Dealing with anger, irritability and depression without medications?

Question

Well, I have had depression the past 5 years(I am now almost 20). I have had a history of medication use that has only made things worse(Been on about every medication you can list.. about 15..) so I refuse to try any more medications or see a doctor(not that I could even afford it if I wanted to)

Lately, I have been getting irritable. The past 2 years I have had it on and off at times, but the past 4 months have been horrible. I am rude to people because of it, and usually spend my time in the bath w/ no lights just to calm myself.

What scares me is I have been getting angry and having urges to hurt people. I doubt I ever will hurt anyone except a doctor(bad experiences) but it still scares me to know I have these thoughts.

Any ideas on how to cope with them w/o medications or doctors?

Answer 1

Mindset. Change your perception of life and things. Try to focus on positive things, positive events and act positive. Take meditation classes. Or do it yourself at home. I would recommend Shakti Gawain's, "Creative Visualization," CD. She has really awesome meditation exercises that could work very well for you. Also, I think that Tai Chi or Yoga will help quiet down you spirit. I'd also recommend you go for counseling at least once a week or talk with your religious leaders e.g your priest or your rabbi or your imam or your yogi etc, for tips on coping with your anger.

You have probably built up too much cortisol levels in your blood, as angry as you sound. I think you should also try to pick a very physical sport. Try running, boxing; I think it would do you great to burn some energy and clear your blood cortisol levels by buying a boxing punch bag and punching on it during your down phases, until you feel exhausted.

Also, try eating fish at least 3 times per week. I'd recommend tuna and salmon for high levels of omega fish oils. Omega fish oils can be beneficial for mood disorders.

Foods rich in a protein called tryptophan, might be helpful. Tryptophan is one of many things your body uses to make Serotonin, which helps alleviate depression. Foods high in tryptophan are high protein foods, like dairy products, eggs, meat and fish. Vegetarians could get tryptophan from these sources: seeds or nuts.

Melatonin is also important in alleviating depression and helping us gain a restful night's sleep. An roughly 2 hours before you go to bed or 2 hours before your usual bedtime, drink a glass of warm milk and have it with a banana. This tends to help increase melatonin levels in your body at night. More melatonin will give you a calming, relaxed sensation, alleviating depression and improving you sleep cycles.

Also, I would recommend that every day you bask in the sun for at least 15 minutes; the best time being between 10am and 11 am. However, as you know, you must wear sunblock with a high sun protection factor.

I hope all or some of what I've recommended will work for you. I commend you for trying to find a solution. All the best.

Answer 2

well first of all did you just go cold turkey off of the medications you were taking, cause if you did you just make yourself worse that way, and you will need to go and see that so called doctor and get back on meds, and have them weaned off the right way. Do not think that cause you do not think that you will not do something bad, that you will not, you mind, can be really tricky that way, and you can find that you can be the person you do not think you can be. So be really cariful cause if you are this anger, then you need help if you like it or not. You need to face that fact, and if over all those years you have only been on 15 different med's well that is nothing, you have not even being to take a small faction of the medication out there. So if you can not cope, well you need to go and get some professional help, and if the last doctor you saw did not do it for you, well there are others. So please do not take a chance of waking up one day and finding out that you have done something that you are going to be sorry for, or picked up for. Get the help, and work on yourself to get better. You have to really want to get better to get better, and over time you will see the change. Now if you are not seeing a change, then it is either you or your doctor, or even the wrong medications. No all medications is for everyone. And not everyone needs to take medication, there are classes, and groups you can go to beside therapy.

Answer 3

You don't seem to be coping well with this by yourself. That's why you need help dealing with anger and you can't do it alone.

I was poor enough but eventually desperate enough that I was willing to go into debt for $3,000 to get treatment. It was either that or end up dead or in prison. I contacted my state's court-mandated domestic violence/anger management program - for female offenders.

That was never my issue but I wanted the BEST program available. In the end, I did a 360 in a few months and opted out of the rest of the year long program. The hospital cut me a charity deal where it didn't cost me a dime. No meds required.

These days, to cut down on anger and depression, I limit my time around other people. Shop at odd hours, stay in, whatever it takes.

I don't want you to hurt anyone, especially yourself. You want prison or another doctor visit?

Answer 4

It sounds to me like you suffer from GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) and Panic disorder. I have suffered from it for many years, dating back to when I was a child, (I am now 45). I also know it is hereditary. My mother suffered from it as well. I myself take Klonipan and Paxil. For the most part, the medications keep everything under control. Therapists have suggested meditation and relaxation techniques, but when you are in the beginnings of a full blown panic attack, who wants to sit and think about nothing!!!! Run, run, run, is all you want to do. I certainly do wish you luck. Nothing worked for me, except the medication. You would probably be surprised how many people take medication for anxiety. Don't let people fool you. There is no bad feelings toward anxiety and panic anymore. They are considered an honest disease. I wish you the best of luck. Lori

Answer 5

Do you get on well with your parents?
Do you have a good friend you can talk to.
Maybe you could talk to them about how you are feeling.
Go and talk to a psychologist or maybe even change your doctor if he or she is not getting you what you need.
Yoga sometimes helps as does meditation.
Are you employed and are you happy at work? maybe a change of career will point you in the right direction.
Have you had a blood test recently? Maybe there is something going on you dont know about yet.
Good luck and big hugs.

Answer 6

Thank you for your most informative question! Please don't take this in a 'funny' way but are you in therapy at the moment? This is my experience in that I am in therepy for all sorts of reasons and recently for going toward being depressed. There is no medication really except to get to the bottom of why you are depressed. It is good that you have identifyed other areas of your life that is causing you to behave in certain ways. To say to 'hold your tongue' might seem a bit trite but if you know what your behaviour pattern is with regaurds to the words that you speak then you can change that. There is a saying,"From the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Maybe ask your self, "What is going on deep down in my heart?"

Answer 7

There are numerous people who would laugh at the prospect of changing their destinies. This is because it believes that nobody gets more that what is written in his destiny.

Answer 8

See a therapist or attend some anger management classes.
Avoid alcohol and illegal drugs.

Answer 9

meditation,yoga,pranayama,charity,social service many ways .if you want details mail me

Answer 10

dhamma