There is another thread on this board about a man self medication with alcohol and drugs and hookers to solve his depression. Believe me that does not work.
Alcohol is a depressant. It may deaden your senses and allow you to forget if you drink enough but it sure does not help with Depression in fact it makes it worse and destroys your life in the process. My father went down that route for years, he was an alcoholic and I believe a depressed man. He handled his problems by drinking to excess and then taking out his anger on others. Eventually he stopped drinking but he never stopped being self destructive. Eventually by not taking his medication he died of a heart attack. With out ever getting help for his depression.
I know about depression I suffer from it and have my whole life, I inherited it from my father. I handled it myself for years too. I ignored it and denied it and fought it as best i could. I never ask for help either. But I knew drinking wouldn't solve it so in 1984 I totally stopped drinking and have never drank since. I never took drugs either. Illegal drugs are no answer either.
After my mothers death in 93 I got worse and finally in December of 94 I had a complete break, ended up in a Naval Hospital and spent most of 6 months there. I only asked for help because I had seen a MSGT I knew ask me to take him to mental health for help a couple weeks before I lost it. If not for him I would have probably killed myself.
Illegal drugs and self medication are no answer. For one thing you get hooked on them and it makes things worse not better. For another it does not get rid of the underlying depression.
Most people deny they are sick deny the problems and refuse to get help. Like I and my father did.
Another problem is that when you are used to handling the problem as best you can and as slow as it is to find the right medications you do dumb things like stop taking your medications.
It took me 10 years to find the right meds because mental health is not an exact science. What works for one person does not always work for others. And it is a hit and miss process to find what does work.
But in the end it DOES work.
Do not fall for those people that claim meds are no good or claim that meds cause the problems. I and millions of others are living proof that meds do in fact work.
My condition is still a problem but the difference on meds that work and no meds is night and day. Without meds my life was a living hell with meds I can live an almost normal life. Without meds it was a constant fight to not kill myself with meds while I still have the thoughts and still don't like being alive the urge to act on those thoughts is nill.
There is hope for mental illness. The first step is to ask for help. The most important step is not to self medicate.
Alcohol is a depressant. It may deaden your senses and allow you to forget if you drink enough but it sure does not help with Depression in fact it makes it worse and destroys your life in the process. My father went down that route for years, he was an alcoholic and I believe a depressed man. He handled his problems by drinking to excess and then taking out his anger on others. Eventually he stopped drinking but he never stopped being self destructive. Eventually by not taking his medication he died of a heart attack. With out ever getting help for his depression.
I know about depression I suffer from it and have my whole life, I inherited it from my father. I handled it myself for years too. I ignored it and denied it and fought it as best i could. I never ask for help either. But I knew drinking wouldn't solve it so in 1984 I totally stopped drinking and have never drank since. I never took drugs either. Illegal drugs are no answer either.
After my mothers death in 93 I got worse and finally in December of 94 I had a complete break, ended up in a Naval Hospital and spent most of 6 months there. I only asked for help because I had seen a MSGT I knew ask me to take him to mental health for help a couple weeks before I lost it. If not for him I would have probably killed myself.
Illegal drugs and self medication are no answer. For one thing you get hooked on them and it makes things worse not better. For another it does not get rid of the underlying depression.
Most people deny they are sick deny the problems and refuse to get help. Like I and my father did.
Another problem is that when you are used to handling the problem as best you can and as slow as it is to find the right medications you do dumb things like stop taking your medications.
It took me 10 years to find the right meds because mental health is not an exact science. What works for one person does not always work for others. And it is a hit and miss process to find what does work.
But in the end it DOES work.
Do not fall for those people that claim meds are no good or claim that meds cause the problems. I and millions of others are living proof that meds do in fact work.
My condition is still a problem but the difference on meds that work and no meds is night and day. Without meds my life was a living hell with meds I can live an almost normal life. Without meds it was a constant fight to not kill myself with meds while I still have the thoughts and still don't like being alive the urge to act on those thoughts is nill.
There is hope for mental illness. The first step is to ask for help. The most important step is not to self medicate.
Not to mention, no one respects him anymore, and his personal life (as far as his ex-wife and children go) is a mess.
