Getting Out of Depression?

[Anonymous]

Hey guys, sorry for this rather depressing subject but need some advice! hehe.

I am trying hard to get out of depression. My anti depressants don't seem to touch the surface, I can't afford counselling and I dont really have anyone to talk to.

I was wondering if any of you guys had any ideas? I am looking for some kind of personal exercise or online programme that is free? I am desperate to get out of this illness which has taken over my life, it has caused me to lose family and drop out of medical school. Im currently unemployed and found it impossible to get a job. So I am hoping a new, undepressed me may help!

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

[karl178]

Hi, sorry to hear your situation, I know first-hand that feeling depressed is certainly no fun and can feel like a bottomless pit. It might be helpful if you could to provide some basic details about your age and your issues? But if you prefer not to, no worries either. I seems you have been a member on here for quite a while, so I am sure at different points you have shared your story.

Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, depression is something that needs to be worked on at a deep level to work through the issues and therefore requires lots of time and effort. Though, I am sure you are well aware of this being in this situation.

Just to throw out some ideas, a family member of mine had a problem with alcohol and went to a centre for residential care for a few weeks. It was a bit pricey but did him wonders. I guess an addiction is different to depression, so don't want to speak out of place, but there are all sorts of treatments you can look into.

I personally think that leading a healthy lifestyle, speaking with friends, using online communities such as this and having a good therapist are some of the key ingredients to moving forward.

I just wanted to brainstorm some ideas to get the ball rolling. Care to share some more or what are your thoughts?

[Bobbgooduk]

Hi - don't give up on medication necessarily - just tell the doctor and ask to try something else - there are lots of different drugs and while some of them are similar in the way they work, there are subtle differences. Don't give up just because the first one fails.

What makes you happy? I know it sounds too simple, but being around people who make you laugh is a huge boost to morale.

WHat kind of depression are you suffering from - there are lots of different ones.

General malaise because you're fed up with the way things are going?

Post-traumatic

Clinical?

I personally find writing gets me going. It might make me cry when I'm working on it, but I come out the other end feeling better. I've posted some of my things on my blog which I worked on as part of my therapy.

Also speaking personally, I wouldn't have found things like computer programmes any use - I think they would have just reinforced what I already knew - that I was depressed.

In my case, it was severe, and I was off work for 7 month.

I did have 10 sessions with a therapist BUT a good friend can do a lot to help if you can't afford therapy - someone to listen and be objective.

[Mogget]

As Bob said, don't give up on medication. It can take several false starts before you find one that works for you. I've been on five different antidepressants, some worked better than others, and it took about a year to settle on my current one. This isn't uncommon.

There are avenues to getting free and reduced therapy. Many therapists charge on a sliding scale based on their clients' income, and some of the larger counseling psychology programs at universities are open to the general public. If you live in the US, I would suggest finding and contacting your local NAMI (Nation Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter to find out what resources are available in your area. Some NAMI chapters also offer peer support groups (called consumer support groups) for people experiencing mental illness, and support groups can be invaluable to recovery.

Feel free to PM me if you want me to help you find local resources.

[Lexington]

There's no magical formula for making depression go away (or else we'd all know about it and just do it). But I've found a few things that can help keep it at bay when I'm suffering through depression.

* Stay social. The more interaction I get, the better I feel. When I'm alone, my brain tends to start "revving on high in neutral", going over the same bullshit over and over.

* Get creative. Anything creative you'd like to do - give it a try. Draw, write a poem or epic story, sing, play an instrument, design a house. You don't have to be good at it. You just have to want to do it, and do it. Engaging your creativity seems to keep the brain busy, and get you out of that rut.

* Mix things up. Give your brain new data. Take a different way home. Try walking or biking. Go someplace new for lunch. Order something totally different. If you usually watch cartoons, watch a movie. If you usually watch comedies, watch an old film noir or adventure. If you usually listen to pop, try jazz or classical or rock or world music.

* Stay active. You don't have to get a ton of exercise if you don't want. But try to get your heart moving for a time each day. Jog, run, bike, play a sport.

Lex

[Tetraquark]

I agree with Bobbgooduk that it matters what kind of depression you are suffering from. For example, looking at it terms of the effects of anti-depressants, dysthymia, a general malaise that persists for years on end, is not very responsive to medication, whereas severe major depressive disorder is. Bipolar disorder or cyclothymia will get worse on anti-depressants, though the former does usually require some sort of medication. I imagine that there exists similar variance in how each should be approached both in terms of therapy and lifestyle changes.

One thing that jumped out at me was your mentioning medical school. Burnout is a huge problem for high-stress career tracks. Could that be a contributing factor in your case? As someone who has struggled with burnout and perfectionism, I recommend focusing on becoming a more well-rounded person and spending time doing things you love, as well as accepting that you're not perfect and acknowledging that it's okay to make mistakes.

Are there any other things that could be contributing to your depression? Where are you in terms of accepting your orientation and/or gender identity, if that's at all relevant?

[Jim1454]

I'll echo the fact that your meds SHOULD be working, and if they're not then you need to speak to your doctor about it. Perhaps you need a higher dose (that was the case for me - as the original does did help but not enough) or a different medication all together.

I would suggest you do consult your doctor for possibly a higher dosage, or a different medication all together. As for things besides counseling, and besides medicine, having a healthy mind would be the key to getting out of depression. Depression obviously isn't any fun, but find things you enjoy, and make them present in your life. Do activities that require you to actively think and use your mind for, because again, if your mind is healthy the chances of you feeling healthier are more likely. Just take it day by day and find what you still enjoy and do it. Develop a sense of happiness and keep it present by doing the things you love. Once you build up some happiness and stability, become more active with socializing. Once you've worked on yourself, work with other people, you'll be able to talk to more people if you develop stability. Socializing and keeping in contact with people may make you even happier and healthier. Eventually, after all that, you'll start getting back on track again.

[Anonymous]

As someone who's been there (and for a bit too long..), it's not that easy getting out of it. I never told my parents about it so I could never really have therapy and/or medication. One thing I found useful was talking to one trusted friend about it whenever I felt like doing anything to myself as she had, briefly, but, nontheless, been there. If you don't have any friends who have been there, that's fine too. You just have to focus more on this next thing. Like it or not, you'll have to come face to face with your problems, you can't just suppress them, or you'll end up having them resurface later with 20 years of added fun.. You also have to stop thinking depressive thoughts, easier said than done. Something I found that helped that was listening to music pretty loudly. It was loud enough so that I couldn't really focus on anything else. Well, hope I helped a little bit

Originally Posted by Anonymous

As someone who's been there (and for a bit too long..), it's not that easy getting out of it. I never told my parents about it so I could never really have therapy and/or medication. One thing I found useful was talking to one trusted friend about it whenever I felt like doing anything to myself as she had, briefly, but, nontheless, been there. If you don't have any friends who have been there, that's fine too. You just have to focus more on this next thing. Like it or not, you'll have to come face to face with your problems, you can't just suppress them, or you'll end up having them resurface later with 20 years of added fun.. You also have to stop thinking depressive thoughts, easier said than done. Something I found that helped that was listening to music pretty loudly. It was loud enough so that I couldn't really focus on anything else. Well, hope I helped a little bit

That was me... forgot to unclick the box thing..