depression

Been there, done that. Long time ago, actually, and I'm not sure how long it lasted before I finally talked to my doc and got an antidepressant. Which worked wonders for me; I took it for a year and then stopped it, with my doc's okay. Have had some winter depression since then off and on, for which I've tried meds and light therapy. They work equally well for me.

That said, there's two flavors of depression: unipolar (just depressive episodes) and bipolar (depression AND mania/hypomania both occur, sometimes together). Bipolar depressive phases are usually worse, and harder to treat. They are less likely to respond to medications. But the average depressive episode (either type) lasts for several months, up to a year.

Effective ways to help combat depression:

1. Get off your butt and do stuff, whether you feel like it or not. Exercise, spend time with people you enjoy, do stuff that usually makes you feel better, even if it doesn't actually work that day.

2. Positive self-talk. Actively stop negative self-talk and make the effort to skew positive. (Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, basically.) Meditation can also help; learning how to be mindful, in the moment, and nonjudgmental is great for a lot of emotional issues.

3. Take good care of your body. Eat right, exercise, shower and get dressed every day, that sort of thing.

4. LIGHT, especially in the winter. (Do you have winter depression? The shortest day of the year is just before Christmas, which is why I ask.) Light therapy is really very effective, and the average light box costs around $100-$200. I've got one and it's staved off winter depression for me, several years in a row. Less side effects than meds. Gotta use it for at least 20 minutes a day, within an hour of when you intend to be up each day, for it to be most effective. And do not actually look directly at the light. The light needs to hit the rod cells in your retina, which are on the periphery.

5. Medications. There are a variety of antidepressants, each with its own unique characteristics, and it's clear that some work better than others for specific people. Even within the same class. (This is partly about genetics and how your liver handles meds.) For the folks with bipolar disorder, mood stabilizers seem to be more effective than antidepressants, and even then, all mood stabilizers are not created equal. Sometimes a small boost to the thyroid, or augmentation with a mood stabilizer, helps a partial response become a better response. (A side note to the above poster: taking meds does not represent a failure on your part. The reality is that the brain of a depressed person WORKS DIFFERENTLY than the brain of a nondepressed person. Sometimes meds are needed so that you can get the energy, and sleep, and motivation to do the other things.)

6. Support groups. Check NAMI's site (amazing organization) for some ideas of where to go. It helps to know you are not alone, even when you feel that way.

In general, all of the above, together, are more effective than any of them alone for moderate to severe depression.

Good luck to you. I've seen some of your posts at other times (in December, I think) and I know you're already doing a lot of these things. Kudos for the courage to post this.

Many on here probably have not "discovered" the actual cause of the obesity issue. You have taken a huge step~~~yes, depression of various levels is the bottom line of obesity. You're well on the road to recovery and taking control of becoming heart healthy. You will succeed, because you're a winner!

I suffer from chronic depression and anxiety. I am working with therapy, but I also am taking anti-depressant medication, which can be a bummer because it can contribute to weight gain (it was by no means the main cause of mine). I find my current combination of Lexapro in the evening and Wellbutrin in the morning seems to be weight neutral.

If this continues I'd recommend both consulting a doctor and a counselor.

Good luck to you!

I have not suffered from depression myself but my dad, my brother in law and a best friend all had it severely. A number of bits of advice:-

1. talk to people about it, how you feel, don't bottle it up and don't feel stigmatised by it.
2. Exercise, endorphins released actually help.
3. Take every day as it comes, just because today was bad does not mean tomorrow will be too.
4. Be positive in thought,think about the good things in your life now and in the past.
5. I was listening to Ruby Wax a depression sufferer today on the radio and she said there was a particular piece of music that always made her smile however low she felt, identify these triggers and use them.

For a large part of my battle, food was my comfort. 2 years ago I finally sought out therapy and medication. Personally, the meds made me feel miserable, but I worked with a therapist for almost 5 months and learned some effective personal tools, and it gave me an outlet without receiving awkward pity or judgement (I love my friends and family, but people who haven't been through it sometimes have a hard time responding to it - and by no means on purpose).

I find that exercising helps (I also have high anxiety, and this really helps me with both). Redirecting your thoughts, as silly as it may seem at first, really helps. Whenever you do something mundane that you do regularly (grabbing a glass of water, putting on your clothes, anything like that), attach a positive thought. Whenever you start really feeling low, try to redirect your thoughts to something positive, or even something else completely. It can be hard, but can be effective with practice.

Best of luck to you. It's a tough journey, but make sure you stick with it. Good luck on your volunteering as well, that can do a world of wonder for lifting your mood.

There is lots of good advice there, but be aware that unless you have been through it yourself, you can never really understand the black cloud, and how hard it is to feel that there is ever a way out. I am fortunate that I have not yet been there, but have friends who have, and apart from being there for them, and supporting them, there is very little I can say or do that will help, and I have seen other mutual friends actually not help by telling them to "snap out of it". You WILL get through each episode, and as it is often chemically based, pills can help - so seek medical help. Good luck!

I just got really pissed off and used that to fuel a change.. not sure what the trigger was or why it happened when it did.. maybe acceptance? Or just the fight in me to get back to the days of old where things were better.

Anyways, here's my story.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/445541-depression-this-is-my-story-and-this-is-why-i-am-here

Best of luck to you.

How cool of you to pursue volunteering for the shelter. All great advice here. I went through a bout of depression that required antidepressants when I was 29 (I'm 44 now). Hated them...kept me in a fog for the five months I was on them before getting pregnant and having to quit. When my doc said I would have to stay on them forever since I would always suffer from depression I 'got mad' and decided to do all I could to avoid the meds. Whenever I felt a downward slide I would find something new I wanted to learn. In '04 I took a motorcycle class and whenever I felt 'it' creeping up I hit the road and it's been the best medicine for me. When I quit my job as a construction project manager three years ago I discovered meditation and painting. So I guess the thing that helped me is discovering new things to do that reignites a spark. And don't worry about being 25 and missing out. You can start from here. Feel free to add me or email me if you need to talk.

wow thankyou for the responses so far,

I will send some friends requests out shortly, so thank you for the advice,

Im on anti-depressants, after 3 years on them, I stopped them in october, and started taking them again around new year, so there starting to kick in. I know there working as I dont feel the need to cry all the time anymore. I just keep getting anxious feeling all the time. But I dont fear panic attacks anymore, so they dont happen, but just the feelings of being anxious.

I have tried to give myself the best fighting chance of cracking this. I force myself to go the gym everyday, and go outside for walks, eat healthy within reason. Because I quit my job in november I get quite lonely in the day. so I have an appointment with a homeless charity to discuss about me doing some voluteering work for them to keep me busy. Im lucky that I dont have to worry about money to enable me to do this. but some times no matter about the above I find each day so hard. How is this right at 25 yrs old. I feel like im missing out in the world.

Did you just up and quit your meds in Oct or did you wean yourself off them? Quickly stopping anti-depressants can have some pretty bad side effects. Either way, glad to hear you're improving, I know how hard depressive episodes can be.