Have you ever suffered from depression?

[travel-mum]

Everyone suffers from depression of some sort over their lifetime. It just depends on how bad it gets. I have suffered from some forms of depression, but it was situational depression. Once I got out of the situations that caused it, I got a lot better. I have never suffered from clinical depression, and I hope I never will. My mother, on the other hand, suffered a lot with depression, and my father had a nervous breakdown because of situational depression. I think I'm very prone to it, so I try and keep myself as happy as I can. I get lots of sleep, eat well, do things I enjoy and surround myself with positive people. That, in itself, can make a world of difference in being depressed or not.

[Duff]

Know all about depression.,

[Skippy]

Has anyone here suffered from depression? If so, and if you do not mind, can you talk about it if it isnt too personal?

Well Gryphon, it would appear you are not alone, and probably most people here would be glad to talk.
Thanks for opening up this subject, in that you have helped many.

[dealsniffer]

I am currently having problems with depression-I had to have a couple back surgeries and had some complications and I have not been able to get out and about for almost a year now and it can get terribly frustrating and lonely. Yesterday I managed to get out of the house for the first time in about a month (since my second surgery) and it did not go so well because my back is still in a lot of pain. So depression has been hitting me somewhat bad these past few months. I have dealt with depression on and off over the years but have dealt with it each time. I am hoping to get through this time as well. Being so cooped up really doesn't help but because it is my back, I can't be up out of bed too much. Not that I haven't tried to be doing things I probably shouldn't be doing but it is hard to stay down and be patient for things to heal.
I do need to say that I am sooo thankful for finding SC because this site is amazing and I love getting free stuff and so it brightens my day to look at the free stuff and it gives me somethign to look forward to in terms of what I will get in the mail! People are also very kind here as well! Thanks for starting this thread and for everyone willing to talk about it because it reminds me again that I am not alone! Thanks

[Thumpersmom]

yes, i have been fighting depression and type II BiPolar disorder which reared its ugly head as a result of the clinical depression, which was a direct result from deep and profound bereavement and grief. Medication can help, and was a life-saver for me. It allowed me to cope with dealing with my depression and subsequently getting 'better'.
I was able to come to understand my illness and learn coping mechanisms.
I am not the same person i was before I became depressed, and I never will be. I had to learn to be 'okay' with that, and learn to love the 'new me'. Lord knows I desperately searched for the 'old me'.

Thank god for the wonderful social workers who helped me along the way, and of course the psychiatrist who managed my meds. I believe that 'support networks' are crucial.

geez.... I sound like I'm making an Emmy acceptance speech!!!!.... "i'd like to thank the wonderful...." lol

I totally understand that. I remember having my first depressive episode at about 7. It is probably one of my first memories. I remember hiding in the garage and looking for things to kill myself with and I wasn't just fooling around. I have been a manic depressive all my life. Medication really helped and then my Dad died. I was helping him to remove his I.V. with a health nurse on the telephone line when he went into a seizure and died. I was convinced I had killed him. It probably did not help that I started screaming I've killed my dad over and over. There was a police investigation. I was in recovery from my first batch of cancer at the time and I snapped. I suffered a complete psychotic break. If you have never had one of those it is incredibly hard to explain. Long story short I came out of that with a bipolar condition. Was it there before , who knows. I am now on permanent disability and aside from my immediate illness I know I will never be able to work again. That was hard to accept. I am totally different from who I was before but I do see glimpses of the old me and I am creating a new me that I am starting to like a lot.

My only piece of advice "Do not Mess With Your Meds!" Take them when you are supposed to and don't mess around. You might be feeling better but chances are that's because your meds are WORKING!

[Skippy]

I totally understand that. I remember having my first depressive episode at about 7. It is probably one of my first memories. I remember hiding in the garage and looking for things to kill myself with and I wasn't just fooling around. I have been a manic depressive all my life. Medication really helped and then my Dad died. I was helping him to remove his I.V. with a health nurse on the telephone line when he went into a seizure and died. I was convinced I had killed him. It probably did not help that I started screaming I've killed my dad over and over. There was a police investigation. I was in recovery from my first batch of cancer at the time and I snapped. I suffered a complete psychotic break. If you have never had one of those it is incredibly hard to explain. Long story short I came out of that with a bipolar condition. Was it there before , who knows. I am now on permanent disability and aside from my immediate illness I know I will never be able to work again. That was hard to accept. I am totally different from who I was before but I do see glimpses of the old me and I am creating a new me that I am starting to like a lot.

My only piece of advice "Do not Mess With Your Meds!" Take them when you are supposed to and don't mess around. You might be feeling better but chances are that's because your meds are WORKING!

