Please help - depression

It is that simple, just not that easy. It was incredibly hard for me to do, took me years. My depression started when I was 4 or 5 and I couldn't get myself out of it until I was 17 years old. I know that it's not about being a whiney teenager and hating your parents. I wouldn't pretend to know anything about it if I didn't know what I was talking about. All I'm saying is that it takes your unrelenting effort to figure out why, how, when, and what your depression is and the desire to understand yourself and help yourself change. And all I'm saying is that I did it without medications.

 

Tamee is right about not using medications. They DO do your brain in + like, they do affect your abilities in MANY ways. All is seperate cases, but stuff from doctors etc isn't the answer. there is a lot of help out there + many ways of doing things + coping with things. But pills from the medical people aren't the answer. They do your brain in + also, that is just a temperary relief to cure SYMPTOMS + it does NOT cure the actual problems. We HAVE to deal with the actual cause of the depression + problems to go forward or we are all living a total lie to ourselves.

 

...two nights ago my brother took 20 pills of some kind of tylenol like stuff which had 500 mg of whatever in each pill. He thinks he has nothing to live for. I took him to the emergency room and now he's in a hospital 45 minutes away from here. My mom told me he's taking medications and it made me sad.

 

Sigh, sorry to hear about him Tamee , I sometimes feel like taking my life, but can't cos I couldn't abandon my parents or friends or rather I'd hope that things never got that bad as to where I would actually want to do something like that to myself. You should try talking to your brother + tell him how upset everyone would be if he did anything like that again + how much he is loved by all of you. + like, try to get to find out all his problems + maybe try to help him out with them + get him out somewhere once or twice a week somewhere nice etc .

+ Sugar_mag, teenagers that have issues with their parents in the UK usually visit a social worker at their local social services + get free anonymous advice, that is unless the kid wants to put fear into their parents by taking the social worker with them to visit his/her parents to talk issues out, + crikey, does it put fear in their hearts when they know a social worker is involved !

 

for me, drawing while listening to some blood-pumping music loud on headphones zones me out and i forget about being depressed. or taking a walk alone in the woods...feeling the wind on your face..drawing outside...if you into that..

i have depression or whatnot, i quit paxil...i think the whole therapy/medication deal hurt me more than it helped me. i've lost trust for people...and i think self-healing helps much better. other ppl telling you what's wrong is shitty.

only you know you, and only you can help you! you have to want to get better, which is the hardest part, i know! i'm in the same rut. i have no motivation to do shit...go to school, work, nothing...i just want to be...but that isnt good enough when you're living at home..

 

Well done little one, thats the point, if you can find a direction in life that makes you happy, then follow it with your heart + stuff off to whatever anyone else thinks. Sometimes U have to do whats best for yourself + not others. I was lucky when I ws in my latter teens as my m+d encouraged me + supported anything I did I.E Bought me a bass guitar + got me private lessons once a week + I got good mates + we formed a band etc.

Yeah, it is hard if living at home, but even with art, ( or whatever one chooses or finds what their creative output is ), if you can get support in that way from other family members it can help. but if they won't.. Stuff them + concentrate on yourself + let that creativity flow :sunglasse .

 

whatever you do don't start using things like high sugar soft drinks to pick you up because from experience you end up addicted to me and I ended up drinking 4 1.5L a day which ended making me feeling completly numb and up all night going well you can tell what happened from drinking that amount it lasted 2 months when I came off it cold turkey I was sick for a week till a got used to it.

Anyway good luck I know its hard cause I've had the same problem for 4 n a half years now and fourntantly only 5 suicide attempts and I can't shake it mainly as I rarely like speaking about so I am in deneail about it and I don't like the idea of medication don't ask me why but I'm not happy about being on epeleptic medication its just not right to me

 

Have you tried seeking a naturalpath in yoor area? I know there is a lady in my area that gives 25 dollar an hour consultations and she is just amazing. She knows everything about the body and what it needs. She knows how to treat things in the body by natural means and herbs etc. So amazing. No doctor reccomended meds. Those ( in my opinion) Only mask the issues. They try to get you on the "right ones for you" meanwhile you are dealing with med side effects etc. And even if it does help connect an embalence when you get off (if you ever do) you go right back to being depressed again. Seriously go to a peacefull yoga class weekely at least! A change of diet helps too. The healthier you eat the better you work internaly. You ARE what you eat! And if you are going to take medications research everything in it and what it's doing to you. You have ONE body at the moment take care of it. Don't let corprate medication makers take your life from you.

 

Depression is a REAL biological condition. It's not all in your head or something that you can just snap out of at will. The fact is some people need prescription medication to help with their depression. People diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder NEED medication, even when they are feeling better.

There are new studies out that show fish oil helps with Depression, Bi-Polar Disorder and Schizophrenia. You take it in addition to your prescription medication. The most successful doses for depression and Bi-Polar Depression is 1 to 3 grams daily. I take 1 gram. The way it comes that means I take five 100 mg soft gels in the morning and five at night. They are inexspensive and they work. It doesn't work overnight though. It takes awhile. Some people experience fish burps for the first week or two but that is a relatively mild side effect. Plus fish oil is very good for your heart, circulation, brain and mood. Try doing a Google search to learn more about fish oil and depression.

