Depression

[Gracie]

Found on the net:

Do you have symptoms of clinical depression? Sure, most of us feel sad, lonely, or depressed at times. And feeling depressed is a normal reaction to loss, life's struggles, or an injured self-esteem. But when these feelings become overwhelming and last for long periods of time, they can keep you from leading a normal, active life. That's when it's time to seek medical help.

If left untreated, symptoms of clinical or major depression may worsen and last for years. They can cause untold suffering and possibly lead to suicide. Recognizing the symptoms of depression is often the biggest hurdle to the diagnosis and treatment of clinical or major depression. Unfortunately, approximately half the people who experience symptoms never do get diagnosed or treated for their illness.

Not getting treatment can be life threatening. More than one out of every 10 people battling depression commits suicide.

What Are Symptoms of Depression?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of depression may include the following:

Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions NO
Fatigue and decreased energy YES
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness YES
Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism YES
Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping YES
Irritability, restlessness YES
Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex YES
Overeating or appetite loss NO
Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment YES
Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings YES
Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts YES, NO.


Are There Warning Signs of Suicide With Depression?



Warning signs of suicide with depression include:

A sudden switch from being very sad to being very calm or appearing to be happy YES
Always talking or thinking about death NO
Clinical depression (deep sadness, loss of interest, trouble sleeping and eating) that gets worse YES
Having a "death wish," tempting fate by taking risks that could lead to death, such as driving through red lights YES
Losing interest in things one used to care about YES
Making comments about being hopeless, helpless, or worthless YES
Putting affairs in order, tying up loose ends, changing a will YES
Saying things like "It would be better if I wasn't here" or "I want out" NO, YES
Talking about suicide (killing one's self)NO
Visiting or calling people one cares about NO

My answers are in bold. I have not though of suicide because I don't believe God would be thrilled with me ending a life He created and has not called home Himself. However, I may be sabotaging myself..conciously and unconciouly. I smoke more now. I have pain in my calf..which the oncologist warned me to inform her of immediately (blood clot from the Tamoxifen), and I haven't, etc.

I needed to talk about this because I don't know if this is normal what with all the crap that has been going on since last october and then Gracie having to be put down 2 weeks ago...or if it is just a bout of sadness and depression that will eventually pass...or if I really need to call my doc and see about seeing a shrink. But when one has depression, do they actually seek help? Or are they so far down in the dumps they don't even want help? They just want to "go". And to be honest..yes. I want to "go". A lot. But...what about Dennis? What about Karma? And going uninvited is just flat out unacceptable.

I guess I want to know if others feel this from time to time, experienced it at some time in their lives, or are experiencing it now but never tlak about it.

 

[eots]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo]Monty Python - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Noomi]

I suffered with very severe depression in my teenage years, due to bullying at school. I attempted suicide three times.

Eventually, you learn to live with your depression, and you have more good days than bad days. You work out a way of coping, instead of trying to push it into the background, pretend it doesn't exist, you can bring it out and deal with it. Takes time, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
No matter how bad it got, I was always walking toward that light, and when I could see it, I ran full speed toward it, came out the other side, and I have never looked back.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Gracie,

Please go and see your doctor immediately. The odds are that you suffering from clinical depression and that is treatable and curable. No one likes to admit that there is something wrong with themselves mentally because there is a "stigma" attached to it. But the reality is that it can happen to anyone. Yes, it happened to me too. From being normally upbeat and positive a long period of persistent pain (5 years) resulted in me running across a similar website to the one you posted and discovering that I was also suffering from clinical depression. Not even those closest to me who had suffered from it themselves picked up on this.

The treatment consists of medication and therapy. The time frame depends upon the individual and the severity. You will know when you are cured because you will want to move on with your life as it used to be. The cause of clinical depression is a chemical imbalance that affects the brain. Just like any other part of your body can fail so can the things that regulate the chemicals that our bodies need to function properly. So while the symptoms are mental the cause is physical. No, the "science" is not fully understood yet because we still don't fully understand the brain itself but the treatment is effective which is what matters to you now.

The persistent pain turned out to be caused by something completely different to what I was being treated for and there is still residual damage that will probably last for the rest of life but I can live with that. Just getting my life back was worth more than anything else. Right now you know that you are not feeling "normal" and the quickest route back to normal is to go and see your doctor and tell them about the results in the OP. They will then make sure that you are given the right treatment. Yes, it will take some time but as Noomi says there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We have been through that tunnel and lived to tell the tale. So will you and please feel free to reach out if you need anything.

Take care
DT

 

[Granny]

Gracie, you need to go see someone - seriously. Depression is a very, very dark and lonely place and I know that from experience. The best thing I ever did for myself was to seek help - best money I ever spent, too. Take good care of yourself, girl.
xo Granny

 

[Skull Pilot]

Most symptoms of depression can be alleviated with exercise and lifestyle changes.

