Depression

[Kaolccips]

What did you guys do to help this? I know this isn't the best place to be asking this kind of advice, but I'm pretty much out of ideas considering I've been trying to fight this since I was 13. (Almost 20 now)

I really don't like the idea of medication for it.. I know there is no cure for it.. In my opinion major depression, at least from my point of view on my own kind of depression, isn't a physical problem that can be treated with drugs.. it's the way I think, my mind, the way I see the world around me. I don't see how a drug could help my mind.. besides I've had family, as well as very close friends with this problem, go to psychiatrists.. and they are just as bad now as they were before.. Didn't change a damn thing but the size of their wallet. The meds isn't making them feel any different, but if they stop taking them, they'll go completely insane. I don't want some bs like that.

So my question is, has anyone here found anything that has helped? Has anyone taken any types of medication that helped? Which brand?

I'm starting to think the only way that I can be helped is by changing my whole outlook on the world. Which I've been trying for many years now but to no avail. I'm actually thinking about joining the Navy. I'd like to travel, do something with my life. Where I'm from, with no money to get away. It's really hard for me to go some place else where there is more work cause around here there is no where to work. And it's going to be hell for me to pay for college.. and considering I also have extremely bad anxiety (doesn't that usually come hand n hand with depression?) then worrying about paying for college is going to drive me crazy.

Any ideas?

 

[SSSnail]

Have you tried girls?

 

[Kaolccips]

Originally posted by: SSSnail
Have you tried girls?

Been there, done that.

Anything else?

edit: (girls helped for a little while.. till it falls apart then you're worst off then you were in the first place. And honestly, I'd like to have my life together before I go getting another girl. I'm not much for spontaneous relationships only for sex n stuff.. I'm more of a long lasting real relationship kind of person.)

 

[SSSnail]

Originally posted by: Kaolccips

Originally posted by: SSSnail
Have you tried girls?

Been there, done that.

Shit mate, you're not doing it right then, because it's something that can ever be "done".

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Honestly: When I was younger I struggled with depression and anger problems but started seeing a psychiatrist which I felt comfortable talking to which helped the whole venting process of the therapy. I think that's the key. What also worked for me was a physical exercise goal. The physical change of your body after a few months of working out is great for your self esteem.

What kind of hobbies do you have? If you have none, get some. Try new things and find out what you like. If you're at home on the computer a lot, get off of it. Get out. Ride a bike, run, walk, enjoy the world.

 

[Kadarin]

What I'd like to know is why is everyone so depressed these days? Is the government putting something in the water or something?

 

[narzy]

exercise is a proven method to reduce depression, if it is severe you may want to seek treatment such as counseling. Don't fall for peoples snake oil and Anti-depressent do help when used properly (which they rarely are )

I take Effexor with decent results, its not a 'sure cure' but it gets me by on my worst days but it really depends on the underlying cause of the depression and that can only be diagnosed a professional.

 

[Locut0s]

<---- On medication for anxiety and depression

Depression most certainly DOES go hand in hand with anxiety!

I never went to a psychiatrist but honestly that's the best thing to do. And make sure it's a good one not one who will just write a prescription for meds and be done with you. Get one that wants to sit and really listen to your problems! As for meds I'm on Paxil and feel that it has helped me but everyone is different. The thing with meds is that when it comes to anti depressants no one knows which one or if any will work for someone before trying them out. We just don't understand them well enough yet to know what will or will not work. Another thing is that they take about a month before they start to really take full effect. You may have to try several different ones before settling on something that works for you. But again I'll reiterate find a doctor/psychiatrist you feel comfortable with first! I still have many issues of my own and may in the future seek out a psychiatrist but I do believe that the meds have helped me.

Above all don't loose hope there is help out there and you don't have to suffer even if the road ends up being a long one!

 

[Bill Brasky]

I don't have depression so I can't speak from my personal experience. However, my cousin (27) has had bad depression her whole life, and medication has helped her tremendously. It was frustrating to watch because she would be on meds for 6 months and show excellent improvement. Then her mother would tell her she didn't need the meds any more and should stop taking them. :| Of course she would relapse, have a break down of sorts and then start the medication again. This cycle continued for many years before she started listening to her doctor and not her stubborn mom.

