Poll: Depression.

[Limasol]

Ive been on watch for this sort of thing. At its worst it can feel like an actual weight in the pit of your stomach. Along with headaches and the inability to make eye contact with people. It wasn't fun but i punched through it with help from peeps at my old college and now i recommend that everyone just punch through their problems as they come. I still swing up and down in mood all the time but i can't let it bother me

 

[SecretTacoNinja]

Only when I'm at college, or bored out of my mind.

To counter depression I would recommend:

Getting an Ocarina
Playing an awesome video game
Listening to music
Laughter
Talking to people you like
Going for a walk
Getting a pet
Sleeping on it

What you shouldn't do is:

Do drugs
Comfort eat
Kill yourself

 

[caross73]

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.

This is an undocumented side-effect of all SRIs if my doctor is to be believed. You aren't the first one to experience it.

 

[JMeganSnow]

You don't have to see a psychologist to get these things out in the open. You do need it for prescription drugs, but those aren't the only answer.

Actually, you need to see a *psychiatrist* for drugs. (At least in the U.S., if you're from elsewhere your mileage may vary.) A psychologist is not a doctor (M.D. doctor, I mean) and can't prescribe drugs. A psychiatrist is and can. Psychologists are for therapy and organizing your thoughts. Psychiatrists are for disorders.

 

[Handofpwn]

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.

I'm still on Wellbutrin, and it doesn't really work for me, it just balances out my ADD drugs. I know it does not work, though, because when I was a highschool freshman, I was a fucked up little emo kid, bad poetry and all, (I think that some of it was because I was in a shit situation with this one girl though). I'm better now, I forced myself to hang out with friends more often and socialize, that really helped.

 

[JMeganSnow]

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.

This is an undocumented side-effect of all SRIs if my doctor is to be believed. You aren't the first one to experience it.

Wow, that's . . . weird. But cool. At least the hallucinations were only at night. :-D

 

[gnarledrose]

Used to, but recovering. I still get down from time to time, but it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. I wish I could say what helped me get over it, aside from my wife, so I could help others. Having someone always there was exactly what I needed. It's a shame that it's impossible to prescribe to someone.

 

[Wyatt]

ive been in treatment for depression for almost 8 years now. the ONLY thing thats helped me is drugs. and they dont do all that great a job. i take cymbalta, i started out at a 100 mg dose and just couldnt take it, eventualy i ended up only taking 20 mgs a day. my doc gives me the impression that isnt enough to make a real difference but ive told him before many times that it doesnt do any good to 'cure' my depression by driving me nuts with side effects. ive taken 9 different drugs and cymbalta has the least side effects but the simple truth is that each person is different and you just need to poke and hope till you find the right drug.

talk Therapy is the biggest crock of shit that i can think of. it MAY work for some people, but i havent found that talking about depression has done anything to actualy STOP it. if you have an imballance in your brain talking wont change that. you cant THINK your way our of depression, trust me i know. the nature of the disease is such that the PROBLEM is your not thinking 'right'. if you could THINK your way out of depression then your not depressed in the first place. and the worst form of it isnt 'sadness' its when you just dont give a shit about anything. Qayin hit the nail right on the head for me, when you dont want to even leave your bed its hard to work up enough motivation to get into the whole doctor circle jerk thing.

if your actualy depressed there isnt much i can tell you thats good news. hope you can find a medication that will take most of the effects away and that eventualy you will recover on your own, and by recover i mean being able to function atleast in a minimal state in your daily life, but dont count on it. 8 years on and im still seldom able to even leave my house, i have literaly sat at home with no food, not because i lack the cash to buy any or the means to get to a store but because its eaiser to be hungry than work up enough effort to go shoping.

its a horrible way to live but you deal with it as best you can i guess.

 

[mkb07a]

I have bipolar, so I have those big ups and crashing downs at times, but over the last year, I've really managed to take control over the situation. I've made sure to reduce stress (one of the big reasons I am no longer a theatre major is the amount of stress it created in me, making me more likely to lapse into a cycle), I have to eat at regular times (which, for me, means breakfast every single day, even if I don't feel like it), I do light exercise (swimming), and I talk about it, a lot, with my boyfriend. I don't know where I'd be if he hadn't been here for two years now, holding my hand through every cycle and telling me that I'm not losing my mind and that I can take the right steps to manage my bipolar.

That being said, I've yet to do professional counseling or take medication, but I've gotten to the point of such extreme self-awareness with my emotions and mental state that if I feel a cycle coming on, I can take the necessary steps to control it. This doesn't stop me from wanting to kill myself (seriously) at the most random of times in my Spanish class, but it helps a lot.