Thanks for sharing,your last paragraph is especially important to remember!

[Skippy]

Just wondering if it helps you when you are feeling down,or having one of those days you wish you weren't?

I'll go first, Yes because it usually helps take my mind off of things and I also enjoy the company,and often I'm encouraged or blessed.
I also want to encourage others too, and this is my main outlet.

[robbiebaby69]

I went through my first bout of depression at 13 years old. Then I had another episode when I was 15 years old that caused me to drop out of high school. I went to see a pschyatrist (sp?) once during that time who told me all I needed was to get out and make friends and have a boyfriend. Yeah,okay. Then it didn't bother me majorly again until after I had my son last year and then I had severe PPD. Ended up on Zoloft for that which helped a lot for the depression. But I also have severe anxiety issues....going out in public by myself is almost impossible for me. I will literally do anything to avoid public situations if I am alone. So I am supposed to be starting a new medication that works better for anxiety and depression; Paxal I think it's called. Just have to wait until I have this baby 'cause I can't take it while pregnant.

It's Paxil. It can be very hard to 'get on' and your doctor needs to closely monitor you. It took me 3 weeks to 'get on it' and then it worked like a charm for about one year.
Ask a lot of questions before you go on it. Please read up on Paxil and the lawsuits that have been launched in the States.
Many have likened coming off of Paxil to 'heroin withdrawal'; I agree.

it was such a bad experience i resisted going on anything else for almost 2 years. My new psychiatrist suggested zoloft 100mg and it has been great (for me).

[matrix82]

I have battled it for most of my life. Since about 15-16 years old, so ten years now. I didn't get treatment for it until actually this year. I got a new doctor who recognized the signs, and I started both medical treatment as in pills, counselling to learn new coping mechanisms, and spiritual guidance from a chaplain.

I still have days when I don't want to leave the bed, but the main symptom I was having outside of being depressed was also severe anxiety. I think in many ways i have always suffered from anxiety.

I think the earliest I remember was when I was in elementary school. My parents frequently got called into the principals office or a meeting with the teacher because I didn't talk. I would maybe say three or four sentences during a whole school year. I remember how much it stressed me to say more than that. I was fine if the teacher gave me a section out of a book to read, but answering questions in front of classmates, terrifying. I went home with a tummy ache during the first couple of years of school more times than I could count. Combine that with constant bullying as I was tall and chubby, so I stood out.

In grade seven when my dad got diagnosed with cancer my first panic attack happened one day in gym class. The gym teacher had to carry me to the office because I passed out. I remember my heart started racing, and everything went black and grainy. I felt weak and couldn't really talk, couldn't catch my breath, couldn't think, I could just feel. Really I felt like I was falling, that sort of feeling all over my body, a loss of control. Its really scary.

At first the doctor's thought I had a heart problem, I was even supposed to be on a waiting list for surgery, but my new doctor started me on anti-anxiety med's and counselling, and its done the trick. So for ten years probably at one point it was happening once or twice a week, my heartrate would be up to 160-180 bpm, when resting my heartrate is around 65. Now I rarely get one, and I can tell the signs of when one is coming on, and I know what to do about it.

[gryphon]

i would like to say everyone who opened up here, is a very brave person and i want to thank you all.

[matrix82]

I second that gryphon...great topic for discussion.

[Skippy]

i would like to say everyone who opened up here, is a very brave person and i want to thank you all.

Indeed!

[oceane]

I had a post-partum depression, trust me, this is really painful because you just can't take care of your newborn. This is almost over because at the end of october I will slowly stop my medication. I am a bit anxious about stopping my med but I really feel good and normal now. Good luck to all, and yes talking about makes you feel better. Unfortunately, few people understand, that 's why nobody knows about it in my family.

[LisaLisaBoBisa]

I wonder how long someone would be depressed befor actually considering it a real problem and clinical depression. I sometimes think *when XXX happens i will be happier* or *it's XXX that is making me unhappy* -- when xxx comes and goes, there is yet another obstacles that I face that won't allow me to be truly happy.. IDK if this is depression or just a rough patch..

[Skippy]

I wonder how long someone would be depressed befor actually considering it a real problem and clinical depression. I sometimes think *when XXX happens i will be happier* or *it's XXX that is making me unhappy* -- when xxx comes and goes, there is yet another obstacles that I face that won't allow me to be truly happy.. IDK if this is depression or just a rough patch..

That is a very good question,but I don't have the answer.

Perhaps the following link that was already provided may help

http://www.cmha.ca/bins/index.asp