Discussion
Depression, anxiety and stress - real vicious cycle for me.
Not so much depression now but I find the anxiety is really taking grip - I get worked up/worry about really minor things. It's so bad that even minor negative comments will really bring me down.
Managed to restart my counselling and having first session next week. Can't wait.
Not so much depression now but I find the anxiety is really taking grip - I get worked up/worry about really minor things. It's so bad that even minor negative comments will really bring me down.
Managed to restart my counselling and having first session next week. Can't wait.
I am currently in a pretty horrific down period. Here are my thoughts poured out in the blog.
My new blog post detailing how I am currently feeling. Feedback appreciated.
https://howfootballruinedmylife.wordpress.com/2015...
My new blog post detailing how I am currently feeling. Feedback appreciated.
https://howfootballruinedmylife.wordpress.com/2015...
Ruskie said:
I am currently in a pretty horrific down period. Here are my thoughts poured out in the blog.
My new blog post detailing how I am currently feeling. Feedback appreciated.
https://howfootballruinedmylife.wordpress.com/2015...
Since the loss of my wife, my tolerance has dropped markedly. Life you there were days when I could not get out of bed. There were days when I ached, physically ached with flu like symptoms and my body felt racked with pain. That was the initial grief and it was followed with a year of depression. I know this now because i'm not there any more and sometimes when you look back, do you then realise how bad it was. My new blog post detailing how I am currently feeling. Feedback appreciated.
https://howfootballruinedmylife.wordpress.com/2015...
I will say this to you and I say it because I had to say the same to myself.
'I can do today'.
Even if that meant getting our of bed at 6pm and not 7pm. Even if it meant eating toast when yesterday I only ate biscuits. Sometimes, in the worst of it, you look at the smallest of small victories to get your through the day, to make today a 'day' and not just a continuing sequence of one period of alternating light and dark.
Within you there is the motivation to be something different, to do something different. When wading through treacle, it's impossibly hard to even see beyond the next few moments, but each moment can become one where you can 'be', not just be one of 'existence'. I hope you understand what I mean. You are so much more than this depression. To take the smallest step is to control of life again. It's a hard solitary walk and in my darkest days I used to walk the seafront alone. Oh yea, there were loads of people about and it did make magnify my sense of loss and loneliness, but the benefit was that walking in the same space as others, even when feeling completely alone, meant that I was not alone. it helped me reform a sense of connection with the world and so maybe for you, in your world the missing of football, the loss you feel can be addressed by you in a subtle way.
One day, go watch a kick-about somewhere. be part of it, because even if you are not playing, you are still there.. part of it, part of life.
Buy a ball. It must be a new ball. For a new future. Take it home and hold it close. Close your eyes and dream of playing with it again. Put it on your foot, let it drop on your feet and as it does and you feel the connection between ball and foot, make a connection in your mind with you doing it again. To break the bonds of depression, you have to MAKE new bonds that are real and credible and make you want to move forwards.
I did. I bought a new bike. It sat in my house for a year. I put on two stone in weight when my wife died. Then one day I got on my bike and rode it. I had not planned to, it just happened. Three miles, up hill from my home in Brighton to the Devils Dyke. Christ it hurt and I ached for days. That night I felt different. I had moved. The pain was the pain of moving life forwards again. But it was not a battle. it was not a fight, it became something else inside.
You leaving your depression is YOU moving the depression away from you until one day it is out of your body and mind and 'somewhere over there'. And one day you'll laugh at yourself, but you'll point to 'it', 'over there' and say yes, it was part of me, but i'm done with it.
So please, buy the ball. Hold it close, take the thing that means something precious to you and use that as your path to becoming you again.
As always, as one who walked this path to,
my best wishes to you Ruskie.
drivin_me_nuts said:
Since the loss of my wife, my tolerance has dropped markedly. Life you there were days when I could not get out of bed. There were days when I ached, physically ached with flu like symptoms and my body felt racked with pain. That was the initial grief and it was followed with a year of depression. I know this now because i'm not there any more and sometimes when you look back, do you then realise how bad it was.
I will say this to you and I say it because I had to say the same to myself.
'I can do today'.
Even if that meant getting our of bed at 6pm and not 7pm. Even if it meant eating toast when yesterday I only ate biscuits. Sometimes, in the worst of it, you look at the smallest of small victories to get your through the day, to make today a 'day' and not just a continuing sequence of one period of alternating light and dark.
