Can someone recover from depression?

Question

Have you recovered from depression? Has anybody you know recovered from depression? Every time I get depressed I hate everybody, I hate the world we live in and just want to die. Relax, that is just how I feel, I would never take my own life. I am seeing councillor about my problems and I am on medication. I just feel really sick of having this for such a long time. How do you deal with depression? How do people you know deal with depression? How does it affect your lives?

Answer 1

I suffer from depression i take antidepressants and i have found 1 that suits me.I find going to the gym or just going for a walk can help rather than sitting indoors fretting.I have probs during the winter and there were times when i could not leave the house alone.I still don't like going out of my comfort zone alone and can get very anxious over seemingly nothing sometimes and it's hard.I don't know that u can be cured but u can be better here is some info which i hope will help.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 17 million adult Americans suffer from depression during any 1-year period. Depression is a real illness and carries with it a high cost in terms of relationship problems, family suffering, and lost work productivity. Yet, depression is a highly treatable illness.

How Does Depression Differ From Occasional Sadness?

Everyone feels sad or "blue" on occasion. It is also perfectly normal to grieve over upsetting life experiences, such as a major illness, a death in the family, a loss of a job, or a divorce. But, for most people, these feelings of grief and sadness tend to lessen with the passing of time.

However, if a person's feelings of sadness last for 2 weeks or longer, and if they interfere with daily life activities, something more serious than "feeling blue" may be going on.

Depressed individuals tend to feel helpless and hopeless and to blame themselves for having these feelings. People who are depressed may become overwhelmed and exhausted and may stop participating in their routine activities. They may withdraw from family and friends. Some may even have thoughts of death or suicide.

What Causes Depression?

There is no single answer to this question. Some depression is caused by changes in the body's chemistry that influence mood and thought processes. Biological factors can also cause depression. In other cases, depression is a sign that certain mental and emotional aspects of a person's life are out of balance. For example, significant life transitions and life stresses, such as the death of a loved one, can bring about a depressive episode.

Can Depression Be Successfully Treated?

Yes, it can. A person's depression is highly treatable when he or she receives competent care. It is critical for people who suspect that they or a family member may be suffering from depression seek care from a licensed mental health professional who has training and experience in helping people recover from depression. Simply put, people with depression who do not seek help suffer needlessly. Unexpressed feelings and concerns accompanied by a sense of isolation can worsen a depression; therefore, the importance of getting appropriate help cannot be overemphasized.

How Does Psychotherapy Help People Recover From Depression?

Several approaches to psychotherapy, including cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, and psychodynamic, help depressed people recover. Psychotherapy offers people the opportunity to identify the factors that contribute to their depression and to deal effectively with the psychological, behavioral, interpersonal, and situational causes. Skilled therapists can work with depressed individuals to:

Pinpoint the life problems that contribute to their depression and help them understand which aspects of those problems they may be able to solve or improve.
A trained therapist can help depressed patients identify options for the future and set realistic goals that enable them to enhance their mental and emotional well-being. Therapists also help individuals identify how they have successfully dealt with similar feelings if they have been depressed in the past.

Identify negative or distorted thinking patterns that contribute to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness that accompany depression.
For example, depressed individuals may tend to overgeneralize, that is, to think of circumstances in terms of "always" or "never." They may also take events personally. A trained and competent therapist can help nurture a more positive outlook on life.

Explore other learned thoughts and behaviors that create problems and contribute to depression.
For example, therapists can help depressed individuals understand and improve patterns of interacting with other people that contribute to their depression.

Help people regain a sense of control and pleasure in life.
Psychotherapy helps people see choices as well as gradually incorporate enjoyable, fulfilling activities back into their lives.

Having one episode of depression greatly increases the risk of having another episode. There is some evidence that ongoing psychotherapy may lessen the chance of future episodes or reduce their intensity. Through therapy, people can learn skills to avoid unnecessary suffering from later bouts of depression.

In What Other Ways Do Therapists Help Depressed Individuals and Their Loved Ones?

The support and involvement of family and friends can play a crucial role in helping someone who is depressed. Individuals in the "support system" can help by encouraging a depressed loved one to stick with treatment and practice the coping techniques and problem-solving skills he or she is learning through psychotherapy.

Living with a depressed person can be very difficult and stressful on family members and friends. The pain of watching a loved one suffer from depression can bring about feelings of helplessness and loss. Family or marital therapy may be beneficial in bringing together all the individuals affected by depression and helping them learn effective ways to cope together. This type of psychotherapy can also provide a good opportunity for individuals who have never experienced depression themselves to learn more about it and identify constructive ways of supporting a loved one who is suffering from depression.

Are Medications Useful for Treating Depression?

Medications can be very helpful for reducing the symptoms of depression in some people, particularly in cases of moderate to severe depression. Often a combination of psychotherapy and medications is the best course of treatment. However, given the potential side effects, any use of medication requires close monitoring by the physician who prescribes the drugs.

