Does anybody have advice for overcoming depression?

swertyqwerty

Right now I'm on Celexa. I've tried citalopram and escitalopram only. I notice that the sharp edge of life feels a little softer and I feel a little less anxious, but I'm still sad and feeling like I'm numb and dead inside. Maybe I should shop around for another medication.

aliakynes

thank u for the link! I just googled superbetter and it's exactly the kind of thing I was hoping was out there

If you watch the TedTalk, she explains the research and science behind the design, pretty powerful stuff.

dakotababy

Ah just a response to the post about taking St.John's Wort and BC - If you plan to take BIrth Control Pills...and be sexually active...St. John's Wort decreases the effectiveness of BC pills by A LOT.

Then you will really have something to be depressed about.

tycho_mx

I have two close friends that have deeply seated depression issues. They don't think they can be "cured", but managed well enough to lead a fulfilling life.

Both are diligent with their medication, and for one group therapy has helped a lot (lots of antisocial issues with him). For the other one, exercise helped a lot. He was an elite level cyclist and maybe because of his depression issues he could really dig very deep and bury himself with effort.

I'd suggest trying lots of things and see what works for you. Education is very important.

kellystacy424

Is it a new thing? I don't even like being outside but I get seasonal depression during the winter. I guess according to my doctor people get it during the summer too.

kellystacy424

I'm sorry I see it's beyond seasonal.

MJ_Watson

Anti-depressants take 2-3 MONTHS. If it hasn't been that long, you're asking too soon. And if the medication doesn't work, another medication might. I went through 3 anti-depressants before I found one that reduced my symptoms. It's a wait, but that's how it works. In the meantime, please consider seeing a different therapist. Aside from the fact that your mileage may vary with any given therapist, there are many different types of therapy. Maybe the one you tried wasn't right for you.

Here are the major four types: http://psychcentral.com/therapy.htm

This would be my advice as well. It took a LOT of different cocktails of meds (I have Bipolar 2.) and a significant amount of time spent shopping around for therapists, but I am now quite stable and feeling better than I have in recent memory. I found that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy worked very well for me, as someone else on here suggested. And yes, exercise does help, but I had to get the right meds to get to a point where I even COULD. I remember going back to my psychiatrist after getting on my current meds and telling her in tears how happy I was because I had been able to get out of bed, clean my apartment, and go to the grocery store to buy food(!!!!). That was how hard it was for me to function at that point.

In my experience, overcoming (or managing) depression is about fighting for yourself and continuing to try to find what works for you, even when it seems impossibly hard and like you'll never find the answer. You have to believe you will. And if you ever need anyone to talk to, feel free to shoot me a message.

mtruitt01

I'd try various antidepressants, and after two -three months I'd be crying--taking anti-depressants and still depressed. Group therapy, much to my surprise, was an enormous help. I guess because I realized how common my problems were, and I didn't feel like such a freak. There are lots of self-help groups out there.
I also was fortunate enough to be in college and could go to their counselor once a week and cry about my lousy childhood, and all my feelings and experiences and responses to them.

I had given up on pills helping me, but tried one more time. New shrink, young Chinese woman, prescribed one she said was the most expensive, therefore often wasn't prescribed.
After two months I kept waiting for the emotional resilience to end, but it kept on and I had the happiest year I'd had in years. I don't feel like I'm on anything (only with one did I feel that way and I stopped immediately).
For me, it gives me emotional resilience, things don't bother me as much, although I still have all my feelings.
Still, every year I wean myself off them for a month or so to see if I can go on without them, but the last two times I tried it was a relief to start taking them again. My ideal would be pill-free, but life is so much better, and I am a better person in all my social interactions, when I take my low-dose antidepressant.
Some other things that are important:
Saying no
Dropping toxic people from my life
Not checking work email all the time
Have a life outside of work
Make sure I hang out with my daughter and grandson once a week
Make time for walks and yoga
Sometimes telling myself "I can solve this"
Getting out amongst them and being part of something larger than myself.
turn off the news--it's always bad
what am I thinking about? Can I guide my thoughts into a different direction?
soak in hot water, candles
make sure I get enough sleep -very important!!

949BeachMom

after taking anti depressants i became suicidal which was not like me . i believe the medication made my depression worse. so i got a medical marijuana card and smoked one hit in the morning and one hit before dinner and trust me the high lasted that long. i live in southern california so its legal here for medicinal purposes . but now that im a mom if im feeling blue i get ready n get outside n go for a walk .

onecatleadstoanother

For me, it's been a long road. I started with anxiety, which was horrible. Depression (Moderate to Severe) came shortly after. If I didn't have a mortgage to pay, I wouldn't have gone outside. I worried obsessively, shopped obsessively, cried all the time, and felt utterly hopeless - which was the worst feeling in the world. I tried one anti-depressant, didn't work so increase the dosage, still nothing, higher dosage, after the third increase I developed seratonin syndrome and was taken off all my meds. I was too afraid to start anything new for a full year - which was a horrible year. I found a new anti-depressant that is working. It took a couple months but I'm feeling better most of the time, I still have my days. Today happens to be one of them. Aside from the medication, I found yoga and it has truly changed my life. Having something that I enjoy to look forward to, that calms me down and helps me in my weight loss goals has changed my mood. Previously I'd sleep / stay inside all weekend, now I'm finding more and more things that I want to try. I went to counselling and it helped to have someone tell me that my feelings were justified, but for me the meditative like state I get into in savasana in yoga and these new pills have me looking forward to life - most days. There are always people that will talk to you about their depression. Every day I feel bad I tell myself over and over again "I will not be afraid, this is not forever"

May_Rose

I just read a study on the positive effects of botox on depression. They found that people who had botox to freeze thier forehead frown lines (wrinkles between the eyebrows) saw an 80% reduction in depression symptoms. That's just off the top of my head, so maybe google it to find out more. Seems like it'd be worth a try.

Also, excercise of any kind for any duration over 15 minutes or so. Seriously, it pretty much saved my life. I occasionally have symptoms still, mainly anxiety and some negative thoughts, but I'm nearly 95% normal now.

Veil5577

I don't know if this will help you but it helped me a little:

http://imgur.com/gallery/5oybmTK