Within you there is the motivation to be something different, to do something different. When wading through treacle, it's impossibly hard to even see beyond the next few moments, but each moment can become one where you can 'be', not just be one of 'existence'. I hope you understand what I mean. You are so much more than this depression. To take the smallest step is to control of life again. It's a hard solitary walk and in my darkest days I used to walk the seafront alone. Oh yea, there were loads of people about and it did make magnify my sense of loss and loneliness, but the benefit was that walking in the same space as others, even when feeling completely alone, meant that I was not alone. it helped me reform a sense of connection with the world and so maybe for you, in your world the missing of football, the loss you feel can be addressed by you in a subtle way.
One day, go watch a kick-about somewhere. be part of it, because even if you are not playing, you are still there.. part of it, part of life.
Buy a ball. It must be a new ball. For a new future. Take it home and hold it close. Close your eyes and dream of playing with it again. Put it on your foot, let it drop on your feet and as it does and you feel the connection between ball and foot, make a connection in your mind with you doing it again. To break the bonds of depression, you have to MAKE new bonds that are real and credible and make you want to move forwards.
I did. I bought a new bike. It sat in my house for a year. I put on two stone in weight when my wife died. Then one day I got on my bike and rode it. I had not planned to, it just happened. Three miles, up hill from my home in Brighton to the Devils Dyke. Christ it hurt and I ached for days. That night I felt different. I had moved. The pain was the pain of moving life forwards again. But it was not a battle. it was not a fight, it became something else inside.
You leaving your depression is YOU moving the depression away from you until one day it is out of your body and mind and 'somewhere over there'. And one day you'll laugh at yourself, but you'll point to 'it', 'over there' and say yes, it was part of me, but i'm done with it.
So please, buy the ball. Hold it close, take the thing that means something precious to you and use that as your path to becoming you again.
As always, as one who walked this path to,
my best wishes to you Ruskie.
What a fantastic and heartfelt post. Thank you for taking the time to write it.I will say this to you and I say it because I had to say the same to myself.
'I can do today'.
Even if that meant getting our of bed at 6pm and not 7pm. Even if it meant eating toast when yesterday I only ate biscuits. Sometimes, in the worst of it, you look at the smallest of small victories to get your through the day, to make today a 'day' and not just a continuing sequence of one period of alternating light and dark.
Within you there is the motivation to be something different, to do something different. When wading through treacle, it's impossibly hard to even see beyond the next few moments, but each moment can become one where you can 'be', not just be one of 'existence'. I hope you understand what I mean. You are so much more than this depression. To take the smallest step is to control of life again. It's a hard solitary walk and in my darkest days I used to walk the seafront alone. Oh yea, there were loads of people about and it did make magnify my sense of loss and loneliness, but the benefit was that walking in the same space as others, even when feeling completely alone, meant that I was not alone. it helped me reform a sense of connection with the world and so maybe for you, in your world the missing of football, the loss you feel can be addressed by you in a subtle way.
One day, go watch a kick-about somewhere. be part of it, because even if you are not playing, you are still there.. part of it, part of life.
Buy a ball. It must be a new ball. For a new future. Take it home and hold it close. Close your eyes and dream of playing with it again. Put it on your foot, let it drop on your feet and as it does and you feel the connection between ball and foot, make a connection in your mind with you doing it again. To break the bonds of depression, you have to MAKE new bonds that are real and credible and make you want to move forwards.
I did. I bought a new bike. It sat in my house for a year. I put on two stone in weight when my wife died. Then one day I got on my bike and rode it. I had not planned to, it just happened. Three miles, up hill from my home in Brighton to the Devils Dyke. Christ it hurt and I ached for days. That night I felt different. I had moved. The pain was the pain of moving life forwards again. But it was not a battle. it was not a fight, it became something else inside.
You leaving your depression is YOU moving the depression away from you until one day it is out of your body and mind and 'somewhere over there'. And one day you'll laugh at yourself, but you'll point to 'it', 'over there' and say yes, it was part of me, but i'm done with it.
So please, buy the ball. Hold it close, take the thing that means something precious to you and use that as your path to becoming you again.
As always, as one who walked this path to,
my best wishes to you Ruskie.
