Sorry for rant, got alot on my mind. Looking back on my life so far I can only realy think of a few moments when Iv been realy happy, I know life is not easy as Im always told, also that I can't realy talk about being depressed at my age, as things will aparantly get better. well the way I see it is no matter what my age, pain, lonelyness & the rest of crappy emotions we have feel the same, don't they?. I often have thoughts alot of just ending it all, ofcourse things stop me, fear of death, thinking about effects it would have on my family. hoping things will get better cuase it just looks like things getting worse and worse. Not sure its worth living for the good times since most the time its just, not. I was reading on antidepressants and what they do, how do I get them?, where and do I need anyone with me cuase I would preffer to keep this to myself. thanks for reading. any information/advice is welcome
Hello there... Your ad really touched me and I don't want to sound like an authorative figure but I'm just curious, after reading on anti depressants, they appear to you as the only solution to your problems? Have you thought about your so many other options? I mean anti-depressant are not some leisure pills you take to make your life better they're a quick fix, prescribed by a psychiatrist to be used in conjonction with a therapy and other self-improvement activities... I'd love to hear your thoughts further. Take care
I would advise going to your doctor and talking about this with them. At the very least, the can write you a prescription.
hi clip im on anti depresents meself from my GP im on citalopram they arent a miracle cure then can take a few weeks to work apparently and you might need your dosage adjusted i have to go back on the 25th to see how im doing. my advice is to go to your GP but beeing 16 im not sure on the law for it but you can talk to the doctor i was offered some counciling aswell. if you are sure about antidepressants i would say to go through the doctor to help manage your medication and condition and be aware that like any drug antidepressants can have side effects on the first few days of mine i just couldent really think dont know why but now im just getting insomnia also its documented the first 2 weeks are the worst for side efects whilst your body gets used to the new drug intake but its ok. have you talked to anyone about how you feel ? does your family know how u feel i know it can be hard opening up to people thinking they cant understand and also not wanting to seem a disapointment or failure but suffering in silence is far worse asking for advice here though is a positive step.
Im not sure of many other options at the moment, to me they seem like a easy way to feel better, or atleast block out some feelings. I tryed speaking with college counsellor a little but Im a realy shy person, not realy good at opening up to people or telling people how I feel. I will go see my doctor about it, If he writes me a prescription will I need to have somone with me or can I keep it to myself?, my parents have enouth troubles at the moment and wouldnt want to make them worrie or whatever thank you for replies too.
Hey there... I'm not sure about the law in the UK (or Canada? I'm not sure which london you live in) but regarding your other options, you don't seem very shy to me, if you're able to talk about your problems here, why not with a counselor or a therapist... You know, it's their job and there is absolutely nothing you're going to say that's going to shock them or make them judge you... Try a couch therapy (you don't have to face the doctor, he'll be sitting behind you), like your conscious. It'll make you feel very confortablr, you should really enjoy it and gain a lot of understanding on your situation and it'll give you tools to face your difficulties and accept them. Other options: sports, your artistic side (singing, drawing, dancing, writting, etc.), developing your creativity, experementing something new, etc. Hope this helps...
i dont know im not sure how far the age 16 adult status goes in medicine but its really worth talking to your doc. if your able to get the prescription without a problem then if your sure your dont want to worry family you dont have to tell them i dont tell mine. aslong as your sensible with the medication dont exceed the daily ammount. i think i should just tell you a few things antidepressants arent a easy or quick fix theyre chemicals with potential side effects. theyre also not all specifically designed to block feeling but help your neurotransmitters increasin chemicals like serotonin because its a defficiency of the chemicals that causes depression the medical form. you can be low without it everyone has bad days but its when your consistently low bleak meh you need the help. take care
thanks for replie, (london UK btw if it makes difference) I find it easy to talk here, face to face is very different for me, I tend to stutter, speak fast, repeat words uncontrolably sometimes, Im working on on that though. I like your idea about the couch terapy, being confortable would make it alot easeir to speak I suppose, thanks for advice.
Firstly, (*hug*). You've done the sensible thing and asked for help. St Johns Wart is a natural anti-depressant. Not sure about the UK, but here in Aus it can be purchased over the counter at your local pharmacy. It does take a little while for it to work (If it will at all.. Medications can take a long time to get right, so hang in there). When purchasing, the pharmacist may ask you a few simple questions eg "Have you taken this before?" "Allergic to anything?" etc.. Medication is never the quick-fix answer for depressive moods. Finding someone that you can trust and easily talk to is a must. Never try and bottle stuff like this up. As it's highly explosive. A problem Shared, is a problem halved. All the best.
