Anyone here suffer from depression?

[maxster]

I think I'm suffering from a mild form of depression. I sometimes feel that life is hopeless. It comes in waves, so one moment I'm fine and another moment I feel hopeless and sad. I am starting to have suicidal thoughts, where as before I would never have suicidal thoughts. It hasn't gotten to the point where I'm seriously considering killing myself but it's enough to annoy me.

I know that suicide is bad. I would think about my parents and family and I know they would suffer. Sometimes, I really believe that killing myself is easier than living. I know that's the wrong way of thinking but I just can't shake that sad feeling inside.

I will contact an internal medicine doctor and try to get treatment for it. Do you know if they will send me to a shrink or just give me medicine?

If anyone has suffer from depression please reply and let me know what had worked for you.

Thank you,
Max

 

[Twista]

Yes, but not suicidal

http://www.hopeline.com/

 

[Modelworks]

I was diagnosed with major depression 17 years ago.
It affected my job, my life and I lost everything.
It took me probably the first 10 years or so to come to grips with it and realize its an illness just like anything else and its not something that I should be ashamed of having.

I now am back on my feet and with any luck will stay that way.
For me medications were hit or miss and sometimes they worked for months and just stopped. What has worked for me more than anything is something called CBT or cognitive behavoiral therapy.

Its just a method of changing the way you look at things.
If your having issues where you think things like "I can't do anything right" then thats the depression talking. It tends to make you generalize and lump everything together , when its just not true. Just because you are having problems in one area of your life doesn't mean your a failure or you can't do anything right.

I would ask your family doctor who he would recommend. Medicines help but what can help more is someone who can listen and make sure your being honest with yourself and your situation.

 

[JohnCU]

mine comes in waves, too. i thought i was bipolar, but i read that that the cycles in that case happen 2 or 3 times a year, not daily like i seem to experience. it's worse at night, the daytime isn't so bad.

i take SSRIs for anxiety but they don't seem to do much for the ups and downs.

 

[Electric Amish]

I don't suffer, but I'll get down occasionally.

I just accept it and work through it until it goes away.

 

[MisterJackson]

I have the black dog so bad most times I just went out and bought a Rottweiler to remind me in a literal sense.

<_____Self medicating since 1995

 

[dugweb]

I wouldn't say I get anymore depressed than any other person, but everyone has their share of struggles to work through.

Focus on your sphere of influence, and do all you can to make the best of it. Try not to worry about the things you can't control.

In my case, I'm terribly self-conscious and it has been affecting my social life. I've basically isolated my problem that gets me down, and so I address it with little goals throughout the day (i.e. get in a conversation with the person that sits next to me). I also decided to give up WoW. That game was really bad for me to say the least When it became an escape that I felt I always needed to get to, and really hindered me socially I knew it had to go. it was just getting the resolve to do it that was hard.

Also, besides helping with self confidence, I find that exercise will give me the pick-me-up I need if I'm feeling down. Just getting out and doing something physical works wonders for me.

 

[PepePeru]

I haven't been diagnosed, however I'm positive i suffer from seasonal affective disorder.
so i just sort of ride it out in those months, mostly nov. through feb...it can be rough, for sure.
i've had some serious bouts of depression during those months, my whole life, but i never realized it until i was in college.

if you are contemplating (seriously or not) suicide you should really look into getting some help...find someone to talk to about it...do something.

there really shouldnt be a stigma about these things, but unfortunately mental illness has been seen as a weakness and not a medical condition.
your comment about seeing a 'shrink' is a perfect example of this.

 

[Chaotic42]

Everyone gets down sometimes. I find that working out and eating well (fresh food, not expensive food) makes me feel better. Sometimes just talking to a friend is all you need.

I saw something on CNN (so take it with a few stellar masses of salt) that said Omega-3 imbalance can cause depression. It said that soybean oil, rich in Omega-6, was causing an imbalance. It might be worth researching further.

 

[djheater]

Op - You should certainly see a psychologist. You would need to be diagnosed, but the earlier you are the better the prognosis.