I echo the above, thanks for taking the time to put that together.
I'm at a point where I don't think I'm depressed but I'm definitely not "right" - the meds I'm on at the moment don't really seem to do the right thing for me and just numb my emotions with the exception of anger and anxiety. I engage pretty brutal blocking mechanisms on anything I don't want to think about and am pretty good at not dealing with anything that might cause me any kind of stress, unfortunately a lot of these things are every day items like work, bills, responsibilities etc.
What confuses me is how do I know if I'm "ill" or if I'm just a not very nice person and this is normal? Don't we all have good and bad days? Is it so bad to want to spend time alone (I think so if you have a family?).
I've been through the real depression thing in the past and done the whole staying in, avoiding everything, suicidal thoughts, eating crap and drinking to self destructive levels and I know I'm not there now (for which I'm thankful and wish anyone who is a safe and speedy escape) but something just isn't right. On the surface all is well, I have work, a great wife, a near perfect daughter, a fairly reasonable life, friends (who I need to make more effort to keep in touch with) and so on but it just feels like there are so many things / people in the world that are there to irritate me.
I was diagnosed with OCPD some time ago and had private CBT to the point where I felt OK and was signed off but it's crept back of late. I need to eat better, I need to exercise, I need to actually read the mindfulness stuff I bought, I need to do all the things the doctors and professionals advise to get off these tablet crutches I've been consuming for so long but I need to instigate change and change scares me.
Not sure why I just typed all that but I wish you all well and thank you for sharing your experiences, compared to many I know I'm lucky and I'm sorry that so many others still suffer so badly.
I'm at a point where I don't think I'm depressed but I'm definitely not "right" - the meds I'm on at the moment don't really seem to do the right thing for me and just numb my emotions with the exception of anger and anxiety. I engage pretty brutal blocking mechanisms on anything I don't want to think about and am pretty good at not dealing with anything that might cause me any kind of stress, unfortunately a lot of these things are every day items like work, bills, responsibilities etc.
What confuses me is how do I know if I'm "ill" or if I'm just a not very nice person and this is normal? Don't we all have good and bad days? Is it so bad to want to spend time alone (I think so if you have a family?).
I've been through the real depression thing in the past and done the whole staying in, avoiding everything, suicidal thoughts, eating crap and drinking to self destructive levels and I know I'm not there now (for which I'm thankful and wish anyone who is a safe and speedy escape) but something just isn't right. On the surface all is well, I have work, a great wife, a near perfect daughter, a fairly reasonable life, friends (who I need to make more effort to keep in touch with) and so on but it just feels like there are so many things / people in the world that are there to irritate me.
I was diagnosed with OCPD some time ago and had private CBT to the point where I felt OK and was signed off but it's crept back of late. I need to eat better, I need to exercise, I need to actually read the mindfulness stuff I bought, I need to do all the things the doctors and professionals advise to get off these tablet crutches I've been consuming for so long but I need to instigate change and change scares me.
Not sure why I just typed all that but I wish you all well and thank you for sharing your experiences, compared to many I know I'm lucky and I'm sorry that so many others still suffer so badly.
I was diagnosed with depression a few weeks ago, but looking back, I think I've been in a depressed state for 3 years now.
I agree with the comments about it being hard to understand exactly who you are whether you're just not a nice person. I had become so irritable and grumpy towards my wife and kids, that often I would think afterwards that I was a total b*stard.
The diagnosis was an enormous relief, as it finally rationalised things for me. I suffer from inflammatory arthritis as well (which was diagnosed 3 years ago too, so possibly the trigger), and the medication I have to take for this is very aggressive with a large list of side effects. As a result, the lethargy, fogginess, lack of concentration, inability to sleep, and inability to get out of bed were all things I attributed to my medication.
I also have a very stressful job in finance in the City, which involves running projects to ensure the company meets the new raft of financial regulations. Last year was an absolute nightmare, and I was utterly miserable the entire time - as a result, my management could see that I was pretty much burned out and so moved me to look after a smaller team with a simpler set of projects back in January.
With a lot of stress lifted, I was still finding it really difficult to get things done at work - I couldn't concentrate, I kept forgetting things, and I tended to just focus on really small self contained tasks, but which would still take ages to do. One day, I met up with my old boss from a few years back for a coffee, and the first thing he said was that he had been diagnosed with depression. At this point, I was none the wiser, but he started talking through it and the issues he had as a result - as he was doing this, alarm bells went off as everything he said was an issue that I was facing too.