I can't remember the specific meds she's tried off hand, but I could very easily find out if you'd like. From what I recall though, the proper medication is different between patients.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Exercise is good, the adrenaline tends to suppress the negative feelings a while.

Talking about it can help for some people, as can taking medication.

Find something you can use to release your feelings. Music can help tremendously, but it depends on the kind of music you like. Pop/RnB about happiness and love is a tiny bit less likely to work than 'angry' music like metal or some rap.

If that does not work either I do suggest talking to your physician about it, and do not let yourself be immediately sent to a psychiatrist. That is often not needed, nor do most people need heavy medication. But talking about it can release a lot of the depressive feelings already.

 

[JJChicken]

In the navy, you can sail the seven seas..In the navy, you can put your mind at ease

 

[Shortass]

Speaking from experience, when I went through a rather rough stint of depression (constant awful year long depression... I cant believe I survived) I tried a lot of things. Playing music helped, as long as it was with people, video games really didnt help too much (on a short term basis it did, but isolation never helps).

Like mentioned above though, I started running and it was what eventually cured me. Not only does the rush after running help, but using every bit of energy felt great and feeling better about how you look helps a lot as well... any time I ever feel sad for longer than a day I simply run the crap out of my body until I feel better. I'm lazy as hell, but theres nothing worse than being depressed so I make sure to take care of myself when I need to.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Kaolccips
What did you guys do to help this? I know this isn't the best place to be asking this kind of advice, but I'm pretty much out of ideas considering I've been trying to fight this since I was 13. (Almost 20 now)

I really don't like the idea of medication for it.. I know there is no cure for it.. In my opinion major depression, at least from my point of view on my own kind of depression, isn't a physical problem that can be treated with drugs.. it's the way I think, my mind, the way I see the world around me. I don't see how a drug could help my mind..

yeah, but youre hardly qualified to actually make that kind of decisions

seek professional medical assistance. a very good friend of mine has made a lot of progress between therapy and some medication and is in a much, much better state of mind than what she was in 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[Dirigible]

That sucks. Prozac + therapy worked for me when I was in a severe depression. I find I need to stay on a consistent schedule, with plenty of sleep, daily exercise, and keep drinking to a minimum to avoid recurring bouts. YMMV.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Dirigible
I find I need to stay on a consistent schedule, with plenty of sleep, daily exercise, and keep drinking to a minimum to avoid recurring bouts. YMMV.

That's really it. I had bad depression & anxiety as a result of a chemical imbalance due to several intensive kidney surgeries. It was very difficult to deal with, but it all boils down to taking care of your body and taking control of your schedule. Talking about doing it is easy, but actually doing it is much harder. If you can't even handle going to bed early or eating good food on a regular basis, that simply shows that you are not serious about trying to fight it. My point there isn't to be mean, it's to show you how important the basics are - if you really want to manage your depression, you have to make some small and simple changes - but you have to really do them! Here is what I recommend:

1. Go to sleep EARLY, EVERY NIGHT (no later than 10:00pm, if you really want it to go away, then 9:00pm)
2. Eat healthy meals and cut out drugs (caffiene, heavy sugar use, drugs, alcohol, drugs, non-required medication) and always carry a water bottle with you
3. Exercise every day, at least 10 minutes (but more like 30 minutes)
4. Create a personalized daily routine that you follow to a "T" - I'm talking about waking up, taking a shower, getting dressed and putting on your shoes, and having your day planned out
5. Change the way you deal with responsibilities to "work first, play later" - always do your duty first. Stress is a very large contributor to the way you feel and can manifest itself physically

If you are really serious about fixing your depression, you will do each and every one of these things. Drugs can help, but you're still going to be stuck with your habits and your way of thinking until YOU do something about it. The list above are the very basic ABC's of life and I'm willing to bet the following about you right now:

1. You stay up late
2. You don't eat well, and probably eat a lot of processed/junk food
3. You don't exercise, or if so not much and not consistently
4. You have no plan for your day, you have no routine that you follow
5. You don't take care of your responsibilities first, instead you surf the net, watch TV, play video games, etc.

