Another depression post

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  • sdow
    sdow Posts: 71
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    What a wonderful and brave post. We are learning more and more about so called mental illness and starting to treat it like a medical condition. I think counseling and the best use of medications, diet, exercise, etc is so much healthier and kinder than just expecting people to buck up and move forward. With men, especially of the older generation, it is hard to admit to "weakness" and depression is often expressed as anger.

    Anyway, your sharing of your struggles is good for many people. Thank you, again, for your compassion and bravery.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
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    I think this is a great post and thank you for sharing! It takes a lot to put yourself out there like that.

    I have only this year realized that I suffered from depression for a very long time (since childhood). My stepmom has pointed out many times that I only started gaining weight when my parents divorced. I turned to food for comfort. I have issues with food even now, but I try hard to keep food and emotions separate.
  • AlphamaleBAMF
    AlphamaleBAMF Posts: 373
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    I can't help noticing there are a lot of people on here, posting in the forums, who suffer from some form of depression or another.

    Depression and obesity go hand in hand. Their root causes are the same.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
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    I have been diagnosed as having major clinical depression and put on medication. However, I got pregnant while on those medications and gave birth to a child who now suffers because of me. It gave her a (well, five) major heart defects. Go mom. I also have suffered through major PPD-thank God without psychosis. I do not take the meds anymore. I won't unless my husband gets a vasectomy and there is no chance of pregnancy. I won't mess up another baby.

    I now rely on natural remedies that help both with the depression and with the binge eating disorder. I take a medley of St. John's Wort, magnesium, Super B, Chromium, Flax Oil, and a daily multi. They're supposed to help. I do notice a significant difference when I'm taking them the way I should.

    I exercise a lot too, so hopefully my endorphins help.

    OP: I'm glad you're getting better. That commercial so hits the nail on the head: Depression hurts. It does leave out the "like hell" part though...
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
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    I can't help noticing there are a lot of people on here, posting in the forums, who suffer from some form of depression or another. I've often wondered and even read several books on, what has caused such a huge increase in depression in society today. But that's not why I'm writing this. What I am curious about is, how many people, like myself, ignored the depression for the most part of life for numerous reasons and blamed the weight gain on everything they could possibly think of?

    I didn't understand until about a year ago just how adversely depression had affected my life. I have suffered from since I was a child. Unfortunately I lived in a family that essentially ignored mental disorders, even though a vast number of my family members suffer from one. It was never talked about and the general attitude was "just get over it". I was at the point of contemplating suicide many different times when I was younger.

    How did I cope? Food. Books. Food. Hiding. Food. It never occurred to me to actually address the real issues, I had no idea what they where. I was taught to ignore such things, to man up. In my family shrinks where quacks and charlatans. What did they know about things anyway.

    So after a lifetime of sever depression, the inevitable happened. I snapped. Like a rubber band wrapped one time to many. Boing. Off my rocker. For two months straight I suffered from almost constant panic and anxiety attacks. It was a horrid experience I would wish on no one. I somehow made it through without completely losing my mind, or my life and that was mostly due to therapists helping me deal with my issues.

    So here I am, working on the depression, learning how to live with it. I don't think it will ever completely go away. Depression has so many variances. Mine is a product of both my environment couples with learned behaviors and wonky brain wiring. So, to my point (can you believe it, I actually do have one) if you're still reading this is; how many people try to tackle weight loss without first dealing with the issues that caused the weight gain in the first place? I did for a long time. I could never understand why my diets always failed so miserably. I always returned to food for the comfort, for all the wrong reasons.

    Some of the stories I have read on here make me so sad. One of the things about finally dealing with my issues is that I've become hyper aware of them in others. It's kind of like when I stopped smoking and could suddenly smell a cigarette a block away. I read these forums and I want to frequently scream at people to get some help. Yet I know that until they make that choice for themselves and do it for the right reasons, it will do no good. They ask for help and support and all I can think is, seek therapy. But I know many of them won't. They will continue to battle the beast alone as I did. You can't win the war until you understand the enemy.

