Poll: Depression.

[TerribleTerryTate]

This may seem like a pretty crappy topic to be starting, but I am genuinely interested how many of you guys/gals suffer with depression.

I do myself. Have done for quite some time now. I've tried everything for it; counselling, medication, etc etc, but nothing works. Medication makes me feel ill (side effects, such as throwing up, and the like) and I find counselling just doesn't help at all.
Are there any options that have helped you? I'd be interested in trying some new ones.

(I apologise if this thread has been done before.)

 

[black lincon]

I would say lower your standards across the board(stops me from being sad) but I realize that is probably insensitive and I have no experience with this disease.

 

[TerribleTerryTate]

I would say lower your standards across the board(stops me from being sad) but I realize that is probably insensitive and I have no experience with this disease.

I don't view that as being insensitive at all. It's quite difficult to explain exactly why I myself suffer from depression. I have my good days, and some really bad ones. I've been told it can be a chemical inbalance in the brain which causes it, which makes you more susceptible to suffer.

 

[fulano]

This may seem like a pretty crappy topic to be starting, but I am genuinely interested how many of you guys/gals suffer with depression.

I do myself. Have done for quite some time now. I've tried everything for it; counselling, medication, etc etc, but nothing works. Medication makes me feel ill (side effects, such as throwing up, and the like) and I find counselling just doesn't help at all.
Are there any options that have helped you? I'd be interested in trying some new ones.

(I apologise if this thread has been done before.)

Contrary to what Tom Cruise says, you probably may have a clinical imbalance. Try talking with your doctor and see where you stand with the drugs, and exercise frequently even if you don't feel like it.

Life is too short to spend it being nuts when you don't have to.

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

It depends. Some days I experience what I call depression, other days I'm happy. I suppose it's some sort of chemical imbalance. Usually, when I'm feeling depressed, I try to reason my way out of being depressed.

 

[jthm]

As a man on the road to recovery (what a relentlessly sad term that is) from depression, my advice to you is find something to do that involves people you know and go do it. If no one you know is available, remember it isn't personal they just have lives too. Go see a movie you're interested in. Go to a Nerd Con of some sort if you've ever wanted to but haven't. Get out and do things because if you don't you're going to be making it worse staying where no one can help you and feeling sorry for yourself and hating yourself for it.

 

[The Lyre]

Currently in a relapse, so hell yes.

I feel the need to point out that I am clinically diagnosed - a friend of mine calls themselves depressed because they lightly scratch hearts into the back of their hand with a pen, and this fast-tracks them in counselling.

Whereas I originally had to spend months arguing my case, simply because I was too depressed to even bother with self harm - I was that damn apathetic.

I just find the whole "Oh yeah, I'm totally [Insert Initials Here], I'm just out of my mind!" incredibly, incredibly annoying.

As for new options - what counselling were you given?

I was being treated - along with Fluoxetine - with your bog-standard psychoanalysis, which just wasn't helping, but apparently Cognitive Behavourial Therapy may have much better results.

So perhaps the lack of results from your counselling is that you aren't being treated in the right method.

Or there is a chance you have a biological predisposition to these emotions, making medication the only really effective solution. Again - if the side effects are that bad, you need a different drug.

 

[TerribleTerryTate]

This may seem like a pretty crappy topic to be starting, but I am genuinely interested how many of you guys/gals suffer with depression.

I do myself. Have done for quite some time now. I've tried everything for it; counselling, medication, etc etc, but nothing works. Medication makes me feel ill (side effects, such as throwing up, and the like) and I find counselling just doesn't help at all.
Are there any options that have helped you? I'd be interested in trying some new ones.

(I apologise if this thread has been done before.)

Contrary to what Tom Cruise says, you probably may have a clinical imbalance. Try talking with your doctor and see where you stand with the drugs, and exercise frequently even if you don't feel like it.

Life is too short to spend it being nuts when you don't have to.

Exercise helps me massively. However, as soon as I'm finished I feel the same again. It's a great release whilst you're actively exercising but the downer afterwards is just as bad if not worse than the feelings beforehand.

 

[CancerDog]

I'm actually on prozac right now. I'm 17 and yea, had an awesome patch of life where my father had a stroke, my girlfriend cheated on me, I lost all my friends, and I lost my job. Tried to do "something", can probably guess, was taken to an emergency counseling center and here I am.

 

[TerribleTerryTate]

I'm actually on prozac right now. I'm 17 and yea, had an awesome patch of life where my father had a stroke, my girlfriend cheated on me, I lost all my friends, and I lost my job. Tried to do "something", can probably guess, was taken to an emergency counseling center and here I am.

Similar situation to myself mate. Although I'm 22, and was on Prozac, but that just royally messed my stomach up. The rest is very similar to myself though. Lost my job, fiance had a mis-carriage and her way of dealing with that was to cheat on me (I can't figure it out either,) and two close family members died in the same week. Was a pretty tough time. Had all sorts of different counselling for the best part of 6 months, just didn't work.

 

[JMeganSnow]

I just find the whole "Oh yeah, I'm totally [Insert Initials Here], I'm just out of my mind!" incredibly, incredibly annoying.

Hah, yes, I hear this. My parents had me in and out of therapy all the time when I was a kid and I was on Wellbutrin for a while. The only effect I noticed was that I had really incredibly vivid dreams every night. My doctor said it was the most bizarre side effect she'd ever heard of. Then again, maybe I have some kind of invisible sleep disorder and that's what makes me feel "depressed" all the time.

What I don't understand is the tendency I've seen to declare that people are depressed *because they feel like crap* regardless of their circumstances. If your life sucks, you don't feel bad because you're depressed. You feel bad because your life sucks. Duh.

