish my A-levels. This only made things worse.

I used to just go on aimless drives for miles and sit somewhere on my own. At times I got to the point of thinking of driving straight at a wall to end the heartache. Didn't get to the point of actually wanting to do it, just thought of it. I just wanted to talk the socks off of people and try to get answers, to console myself, anything to figure out why it ended. Didn't want to go out in case I saw her again with her new fella, after being told there was no-one else. Still don't know the truth and it doesn't matter anymore. After six months of support from family and friends and their suggestions I got myself some jobs. Had three at one point. One in a games shop, one in a clothes shop and one doing fast food deliveries. I just wanted to keep myself busy and feel worth something I guess and they were only part-time.

The turning point was the job at game shop. It was a good store and the people were a laugh. Made an impression and wanted to get myself something stable and kept asking for full-time until I got it. I made some cracking friends and after a little hick up of romantic involvement with one girl a little while later I met my current girlfriend. No-ones ever made me as happy as my current girlfriend. Although she has some emotional problems I’m able to help and we're able get through things, partly due to my own experiences.

I'm now working in IT and working my way up.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Someone close to be suffered from severe depression and have let it hold them back. They're not letting it anymore and are starting to get their life on track.

I don't know what to say to others, because everyone is different. I just found that having stuff to focus on and those there to pick you up when you're down, can all help.

I think the new friends and the job helping others will be of great help to you. You may find your vocation in life and realise it's something you want to do. Having a focus I feel is a turning point.

Paul