I think I have depression.
 

For the past couple years I've felt like shit. Not physically, but emotionally. Full of anxiety and just always sad and pessimistic. I was talking to a friend about it, one of the few I have left since I've pretty much shut everyone out, and became a hermit. He said it sounds like I'm suffering from depression. I went online, and out of 10 symptoms, I would say 7 or 8 were right in my wheelhouse. Nine if I'm being honest.

Has any of you ever suffered from depression? Did you take medication? Which medications work? Don't work? Did you feel better after taking meds?

I honestly don't know what could have caused it. I live a healthy lifestyle (no drugs, not even booze), I'm not broke, and I'm a pretty laid back guy. For the most part, pretty stress free. I hate feeling like this.

Go see a doctor and show him this post. Well show him metaphorically, as opposed to firing up a site called GFY in his office....

Just tell him the same thing and let him do his stuff. A drug that works for one person may not work for another in the same way, so provided you are being honest and not just seeking drugs for drugs sake, they will be happy to help.

Good luck :)

Take CurrentlySober's advice.

Depression is serious shit. You need to go see someone about it.

GFY isn't the right place.

I have always suffered from it, I used to go from high to low. When I had cancer I contemplated suicide. The specialist put me on Cipralex and I'm fine. Nothing like I imagined, it doesn't numb me. Makes me feel fine.

As AK says, you need to see a doctor.

It would help if you identify what gets you down, like frustration, loneliness, lack of fulfillment, etc.

See a doctor. I will say some physical labor helps me when I feel down.

Thanks brother! I have a shrink in town that I plan to visit - he used to prescribe me Xanax by the truckload back in the day. I just know there is a slew of drugs he is going to want to prescribe, so I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions for which to ask for, and which to avoid. He's not the type of doctor that wants to "discuss" my feelings. He's more of a script writer...which isn't always a bad thing.

I could load up GFY, but his first suggestion would probably be, "Block that site". :winkwink:

Thank you for the medication suggestion, Paul. :thumbsup

Worst thing you can do for depression is go to a shrink and get on medication.

Eat better

Exercise better

Get more sunshine

= proven vastly more effective for depression than medication.

low-mid depression is normal nowadays... talented people are more affected.
just accept it and live with it as i do :).

My suggestions for your consideration would be:

- Get enough sleep. Get into a regular schedule, and make sure you always get enough sleep, this is very important.

- If you don't already, start taking some short high intensity exercise, e.g. cycling for 15 minutes. This is also important.

- Tune your diet. Get the right food in to look after your brain. E.g. eggs for omega 3, walnuts, blueberries, anything that is good for your brain in particular. Eat right, do some research on this.

- When you get anxious, do not continue the thought train. Tell yourself that you should not be thinking anxious thoughts, and just stop the thought train. Either think of nothing, or think of something better. Shutting down unnecessary thought will rest your brain, it is possible. Do not overthink, so that you can rest your brain.

- Find some motivational people on YouTube, and start watching their videos.

- Don't be too hard on yourself.

- Spend more time doing what makes you happy, e.g. hobbies.

- Good luck.

My suggestion is - get a hobby.
I also think meds should be a last resort. Try to find something you like to do. A friend of my family started carving wood and he's really been able to turn his life around - feels much better and is generally happier.

Sad to hear that...
I don't know about meds, but when I was in a similar situation like you, that was maybe eight years ago when I didn't work and I had plenty of free time, so I felt miserable because I was useless.
Then I found things to do that made me feel better. It was nothing special in the beginning, but after a month or two, it was clear that I had too much time to think, basically, so I would force myself into depression, so to speak.
Do more of what makes you happy. Good luck! :)

Fucking ghouls. Fucking squint.

I went through this. One thing I found helpful was a list of current issues I was dealing with. Depression makes us lack motivation which then ads to our problems. A therapist once a week has a similar effect to taking the drugs so if the list is stuff that might be gone in 6 months then maybe a little therapy might be beneficial.
We live in amazing times so take advantage of that and good luck.

it's a mindset you should break out of. I was very depressed for a long time until i decided to do something about it. I still see sometimes some old posts of me here where i was surfing gfy drunk again and saying depressing things - it's like some other person made those posts. I can't imagine being in such a state nowadays.