I'm currently off work and have been for 3 weeks now, as the occupational health team told me to take some time off - I'd become so bad that I was largely sitting at my desk staring at the screen with a glazed expression not actually getting any work done. This was doing a lot of harm as I was then beating myself up about not getting any work done. The real low points were horrendous, particularly just after I started taking anti depressants.
What I have found particularly useful was to write down a task list of things to do each day. The first few days after I finished work I was mostly moping around, so it was simply stuff like 'Call doctor', 'Go to shops to buy milk', and it would take me the entire day to muster up the motivation to do it. In addition, despite being off work, I still get up at 6:30 to take the kids to nursery - otherwise, I'd just spend most of the day in bed I fear.
Having things to help me focus has been exceptionally useful. I've now progressed onto doing a bit of painting around the house, and it's still difficult to motivate myself at times, but it's starting to get better.
The one thing I still find very weird is how on the surface you can still seem quite normal...
I agree with the comments about it being hard to understand exactly who you are whether you're just not a nice person. I had become so irritable and grumpy towards my wife and kids, that often I would think afterwards that I was a total b*stard.
The diagnosis was an enormous relief, as it finally rationalised things for me. I suffer from inflammatory arthritis as well (which was diagnosed 3 years ago too, so possibly the trigger), and the medication I have to take for this is very aggressive with a large list of side effects. As a result, the lethargy, fogginess, lack of concentration, inability to sleep, and inability to get out of bed were all things I attributed to my medication.
I also have a very stressful job in finance in the City, which involves running projects to ensure the company meets the new raft of financial regulations. Last year was an absolute nightmare, and I was utterly miserable the entire time - as a result, my management could see that I was pretty much burned out and so moved me to look after a smaller team with a simpler set of projects back in January.
With a lot of stress lifted, I was still finding it really difficult to get things done at work - I couldn't concentrate, I kept forgetting things, and I tended to just focus on really small self contained tasks, but which would still take ages to do. One day, I met up with my old boss from a few years back for a coffee, and the first thing he said was that he had been diagnosed with depression. At this point, I was none the wiser, but he started talking through it and the issues he had as a result - as he was doing this, alarm bells went off as everything he said was an issue that I was facing too.
I'm currently off work and have been for 3 weeks now, as the occupational health team told me to take some time off - I'd become so bad that I was largely sitting at my desk staring at the screen with a glazed expression not actually getting any work done. This was doing a lot of harm as I was then beating myself up about not getting any work done. The real low points were horrendous, particularly just after I started taking anti depressants.
What I have found particularly useful was to write down a task list of things to do each day. The first few days after I finished work I was mostly moping around, so it was simply stuff like 'Call doctor', 'Go to shops to buy milk', and it would take me the entire day to muster up the motivation to do it. In addition, despite being off work, I still get up at 6:30 to take the kids to nursery - otherwise, I'd just spend most of the day in bed I fear.
Having things to help me focus has been exceptionally useful. I've now progressed onto doing a bit of painting around the house, and it's still difficult to motivate myself at times, but it's starting to get better.
The one thing I still find very weird is how on the surface you can still seem quite normal...
d_m_n writing about his bike makes me think how physical activity has really helped me, and I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone here who can get out, even if it's just a jog or a walk in the park.
I'm not one of those superfit guys who is out riding/running every evening, at best I go out once a week, but it feels great. It's raining, I go out. I'm feeling stuck in a rut, I go out. If I feel like I want to achieve something today, I go out. the feeling of pushing myself is great.
I did a 25 mile hike in the Yorkshire dales, 2 out of 3 peaks; on the same route a guy was running it and I can guess he did all three peaks. Running it, amazing! But I walked it, and I did two peaks and I had never walked so far or so hard in my life. I cycled to work and back for the first time, 20 miles all in, I know there are guys who do it every day of the week, much further than me - but I had done more than I had ever done, or thought I was strong enough to do. That's what matters to me.
Three years ago I wouldn't get out of bed for jack s
t. As D_M_N says, one day you'll laugh at yourself.
If you can stand you can walk, if you can walk you can run. One step at a time!