Some depressed individuals may prefer psychotherapy to the use of medications, especially if their depression is not severe. By conducting a thorough assessment, a licensed and trained mental health professional can help make recommendations about an effective course of treatment for an individual's depression.

In Summary

Depression can seriously impair a person's ability to function in everyday situations. But the prospects for recovery for depressed individuals who seek professional care are very good. By working with a qualified and experienced therapist, people suffering from depression can help regain control of their lives.

Answer 2

Let me honestly say this. I have before. and am again. Here is a short description of my story. In 2001 I went into a deep depression out of the blue. Couldn't stop crying for anything, no reason at all too. I was put on Respridol and Paxil. The respridal made me gain a lot of weight over time, it also made me feel really like a zombie, but then after 1 and a half years and 30 pounds more, I went to another doctor who said i didn't even need the respridol and weened me off slowly I quickly lost 30 pounds in 5 months and felt alive again, i did however remain depressed but not as much. It took me really about 1 1/2 years to fully overcome my depression. I was fine for about 5 years until i had a relapse of my OCD which then made me depressed again from anxiety, It has been about 1 1/2 years again and I am feeling a lot better and only on Lexapro now. I don't cry anymore but my OCD is manageable. One thing I have learned is that depression doesn't last forever. Just do what you can in order to stay busy, exercise for real, it is easy to just have no motivation to do anything and i have been there, however all i end up doing is moping in my own sadness. Therefore I balls up and go to the gym because there I will start to sweet and feel better for even a few hours, then thank God when you go to sleep and pray that the next day is better. Do not believe that everyday is a happy day else you will faulter, moods change throughout the day and enjoy the good times and flow with the ruff times. It takes time, but it is quite true. I know God pulled me through it but I also had to fight for it and I am a living proof you can also pull out of it, have faith in Jesus if you are christian or whatever higher power you believe in. It works, embrace this time as an opportunity to eventually help others going through the same process. I have had it a total of 2 times and random days that remind me of the past feelings, but i always know there is a light at the end of a tunnel. Sometimes it could be a train, but just step out of the way and keep going. Believe. Have faith, and remember to not beat yourself up for this at all. Accept it and you will eventually get better. Believe me. The only reason i am a bit depressed now but I am controlling it is because of my OCD which I will not go into because it is really depressing and my divorce that occured 2 weeks ago. Other than that, my life is grand. It's the small things. Hold on to them. If you need anything contact me. God bless+

Answer 3

I personally don't believe that someone can recover from depression. The only thing that helps one is to take medication, other wise, the problem can not be fixed. I was wrongly diagnosed with depression when I was 13, I suffered with severe, horrible mood swings, and the worst part of all of it was the depression. It ruined everything. I lost my family's trust, I almost flunked out of school, and I lost friends that couldn't deal with my suicidality. After suffering from 'depression' for about 2 1/2 years, I was diagnosed with Bi-polar disorder. Both depression and Bi-polar are commonly described as an inbalance of chemicals in the brain. I don't think there is an "actual" cure for these imbalances, besides medication. My father has been suffering from depression for years, before I was born. Everytime he quit his medications he would get worse, and at one point or another he tried to commit suicide.... Sorry for the horrible stories, but I just think that depression is something that people are going to have to live with.

Answer 4

I am not sure that depression can be cured. I am chronic manic depressive and have been my entire life. I too have the suicidal thoughts. I have made a couple attempts at suicide but as you can tell not been successful. The medication and therapy does seem to help some. However, as you say it would be wonderful not to have this problem. I have found that doing tasks that provide instant gratification provides a lot of relief. Like today I put a garden in for my wife. Right now I feel great and will probably continue to feel that way until tomorrow. I will have to come up with something new then. You are not alone in your plight there are a bunch of us.

Answer 5

I know two people who have overcome severe depression; both used medication and it worked wonders for them.

Antidepressants have a bad image and this is a real shame, as it deters many people who would really benefit from them. I battled depression for two and a half years while I tried to find a 'natural' cure; nothing worked and I am now on a fabulous antidepressant which is making a big difference.

It really sounds like your medication is not the right one for you; you should be feeling a lot better if you've been taking it for more than about six weeks. Either your dose needs changing or you need another medication; I had to try two others before starting the one that is working.

Ask your doctor about adjusting the dose; don't change it on your own.

