Lets talk depression

TheGlen

...Light therapy using a special lamp with a very bright fluorescent light (10,000 lux) that mimics light from the sun may also be helpful.

When we started looking into this, we found a lot of documentation that now say that the blue lights are more effective. We are using the blue light and have seen some positive results (although we've never used the bright light).

prism6

I have depression and the last 2 winters I did nothing but watch tv ,eat junk, and drink beer..by the time spring came around I was like a mass of goo.... I didn't want to do that again this year so I started on this site, am seeing a counselor, and quit drinking. I still have the watch TV and do nothing urge, but not until I am done with my walks.... good luck to you all. I do know how bad it can be.

DanielleWatson83

well.. my depression is affecting my marraige ;0( i duno what to do

melhayes1115

I was on Lexapro also. It made me feel great, but I gained 15 lbs in the 3 months I was on it.

meltygarden

I have had regular bouts of depression all of my life, but no - I think my eating has more to do with stuffing down emotions in a more general sense, and with "taking care of myself" when I feel like my needs are not being met in other areas, than with the depression.

georgiebears

Yes, I am 41 years old and have battled depression since I was a teenager. I find that when I am depressed I tend to eat more junk food and comfort food. But when I have the anxiety with the depression I tend to not eat at all. This summer I lost 10 pounds that way.

AngelaChase84

I have had chronic depression and anxiety issues since I was at least 13. It is 100% the source of my overeating and sometimes months-long bouts of inactivity. Food is an ineffective coping mechanism --self-medication. I have been on anti-depressants off and on for 5yrs and the right ones definitely help me but when I am able to afford seeing my therapist, the results increase greatly.

I joined MFP to start taking baby steps and focus on one-day-at-a-time; it is very easy to lose hope if you allow yourself to think about past times you have fallen or begin to feel trapped by the patterns you have lived with. The fact that you are here and asking for support is NOT menial!!! You are trying to get to a better place and deserve to feel good about it. No two people are alike. Everyone has their own pace.

My depression has affected my marriage, worse at some times than others; I had my husband come in to my therapist with me a few times and it was really beneficial. He has a tendency to try to parent me to "help" me when I become debilitated. That is not a healthy role for him to play and he really needed my therapist to tell him that. Acknowledge to your husband that your problems are putting strain on the marriage and that you do not want things to be that way. If he feels like it is okay to be frustrated maybe that will help. You should try both meds and therapy if you really want to make a go of improving your home-life. I need the medication just to think clearly enough to notice when my thoughts are irrational so I can begin to stop them and replace them with reality and hope.

katherinemm31

I am so glad you brought up this topic because I have struggled with depression my entire life. Part of it is genetic, but situations make it worse, PMS is a nightmare and this time of the year is the absolute pits. A lot of my depression stems from anxiety, which is also hereditary. Consistent medication monitored by a qualified doctor is crucial and could save your life on a variety of levels.

When I get stressed, I auto-eat, kind of like how alcoholics have drinks at the end of the day or people chain-smoke. I also zap out, which means I sleep a lot to escape. And I shop. Right now, our family is going through a lot, which means the eating is worse.

Some things that help me are getting up and out of the house in the morning so I don't spend the day inside getting nothing done. Also, working outside the home helps me because it gives me a sense of accomplishment and having a mission, so long as I monitor my hours so I can take care of the kids and spend family time and not get stressed out at that end of life. I work from home, too, but working only from home isn't good for me. I also have other activities, but I tend to over-volunteer, which isn't good either because then I throw my life out of balance because I stress that I can't do what I said I would do. At the moment, if I could do something to change my balance, I would work more outside the home, exercise more and spend more time doing fun things. The problem with depression, of course, is that it's hard to think of what's fun when you're depressed. It's also hard to make yourself get out of the house because you can't convince yourself it's going to be "fun." Getting out when it's not mandatory becomes a chore. So I go for things like reading until I feel like going out somewhere, and I blog.

Anyway, the point is, depression means things are out of balance physically, mentally and, if you believe in it, spiritually. Figuring out what's wrong is half the battle. Fixing it--well, that a whole other thing. Fixing it requires support, medical care and some really deep thought. And maybe a trip to the Bahamas!