I'm not one of those superfit guys who is out riding/running every evening, at best I go out once a week, but it feels great. It's raining, I go out. I'm feeling stuck in a rut, I go out. If I feel like I want to achieve something today, I go out. the feeling of pushing myself is great.
I did a 25 mile hike in the Yorkshire dales, 2 out of 3 peaks; on the same route a guy was running it and I can guess he did all three peaks. Running it, amazing! But I walked it, and I did two peaks and I had never walked so far or so hard in my life. I cycled to work and back for the first time, 20 miles all in, I know there are guys who do it every day of the week, much further than me - but I had done more than I had ever done, or thought I was strong enough to do. That's what matters to me.
Three years ago I wouldn't get out of bed for jack s
t. As D_M_N says, one day you'll laugh at yourself.If you can stand you can walk, if you can walk you can run. One step at a time!
GravelMachineGun said:
Who do you guys speak with when you feel this way?
Lately I've really started to feel depressed, yet to see a doctor and I have had suicidal thoughts too.
I feel rather lost lately.
I think I blurted out something to my neighbour one day, and made an appointment with a psychotherapist a few days later, then the GP for the anti depressants. I dont think there needs to be a right way to do things, I saw on a thread earlier someone in a shop told a poster they werent feeling all that good, sometimes it just comes out. Lately I've really started to feel depressed, yet to see a doctor and I have had suicidal thoughts too.
I feel rather lost lately.
If you're unsure whether you have anyone, the Samiratans can help you offload, and your GP is available if you need them, do make the call though please
GravelMachineGun said:
Who do you guys speak with when you feel this way?
Lately I've really started to feel depressed, yet to see a doctor and I have had suicidal thoughts too.
I feel rather lost lately.
You've started the ball rolling already by typing your message, often it's hard to realise you need help so you are over that hurdle at least. Lately I've really started to feel depressed, yet to see a doctor and I have had suicidal thoughts too.
I feel rather lost lately.
A doctor is a good next step but it's also good to open up to those close to you and discuss things if you feel you can, they may well have noticed you're not yourself already.
For me I just broke down in the middle of a petty argument about something trivial but I'd obviously been in a bit of a mess for a while before then.
Give the doctors a call now, they will be able to help you and most definitely listen. They might refer you elsewhere too, take advantage of this and anything else they offer, it's not a sentence, it's a path to help you be you.
thetapeworm said:
GravelMachineGun said:
Who do you guys speak with when you feel this way?
Lately I've really started to feel depressed, yet to see a doctor and I have had suicidal thoughts too.
I feel rather lost lately.
You've started the ball rolling already by typing your message, often it's hard to realise you need help so you are over that hurdle at least. Lately I've really started to feel depressed, yet to see a doctor and I have had suicidal thoughts too.
I feel rather lost lately.
A doctor is a good next step but it's also good to open up to those close to you and discuss things if you feel you can, they may well have noticed you're not yourself already.
For me I just broke down in the middle of a petty argument about something trivial but I'd obviously been in a bit of a mess for a while before then.
Give the doctors a call now, they will be able to help you and most definitely listen. They might refer you elsewhere too, take advantage of this and anything else they offer, it's not a sentence, it's a path to help you be you.
Once I opened up to my doctor, I then found it easy to discuss with everyone else, and the level of support I got from everyone was incredible.
I additionally felt an enormous sense of relief when I was diagnosed, as it meant I could rationalise how I was feeling and start to focus on getting better.
I also agree about following up on referrals. The medication does provide a really good shove back upwards, but it's not fixing the cause of the problem. I'm already getting a lot of benefit from CBT.
thetapeworm said:
You've started the ball rolling already by typing your message, often it's hard to realise you need help so you are over that hurdle at least.
A doctor is a good next step but it's also good to open up to those close to you and discuss things if you feel you can, they may well have noticed you're not yourself already.
For me I just broke down in the middle of a petty argument about something trivial but I'd obviously been in a bit of a mess for a while before then.
Give the doctors a call now, they will be able to help you and most definitely listen. They might refer you elsewhere too, take advantage of this and anything else they offer, it's not a sentence, it's a path to help you be you.
+1 (I've tried to post an explanation but can't word it properly) but speaking to ANYBODY helps a lot. Good luckA doctor is a good next step but it's also good to open up to those close to you and discuss things if you feel you can, they may well have noticed you're not yourself already.