Am I right? It's easy to brush off what I'm saying, but I've met a LOT of people with depression. I think in a large part it has to due with the changes that modern life has brought - it's easy to treat out bodies poorly because we sit at work, fast food is available at McDonalds and junk food is available in vending machines, there's lots of entertainment to make us stay up late, etc. Again drugs and therapy can help, but in the end you're still stuck with yourself, so unless you're willing to shape up, I'm willing to bet not much will change for you. Let me re-iterate the points that I have seen help people and have helped me personally:

1. Go to bed early (9:00pm every night)
2. Eat healthy (at least 3 healthy meals a day, healthy snacks, lots of water)
3. Exercise every day (even if it's only a 10 minute walk; if you have anxiety about going outside, do like me and get a used exercise bike and put it in front of the TV)
4. Create and follow a personalized daily routine and make a daily plan
5. Do your responsibilities first

If you do this for 1 full week, you will see a tremendous change in your life. You will feel better, your mood will improve, and your body will work better. If you do nothing else, at least go to bed early. This is the #1 thing I have found to help depression - an early bedime. If you can commit to an early bedtime every day, then you are serious about wanting to fix your depression. This sounds silly, but it's no joke - if you can't commit to just going to bed at 9pm every night, then that shows that you don't really care about fixing your depression. There is no magic pill that will fix it - even those who get help through medication still need to do the basics. Take it from a person who has mostly recovered from severe depression and extreme anxiety. I still have my bad days, but I'm in control now, simply because I changed a few small habits.

If you ignore this advice, good luck on fixing your depression. I know it sucks to hear that, but if you can buckle your body and your daily schedule down, you stand a good chance of really improving how you feel. Do those 5 things I listed for just one week and you will most definitely see an improvement. Make small changes, not big ones. You are right about depression - there is no cure for it. There is only daily management. If you make these small changes - i.e going to bed earlier, choosing to eat healthier foods, moving your body around with exercise every day, etc. - they will become habits and daily management will be very easy. If you really stick with those changes, you will get to the point where depression is only a memory.

Again it's easy to brush all of this advice off and seek a more socially-normal solution like drugs and therapy, but do these first before you go down those avenues.

Oh and one more thing, it may be worthwhile to get tested for allergies. I discovered I had a milk allergy last year and a lot of my anxiety went away once I went off it.

Feel free to ask any questions to elaborate on these methods

 

[ajskydiver]

If you broke your arm, would you tell yourself that you just need to change your outlook to heal it?

The brain is the least understood organ in our body...most people in our society cannot seem to grasp that it can be deformed, broken, and generally screwed up just like any other body part. The fact that it's problems are not visible seem to make it so difficult for most people to believe someone can truly have something wrong with it. Those people are generally ones who haven't truly experienced clinical depression or any of the other varieties of problems that can plague an individual.

Seek professional medical help.

Kaido's post is excellent advice -- the importance of sleep can never be emphasized enough.

 

[Jeff7]

What helped greatly was graduating from high school and getting the hell away from the idiots that made life miserable.

I tried two antidepressants after high school. One gave me a grand-mal style seizure after a week, and the other made me tired all the time, basically dulling everything. I've since learned to just tolerate the state of mind, oddly enough, kind of like having a lifelong companion that's always around.
I guess that was about as cheery as something from Marvin from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

 

[Doodoo]

Seems like theres an awful lot of depressed people on this board.

 

[moparacer]

I'm willing to bet the following about you right now

Yep those 5 things about sum it up for me right now. My life to a T including the heavy caffiene/sugar use. I have never though of myself as being depressed but I might want to reconsider that since I dont have any desire to go out and do anything anymore. I just do enough to get through the day and thats it.....

 

[RightIsWrong]

I'm surprised at how many people are or have gone through this and I admire your courage in not only dealing with your own problems/issues related to it but also trying to reach out and help others. Much respect!

I would honestly suggest trying hypnosis. I had an issue that was driving me nuts and I wasn't able to solve it and fought with it for many years but was able to do a complete 180º after only a couple of sessions and the results have held up.

For me, it was really nice because I have a paranoia about taking meds and really was surprised at just how quick, easy, effective and long lasting it has been.