-lilia

 

+ what about the depression of the millions of murdered fish?
I agree in ways with you about it being biological, as like, if U drink a lot of booze, then U feel happy, then depressed the next day as alchy is a depressant + i know this as I still use it to cover my problems sometimes . But not always, + like, check out this hippy forum, + a lot are veggies. So HONESTLY, disrespect is NOT meant, but some know that living on other beings is un nesscerrary . As we can live on more enrergy giving fields via vetables etc.

Anyway, Yes, I agree from the PAST that cod fish oil did do wonders, but a table spoon of vegetable / sunflower oil in a can of beans does the same thing + I can vouch for that .

 

If you chose to be vegetarian thats great. You can get some of the same benefits by using other oils but not all of the benefits. Omega 3 fatty acid, specifically,DHA,& EPA are found primarily in oily cold water fish. Besides the fish only fresh seaweed has it. Dark green leafy vegetables and flaxseed oil have an Omega 3 fatty acid but it is a third type, ALA. The body uses it differently and the studies on Omega 3 fatty acids and depression are finding that the ALA version of the Omega 3 does not work the same. It is not near as effective.


If you do chose the vegetarian life style you really need to work hard on educating yourself on getting the proper nutrients. On first appearance it would seem like the better, healthier way to live but unless you really know what you are doing a well balanced diet that includes meat in moderation is more optimal for a human.

I believe in individual choice. To consume animal products or to not consume them is an individual choice. You need to educate yourself on the pro's and con's and then make your choice but just remember that you do not have the right force someone else to chose or think the same way that you do.

-lilia

 

It's so weak. It didn't do anything. It was like taking a placebo. I had extreme depression when my first psychiatrist put me on it, and that was the dumbest thing ever. And it just sucked for me.

 

I've been seeing a psychiatrist for four years. My current one is like my best friend. I would never not go.

 

I've been to both and didn't like either. Sure the psychologist didn't push meds on me, but he didn't offer any advice at all in the least bit. And he couldn't even tell me what was wrong with me. So here I am going to every library in town trying to figure out what is wrong with me, when there is actually nothing wrong with me in the least bit. I just had to accept myself for who I am, and change the things about myself that I wasn't very fond of.

They actually made me feel extremely uncomfortable and I felt like I had to find things to talk about even if there was nothing. They didn't even guide me in any direction. Then their advice, as cliche as it sounds is "what do you think". God that drove me even more nuts. I had to figure it out for myself though, that there isn't anything wrong with me, I just needed a good friend to cry on thier shoulder when things were rough, I got over it all just fine though and I'm a stronger person now, for taking care of my situation instead of blaming a disease that didn't exist (this is just my personal experience, that doesn't mean these problems don't exist, they do, I just didn't have them).

And I didn't have to pay my friend $75/hour. She gave me good advice too. Told me somethings that I had not yet realized.

 

I completely feel your pain - I have been diagnosed with treatrment resistant anxiety and depression. And unlike people without real disorders you CANNOT will yourself better. I have been on and off meds since I was 11, and to be honest I have simply accepted that I have a weakness and will probably have to be on meds most of my life. It just needs to be the right ones at the right dose. I too have been on everything (or so it feels like) and I just found the right combo about a year ago. (On a side note do not be conned into taking zyprexa - I gained 80 lbs. on the sucker).

What I find works is fluxitine (prozac) and buspar. It's a simple combo that works and I can live with. Prozac being the origional SSRI is effective without being addictive (like paxil) and it's not weak like celexa (I've been on that too).

Add in exercise, a regular routine, eating well and knowing my limits and voila! I have a way of living semi-normally. So I'm not saying depend on the medication, but depression to me is like diabetes - you have to moniter it and if it needs a daily medication then take the medication!

Peace - and I hope this kinda helps. If you need anymore info PM me - I just have an obscene amount of knowledge about my condition, and others like it.

 

No, you can't "will" yourself better, but your attitude is everything. It does make all of the difference in the world. There are people out there who are sick and they dwell on it constantly, I used to be part of the chat rooms and other forums, etc (which is what helped me realize nothing is wrong with me). Some people make themselves worse by not just accepting reality and dealing with it in a healthy manner, which could include getting medication or a therapist. Some people use it as a crutch and that is no good.

 

It takes time to find the right medication for you, unfortunately. There are still so many more meds to try. After years, I have ended up on Wellbutrin, Paxil, and Adderall, and I have never felt better. Also, any antidepressant will make you feel a little weird for the first few weeks. You have to give them time to work. Don't try to rush it, because it won't work any faster. It took years to get to the state you are at now, no pill can undo all of that in one or two doses. For bipolar, I would recommend Effexor XR and Trileptal. That is what I see most psychiatrist prescribing now. Talk to your doc. See what he/she thinks.

 

When I get really depressed, I like writing or looking at something beautiful (such as a the sunset).

Your state of mind is all about perspective. You can be happy if you want to be, and sometimes you feel worse before things get better. But just keep your hope and definitely turn to music for comfort. The lyrics can really make you feel like other people understand, because you aren't alone!!

Just know that things can always get worse, and concentrate on what is good about you and your life. There is always something. Try to recognize when you're being unneccessarily hard on yourself.

You can train your mind to do anything; eventually you'll be able to cope.

Hope you feel better soon!!

It'll all be okay in the end...so if it's not okay, then it's not the end.

 

Avoid margarine like the plague.Use butter instead.A bit of lard and dripping are good.See the following link:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1347593&dopt=Abstract