Im not the type to run to doctors or take meds. I did it by reading a self help book that went deep into conditioning yourself to turn all your negative thinking into positive thinking. Constantly repeating those techniques. I combined this with slowly getting out of my comfort zone (go out more and not just to get fucked up).
Also i started exercising. When i was depressed i couldn't imagine going for a run outside, now i like it.

Exersice a lot. MTB in the forrest if you can.

Take an exotic looong holiday. Go to Thailand.

Get sunshine.

Eat wery helthy.

Work to improve your selv and belive in it.

Pills is only for synthoms.

:thumbsup

With the anxiety (?social phobia) you have as well as the depression Venlafaxine could be a good one to ask your doctor about - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venlafaxine

It works better than anything else I have tried - It might not be suitable for you though - So SEE A DOCTOR:winkwink:...

This is actually the key, or has been for me.

It takes a lot of work and dedication but it's well worth it.

I'm not an expert, but from what I heard, there's several types of depressions.
The psychological ones (lack of hobbies, feeling of failure, loss of someone,...) and there's the chemical one (something fucked up in your body's chemistry).
I'm pretty sure they aren't taken care of the same way.

My advice is to go see a doctor that knows his shit and is not only a "script writer".
Meds are not going to do much on a psychological depression and you need meds to heal the second. :2 cents:

All the best!

Depression is no joke and I'm pleased at the seriousness of the replies in here.

Take an appointment with your doctor and talk about it.
Good luck.

this is one we should all be doing. Those of us who work online are more susceptible to things like this because if we are not working from home or we are working in an office for a lot of hours and don't get enough sunshine and can easily develop bad eating/exercise habits along the way.

Vitamin D is a big one, if you aren't getting enough sun, less in winter, then you are most likely low on it and it can bring moods down. Supplements, good foods and sunshine, all 3 are important to fix any deficiency--one isn't enough. for exercise train for something. join a boxing club, swimming club or some martial arts training--shit, even yoga. All these types of things aren't just good exercise, they are good motivators and will help with any anxieties.

The Irrational Man has the answer.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EMv9FsOmRqs/maxresdefault.jpg

Good advice here, I was about to write the same thing.

Unfortunately, research has confirmed that antidepressant drugs are no more effective than sugar pills. Some studies have even found that sugar pills may produce BETTER results than antidepressants!

But in addition to being ineffective, they are far from harmless and are now associated with many serious health problems

Long-term studies now indicate that of people with major depression, only about 15 percent that are treated with an antidepressant go into remission and stay well for a long period of time. The remaining 85 percent start having continuing relapses and become chronically depressed.

â??There are two side effects or risks that really need to be addressed, and that everybody should be thinking about, that show up in the scientific literature,â?� Whitaker says. â??The first risk is that youâ??ll convert from unipolar depression to bipolar depression.

Most of you have probably heard that depression is due to a â??chemical imbalance in your brain,â?� which these drugs are designed to correct. Unfortunately for anyone who has ever swallowed this marketing ploy, this is NOT a scientific statement.

â??The low serotonin theory arose because they understood how the drugs acted on the brain,â?� Whitaker explains. â??But it was just a hypothesis borne to try to explain why the drug might be fixing something. They investigated whether people had low serotoninâ?¦[But] in 1983, NIMH concluded that there is no evidence that there is anything wrong in the serotonergic system of depressed patients.

Reversing Depression Without Antidepressants

Robert Whitaker?s Interview on Antidepressants

How We have Been Deceived by the Antidepressant Hoax

Why Antidepressants Don't Work for Treating Depression | Mark Hyman, MD

Your Doctor : "Suck two black cocks and call me in the morning."


:1orglaugh

Total BS - From personal experience I KNOW they work...

That statement alone shows that these 'studies' must have been flawed - Think about it for a minute...

you proved earlier with your "ask your doctor if this specific drug is right for you" comment that you believe the marketing hype.

how many prescription pills are you up to on a daily basis now? 20? 25?

if antidepressants work, then why is everyone still depressed?

Every year, 230 million prescriptions for antidepressants are filled, making them one of the most prescribed drugs in the United States. The psychiatric industry itself is a $330 billion industry—not bad for an enterprise that offers little in the way of cures.

Despite all of these prescriptions, more than one in 20 Americans are depressed, according to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those depressed Americans, 80 percent say they have some level of functional impairment, and 27 percent say their condition makes it extremely difficult to do everyday tasks like work, activities of daily living, and getting along with others.

The use of antidepressant drugs—medicine's answer for depression—doubled in just one decade, from 13.3 million in 1996 to 27 million in 2005.

If these drugs are so extensively prescribed, then why are so many people feeling so low?

Because they don't work at addressing the cause.

They don't work because most people using them don't actually have clinical depression.
These drugs absolutely work on clinical depression and schizophrenia.

People are just fucking pussies who whine about their mild discomfort in life and think this
is depression.
They aren't depressed; they are just sad ass pussies.
The drugs can't cure a cry baby who is sad because life is not what they dream of.

The drugs only works for people who actually need it.

:2 cents:

As I said above (but again I never was treated for any kind of depression), from what I know there's several kinds of depressions. Meds should work on some but not all.

Anyhow I don't think here's the place to diss antidepressant drugs, If Rob is really having a depression, it's no trolling matter. :2 cents:

Rob should see a doctor about it and do whatever it takes to feel better because depression sucks (and not in a good way).

i'm not trolling jack shit fuckwad. i'm dead fucking serious.

gofuckyourself.

bottomline: get fundamentals in order before throwing pills down the hatch, eating, activity, controlled thoughts, sunshine. then worry about pill popping solutions.

Don't forget sleep better.

I couldn't imagine what it is like to be depressed. There is so many things to be thankful for.

I work from home and I work a lot of hours and for a certain period I wasn't getting out much. Then any time my wife wanted to drag me some where I wouldn't be interested. I had to work on changing that.

exactly. the thinking is that sleep should get on-track with proper activity, nutrition, mindset, and sun.

Im feeling bored sometimes and i cant say its depression.



Go to visit doctor.

:2 cents:

And I am greatful for that.

I do not have anything to feel sad about. In fact lets say something like libtards allowing illegal invaders to continue their long haul plan to overrule Europe is the only "problem" I have in my life :)
That is the single thing I am sad about in my life, of course nor near the level of depression, just mad and sad.

gotta love teh GFY. where you're called a troll for sharing valid information by a dimwit who has no idea what he's yapping about.

:1orglaugh

I am just saying that one shouldn't reject the idea of meds without seeing a doctor.
Whatever works is good to have.
Even if it's a placebo effect.

You're the one yapping, I'm just giving my point of view. :321GFY

that's not at all what you've been saying. you've been regurgitating the marketing you've been spoon fed while admitting you have no fucking idea wtf you're talking about then telling me that i'm trolling to suggest that getting fundamentals like eating properly and daily activity on point first and foremost.

so stfu.

this thread isn't about you, stop trying to make it the case...

nobody here is saying to cram pills down your throat to fix everything.

Whatever you say buddy... :thumbsup

You know how I kinda fell out of the business for a little bit? That was depression and seriously fix that shit before it kills you. :2 cents:

i know it's not. it's a serious thread and i've been going out on a limb sharing serious information in it.

if the op is serious about treating his depression, hopefully now he will take into account the serious risks involved of jumping straight to a pill to solve it. there is no panacea in pill form here.

i don't sugarcoat shit at GFY, i've dealt with depression and speak with experience, strength and knowledge about it. when someone who has none of that calls me a troll for going out on a limb and stating the answer is not what we're told on the television, i'm going to respond to that.

if Rob is OK enough to seek GFY advice on depression, my being candid and forthright answering his questions isn't going to push him over the edge.

As in masking/delaying the problem? Like alcohol "works" when you have problems? :)

and btw, this is exactly what quite a few people are stating in this thread. go to the doctor and get a script for it is the message a several people. up to and including specifically named pills.

A couple people I know take pills for it and all say they feel out of it all the time, sleep way too much and those pills have to be weened off..