Depression

For those that suffer from clinical depression, what have you done to deal with it? Medication that has helped you? Therapy? I've been depressed most of my adult life, but now I've gone through a breakup, plundered so much money on shameful things, and I'm just feeling really low right now; and I want to know that there's some way to climb out of it.

Even those that haven't climbed out of it, chime in. I'm just hoping to find someone who can actually relate.

Either you deal with it by yourself hoping it won't kill you (both mentally and phisically) or you ask for help, which is the best option although I know it's not easy. It might just mean talking to a friend and ask for an advice. I've learnt that some of us have to deal with it and there's probably no way to make all the pain disappear, but we should still find a way to at least cope with it and be able to go on with our lives.

I agree that you should try to be happy, therefore do things that happy people do. But ignoring it is not going to help at all. In fact ignoring something or supressing a feeling or memory is the main cause of psychosis. Probably not a good idea.

Do your best to avoid meds. I've been on both Prozac and zoloft in the past and all they did was numb me and cause me to gain weight. Exercise, eating right and seeking out friends to talk to are your best defense. Some days are really tough but you'll get through them. I suffer from severe pms. While some find humor in pms it's not funny. I have days where I think everyone hates me and I have no desire to go on. But I have to tell myself it will pass. Each day say something positive to yourself, try something new,keep yourself busy. ( hugs)

I was diagnosed with depression and social anxiety a few years ago and it has affected my life far more than I would have liked. I was in therapy and on medication for about a year and things improved greatly, but my insurance stopped covering me and I had to cut the meds cold turkey and try to find a way to live without them. It's been a little over a year since I stopped taking my pills or going to see my therapist and I'm still hanging on. Some days I really want to just disappear. It's almost more like a desperate need than a desire at times. My room falls into disarray, I sit in the same spot for days on end, and there are nights when it's almost as if I've fallen into a catatonic state--I can't move and my eyes can't focus on anything and there's just a buzzing noise in my head because I'm trying to block out how sad I'm feeling.

Despite all of this, though, the thing that keeps me going is fighting it. I have to fight every day with my disorders. If I don't want to move, I make myself wiggle my fingers, and then my arm, and then I'm pushing myself up and loosening my body to make myself get out of bed. I battle the symptoms one piece at a time. It's difficult, more so on some days than on others, and on some days I just can't fight and cry in bed for a few hours. That's okay, too. Sometimes I have to know when to be gentle with myself and when to push myself. I always try, though. The day I stop is the day I let depression win and I don't really want to disappear, no matter how badly it feels like I do when I'm at my lowest point.

There is always light, so try your best. Seek help if you need it. Do whatever you have to do, just don't let depression win.

Not on medication since I hate the way it kills my libido. I give myself wallow time. I go to those dark, painful thoughts and I sit with the feelings and analyze them no matter how much it hurts. After a certain time though I've been forcing myself out of that and trying to find gratitude for something. Even if it's the compliment I got on my shirt today...anything positive I can grab onto. Prayer for me helps and giving it to a higher power, but I realize that this may not be other's choice.

For me it's a lot more difficult to hold onto the positive. Negative and self loathing thoughts are much more comfortable. My old friend/enemy.

If you can put yourself into that mindset, and I realize this is not always possible especially when you are deep into depression and self destruction, you have to replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts. The minute you have one negative thought think of anything positive it can be something rudimentary like, "oh the sky is so blue today or wow, look how pretty that dandelion looks growing in the asphalt." Then try to stop the spinning thoughts focus on that sky or whatever until its quiet. That's what works for me.

I hope you can get a good management of your depression so that you can move forward with your goals and accomplish big things. Another thought, there is nothing shameful to feel if one is seeking help and treatment for a mental disorder. If you had a broken leg you would get it fixed. If you have a broken mind you get it fixed.

Wow. I'm glad I've gotten so many responses. My post was pretty vague, so I'll be a bit more detailed.

I'm currently on 60mg of Prozac and something called Trazodone 100mg (that I usually don't take because it makes me tired). I've been on other medicine (Pristiq 100mg). I can tell a difference when I don't take my medication. It just takes me from crushingly depressed to depressed. Very rarely okay or good.

I've tried therapy many times. Maybe I'm just not committed to it fully, but with three different therapists it's helped very little. Though this last one I didn't give a fair shot.

I've been to the "promised land" of close to goal weight thinking that would cure all my problems, but I was never truly happy then either (despite what those around me like to think). I've just started not putting a veil over my depression. I get so sick of putting on a happy face when some days I feel like my life isn't worth a damn.

trazadone is an antidepressant with sedative effects. Double check with your doctor, but I believe you will have a better result if you take your prozac in the morning, and your trazadone in the evening.

sometimes it feels like I'm a willful insomniac. I have something in my head that makes me not like the idea of sleep. It's why I haven't taken it in a while. I'm sure this sounds dumb.

That's something I go through whenever I'm at my worst. Sleep usually helps me feel better, but I put it off because it irrationally appears distasteful to me. I used to stay up until 4-5 am, sleep in until 2-3 pm, and wake up feeling exhausted. I recognize it as a sign that things are getting really bad for me, so I force myself to be still and sleep even when I don't want to. If you can get yourself into a normal sleeping schedule, it might help you a lot. I personally find it easier to be happier when my alert hours are during time when the sun is out. I also sleep better if I'm going to bed between 10 pm and midnight instead of later. I used to take Trazodone to help me sleep when I was on meds, so I second the idea of taking it at night to help you get some sleep.