Quickest way out of depression??

Question

At first look at me, you would think i was a normal fun loving adolescent. im 20 yrs of age and single. i portray myself carelessly as all male twenty-somethings tend to do. i have a small circle of friends that i hang with. i also attend big social gatherings were i have fun via alcohol n pot. obviously i dont loose control of my "habit" because im doing very well in college full time. ive never commited a crime or murder or anything for remorse to take hold n choke the happiness away. i also did modeling for a few months and am a certified personal trainer. yet i dont know what is wrong with me... i sometimes think im just a depressed person. yet when others ask me how i can keep being the happiest most outgoing guy they know, i cannot help but feel an ironic twist because inside me, i feel my soul is alone and deeply saddened. what can i do? i even loose sleep. cry. silently at night many times over until the cruel imsomnia leaves me alone. what can i do? help me someone.

thank you for your help. but i am not sorry for myself. infact im quite proud of myself for maintaining sanity for so long. i just never felt happiness. my mood is like a severley twistful rollercoaster that at time i feel great for a tiny second and then relapse into a melancholy and depressed mood. this is actually embarrassing to let any1 know so ive been hiding it from every1 close to me. perhaps even hiding it from myself until now... how sad am i? asking for advice on a yahoo questionaire when this is so deeply bothering me. i instead would rather trust complete strangers than my closest ppl... serisously am i crazy? do i just sound stupid searching for outreach when i hardly know you people????????????????????????????????????????

i keep adding details and more details i apologize if this causes annoyance. ive read many of your answers and i noticed i am not alone. in a way that is comforting as if i were part of a support group. i do notice that when i draw or paint i feel absolute bliss. this feeling usually goes away but when others view my art i feel the happiest person alive. does anyone know where i could share my art?? like a website or anything???

Answer 1

Go feed the homeless or any activity where you'll help another human being.
By helping others we help ourselves.

Answer 2

A lot of people go through this, including myself. It runs in my family and I've accepted this. My advice is to go to a holistic health center, where they will look at different options on how to make you feel better, instead of just pumping you up with antidepressants. You may need 'happy pills', but I would look for an alternative like this first. Maybe something in your life is just off track. Maybe you just need a break. I took 3 years off from college to be a flight attendant and am just now going back. I had great grades and everything, but I need to get my life and mind in order before I could see what goals I wanted to go after. Keep exercising, because it keeps the serotonin levels up. Also, get some sun, even if its artificial. I'm sorry you're having a hard time. Just don't be afraid / ashamed to go and get help from a professional.

Answer 3

First, I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling so bad.

But believe this: You can and will get better and it can be very very soon.

You have to tell a friend, so they can check back with you to see if you are doing anything about it.

A lot of people suffer in silence. Don't do that. Tell one person.

You are not the only one with this problem. Many people have this problem. And many many very smart people have been working on ways to make you and other people like you, and me too, better. You must go and talk to one of those smart people. That is you must go to a professional for help. They can and will help.

What kind of professional?

A psychiatrist.

Why a psychiatrist?

Because a psychiatrist is a medical doctor with an M.D. degree and licensed to prescribe drugs.

Do I need drugs? I don't want to have to rely on drugs, isn't that for really wacky people?

Drug therapy is the fastest way to a cure. New research (done by smart people) shows that depression is a PHYSICAL problem in the brain. It is not just that you need to get tough and deal with your problems. Drugs correct the physical/chemical problem in the brain.

Once you start antidepressants or whatever your doctor prescribes, you will feel start to better, maybe even the same day. So why wait?

How can I see a doctor if I don't have the money?

Are you on your parents' medical plan, if so then you might be covered.

If you don't want to tell your parents that you want to see a psychiatrist, then go to your regular doctor and tell him. Make an appointment and tell your mom and dad you have allergies or something and that's why you need to go. Lie if you have to. This is a serious problem and you need to get help from the people who know how to help.

Write down on a little piece of paper or 3x5 card one sentence that you want to tell the doctor, so you don't chicken out from embarrassment when you get there. Just stick your hand out and give it to him as soon as you walk in. All it has to say is "I'm depressed." or "I think I'm depressed."

Every doctor will take this seriously and will ask you just a few questions to see what you mean and how bad it is. Even if he doesn't know exactly what to do for depression, he will know something, and he will know that something needs to be done.

If you're a student, go to the campus med center and do the same thing.

If you have no other way, go to the emergency room at the hospital. They cannot turn you away. They DO handle these kinds of emergencies.

Just do it.

Stop smoking pot. It's illegal. It could get you in trouble with the law. You do not want that. And nowadays it is a lot easier to tell your friends you just don't like it anymore. It's not like the 70s, when nobody would have said that.

Don't drink so much. Alcohol makes depression worse. It is classified as a depressant.

Again:
1. You will get better.

2. The smart people have already figured this out. (mostly)

3. Tell one person who is close to you. Really tell them. No half-way faking.

4. Get to a psychiatrist or doctor or emergency room. Bring your piece of paper. Maybe a friend will go with you.

5. Stop breaking the law on pot.

6. Drink less.

7. Just do it.

And I have found that it helps to find someone else with a problem--any kind of problem--and help them with it.