As has been said, major strides have been made in treating depression with cognitive behavioral therapy. It's a process, and it takes a while but it does work.

 

[Acanthus]

Get diagnosed, theres hundreds of forms of depression.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
Get diagnosed, theres hundreds of forms of depression.

No there's not. You're right though, he needs to see a shrink. I would suggest that he see a clinical psychologist not a therapist or psychiatrist for diagnosis.
OP - Your GP may or may not have a good reference. If you have a helath care provider you might want to see what your options are there.

 

[Platypus]

yep, comes in waves.

never diagnosed, don't really believe therapy is going to solve my issues so I just deal with it

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: Platypus
yep, comes in waves.

never diagnosed, don't really believe therapy is going to solve my issues so I just deal with it

It's quite likely that if you DO suffer from a diagnosable mood disorder that cbt will work for you, at least that's what the research says. You may be an outlier though...

If you're experiencing distress there's no reason not to see a shrink (besides money of course), it's not f'ing Freudian psychoanalysis or anything, they're not going to ask you how you feel about your father...

If a person thinks they might have an actual diagnosable clinical disorder, it's pretty silly to endure it IMO.

 

[nanette1985]

I never understood depression until I was getting chemo and one of the drugs triggered depression. I was stunned at how intense it was, and how helpless I was to deal with it. Psych docs were useless, basically they said either "cheer up, get over it" or "just stop, why make your dying days so miserable?" Duh, if I could've cheered up I would have.

Fortunately when my drug cocktail was changed the depression went away. I really respect people who live with that.

THere was this one time when I was suicidal and I called the hot line. I got a recorded message that said basically "don't kill yourself" and to call back during regular work hours when somebody live might answer the phone. It was so surreal that it made me laugh.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: princess ida
I never understood depression until I was getting chemo and one of the drugs triggered depression. I was stunned at how intense it was, and how helpless I was to deal with it. Psych docs were useless, basically they said either "cheer up, get over it" or "just stop, why make your dying days so miserable?" Duh, if I could've cheered up I would have.

Fortunately when my drug cocktail was changed the depression went away. I really respect people who live with that.

THere was this one time when I was suicidal and I called the hot line. I got a recorded message that said basically "don't kill yourself" and to call back during regular work hours when somebody live might answer the phone. It was so surreal that it made me laugh.

...the line isn't open 24/7?

 

[Platypus]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: Platypus
yep, comes in waves.

never diagnosed, don't really believe therapy is going to solve my issues so I just deal with it

It's quite likely that if you DO suffer from a diagnosable mood disorder that cbt will work for you, at least that's what the research says. You may be an outlier though...

If you're experiencing distress there's no reason not to see a shrink (besides money of course), it's not f'ing Freudian psychoanalysis or anything, they're not going to ask you how you feel about your father...

If a person thinks they might have an actual diagnosable clinical disorder, it's pretty silly to endure it IMO.

For obvious reasons I'd never get into my personal life here but it's certainly something that isnt going to change because someone tells me I shouldn't let it bother me

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Platypus

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: Platypus
yep, comes in waves.

never diagnosed, don't really believe therapy is going to solve my issues so I just deal with it

It's quite likely that if you DO suffer from a diagnosable mood disorder that cbt will work for you, at least that's what the research says. You may be an outlier though...

If you're experiencing distress there's no reason not to see a shrink (besides money of course), it's not f'ing Freudian psychoanalysis or anything, they're not going to ask you how you feel about your father...

If a person thinks they might have an actual diagnosable clinical disorder, it's pretty silly to endure it IMO.

For obvious reasons I'd never get into my personal life here but it's certainly something that isnt going to change because someone tells me I shouldn't let it bother me

does playing your guitar help your depression?

 

[potato28]

Sometimes, but I usually do my normal cure for it.

 

[Platypus]

JohnCU: music is the only thing that fixes it, yah

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Sometimes, forcing yourself to do things totally out of character allows you to break out of the depression. For myself, I took a classical dance class and found a wife!

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Platypus
JohnCU: music is the only thing that fixes it, yah

keep playing then, it's good for my ears