Molly182

I get depressed easily. Winter is the worst. You're not getting sun and you're not moving around as much. It's a drag. I hate it. I always get the winter blues.

BeautyFromPain

I have had depression, anxiety and ptsd for about 7 years, exercising has helped A LOT but i still get my bad days.. and yes I eat terribly cos of it... trying to break the habit.
But I can proudly say that I am no longer on meds

MJ7910

I have depression, but it is well controlled with medication. I was on a med that made it impossible for me to lose weight (Lexapro), but switched and have been able to lose steadily ever since. The only time I had problems was when I was transitioning between medications, because my depression was not well controlled. If it gets out of control, I will stuff my face.

which ones don't affect weight or weight loss?

jeni_Giedd

I was on Lexapro too, and couldn't lose weight. In fact I gained 50 pounds in two years. Now I am on Pristiq and doing MUCH better.

amiles21693

I have depression, anxiety, and ptsd. I'm currently not on any medications because I havent found any that really work for me. When I feel really down and sad, its not that I want to eat more, its just that I stop caring. So, I'll shovel down anything I see or feel like. On those days, now that I'm trying to lose weight, I try to find better things to do. And if all else fails I go to sleep. But reading, exercising, and talking to my boy friend really help me out.

amiles21693

When I get stressed, I auto-eat, kind of like how alcoholics have drinks at the end of the day or people chain-smoke. I also zap out, which means I sleep a lot to escape. And I shop. Right now, our family is going through a lot, which means the eating is worse.

I know exactly how that goes. When I'm stressed or anxious or depressed I sleep so much!

WifeNMama

I get SAD, but this year has been better The weather has been mild so we've gone outside more, and starting a regular exercise program really helped, too.
I was depressed and suicidal as a young teenager, but still get mood swings that are partially related to my cycle, but also change at other times. I wonder sometimes if I should get evaluated. Hypothyroidism is runs rampant in my family so I'm going to start from there.
I definitely self medicate with food. Keeping track of it really helps curb that though.

catic

I have SAD which is seasonal affective disorder and I get it in winter and that's when I eat more than I should because I don't wanna do anything or go anywhere if I can stay in my warm house with my comfort food.

hum, maybe i have SAD, that's how I feel all winter. But in the nice motnhs, I;m full of energy and life!

icemaiden17_uk

I have PTSD, PND and anxiety! I have been having CBT for a while now and I have also been treating it with excersise! Since I started thinking of my workouts as part of my treatment I have been doing it a lot more and i have seen real progress! My numbers are still a bit up and down but I ma getting better! The hardest thing is getting up and going to the gym or doing my workouts but I just think it is my therapy and I have to go and it is getting easier as time goes by!

miriamparkinson

My depression never impacted my eating and weight but boy did my medication! In a year of medication I gained 10kg (22 pounds) after having a completely stable weight for 6 years (since highschool). My doctor is now talking about taking me off medication which freaks me out a little but hopefully it will help me lose that weight again.

vanessaclarkgbr

I take 10mg of Citalopram daily for GAD and have had problems in the past with depression (bought on by the anxiety.) Seroxat (I think 40mg at the time) had me gaining and even with a strict diet and exercise I couldn't lose. I was switched to Citapram 40mg (a newer SSRI) and not had problems with gain (that wasn't related to me eating and not exercising) since, and have bought the dose right down, but unable to come off all together without symptoms returning (apparently some people fail to produce enough seratonin or can damage their neuro transmitters/receivers after a breakdown, but 10mg - life could be a lot worse couldn't it.)

I crave sweet food regularly, but the more I exercise and the more protein I eat, the better it is - it's just getting yourself motivated I know.

I've read a few articles on supplementing with Chromium - I've bought a couple of tubs to try out as apparently it takes less than a week to work, so I'll see how it goes (my cravings may well be hormone related, so keeping an open mind, willing to try most legal things :-D)

MJ7910

are there any of these that dont' cause weight gain?