    Great post. Depression is such a tricky thing -- it makes it hard to want to help yourself. I kind of think of it like a parasite. It feeds on itself, so it does whatever it can to keep you down in the depths of depression. And so, depression lies to you to keep you from doing the things you need to do in order to get well. It's a vicious beast.

    Good for you for working on the causes, rather than just the symptoms. It's a hard thing to do, but it's so worth it.

    I have a group for managing depression if anyone here would like to join. It's a good group, full of supportive folks. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/2202-managing-depression
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    When I had my nervous breakdown many years back and checked myself into the hospital, I had an interview with a Dr. who asked me a lot of questions. When he was finished he looked straight into my eyes and said something I have never forgotten..."You are NOT crazy...don't let anyone tell you that you are. I have been in that same chair that you are now.". I had a medical condition and there was no shame or guilt to be had....and I was far from alone.

    Depression runs in my family, although it was hushed up and never spoken about. I didn't learn the truth till I was well into adulthood. I still take medication but I am finding now that the best medication for my condition is what I am doing now....losing weight and exercising. There is nothing like the feeling of treating your body as it should be to make you feel not only physically better, but emotionally as well. Good luck!
  • rebeccalray5
    rebeccalray5 Posts: 36
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    I don't suffer from depression, I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and slightly OCD. I know they are both anxiety but the major anxiety is from PTSD (says psychiatrist and my couselor) and the OCD is short term triggers that I HATE and if I let them, I will stay in my apartment for ever. My latest quest is not hide the fact that I go to counseling weekly or take anxiety meds. I am very thankful for your post and am amazed and comforted on the number of people who are going through the same things.
  • Pinkigloopyxie
    Pinkigloopyxie Posts: 231
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    I'm rather certain I've had depression since I was a kid, though grandma feeding me too much ice cream did make me chubby before the age of five. Mostly it's because of my ex stepfather but he was gone by the time I was eleven, though it took me ten more years or so to realize how growing up with him changed me. I was quiet in school (did my best to not be noticed) and had good grades so teachers didn't bother me. I think they knew I was painfully shy and hated attention and that's all.

    I've pretty much been a loner for my entire life so it's hard for me to go to people for help. I'm in college and the campus has free counseling for six sessions but it was difficult to connect with anyone. How do you know they even cared or wanted to know? Anyways I've always dealt with my issues myself and I've always had an aversion to pills, so basically I just calm myself down when panicked or anxious, usually that was with food. (though I didn't realize that as a kid) Now though I just try meditating and proper breathing and emptying my mind. I generally don't know how to act in social situations and become anxious if I think I messed something up, then my brain taunts me about it, so I just empty it and make everything quiet and maybe sit in a quiet place outside to calm down and tell myself it doesn't really matter.
  • HogSandwich
    HogSandwich Posts: 146 Member
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    I had depression for a solid year in high school, and VERY occasional flashes these days. I do have an anxiety disorder though, and that pretty much keeps me busy.

    I have such trouble explaining to people how depression and anxiety work - you really don't know until you've been there.

    And in that vein, I think it's really, REALLY, REEEALLY important everyone who's ever had depression reads this blog post - hysterically funny and very touching and (for me) really inspiring.

    http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html
  • sunmelody
    sunmelody Posts: 1
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    I've suffered from depression for as long as I can remember. The last few months have been the worse ever. I've managed to put on 25 lbs on top of the already 70 lbs that I needed to lose. I have absolutely no enery for anything besides going to work. I'm in the works right now with my doctor on getting my medication adjusted or getting on something different. When I weighed in at 225 lbs at the doctors today, I felt like crying my eyes out. I don't even recognize myself anymore. I wish so much that I didn't suffer from depression. So many people just don't seem to undertand and think you can snap your fingers and make it go away. I just pray that I can get out of this rut and be on my way to making myself healthier and happier.
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
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    If you need some support and someone who understands, you are more than welcome to add me.
  • TravisBurns
    TravisBurns Posts: 354 Member
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    we're all white people. so of course we're depressed.
    I mean what do we have to be depressed about?
    We're white....SMILE!! lol, as Chris Rock says

