Depression?

Question

I have had this now for 5 years I am still on tablets for it but can any one tell me what they do when they have a bad day or week. I hate it cause you can feel it taking a grip of you and there is nothing you can do. or is there ?????????

Answer 1

Yes, there is something you can do. Depression is often caused by unresolved issues in a persons life.
I have suffered from depression myself, and I am still susceptible to it. I found my help in a Christian 12-step Program at my church, which is nothing like I've ever experienced before. It has helped me not only see the truth about the underlying issues causing the depression, but I have also gained tools to apply to my life when I am drawn back toward the pit. It has also given me a support system which is so very important to living a more peaceful life.
Truly, God has the answers to our lives and getting to know Him is the first step to freedom from depression. May you find the answers you need to help you in your journey to overcome depression.

Answer 2

depression is an unbalance of seritonan in your brain. Thats the chemical that makes you feel happy. When you have low levels thats when you are feeling depressed.
If you feel like your tablets arent working after so long talk to your doctor and see If you can change medications. Just remember that they aren't a cure for depression, and everyone has good and bad days.

Answer 3

I suffer from severe depression. I know this theory I have sounds like you are 13 again but, write all the things that upset you no matter how long the entry is do it. Then write all the thinhs that make you feel good about your self in a form of a list. Think also of how many people have it worse than you do. This helped me so much.

Answer 4

I have had it for 5 years also and on medication. Some days I just cannot function. Those days I stay in bed. I haven't figured out anything else to do. You can try to get away for a while if you know this is what is happening. That works sometimes. Ask your doc for some suggestions. Just hang in there and realize this is what is happening and know it will pass.

Answer 5

Hi bonnie, I hope you're feeling OK at the moment.

I've been there. Luckily, I'm having mostly good days lately but I've had more than my share of awful months where it really takes a tight hold and won't let go.

If it helps at all, here's a few things I found that helped me take a little of that control back for myself. I'll be honest and straight up with you, you can't turn a godforsaken awful day into a fantastic day, but for me some or all of these often turned them into just plain OK days.

- Take some time out for yourself, whatever's going on.
When it's got a grip, I found it hard to stop and say wait, I need to catch up with myself, I need time out, I need to relax a little. It might no seem like much but 5 minutes away, really away from it all can make all the difference. Work certainly didn't help things itself, so I used to tell my manager I really needed a few minutes as I wasn't feeling well. I didn't say "mental health" but that wasn't for him to know. I'd get a cup of tea, or water and go for a walk.

It doesn't matter if you've got nowhere you need to go to, or nothing that needs to be done, take a walk. When depression had it's clammy hands around my neck, strangling the very life from me, a clear head made it's shrieks of absolute control that bit quieter. Sometimes they even stopped for a few hours or even for days completely.

Wherever you went, for me it was a quarter-mile lap of the building, you'll probably feel a little better when you return.

- Have someone to confide in.
There are people there who will listen and not judge. You might not know it, and you might not believe it, but there are. Sometimes, when I'd got someone to go away to a quiet place and talk, I couldn't get the words out, couldn't describe what I was feeling and what was going on. If you've found the right person, you won't need to say it, they'll be able to see already how you're feeling. All I needed was a hug and that made such a difference.

You might need to have a think about your friends and consider who's been willing to listen in the past when there was genuinely nothing in it for them. They might be the one to talk to. If you're lucky, more than one person will hear you out. They don't need the answers, sometimes there are no answers to the problems depression can flood your life with, and boy did it flood mine.

- Get a good night's sleep.
OK, maybe I'm starting to sound like your mother here, but there is method to my madness. Your brain is a delicate and highly tuned chemical and electrical machine. If depression has been in your life for any length of time, yours is not running at 100% and something will be out of whack. (What is "whack" anyway?)

The phrase "recharge your batteries" is actually pretty close to the physical reality of the way your brains works. Chemicals called neurotransmitters are stored up and then fired off as messages when needed. If your brain has been doing overtime, worrying about problems that are either not real, not yours, or noway near as big as they seem, you need to stop it running at 105% and let it pick back up the signals it's been overusing for weeks, months or if you were anything like me, years.

Sleep wasn't very easy for me at my worst, it didn't work very well, last very long or make me feel any better. But it would have a positive effect on the state your brain is in.

Consider things that make you sleepy, for some people hot milk or malt drinks work well. You might already know a few things that make you sleepy.

Blacking out your room might help as well. If you haven't got daylight, you won't wake up earlier than you need to. If I do that, I'll still sleep into the afternoon. Obviously you can't do that everyday if you have work or other commitments, but try taking a day out of every week where you can get to sleep early and get up whenever your body tells you it's time. You might be surprised when that is.

Lastly, have a think and do some digging into whether the meds you're taking now are best for you. I was taking a low dose of St John's Wort and that was working, I didn't feel like driving into bridges at 100mph anymore, but I wasn't 100% OK either. I just took a bit more and in the last year, I've had a massive pay-rise and a promotion at work. I haven't felt this "normally good" in a long, long time.

You might find your doctor can suggest something different. You may want to try St John's Wort or another herbal preparation.

BE WARNED - St John's Wort acts like an "MAOI" antidepressant so may have interactions. It also stops combined pills working! Speak to your doctor about interactions before making any changes.

Other than that, please don't worry too much. However bad things seem now, there is a way out and light at the end of the tunnel.

Best wishes,
froggie

Answer 6

I've been on Zoloft for years now. I still have good days and bad days the doctor told me that this was normal. I just have to make sure that I have more good days than bad.

Answer 7

Going out for a brisk walk always lifts my spirits and gets me thinking about everything and nothing, if you know what I mean.
You should get a hobby - preferrably something creative, like knitting, embroidery, etc,...where you can see a finished product and rejoice in your talents and in being alive to share it with the world.
Chin up...and good luck.

Answer 8

Leading medical researchers and clinicians have recommended that individuals take a daily multi-nutrient supplement. If you would like I could recommend a supplement for you. For information just email I will be glad to get more information to you. Bud

Answer 9

These vitamins can be very beneficial for people suffering from depression.


Vitamin B1 (thiamine):

Vitamin B3 (niacin):

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine):

Vitamin B12:

Folic acid:

Vitamin C:

Read at http://www.theaones.com/answers/self-improvement/what-are-natural-treatments-for-depression.htm for a full explanation how & why these vitamins are helpful for depression

Answer 10

well... what i did to help myself was a gratitude list. silly, right?
not at all...write a letter( to yourself), bragging on yourself! tell you all about how wonderful you are, it's hard when you're feeling down...but try...and keep on it! every time you do something you're proud of; put it on your list...then, when you feel yourself slipping down---read your list...just a little reminder of how wonderful you are goes a long way! if you have trouble getting started, surely there are people in your world that can get you going...good luck!