Can depressed people heal without seeking professional help?

Question

I've been depressed for a quite a while and finally I've told my mother about it and with the fact that I plan to seek for professional help. Unfortunately, in my society, seeking psychiatric help equates to being crazy so she took my confession the wrong way. She’s barely talking to me nowadays and was really cold whenever I am around.

The question is, is the disease permanent? Will I ever recover without seeking professional help/taking meds?

Answer 1

1) It depends on how depressed you are. At times in my life, I have been able to heal without seeking professional help, and there are other times when I wouldn't have been able to do it without anti-depressants. In my experience, when I was depressed, only a professional could determine whether or not I needed meds. When I'm depressed I find it very hard to make decisions, etc.

2) Depression itself is not neccessarily a permanent disease, although for some people it is. Bipolar disorder for example is something that doesn't go away without medication. There are also chemical imbalances in some people's minds that require them to be on medication, just like a diabetic must be on insulin. I have a family member that her brain doesn't produce enough lithium, so she must take lithium.

3) The important thing is to get a diagnosis from a good doctor. It makes it difficult if your family doesn't understand what's wrong, but don't let that deter you from getting help.

Once you understand what is happening to you, you can begin to heal. You say you've been depressed for quite a while. You've obviously realized that you don't hold all the answers, you're reaching out for help, and that's good. Don't put off getting professional help if that's what you feel you should do.

A couple signs that you should seek professional help as soon as possible are loss of sleep and neglecting taking care of yourself (such as food, etc.)

Try not to worry about the stigma that goes along with this kind of thing. Anyone worth knowing isn't going to judge you for what you are. My family also seems really distant when I try to talk to them about depression, but I've come to realize that it's because they don't understand it, they are scared for me, and they don't know how to react. They seem to be more supportive when I can help them understand what it's like for me.

All the best!

Answer 2

Nah you dont need any of that rubbish man.

Just some sunshine, excercise, some vegetables and some friends : )

i know it can be hard with people sometimes, often people just instantly fear things because they are different.

theres nothing wrong with feeling sad every now and then, just try not to dwell on it or let it get you down.

just understand that it will pass, and do whatever is in your power to make things happier.

as for dealing with people i have found that you just have to be carefull who you open up to, or you can get hurt.

if you dont feel able to talk to your family or friends just write down how you feel and throw it away after : ) you will feel better and people wont freak out.

but yes i seriously mean it, some sun, a good diet some exercise, they are all constructive things that you have control over, dont get trapped into feeling helpless, take some steps towards bringing more happyness around you and it will happen : )

and dont let anyone tell you theres anything wrong with your brain! I think therefore i am, i think and it changes the chemicals in the brain, not the other way around!

cart before the horse...

Answer 3

I'm sorry to hear that being depressed is equivalent to being 'crazy' where you are. That is so backwards. Millions of 'normal' people suffer from it. Some cases are mild and people can bounce back. Some need counselling, some need more professional type of therapy sessions with psychologist, or psychiatrists with medication. Some forms of depression can be of a hormonal imbalance type and can be remedied easily. I hope your depression is of the mild type and does not or requires little medication to get you feeling better. Sometimes depression can be seasonal, like mine. I dislike shorter daylight hours; it makes me glum.

Hope you find your cause(s) for your depression and a speedy recovery.

Good luck

Answer 4

Sometimes yes and sometimes no, it depends on the degree of you problem and if it comes from something.. like being abused or something bad happening in you life. Alot of the time meds can make it better but sometimes you need to combine it with seeing a pyschologist or counselor but its up to the person really.
Older people tend to be really unopen about mental illness and think its just made up, so i probably wouldnt take it personally. I hope everything works out for you!

Answer 5

Sometimes our family and the culture that we live in doesn't really react to us trying to help ourselves with depression in a very positive way. But I can tell that you've decided that you need help, and I applaud your tenacity. I've used different combinations of therapy, medications, and biofeedback for the past twenty years. It took me 20 years to get a correct diagnosis and a workable medication plan that caused me to start feeling better. The reason it took so long? I refused to take medication for the first 10 years. Not everyone needs medicine, and most people need far less therapy than I've had (I have a tricky diagnosis). I advise you to LISTEN to your doctor. Try their suggests for some months. If it isn't working, and they aren't willing to try a different medication/course of therapy, leave and find someone who is. Best of luck to you. You'll find lots of depression support groups on line with people who are suffering just like you; who know it's a daily struggle. Blessings to you.

Answer 6

depends.
there are two types of depression. cognitive depression and clinical depression. cognitive depression is depression caused by an outside source such as a problem. clinical depression is when your brain simply produces too much or too little of a certain chemical so that all of the chemicals are off balance. if it is cognitive depression, then whatever in your life is causing it needs to go away before the depression goes away. that, or youll need to learn to deal with the problem. clinical depression, im not sure. you may need to take medication but there is also the possibility that it may go away by itself. however, my advice, as any sane person on her would say, is to go see a psychiatrist anyway, before this depression, if it is clinical, worsens and you have serious thoughts of suicide or self harm or anything else. who cares what the other people think? it is better to be seeking professional help and in control of your life and to be called psycho than to have no control of your life to bow down to the will of others who dont want you to go. the fact is, youre not crazy if you go to a psychiatrist, youre only crazy if you listen to those who call you crazy.

Answer 7

I think that you can heal alone if you have the drive and need to do so. You can start by gaining confidence in yourself. Do things that you enjoy doing and feel good about your appearance and life. Then go out and interact with everyone else. I think that anyone can do anything if they believe they can and is willing to do so. And don't worry. There's always help and support. You just have to look for it and accept it.

Answer 8

try to think positive and find you somthing creative to do. mabey you could learn an instrument or take a writing course.
we were all put on this earth for a purpose. we have the ability to change our lives and mabey even others. seeing a phychiatrist does not mean your crazy, because alot of people see therapist to work out there problems, but i would advise trying to get to the root of the problem.

Answer 9

depression tends to come and go throughout life...seeing a professional may help, but there are good workbooks out there that do help. "The Feeling Good Handbook" by David Burns took my depression from mild to minimal in a week...it really does help

Answer 10

See depression treatments, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris on page 2. Tell your mother that if you have a child with mental health problems, you would want them to get the treatment they needed, in exactly the same way as if they had diabetes, or cancer.