Here's a couple of things that I was able to find related to hypnosis and depression:

MSN: Ask a doctor Q&A

Geared towards fear/phobia, not depression....but watch the video anyway (The article below it is just the video transcript but not as powerful)

 

[Modelworks]

Was diagnosed in 1989 with major depression.
Since then have been on lots of medications and currently take effexor .
I suggest you not look at depression as something that is wrong with you.
If you do have to take medication for it, its no different than someone who takes insulin for diabetes. Its a medical condition that you didn't ask for or do anything to deserve.

Depression is tricky because it involves your thoughts. It can warp your view on the world and make you think things that aren't true. But in the end remember you are the one in control.

You need to do a check on what you think, to make sure it is really true.

example:
Your at work and you do something that makes your boss mad, he yells at you.
Depressed peoples first thought is likely to be " I can't do anything right, I'm always screwing up"

You can learn to catch yourself thinking the negative thoughts and to correct your thoughts.

Like from the above example:
"I can't do anything right"
Anything ? surely there are some things you can do right.

"I'm always screwing up"
Thats pretty extreme are you really 'always' screwing up?

The process is called CBT or cognitive beahvoiral therapy.
There are numerous books and counselors that teach it and it has helped me more than any medication.

When you need medication is when you are at the point that you can't realize that you are having those negative thoughts. And when you can't mentally do the checks on how you are thinking.

Medication is not going to make you a better person and change how you think. Its only going to help you to be healthy enough to understand what you need to do to feel better.


CBT link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...ive_behavioral_therapy

Its also worth learning about for everyone, not just the severely depressed

Says it better than my example:

For example, Gina is upset because she got a low mark on a math test. The Activating event, A, is that she failed her test. The Belief, B, is that she must have good grades or she is worthless. The Consequence, C, is that Gina feels depressed.

Reframing. After irrational beliefs have been identified, the therapist will often work with the client in challenging the negative thoughts on the basis of evidence from the client's experience by reframing it, meaning to re-interpret it in a more realistic light. This helps the client to develop more rational beliefs and healthy coping strategies.

From the example above, a therapist would help Gina realize that there is no evidence that she must have good grades to be worthwhile, or that getting bad grades is awful. She desires good grades, and it would be good to have them, but it hardly makes her worthless. If she realizes that getting bad grades is disappointing, but not awful, and that it means she is currently bad at math or at studying, but not as a person, she will feel sad or frustrated, but not depressed. The sadness and frustration are likely healthy negative emotions and may lead her to study more effectively from then on.

 

[Kaolccips]

Originally posted by: SSSnail

Originally posted by: Kaolccips

Originally posted by: SSSnail
Have you tried girls?

Been there, done that.

Shit mate, you're not doing it right then, because it's something that can ever be "done".

No but I can honestly say I'm really not looking for a relationship right now. They are work and just adds to shit I need to have on my mind, which I'd rather not have.

Originally posted by: Kadarin
What I'd like to know is why is everyone so depressed these days? Is the government putting something in the water or something?

Water around here gives people spinal problems or some shit lol.. So much iron in the water it looks cloudy. Can't drink it.

Originally posted by: Zaitsev
I don't have depression so I can't speak from my personal experience. However, my cousin (27) has had bad depression her whole life, and medication has helped her tremendously. It was frustrating to watch because she would be on meds for 6 months and show excellent improvement. Then her mother would tell her she didn't need the meds any more and should stop taking them. :| Of course she would relapse, have a break down of sorts and then start the medication again. This cycle continued for many years before she started listening to her doctor and not her stubborn mom.

I can't remember the specific meds she's tried off hand, but I could very easily find out if you'd like. From what I recall though, the proper medication is different between patients.

Yeah exact shit has happened with my mom so many times. She would start feeling good then quit taking them thinking shes "cured". Then she would have a complete crazyperson break down and starts taking them all over again. Which is where my depression comes from, my parents both have had problems with it for a long time.

 

[daveymark]

wow. kaido's post really hit the nail on the head :thumbsup:

 

[Kaolccips]

Originally posted by: daveymark
wow. kaido's post really hit the nail on the head :thumbsup:

Yeah thanks, it did pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Looks like I'm gonna be goin to bed early tonight

Thanks a lot and I'll be sure to start doing those things. I'm willing to try anything to get a hold on this problem because having major depression is an enormous problem that HAS to be fixed.

 

[Q]

I am not sure if the Navy would help at all, maybe the Peace Corps?