Answer 6

Yes, you can recover from an episode of depression. Many people get back to feeling how they usually feel and may or may not have another episode.
You are saying "every time I get depressed..." which suggests to me that you have periods of feeling better (a plus) but that your depression recurs. Some of us tend towards a depressive personality and try to develop strategies to cope with this. Others have an entrenched way of dealing with life which tends to help bring about a depressive reaction to life-events. The things you are doing now (counselling and medication) stand a very good chance of helping you, and there is a theory that each episode of depression reaches its natural end anyway.
However you may have to talk to your counsellor about how you would manage the idea that depression may return throughout your life. For instance what if you knew you were going to be depressed for 10% of the rest of your life? Well you could make sure that the other 90% was really good. See what I mean?
Have you been offered cognitive behaviour therapy? This helps you look at patterns in your life and ways of managing them, and changing some of your approaches to your life that may be keeping you depressed.
Some degree of depression is part of our human condition. This ability to feel is what helps us feel good at other times. Think how boring things would be if we didn't feel.
It is important that you have a plan as to what you will do and who you will contact if you feel very low or at risk of harming yourself.
All the best. The fact that you are working with what has been offered - counselling and medication - shows that you are motivated towards helping yourself. So value yourself for doing this. And remember to keep praising yourself.

Answer 7

I have been suffering from post partum depression for the past one year when I gave birth to a baby boy. I couldn't stop thinking about how my husband loves him more than me and how things might be better if he wasn't born at all. Thus, I stayed away from him because I knew that I might do something I will regret for the rest of my life.

Almost instantly I went to a therapist and convince them that I need help. Among other things, I've tried herbal supplements and other book to treat depression but nothing works like the Depression Free Method. So now I'm proud to say I'm one of the happiest mother in the world. My husband loves us both very much and I thank the Lord for the blessing he gave us.

Depression Free Method?

Answer 8

Yes

search the web for "natural progeterone depression" or read the womens stories at www.npis.ifo

A full story ..
http://www.abc2health.com/progesterone-not-taught.htm

Another one
http://www.ylcf.org/hormone-imbalance/02.htm

Depression is one one of the ailments that can result from stress

Prozac is not a particularly good idea. John R Lee December 2002 talk ...

"Now when I wrote this I was thinking of cirrhosis impaired liver function or people with hepatitis C but the more I look into it I discover impaired liver function is very common in our society. And we make it worse by taking drugs that stop the liver from being able to do it's work in the business of getting oestrogen out of the system, metabolising oestrogen.

I mentioned the P450 system in the liver, well guess what? Prozac stops the P450 system from working. So someone has oestrogen dominance, they have depression, they have headaches, they are not doing well, they can't tolerate stress, they go to the doctor. They go to the doctor and he puts them on Prozac. That increases their oestrogen dominance, they can't excrete their own oestrogen. So here we have impaired liver function. Yeah, we do have people who drink too much but actually the liver does pretty well with that. But if you have Prozac you're damaged, "

Natural progesterone will fix the underlying cause which is most likely to be oestrogen dominance. however consult a doctor at www.npis.info or take a salive test from www.salivatest.cm or www.npis.info Blood tests do NOT show up the active hormone levels

Answer 9

Would like to talk to out of this forum about this.

There is a large variety of depresions, burn outs, breakdown, manic depression, post natal depression, bipolar depression et etc.

The fact that you're getting counciling and medication is good - but there are other ways to help through to what is nearly 100% recovery.
I state nearly 100% recovery as I think you can get right back to being your old self - but the experience of just having had depression gives you an insight into another part of life so you won't ever be the exactly the same person. But this is a positive thing. Your a wiser person.

Try looking at some webstite - http://dailystrength.org - I'm Elsakom on that one.

It's worth taking a look at what medication does to you, how it works, what group it comes under etc.
The Mind wedsite is good for that kind of information.

Am just going to say a couple of things relating to feeling when depression has set in - 'I want to be able to wake up in the morning and want to get out of bed rather than dragging myself up as I have to', 'I want to feel excited again about the hobbies that used to hold my concentration for hours', I hate it when I'm being forgetful as I know this is dur to my depression'.

If you'd like to talk a little more then contact me through daily strength wedsite (above)

Good luck - get there in the end - it's just the light at the end of tunnel looks a long way off.

There are alternative therapies that can run alongside medication and counsiling.

Answer 10

I personally recovered from depression that started after the birth of my second child. It was awful and I contemplated suicide daily, I even planned how I would do it. The only thing that saved my was my faith in Christ. I prayed that if he wasn't going to allow me to sleep (I was seriously sleep deprived) then to at least allow my mind to calm down and be at peace. It took three long years, but I made it. Now its like looking back into the depths of a black hole. I made it with no medication of any kind and no psychiatric intervention. I realize these things work for some, but my finances did not allow for them and since I am a stay at home mom, I could not be medicated all the time. My advice would be to cry out to the Lord-He will hear you and take you through this hell that you are living in. Best of luck and my prayers are with you.

Answer 11

I have had depression since I was about 8 yrs old. Sometimes I thought i was so crazy I would never live a normal life. But you can. I still have days when life is sh1t, even though I have a great husband and family and job.
It is tough, it is hard work, the only person who can really make the changes is you, but the medication and therapy will help. One thing that helps is to see stuff as positive instead of negative eg - dont say 'all I did today was get out of bed' say 'hey I made it out of bed today, tomorrow lll get dressed as well' (Hopefully days like that will be rare!) Read as much as you can about it, knowing your enemy is half the battle. Good luck.