For me I just broke down in the middle of a petty argument about something trivial but I'd obviously been in a bit of a mess for a while before then.
Give the doctors a call now, they will be able to help you and most definitely listen. They might refer you elsewhere too, take advantage of this and anything else they offer, it's not a sentence, it's a path to help you be you.
only just seen this thread and don't know what's already been suggested but i have a few comments to add
for what it's worth (and this is a Mental Health 101 version) bear in mind that a major depressive episode requires a range of essential features; a combination of biologcal and cognitive features of at least 3 months duration.
the symptoms experienced by the patient will inform the treatment modality and setting.
if experiencing predominantly biological (physical) features (sleep, appetite, energy, libido etc disturbances) then the first line treatment, assuming no risk of completing suicide by overdose, will be a course of anti-depressants. by course, we mean several months at a therapeutic dose with regular dose and efficacy review. For this - GP as soon as is practicable
if experiencing predominantly cognitive (psychological) features (poor concentration, labile mood, feelings of helplessness, being burdensome, loss of self worth etc) then a more psychologically driven treatment will probably have better outcomes in respect of therapeutic elevation of mood. In this case try Googling "IAPT" and then add your location. IAPT provide cognitive interventions in mild - moderate depression amongst other disorders and will be able to respond in a more timely fashion than the GP - in my own area, standard response time from IAPT is 3-5 working days.
one significant side effect of a depressed mood is suicide and if experiencing suicidal thoughts see someone urgently, even if that means investing a few hours at the local AE. However, suicidal thoughts do not necessarily translate to suicidal intent or planning although the risk is difficult to quantify. People with even significant depressive episodes do not commit suicide as frequently as might be assumed (there are many other mental illness/disorders with higher morbidities) and the vast majority of people that i see, when directly questioned, don't want to die, they actually want something to change but cannot effect the change for whatever reason
Whichever approach is chosen remember that the GP is exactly that - a general practitioner. for resistant mood disorders expect an onwards referral to speciality if the standard treatments are not effective. Wash-in period for the more commonly prescribed anti-depressants is anywhere from 10- 21 days so don't expect instant results. Equally significant is that, when starting therapy based work, symptoms often worsen before improving (essentially because we are now dealing with the problem rather than being allowed to avoid it.
Never forget that all of us at some point will experience realistic and appropriate mood dysfunction - loss, changes of role, life's little curves etc. This is not depression, it's an adjustment reaction and no amount of medication will change the world around us. low grade therapy however can help us realign our thinking about the world and our relationship to it. Most people that i see are experiencing this, not depression (regardless of what their friend, GP or Wikipedia has told them)
Clinical experience, supported by the literature, is that most people presenting with a diagnosable mood disorder will do best with a co-joint therapy ie anti-depressants plus psychological intervention.
regards
paul
for what it's worth (and this is a Mental Health 101 version) bear in mind that a major depressive episode requires a range of essential features; a combination of biologcal and cognitive features of at least 3 months duration.
the symptoms experienced by the patient will inform the treatment modality and setting.
if experiencing predominantly biological (physical) features (sleep, appetite, energy, libido etc disturbances) then the first line treatment, assuming no risk of completing suicide by overdose, will be a course of anti-depressants. by course, we mean several months at a therapeutic dose with regular dose and efficacy review. For this - GP as soon as is practicable
if experiencing predominantly cognitive (psychological) features (poor concentration, labile mood, feelings of helplessness, being burdensome, loss of self worth etc) then a more psychologically driven treatment will probably have better outcomes in respect of therapeutic elevation of mood. In this case try Googling "IAPT" and then add your location. IAPT provide cognitive interventions in mild - moderate depression amongst other disorders and will be able to respond in a more timely fashion than the GP - in my own area, standard response time from IAPT is 3-5 working days.
one significant side effect of a depressed mood is suicide and if experiencing suicidal thoughts see someone urgently, even if that means investing a few hours at the local AE. However, suicidal thoughts do not necessarily translate to suicidal intent or planning although the risk is difficult to quantify. People with even significant depressive episodes do not commit suicide as frequently as might be assumed (there are many other mental illness/disorders with higher morbidities) and the vast majority of people that i see, when directly questioned, don't want to die, they actually want something to change but cannot effect the change for whatever reason
Whichever approach is chosen remember that the GP is exactly that - a general practitioner. for resistant mood disorders expect an onwards referral to speciality if the standard treatments are not effective. Wash-in period for the more commonly prescribed anti-depressants is anywhere from 10- 21 days so don't expect instant results. Equally significant is that, when starting therapy based work, symptoms often worsen before improving (essentially because we are now dealing with the problem rather than being allowed to avoid it.