Overall, I think I'm getting a lot better, but it's taken me several years, lots of talking, and a lot of support to get to this point. The fear of being medicated is what's made me work this hard.

EDIT: Something I just thought of... having a pet almost always helps people with depression or anxiety problems. I don't know why it is (I'd have to ask my boyfriend, he's the psychology major), but a pet that you can hug really helps. Maybe it's the thought of having something there that loves you unconditionally, no matter what mood you're in.

 

[Anarchemitis]

My favorite bible verse:

• 1st Thessalonians 5
  [sup]16[/sup]Be joyful always.[sup]17[/sup]Pray often.

 

[curlycrouton]

I'm confused as to why over 26.6% of us suffer from depression. This is an absurd number quite honestly, I reckon vast numbers are just feeling a little bit sad or suffering from Teenage Angst Syndrome (apologies to those of you who actually are depressed)

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

I do great as long as I don't think about all the sex I'm not having... Oh here it comes again T_T

 

[HuntingWolf_01]

Arg iam pretty down at the moment because of ..surprise surpise, a girl

 

[s-l-u-g]

Arg iam pretty down at the moment because of ..surprise surpise, a girl

oh god tell me about it.

 

[SteinFaust]

sometimes. i don't think it's clinical or anything, but there are days when i feel just terrible. then i relax with some friends, fire up a console, or have my favorite food (NOT as a crutch, mind you), and i start to feel better.

 

[goodman528]

Considering the amount of work piling on my desk right now, and my inability to do most of it.... I think this is as a good a time as any to start suffering from depression... but that'll probaby make it even more stressful....

 

[HuntingWolf_01]

Arg iam pretty down at the moment because of ..surprise surpise, a girl

oh god tell me about it.

yes well, i dont want to go into details but all i can say is why do we bother? lol
they're not worth the trouble

 

[Avida]

I'm confused as to why over 26.6% of us suffer from depression. This is an absurd number quite honestly, I reckon vast numbers are just feeling a little bit sad or suffering from Teenage Angst Syndrome (apologies to those of you who actually are depressed)

This is an internet forum for (i'd like to think) generally intelligent people and geeks - OF COURSE there is going to be a higher-than-average depression rate here.

As for myself, i was really quite depressed for a large portion of this year, im not really experienced enough to say how depressed in comparison to anything else but i became apathetic to everything and everyone and people i hardly knew were worried for me. How did i get over it? Take your mind off the thoughts, sounds stupid but this covers writing everything down (really helped) getting a new job you dont hate (really helped) and just making an effort to stay with happy people for as much of your day as you can. - Took about 6 weeks and a while longer to realise i was ok.

 

[klakkat]

You don't have to see a psychologist to get these things out in the open. You do need it for prescription drugs, but those aren't the only answer.

Actually, you need to see a *psychiatrist* for drugs. (At least in the U.S., if you're from elsewhere your mileage may vary.) A psychologist is not a doctor (M.D. doctor, I mean) and can't prescribe drugs. A psychiatrist is and can. Psychologists are for therapy and organizing your thoughts. Psychiatrists are for disorders.

Ahh, right. I sometimes forget the distinction. See a psychiatrist, not a psychologist.

 

[klakkat]

I'm not even sure of what mood I'm in. I'd say I'm in a mid-point between happiness and sadness. I don't know why, it could just be me being an angsty teen.

-Ricky

Could be. I'm of the mind that people below 18 shouldn't be prescribed mood altering drugs except in extreme cases. Not anything wrong with them, it's just that it takes awhile for a person's hormones and growth to settle down. 18 isn't a concrete number, more an observational opinion.

Not that some teens aren't genuinely depressed, but most people only need to *think* they aren't depressed to truly not be depressed. Others need aid. It comes to the 'boy who cried wolf' analogy, so many people are complaining about depression these days that those that truly suffer from it (chemically, I mean) are often missed, sometimes long enough for them lapse into suicidal thoughts.

I've actually had a distant cousin commit suicide before 18. Some people really do need help; everyone else, try your hardest to get over it on your own. You'll be better for it anyway.

ok...

first off, depression is a state of mind. If you are unhappy with yourself, figure out why and change it. Its that simple.

If you need help, inhale nitros oxide while having an orgasm and you will never be depressed again, I promise

While this is USUALLY true, there are people out there who's brains literally do not produce certain chemicals needed to have happy or balanced moods. These people need to identify the disorder, and seek professional help. Everyone else can get over it on their own, and sometimes non-chemical methods work for these people as well, but there's no guarantee that they even can control their mood.