How do I cope with depression w/o the medication?

Question

I have the symptoms of depression--but I refuse to take the medication for it...How can I get through this without the medication?

Answer 1

Get plenty of exercise. Surround yourself with things that perk up your space (i.e. get some flowers--artificial or real, or a fish in a bowl which is really relaxing). Keep yourself busy, try and answer questions for people on yahoo.com!

Answer 2

It is possible to get through some depression without medication. Several have written about the value of exercise and getting enough sleep. Try to get support people around you that you can confide in, people that you can trust to act in your best interest.
The first thing is to see a professional for a diagnosis.
Regarding medication, consider this........if you were diagnosed a diabetic and needed insulin, would you refuse? Do you wear glasses or contacts? If you needed them to see better, would you refuse?
Our society has a lot of catching up to do. Mental health issues are not considered the same as other health problems. But, think about it.......your brain is an organ just like your heart, your liver...etc. Some times meds help. There is no stigma connected to taking medication (some with strange or potential bad side effects) for the heart or the liver or stomach problems or whatever. If you need the meds, take them. And...be like Mike Wallace, Jane Pauley, Brooke Shields, Mariel Hemingway, etc etc etc...........and get mental health problems out of the closet!

Answer 3

There are a lot of ways and there are happiness websites that can come up with more ideas. You can use the online MOOD GYM training program which may help as well. One thing that worked for me was to take a 10 minute walk in the morning and breathe in five short breathes and then exhale five short breathes. While doing this think of things that you are glad you have.

Exercise releases endorphins. Some people advocate getting sufficient sunlight because it is not a normal part of our history to sit indoors.

One web site advocates thinking of three things during the day that made you happy. That has also worked for me.

Make sure that you have some time to do something you like each day.

You can do depression workbooks by David Burns. I think that is his name.

You can also buy health food store supplements that relieve depression. Most all of them work. It is important to research them on the Internet or talk with your doctor to make sure that they are right for you. Some of them are substances already found in our bodies, but may be in short supply. These supplements can differ from depression medication in that some of them work rapidly and for the period you feel depressed.

Answer 4

There are a few things that help depression that don't require meds. The first is chocolate - it has all the properties of the chemical antidepressants. The darker the better - go for a Lindt-type chocolate bar, not an Aero. Savour it. Also get plenty of sleep, take your vitamins (or get them in your diet) and don't forget that orgasms and/or sexual relations are proven antidepressants.

During the winter months be sure to get adequate sunlight - if you can't get it naturally, invest in a sun lamp ( this is NOT the same as a tanning lamp, it provides UVB and UVA rays to prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder, or "SAD"). Exercise is also an antidepressant as it releases natural Endorphins.

If all else fails, please do not dismiss the meds out of hand. I tried all of the above with limited success, and finally started taking antidepressants. They have changed my life in more ways than I could (or would!) talk about here. They simply correct a chemical imbalance in the brain - they are not a "drug" that gets you high. Good luck with your mental health!

Answer 5

From personal experiences and afflicted relatives, I strongly do not recommend it. Best way? Speak with a qualified, trained and experienced, and State-certifed psychologist to help you find ways to deal with your particular situation. What works for me may not work for you. Someone whose wisdom surprised me recently asked me if I would take a supplement vitamin or mineral if my body needed... would you if it meant wellness? Consider the possibility that perhaps you have more than just a passing depression, which is not out of the ordinary. Just consider it, OK? There are MANY, MANY different meds and dosages... and combinations thereof... they're not the same thigns we had 10 years ago. Consider.

Exercising helps, believe it or not. As well as making it a point of going outdoors everyday and getting some regular sunshine and fresh air; it is not a joke nor a myth, try it.

Good luck and best wishes.

Answer 6

Firstly, am sorry to hear about your depression. However, without a proper diagnosis, you will not know whether you are suffering from depression or not. It cld be anxiety or something purely hormonal.
So, first visit a psychologist. Psychologists normally use counselling and not medication to treat these conditions. U must be prepared to give it time tho....

I agree with you that medication shld not be a first resort. However, in many severe cases, I think that the benefits of medication outweigh the cons.

Concurrently with your visits to a psychologist, do pray. It helps.

Answer 7

(1) Don't self medicate
(2) Don't do drugs
(3) Don't become an addict
(4) Don't drink
(5) Work through your emotions
(6) Go to your library and read the philosophy and psychology sections
(7) See a psychologist
(8) Pray like anything
(9) Love yourself
(10) Forgiving doesn't mean approving of a behaviour/situation - it's not hanging on
(11) Good luck.

Answer 8

Depression is a tough thing to deal with. It's not impossible without medication, as I know from experience, but it will most definitely be difficult. I find that talking to someone about how you feel really does help. It can be a psychiatrist, if you wish, but I chose a close family member.

But, really, to beat depression, the one thing you need to beat depression is to either already have a strong will, or to strengthen your will.

I hope you found this helpful! But keep in mind, different things work for different people.

Answer 9

I also suffer depression and do not like the horrible side-effects of traditional Western medicine. I have found information about St John's Wort, and have tried it myself and found it to be really stabilising.

St. John's Wort may well be one of the most effective natural cures for depression -- without the side effects associated with prescription drugs. In fact, fifty percent of depressive disorders in Germany are treated (by prescription) with St. John's Wort. Despite sounding like "wart", this yellow-flowered wild plant takes its name from the Old English word for plant: "Wort", and from St. John the Baptist whose birthday was in the flowery month of June. Hippocrates even prescribed this plant as a medication back in the third century B.C.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health notes that St. John's Wort can be an effective treatment for mild and moderate depression and/or anxiety, but does not recommend its use for more serious forms of these conditions.

Answer 10

Try to fill your time and mind with as many things as possible, get involved in some type of a group. Through the church, Hospital, Big Brother etc. You will see how needed you are and hopefully forget about anything that is brining you down. And pray. Good Luck.

Answer 11

You may not be able to. But if you want to try:

Use sunlight. There is a link between sunlight or the lack of it and depression.

Exercise: That will rev your body up and help it to make endorphins- the 'feel good' chemical.

Make sure you eat a healthy diet. For a while I didn't, and I was utterly miserable.

Practice positive thinking. Ways of thinking are habits as much as anything else, so make positive thinking a habit.

You might want to consider meditation or yoga to help center you too.

Good luck!