    Edited to add. I was diagnosed with clinical depression, on a serious note, I know how it feels to be down at your worst.
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I suffer from PTSD, depression, and severe anxiety/panic attacks. The depression I've had for a long time, but I'm getting over that, no meds. The PTSD and anxiety stem from a fire I had almost 2 years ago and almost died in with my daughter. I honestly think this is why I've gained so much weight, those reasons, the stress from the fire and being homeless, and insomnia. Of course, I don't blame it ALL on that, I went through bouts of eating so much, then nothing at all, and back and forth. And to top it all off, I've had a broken thyroid for over 4 years and wasn't diagnosed until recently.
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I'm torn, It's nice to know there are people out there that understand but at the same time, how horrible that so many of us have to deal with these issues. I decided at some point in the last year or so that the best thing I ever did was start addressing my issues and I promised myself I would be as vocal as I could about those issues. If one person reads something I wrote and changes their life for the better because of it then I have done something good with my life.

    I feel the same way too. For a long time after the fire, I kept myself shut off from the world. Over the past few months, I'm beginning to get the hell over it a little bit and move on. It happened ,nothing I can do to change it, but I don't need to dwell on it and let it define me either. It is awful, though, and also awful that doctors are so quick to prescribe meds for any depression symptoms. Oh, you cried yourself to sleep 2 nights in a row? Here's some Prozac! Become a zombie... Bleh. Personally FOR ME, meds made me worse off. I know they do help a lot of people, but I strongly believe they are over-prescribed.
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
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    When I fell off my rocker a few years ago meds were the eventual answer that was thrown at me. Eventually I found ones that work great but finding them almost killed me. I didn't know what way was up for a while. Finally had to quit taking everything and let my system clean out for a fresh start. Now that's hard when you're cycling through panic attacks 24 hours a day. But I'm finally in a good place, after much therapy and good drugs. There is hope. And the more I exercise the better I feel too.
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    bumping to read more of the posts tomorrow.

    OP, thanks for your post. Funny how we think we're all alone...and from this forum it definitely looks like there's a lot of us out there experiencing some of the same issues.

    I've been dealing with diagnosed depression since high school, anxiety issues a little later in life...currently warding off some social anxiety which I have never had before--I had anxiety around certain issues, but never about going out and socializing, that's been a recent development, don't know what triggered it....I'm not taking any medications right now but using exercise, diet, and the support of some close friends and it's helping...but I still feel like I have a lot of work to do.
  • jvhall83
    jvhall83 Posts: 35
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    Being overweight can definitely bring about these emotions but I'm glad that through help you were able to begin conquering your issues and move forward. You also did it while keeping your life and for that I give you props. It takes a real man let alone person to be able to understand that they need help, get it, and move forward with their life. Props to you man, keep learning about yourself, stay motivated, and make small short term goals. Reach them, then set new goals, then you will feel better about yourself and your situation and know that you are making progress and improvement in all aspects of life. Food used to be my comfort too...i'd get stressed and I would eat...but now I'm recently married, and I cant let my own issues get in the way, I have to conquer them. Regardless of whether you believe in a supreme power or not, I do, you can find the help that you need to find your joy in life. Be blessed man. Keep your head up and keep marching forward. :)
  • VogtAndrea
    VogtAndrea Posts: 236
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    All my life I've fought to keep depression from swamping me. There have been times when it has but there were usually circumstances that pushed me over that line and into depression. All the things we do in order to get and stay healthy also battle depression. Exercise, better sleep habits, eating better and building a supportive group of friends around you are all things that you do in order to battle depression.
    My doctor offered me medication and I told him that right now I'm probably the happiest or most contented that I've been in years. My whole family deals with depression in one manner or another. One brother takes anti-depressants and has been trying to find the one that will work best for him over the last 5 years. My other brother self-medicates and stays really active. I've chosen to get back to swimming, eating healthier, getting control of my weight and my life, spend more time with my family who are very supportive of what I'm doing. I also changed jobs to one that has WAY less stress about a year ago. I work less hours but I love what I'm doing.
    Overall, my way is working. How about yours?

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