Depression

I'm on medication for depression, I have been for years, it took a few months to adjust to the meds, but like you I aim to be free of medication one day soon. My doctor advised me that in my case weight-loss, particularly the loss of visceral fat will help, but until my visceral fat is at an acceptable level, I won't be going off the medication, this is a personal diagnoses for me, from a doctor that has known me for 22 years. Take the time to let the drugs do their thing so you can give your doctor appropriate feedback on the effects, and chat to your doctor about how you can manage your depression without drugs safely. No one on mfp is qualified to tell you what you should do with regards to your mental health and medication. Good luck with your journey and wish you a speedy recovery

Depending on the cause you may not be able to 'fix' your depression with diet an exercise. I mean no amount of diet and exercise is going to fix a chemical imbalance or the like.

However, with consultation with your doctor, you might be able to treat and manage your depression this way.

Hi John,

I was on medication for depression for years and years. I stopped about 18 months ago and have worked really hard at keeping my mood stable other ways. It isn't easy. It's a pretty full-time focus, but I do feel better than I did on medication. When I feel the depression taking hold (which it tries to do often) I go through my checklist and do every single depression-combat thing on it and they seem to work.

Mine are:
Fresh air and daylight - especially in winter months. Get outside for an hour a day at least. Walking, cycling, open air swimming, jogging or working out if you can, but if the depression is bad and you can't move, just sit in the sunniest spot you can find.

Exercise - best for me are HIIT, kayaking, power yoga and boxing training but everyone is different. Try lots of different types of exercise and do something different every day.

Self Care - shower every day, shave, clean teeth, wash your hair. The anti-depression mantra is: You don't have to want to, you just have to do it. Put on clothes you feel and look good in, not those faded tees and sweat pants with holes in the knee. Wear colour and soft textures.

Supplements - especially in winter, take a Vitamin D spray. I also take L-Tyrosine and DLPA (Phenylalanine) because my depression seems linked to reduced dopamine more than reduced serotonin.

Diet - obvious really but eat lots of healthy proteins such as fresh fish, chicken and turkey and at least 8-10 portions of fresh veg and fruit a day, really varying the colours. Drink 2l water and/or herb/fruit/green tea

Actions - These two actions massively help reduce depressive symptoms:
1) Do something new every day. Honestly, this more than any fitness regime, helps me. I think if a scientist tested it, they'd discover it's a brain workout. Doing something you've never done before, especially if its outside your comfort zone, seems to set the neurotransmitters firing on different routes and so you don't get that pattern of low dopamine/serotonin. I kept a diary of what I did. It can be easy stuff like walking down a new street, going to a new cafe, trying a new scent of soap, a new flavour of drink. Or it can be more adventurous - try a new sport or fitness class, do something from your bucket list, do something that scares you etc. I woke up with such a severe feeling of depression a couple of weeks ago that I knew I had to go back on the meds. But instead I pulled out my files on how to combat it and did all of the things on this list, one by one, ending with going out in the evening and performing live which I hadn't done before and felt sick with fear at. By the end of the night I felt great.

2.) Less dynamic but useful. Keep a journal. As well as charting you new thing each day, write down three things each day you feel glad about or grateful for, and, most importantly, write down a list of what you achieved that day. Depression can play tricks on you and make you feel you are worthless but a list of what you actually did is so therapeutic. Even on a really bad day I can list fed the cat, fed the birds, fed the kids - can't argue that feeding hungry people and animals is a worthwhile contribution in the world!

Sorry for this massive essay. But it's almost a hobby of mine to combat depression, so I hope these tips help you too.

I think working with a therapist and/or psychiatrist is the most logical course of action and frankly as much as you may not want to, it won't be a detriment to your health. There are lots of people for whom depression can not be controlled through diet or exercise, regardless of whether or not that exercise involves spending a lot of time outside. There are also a lot of people for whom self help is doesn't even come close to touching the issue at hand. Cycling outside actually makes my depression acutely worse because I'm alone with my thoughts which is really not a good thing.

There's nothing bad about treating your depression (or any other mental health issue) with meds and/or therapy. The only thing I would worry about in your case is that a GP is prescribing psychotropic meds as opposed to a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner.