Fighting Depression

[Badcat]

If this is rambling and seems nonsensical, I blame the drugs. I used to make more sense, and be sharper and more lucid. Now I kinda know what I want to say, but can't find the exact words.

no vifferman, you make good sense.
i appreciate your candor.
i'm just emerging from a very dark 4 months, and it's good to hear i'm not alone, and smart and capable people struggle like i have done.

thanks

ken

[R1madness]

Hi Bren, Depression is not something you can "harden the fuck up" about, in fact that is one of the major causes of it. Talk with your wife about how you feel, i mean really tell her about the bad things on your mind, ring your best mate and talk to him too. Tell everyone you are struggling including your new boss (oddly he will want to help).
You can get thru it mate, i know, i have truely been there. Get help and you will come right.
Cry when you need to, laugh when you can.

[vifferman]

Hi Bren, Depression is not something you can "harden the fuck up" about.

From the point of view of the infamous John Kirwan ads, "HTFU" is unhelpful, in that those who don't understand and think you're just feeling sorry for yourself, and need to "snap out of it" are making things worse.
But, in another sense, "HTFU" is something you need to do. You need to learn to not let being sad become a habit, and to try to develop a positive mind set, and some 'coping strategies' to deal with it. It's not hard to look for external solutions rather than take charge of the malady and deal with it yourself. However (but), it's a very insidious thing: we live in our heads, so anything that affects our thinking means it's VERY hard to be objective and sensible, and not let our thinking be coloured by how we feel.
My son (who also suffers from depression, and often at the same time, due to our 'biorhythms' being in sync) started saying "harden up, you pussy!" just because of the ads, whenever he heard me showing evidence of feeling sorry for myself. Strangely, it helped.

Talk with your wife about how you feel, i mean really tell her about the bad things on your mind, ring your best mate and talk to him too. Tell everyone you are struggling including your new boss (oddly he will want to help).

Good advice.
From personal experience, I'd be careful about how you tackle your employers about it though.
When I was first having a real struggle with it, I told my boss. He was a real sporty type (ironman competitor), as was our HR person, and I suspect they despised my 'weakness', and couldn't relate to it at all, and conspired to manage me out of the job, in a very cunning and careful way, by using the employment law against me. They made me agree to set goals, to document stuff and sign it, then were going to use this to 'legally' terminate my employment. Luckily, when I was very distraught, I told my 'coffee buddy' about it, and fortuitously, he became my boss during my probationary period, and the jerk who'd been my boss left the company.
Having a boss who knew everything, and who I could talk honestly and openly with, helped HEAPS.
Before I started my current job, I told them everything, and they have been very accepting and supportive. It makes it very easy, saying, "Look - I haven't done this piece of work, because I feel crap this week, and I'm struggling."

You can get thru it mate, i know, i have truely been there. Get help and you will come right.
Cry when you need to, laugh when you can.

Yes, that's all true, and good helpful advice, especially about laughing. Make sure you laugh as much as you can, including at yourself.

[discotex]

SSRIs can help give someone to get through a sever bout of depression, especially if it's mainly circumstantial (and partly neurochemical) in origin. But they're over-prescribed, not because GPs get kickbacks, but because they're seen as being effective, almost a panacea for all ills.

I think that's a valid point. It's possibly a mix of the two.

It's pretty obvious that SSRI's are not the panacea that the medical profession believes them to be.

Your other comments echo much of my own experience with a decade of severe depression that thankfully I'm out the other side of.

[allycatz]

Hey if the Dr has referred you to councellors ask him to refer you thru the Kapiti PHO services and you can get the councellors free if you meet their criteria...I am working and was accepted. There is an excellent guy in Waikanae who has helped me get over 5 years of panic attacks and other crap including depression...hes a retired psychotherapist...message me if youd like his name. Re the happy pills - they may make for feel worse before they get better, go with the side affects for two or three weeks and you WILL notice an improvement....ps Family Hotel in Otaki far more fun than railway ha ha!

[Genestho]

Sorry, I hope my HTFU comment was not misconstrued....

Let me be clear that I do not believe HTFU helps, and to be told that, DOES NOT help either.

My personal technique, is not about HTFU, but looking externally from the outside of the situation, realising that you are not alone.

It's bad enough to be isolated inside your head, without convincing yourself that you are alone.
Because you're not.
Surround yourself with friends that understand...non judgemental, and ignore the ones that don't. Don't take it onboard as to why they don't understand either.

Citizens advice Bureau has a list of free councellers.
Don't think Happy Pills alone will fix you...you need to bring about change within yourself,and work on the cause.
Of course my experience is based on grief which is a lot different from full blown depression, so maybe my suggestions are not much help here at all, just my 2 cents...

What I do know is that JK ad is true, enjoy the simple things

[alanzs]

Just knowing you have depression is a big part of getting well. Hang in there, that light at the end of the tunnel is NOT a train!

[boman]

Do NOT take this advice. Saint Johns Wart in combination with anti-depressants is potentially a fatal combination as it can cause Serotonin syndrome

My apologies I should have been more specific. I ment take St Johns Wort instead of the Prescription drugs as I was told they are less Addictive.

[doc]

Here are some happy pics.

[Cheshire Cat]

Here are some happy pics.

that second photo is disgusting!!!!

[doc]

I will delete it if you want ? Just got to find out how.

[Cheshire Cat]

heh heh na, its all good.

[vifferman]

My apologies I should have been more specific. I ment take St Johns Wort instead of the Prescription drugs as I was told they are less Addictive.

The "old style" antidepressants were addictive, because they stimulated the brain's pleasure centre, but I doubt whether any modern SSRIs (or MAOIs, or tri-cyclics) are addictive.
But they *do* all have side effects, as does St Johns Wort (which in fact is also a type of SSRI); it's just milder, so the side-effects are too.

Been there, done that.
St Johns Wort, Griffonia simplicifolia, lithium, paroxetine, fluoxetine, citalopram, clomipramine, nortriptyline, moclobemide, venlafaxine, epilim... either individually or in combination.
But after being wrongly prescribed a toxic dose of venlafaxine, and then getting really sick on epilim, I decided enough was enough.
Some of these droooogz are fookn expensive - I had to get a special dispensation for the venlafaxine, which cost the taxpayer several thousand dollars apparently...
Pity it didn't work (except to almost cure me of looking for a cure for my fookt brain).

Result!

Of sorts....

[Goblin]

Here are some happy pics.

that second photo is disgusting!!!!

I will delete it if you want ? Just got to find out how.

heh heh na, its all good.

The only thing disgusting about that pic is the time it took to cook the blardy thing with everybody opening the lid to see how delicious it looked and smelt! Thank fark for the chicken kebabs!
Lesson learnt tho...padlock the fucker shut next time!

As for the poor wee pony...who didn't have a thrash on it?

[Blackshear]

The only thing disgusting about that pic is the time it took to cook the blardy thing with everybody opening the lid to see how delicious it looked and smelt! Thank fark for the chicken kebabs!
Lesson learnt tho...padlock the fucker shut next time!

As for the poor wee pony...who didn't have a thrash on it?

Better have been a shitload of honey, garlic, rosemary and other such spices on that piggy after the photo was taken!!!