If you are so good at college, put up a flyer for tutoring. I used to tutor math. TONS of girls were calling me all the time. And they say hi and wave to you on campus, and that's good for your rep. That helps to make you feel good about yourself.

Go do it.
Good luck!

Answer 4

Identify what's bothering you.

"20 something" is a big transition. You are on your own for the first time and there are a lot of issues to deal with.

You seem like you eat right and exersize, keep that up. Eat as naturally and healthy as you can. Some additives and preservatives effect people in weird ways and make them feel "down".

Start something new.
Take a class, something interesting, but not necessarily toward your education goals. Dancing, martial arts, crafts or painting.

Teach a class. Parks and recreation have classes to take for cheap, and you can teach something there as well.

Volunteer.
It's good for you, and it's good for who ever you want to help.

Seek therapy.
It should be free through your college.

Answer 5

There is no quick way out. You can see your doctor, tell him how you feel. He might decide to send you to a specialist who will determine how best to handle your needs. It could just be a change in diet, or talking to a therapist or it could be medication, which despite what some people think are not that bad and in some cases needed. I take Zoloft and Depakote and while I'm far from perfect I'm better than I was off meds.
Just take it one day at a time and find help from a professional.

Answer 6

go to the student medical office and talk to someone. that will be a start. They are very concerned with the mental well being of their students and will be more than willing to give you whatever help you need. I was seriously depressed and i finally opened my mouth and told my doctor what i was feeling and i have lived such a better, fuller life from that day . The stigma is not what you think. you get help and the world can make sense again.

Answer 7

See depression treatments, at ezy-build *(below) in section 2, and consult a doctor, to eliminate thyroid problems, etc. as possible contributing factors: also seek a referral to a therapist using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. It is your decision, and yours alone, as to whether to take any antidepressants offered, but, before you do, read section 1, and check medications out at www.drugs.com so you will be on the lookout for side effects, like sexual dysfunction. My strong recommendation, however, is to follow the advice of my doctor, his associate, and also Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, and Dr. Mercola, as well, at http://www.mercola.com and avoid antidepressants (pages 2V, and 2Z refer, & antidepressant websites: page 2). The reasons why we all share the same view on this are explained in full, as you will find, if you read the whole section. All of their advice, (except prayer, because many people are not religious) I have incorporated into the "core treatments", including others as options, such as herbal remedies, Inositol, or SAMe. If you are diagnosed with clinical (major) depression, antidepressants may be necessary for a while, which will give the treatments time to become effective. The antidepressants themselves need at least several days, or even many weeks to become effective. It's a good idea to taper off them slowly, with medical advice, after several months, say, to a couple of years, at most, because they are only effective in the long term for about 30% of people. Because of this, you would be well advised to begin the treatments immediately, and maintain them. I'd just thank your mental health care provider, and pocket the prescription, trying the treatments for a few months, to see if they are sufficient for you, before considering filling it (unless clinically depressed, and having great difficulty functioning, or suicidal, in which case I'd take them). If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and, instead of taking 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements (or a teaspoonful of cod liver oil), for the winter months only! Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels. More than 2 standard drinks will act as a depressant, and marijuana interferes with the brain's "pleasure pathways" and takes some time to fully recover from. Insomnia is addressed in section 3*.

Answer 8

It sounds to me like you have everything going for you. GOD, I wish I was you! Your feelings of loneliness and despair could be caused by a hormone imbalance in the body. It is amazing how many there are and how much they affect our lives. My advise to you you is to share your thoughts and feelings with those of your friends you trust. Possibly even a spiritual leader. And also speak with your physician. Ask him if you should go to get some medical tests run. They will be able to substanciate or rule out any physiological cause for your condition. You ARE special. You Are loved. AND.....You WILL be fine!!!

Answer 9

Your brain is an organ like your liver or your kidneys. If your liver doesn't work right, you get jaundice, if your kidneys don't work right, you need dialysis. If your brain is a producer of complex neurochemical processes and if some of them are off, things like depression occur, even if you have everything you could want. You should consult your doctor. You don't have to see a psychiatrist to receive treatment for it, and there are so many options. It's not something to be ashamed of any more than being ashamed of having arthritis or diabetes. I hope you seek help from your doctor. He/she will not judge you.

Answer 10

i know how you feel.
my friends always ask me why im so sad when my life has been so good. sometimes theres not an answer other than to actually see a professional. honestly, if you look around and find someone who actually KNOWS what they are doing, then maybe they can uncover something that you are unaware of. sometimes i wish i c ould see a professional, but i dont want my parents involved. atleast you have the freedom to get helkp without the confrontation.

Answer 11

I really hate questions like this, since no one ever listens to what I say. I can tell you "anti-depressants" are the worst way to go. Writing it out and venting with others or a counselor might be best, but I prefer the "laughter" remedy.

Have as much fun as you can, laugh all the time with you're friends, and keep your head up or hum a tune while you walk. Scares away the blues like no one's business.