To take anti-depressants you need a medical prescription. Talk to your doctor about it. Do not try to have some any other ways. They are medications, there is several kind of them and they can be dangerous if not used as they should be. Being on medication doesn't do miracles. It doesn't turn life into a Disney movie, and it could have sides effects. Then, anti-depressants can help to feel better, because they suppress (or minor) the anxiety feelings, but they are not active on the causes of these feelings. I think that a therapy is the best option, with anti-depressants to help if you need. Take care, Eleanor
Depression is one of those disorders which most people face in there life as some stage for one reason or the other. If it's children the pressure of studies gets over their head and if it's adults the pressure of work attracts depression. Anti depressants in no way are the answer to your depression. Such things should never be used without expert opinion as these are habit forming and sometimes withdrawal symptoms can be even more depressing. Rather than having anti depressants, one should try and be busy and changing routine can get you over depression. http://www.xanax-effects.com
That's a VERY narrow minded opinion. Work and studies are in no way the reason for depression, there are so many other causes, I'm not even going to try and start listing them. Antidepressants can be the way out of a very bad place for some people, like a leg up. Don't you think people who get to the stage where they need antidepressants have tried everything? Changing routines, and trying to 'be busy' really isn't going to be of much help to someone really suffering from depression. Finally, no, most people don't face depression. They feel depressed from time to time, and often falsely diagnose themselves as suffering from depression (I am not referring to OP whatsoever, I should I) but to actually have depression is very different. Anyway, end of rant.
Hi clip555, I think the thing that's important is that you speak to your doctor about this. Although I'm not sure where you stand with prescriptions given your age, you should remember that he or she is proffesionally bound to keep your conversations private, so even if they can't prescribe anything without parental consent, it wouldn't mean that your parents would be involved automatically. It would be your choice. Remember that there is a difference between being down and being depressed. It's kinda the sort of thing that lots of people have different opinions on, but when dealing with doctors and anti-depressents, you're talking about clinical depression, which is a recognised medical condition. You're not gonna go in and ask the doctor for drugs, you're gonna go in because you're feeling depressed and you want help. What I had to do was fill in this questionairre, a 1-5 scale for a bunch of statements, and my doc used this to determine that I had depression. The questionairre has a sort of scoring system, so will suggest the severity of the depression, and I think this is the standard diagnostic tool in the UK at the moment. From there, based on what you've said and the score of the questionairre, the doctor will recommend the best course of action. It may be anti-depressants, it may be counselling or both, maybe even to try some activities to boost your energy levels like exercise. And remember that if they do recommend anti-depressants, that as people have said here it's not a cure. They boost levels of chemicals in your brain, to make you feel better, but essentially when you stop taking them these levels will return to normal. What you need to do, whether by yourself or with the help of a counseller or a good friend, is to actually tackle the problems causing your depression, which is easier to do if the drugs boost your mood a bit, cus it's harder to work through stuff when you're in a bad headspace. If you've any questions reply or send me a private message, but I hope that things will be better for you soon. Take care.
Hi there. I'm sorry you're having a hard time coping these days. I can relate. I have also suffered from depression, and as Jenn said, antidepressants gave me a 'leg up' to help cope with what life was throwing at me. I've been on them for a couple of years, and they have helped alot. But I took them based on my doctor's orders and under his care, along with counselling (and in my case working on recovery in a 12 step program). Now that I'm in a 'better place' we have talked about reducing my dose, and perhaps stopping them completely. We'll do that carefully and slowly, and see what happens. They don't need to be 'forever' but depending on your situation, they can be. I'm also a parent, and your parents are there to care for you and help you. Don't keep things from them. If you're depressed and feeling suicidal at times, you need to tell them. They want to know. They want to help. They likely see you as one of the most important people in their lives (if not THE most important) and they would want you to come to them for help. Much of the hopelessness we feel when we're depressed comes from the isolation and loneliness. We feel that we're not worth of help or attention from other people. And the more we think that, the worse we feel. And it simply isn't true. PM me if you want to chat more one on one. Take care.