The only "cure" I found for myself was to get my parents off my back and take the initiative in making my life not suck. It worked amazingly well! I may not be as happy as other people (and how the heck would you tell something like that anyway?) but I'm happier than I was and I can certainly tell the difference.

I can't advise anyone on their personal situation, but one thing that EVERYONE can and should do is to STOP TAKING ADVICE FROM OTHER PEOPLE ON YOUR LIFE. Other people are full of shit--you can tell this by their frequent and incredible failures to follow their own advice. Just take a nice, honest look at your life and do *one* thing that may help improve your situation. You won't want to do it. I know, I've been there (I'm there now, in fact), but it's like pulling a splinter--you'll feel better once it's over with, and usually it's not as bad as you think it will be.

I know all about having motivation problems, too--it's worst when you don't think that anything will help. It will--and even if it doesn't, at least it kept you occupied for a while.

 

[fulano]

I'm actually on prozac right now. I'm 17 and yea, had an awesome patch of life where my father had a stroke, my girlfriend cheated on me, I lost all my friends, and I lost my job. Tried to do "something", can probably guess, was taken to an emergency counseling center and here I am.

Similar situation to myself mate. Although I'm 22, and was on Prozac, but that just royally messed my stomach up. The rest is very similar to myself though. Lost my job, fiance had a mis-carriage and her way of dealing with that was to cheat on me (I can't figure it out either,) and two close family members died in the same week. Was a pretty tough time. Had all sorts of different counselling for the best part of 6 months, just didn't work.

Ouch, that's heavy stuff, and you're just 22.
Not much I can tell you, so good luck to ya.

 

[Amnestic]

Everyone is depressed. Most people just refuse to admit it.

Everyone is happy. Most people just refuse to admit it.

I can say stupid stuff too.

I'm not depressed, had a rough time at school during my early teens which could have caused what might have been depression, but all it did was make me bunk off school. Half a decade since then and I'm fine and dandy Quite cheerful actually.

Except for the lack of a job *shakes fist*

 

[Evilbunny]

Even while I was sick with cancer I didn't get depressed. I guess I'm just happy go lucky.

 

[AuntyEthel]

Except for the lack of a job *shakes fist*

Touche! Lacking a job sucks ass.

 

[Zeromaxx]

I sometimes suffer from the effects of depression, although I rarely wake up feeling them. Something that goes on through the day will infallibly set it off at least a couple times a week...I usually blame it on stupid people and the fact that I can't brutally murder them for said stupidity without being harshly punished but I doubt that's the real cause.

 

[klakkat]

I had a bout with this, and so far the most effective treatment is exercise. Yeah, you heard me. I'm no health nut; in fact, I'm a bit of a fat guy. But even I can get off my lazy ass and get some exercise now and again.

Unfortunately, I forget the study, so I can't quote my references, but I've seen a report that said 30 minutes of exercise a day has the same anti-depressant effect as any mild to moderate anti-depressant prescription drug on the market, much more than the placebo effect. It doesn't take much; you don't have to go all health nut. Just start walking more. Park further away from your destination, or if you can, just walk the whole way. Getting 30 minutes to an hour of walking in a day helps your mood overall.

Other than that, I'll tell you what's worked for me. One: don't oversleep. Maybe I personally am nuts, but I feel better on 5-6 hours of sleep than on 12. Only sleeping 5-6 is probably overdoing it, but I for one feel considerably worse throughout the day if I sleep in longer than 8 or 9.

If it's people that get to you, I guess you can try to be more aloof. Ignore them, become more self-centered; it may not be a great philosophy, but hey, it helps keep your mind on what's important and keeps people from harming your mood.

Other than that, find something you enjoy doing, and do it. Whatever it is. Hopefully you can make money doing it, but if not, keep at it anyway. Video games can be included in this category, but with caution; when playing a game think to yourself if you're really enjoying yourself or not. If the answer is 'no' (or you can't tell) then do something else. Get outside, read a book, chat up a friend, whatever. There's no point in playing a game if you aren't having fun. Granted, if you have enough games you enjoy, then you don't need any other hobbies, but I've not been lucky enough to achieve that.

 

[implodingMan]

I'm not a depressed person. I'm not really the happiest person every either, and peppy people get on my nerves. On a scale of 1 to 10, with ten being ridiculously super happy I generally sit at a comfortable 5.5. In never really dip below 4 (except when my dog died). Of course this is all abstract thought. My 5 might be what you would think of as less.

 

[LV Solace]

19, and I'm fairly certain I'd be evaluated as depressed, if I ever bothered to see a shrink. Dont have the money to be wasting on something I know how to deal with.

The way I deal with it, I do not recomend to anyone else. I do not recomend the following, I'll even spoiler tag it.

Spoiler

I did attempt to end my life once, and the pain I got then from fucking it up, was horrible. And the pain I get everynow and then, is a constant reminder of what not to do. My reminder of my fuck up, is how I go about not trying anything else.

Aside from that strategy, I focus my sorrow, into anger. Anger, at others, policies, things that are imperfect. ANything but my self. Never focus your sorrow or anger onto your self, it leads to negitive thoughts and then your just that much more likely to do soemthing like that.

Another strategy, is to simply keep your self busy. I like to walk, I walk, and I walk. I have music playing that the people I walk by can hear. And I talk to my self, generally about things I dislike.

And my final way to deal, is to write. Mindlessly pooring out your feelings, an actuall story, rules people should follow, things like that.

 

[indyfan]

I don't know why this thread was started, but if were getting personal

Yes I do get depressed, as does many people, what makes me different? well nothing really

A cure?

Friends, A pet, something social, someone to talk to, even if its in some chat room online