Any depression conquerers out there?

Question

I have been suffering from severe depression for a long while now, and I am totally at the end of my tether. Nothing is relieving it at all, and I'm getting worse every day. Has anyone suffered from depression and overcome it? How did you do it? :o(

Answer 1

Well, yes, I am a depression survivor. I did not conquer it so much as just learn to deal with it. I know I am vulnerable to depression. I know it doesn't take much and that I am one to dwell on things and also to sulk and mope. I am also a more introverted person and need my space, so for me, going out and partying would not help!
But I did learn that moping and staying home and not dealing with things is also very bad, probably the worst thing you can do.

If you need time alone, you should take it, but make sure you are doing something productive or something you enjoy. I need to do something creative usually. If you do nothing, you will probably just feel worse.

Getting exercise, doing a project, really helps. For me, I like to cook, bake, or do crafts. I like to read too, but I find too much sitting gets me in a bad mood, I will feel guilty if I just sit around and read all day, so I only read before bed now. I make sure I get things done that I need to so that they do not pile up and overwhelm me. I try to keep things tidy and stop clutter from piling up, clutter is an energy-sapper. I'm not really good at getting rid of clutter, luckily my husband helps a lot with this.

I take medication too. I am pretty good right now. I only see a psychiatrist once every 6 months, where he will do a med check and decide if he needs to make any adjustments. If I feel worse in the meantime, all I have to do is call and I can get in right away. He told me since I had depression most of my life, I will probably always need some medication.
I just accepted that it's part of my personality. (maybe somewhat my upbringing, and that I developed unhealthy ways of dealing with problems and of relating to people) I don't want to become unable to function again. I don't want to feel bad minute of every day. I try to be proactive about it and nip the problems in the bud. I work on things before they get out of control.
At this point, you need help right away. You need to get to a doctor, get to a therapist. If you have been seing a doctor, talk to him and let him know you are not improving. He should be able to come up with some ideas on what you need to change. Get a new therapist. counseling helps, but you have to be able to work with the person you are in therapy with. You have to be able to communicate with them and tell them what is working and what isn't. That is different for everyone. You might have to change therapists a lot until you get one that "fits" with you and how you like to solve problems, and go about your mental healing.
Good luck and keep trying!

Answer 2

Hi - I've been tackling my own depression which has got worse over recent years> I've tried many things including psychotherapy and antidepressants which didn't work for me, neither does exercise as it seems to send me down into a real low ( I have read somewhere that it can affect some depression sufferers that way).
I have found that a certain allergy and hayfeaver preparation has a positive affect on my mood whilst some selective NLP techniques have managed to change slightly how I react to the world around me (it's a bit like re-programming your thinking, sounds a bit out there but it's working for me). I'll never be totally over depression but engineering my environment has had the biggest impact but has been the hardest to do (self-employment rather than an employee) and recognizing the signs and my own limitations and potential triggers.

Answer 3

Sooner or later you are going to have to sit down and ask yourself this question: Do I ENJOY being depressed? You might find that the answer is yes. Why? Is it a way of getting attention from others? Do you enjoy people worrying about you? Are you being selfish and a bore? Okay, what you really have to do is get yourself a hobby. There are loads of craft magazines to give you some ideas or you could join an Art class if you are interested in painting and drawing. And don't just think 'I can't be bothered'. You are the only person who can get yourself out of the depression you are in. Tablets don't really help much so the sooner you are off them the better you will be. C'mon, you can and you WILL do it!

Answer 4

Wellll, exercise does work wonders as do some herbal remedies(Not for severe depression) But since you acknowledge being a longtime sufferer of self admitted "severe depression" then perhaps it is time to seek professional help.

I am a firm believer in "better living through chemistry". I have been on wellbutrin since 9/11 and well probably always take some med for my depression. I have stood on the edge of the pit and I have no intention of going back there...You DESERVE to have a life and to be loved...GET HELP!

Answer 5

With a lot of difficulty and a lot of support and a lot of time I overcame a deep depression that I thought could never go. I could see no way out of it. I could see no future.

I suppose for me when I felt I could force myself to be somewhere with someone I trusted I would go. I wouldn't enjoy it but it helped to pass the never ending day.

I think ultimately it was time, counselling and coming to understand myself. Medication helped along the way. SO many sleepless nights of torture!! Quetiapine helped to calm my thoughts down and helped me to sleep but I only discovered it after four years.

I do feel for you. I can only say with work and a lot of hanging in there it did pass.

I now live my life differently, can't take on so many commitments
and try to do a little each day and then rest when I need to. This helps me to avoid relapse.

I hope the light will shine again for you soon. Try to have one thing planned for each day of the week. It doesn't have to be a big thing....could just be going for a coffee with a friend...it at least makes you get up and dressed.

Best wishes.

Answer 6

I'm not sure I can say I've *overcome* it exactly, but these days I function and I haven't been incapacitated by a major episode for some years. The things which have helped me are:

1) Getting the right medication. I've taken loads of different antidepressants with varying results, but the one I'm on now I've taken for about 3 years and it really suits me.

2) Therapy. I was lucky enough to get a course of Cognitive Analytic Therapy on the NHS and it was very helpful.

3) Self-help cognitive techiques I picked up at work (I spent 2 years teaching them to offenders to help them deal with their lives better).

4) Changing circumstances which were making me unhappy. I got out of a bad marriage. I left a job which was making me unhappy. I took control back, in other words.

These days, life's actually pretty good, but it took me years to work this stuff out. Hope you get it figured out quicker than I did! Good luck.

Answer 7

I suffered from depression when I was 19. My doctor put me on tricyclic meds, one was tripitzol, but they`ve probably changed them since then. I had the most awful panic attacks and phobias, but I found that I had to reason with myself and tell myself that what I was experiencing was the illness and I wasn`t going mad. It took a lot of willpower to stay positive and I carried on as usual as best I could. My weight plummeted to 6 stone, but I remained at work and pushed myself to get "normal" again. I found my meds helped a lot though. You need to keep busy, and to carry on doing your normal things as far as possible. It does take a long time to "recover" and my GP was very good. If your meds aren`t working you need to get them changed, because they should make a difference and help. Keep positive babe, and you WILL overcome it eventually.

Answer 8

Do what you least feel like doing. I used to do an enjoyment scale before I did anything eg. say I was going out with friends -before I went I'd work out how much on a 1-10 scale how much I'd enjoy it. When I came back I rated it again - I always enjoyed myself MUCH more than I thought I would. It's really important not to lock yourself away as you just keep feeling down, you need to get on and try things even tho it's the last thing you feel like. Take care

Answer 9

Everyone has different ways of getting over depression. Alcohol is not a way of getting over it though, it's just a way of putting it to the side momentarily. I was severely depressed for years, and what helped me was finally going to therapy. Maybe you should try that, and if you have and it didn't help, maybe you should try going to a better therapist? But who knows. I do hope you get over this though :(

Answer 10

Obviously it's important to see a specialist,in this case a psychiatrist who will prescribe you some medicines if you need them.I have been thorough it when my father died and found Zoloft very helpful.Other specialists would say that this is a sign that you need a change so there's also a positive aspect of it.Just try to concentrate on every single day and most of all try,really try,to love yourself.