Never forget that all of us at some point will experience realistic and appropriate mood dysfunction - loss, changes of role, life's little curves etc. This is not depression, it's an adjustment reaction and no amount of medication will change the world around us. low grade therapy however can help us realign our thinking about the world and our relationship to it. Most people that i see are experiencing this, not depression (regardless of what their friend, GP or Wikipedia has told them)
Clinical experience, supported by the literature, is that most people presenting with a diagnosable mood disorder will do best with a co-joint therapy ie anti-depressants plus psychological intervention.
regards
paul
Sorry, forgot to elaborate:
IAPT is "Improved Access to Psychological Therapy". Established by the DoH to provide services for those people who are beyond the scope of general practice but who would not meet the eligibility criteria for specialist mental health services. In practice, this is most people
paul
IAPT is "Improved Access to Psychological Therapy". Established by the DoH to provide services for those people who are beyond the scope of general practice but who would not meet the eligibility criteria for specialist mental health services. In practice, this is most people
paul
GravelMachineGun said:
Who do you guys speak with when you feel this way?
Lately I've really started to feel depressed, yet to see a doctor and I have had suicidal thoughts too.
I feel rather lost lately.
Here is a good start. Anywhere is a good start.Lately I've really started to feel depressed, yet to see a doctor and I have had suicidal thoughts too.
I feel rather lost lately.
I notice your thread on meat-free and couldn't help but link them - you might want to Google red meat and anxiety. There is a lot of negative press on health and meat, much of it wrong, due to various interests. There is less reporting of the positives. Certainly worth a think about your diet. Quorn three times a week would get anyone down!
Just a comment on perspective.
I have suffered from depression for over 10 years.
With light medication (dopexin) and regular counselling, it's mostly under control.
The main thing I find that helps is a simple mantra - "it will get better". Having depression does not mean you cannot ever enjoy yourself, but unfortunately your perception gets screwed : I can tie myself in knots over a casual remark made 20 years ago, and foget the pleasant evening last tuesday
In my case, work has (mostly) helped, as it provides some structure : I have to get up and go to work, even if feeling stty, and can usually bury myself in the technical side and ignore unpleasant reality for most of the day.
Taking the long view : I haven't been "cured", but it gets easier when you can say "I am in a down phase again, but it won't last forever" - and it doesn't.
At the risk of sounding trite, once you're over 50 most of your contempories have some physical health problems, some of them serious, some trivial, most bearable. I have a mental health problem, it is maneagable, although often stty.
To be honest, I am not as detached about it when I am down.
I would add that one of the benefits of counselling is simply being able to get things off your chest, without feeling you are just moaning to the missus again (she hears enough moaning as it is).
So chins up, there are ways to make it better, just don't expect a miracule cure.
I have suffered from depression for over 10 years.
With light medication (dopexin) and regular counselling, it's mostly under control.
The main thing I find that helps is a simple mantra - "it will get better". Having depression does not mean you cannot ever enjoy yourself, but unfortunately your perception gets screwed : I can tie myself in knots over a casual remark made 20 years ago, and foget the pleasant evening last tuesday
In my case, work has (mostly) helped, as it provides some structure : I have to get up and go to work, even if feeling s
tty, and can usually bury myself in the technical side and ignore unpleasant reality for most of the day.Taking the long view : I haven't been "cured", but it gets easier when you can say "I am in a down phase again, but it won't last forever" - and it doesn't.
At the risk of sounding trite, once you're over 50 most of your contempories have some physical health problems, some of them serious, some trivial, most bearable. I have a mental health problem, it is maneagable, although often s
tty.To be honest, I am not as detached about it when I am down
.I would add that one of the benefits of counselling is simply being able to get things off your chest, without feeling you are just moaning to the missus again (she hears enough moaning as it is).
So chins up, there are ways to make it better, just don't expect a miracule cure.
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