 

[DarkLion]

Gracie, you need to go see someone - seriously. Depression is a very, very dark and lonely place and I know that from experience. The best thing I ever did for myself was to seek help - best money I ever spent, too. Take good care of yourself, girl.
xo Granny

That doesn't always help. In fact, going down that road can lead to more problems. Trust me, I know. I went for mild depression 15 years ago and STILL suffer from vivid nightmares that are the result of taking Zoloft. Seeking out help made me far worse in the end.

The change has to come from within, any therapist will tell you that anyway. You have to find something to live for, and ways to cope on the bad days. And only you can discover those.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Most symptoms of depression can be alleviated with exercise and lifestyle changes.

Very true, however when one reaches a severe level of depression - motivation is gone Skull. Gone.
My wife went into depression about ten years ago now. For those of us that have not reached full depression it is impossible to understand it. She kept going to bed at 7 or 8pm, getting up at 4am...sex was a chore and virtually non-existent. Everything in her was dying and I could not understand why. We had (have) two great kids, my career at that time was very solid. We had zero financial problems, she had (has) a good husband (if I say so myself) a nice big house filled with whatever furniture and appliances she wanted...I mean why would she be so sad?
To this day I don't really know. But when one day she said to me "you guys would be better off without me I think" - I ******* woke up and got her to a doctor the next damn day. Before that I didn't know what the heck was wrong with her, nothing I said or did helped. After two doctors who were idiots, we found the right one for her - and after maybe a year or so she got a lot better, and has been fine since.

 

[Granny]

Gracie, you need to go see someone - seriously. Depression is a very, very dark and lonely place and I know that from experience. The best thing I ever did for myself was to seek help - best money I ever spent, too. Take good care of yourself, girl.
xo Granny

That doesn't always help. In fact, going down that road can lead to more problems. Trust me, I know. I went for mild depression 15 years ago and STILL suffer from vivid nightmares that are the result of taking Zoloft. Seeking out help made me far worse in the end.

The change has to come from within, any therapist will tell you that anyway. You have to find something to live for, and ways to cope on the bad days. And only you can discover those.

Perhaps you didn't have a good psychiatrist - or a scrip happy one. Zoloft seems a little extreme to me for mild depression. It IS true, however, that the progress one makes toward healing depends on the patient and how open and forthright he/she can be. Some people find it very hard at first to starting talking about his/her issues but as they are able to open up more the sooner things get resolved.

Also, don't go to a psychiatrist who sits behind a desk while you sit in a chair - puts the psychiatrist in an "authoritative/intimidating" position. More comfortable if the doctor sits across from a patient without any obstacles between them.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

And the pills - Zoloft etc.
Be wary - very very very very wary of these "quick fix" pills that can and do have devastating effects including dramatic personality changes, paranoia "crucifix" syndrome - what I call when someone constantly puts themselves on a cross and accusing everyone of trying to destroy them. And increase the risk of suicide.
These pills are woefully over prescribed. They contain chemicals that were intended for severely depressed and mentally ill people and are now given out like candy to anyone who shows up at a doctr saying they feel sad. Theses damn pills are perhaps the greatest travesty in modern medicine.
I have seen plenty of people go down hill in a hurry taking these damn things, some really good employees that I eventually had to let go because their ability to think becomes so clouded and their emotions so incredibly unstable.
DO NOT take these damn pills unless you are clinically diagnosed with severe depression where the side effects are worth the risk.
Feeling a little sad is not a reason to take Anti-psychotic medicines

 

[Cassandro]

Depression is often caused by a chemical imbalance which can be adjusted with the correct medication. You may have to try more than one to arrive at the best prescription and dosage. This is, in essence, no different from a diabetic determining the correct insulin prescription. Medicines like Prozac have helped millions of people lead happier, normal lives. It has certainly helped me.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Most symptoms of depression can be alleviated with exercise and lifestyle changes.

Very true, however when one reaches a severe level of depression - motivation is gone Skull. Gone.
My wife went into depression about ten years ago now. For those of us that have not reached full depression it is impossible to understand it. She kept going to bed at 7 or 8pm, getting up at 4am...sex was a chore and virtually non-existent. Everything in her was dying and I could not understand why. We had (have) two great kids, my career at that time was very solid. We had zero financial problems, she had (has) a good husband (if I say so myself) a nice big house filled with whatever furniture and appliances she wanted...I mean why would she be so sad?
To this day I don't really know. But when one day she said to me "you guys would be better off without me I think" - I ******* woke up and got her to a doctor the next damn day. Before that I didn't know what the heck was wrong with her, nothing I said or did helped. After two doctors who were idiots, we found the right one for her - and after maybe a year or so she got a lot better, and has been fine since.

I get that but anti depressants often take a few weeks to start working and in that time you can feel quite ill from them.

If in those same weeks you took a walk every day you'd feel better without all the side effects.

I am not dismissing the chemical side of depression but I do think we tend to jump to medicate when it is not always needed.

 

[eots]

Gracie, you need to go see someone - seriously. Depression is a very, very dark and lonely place and I know that from experience. The best thing I ever did for myself was to seek help - best money I ever spent, too. Take good care of yourself, girl.
xo Granny

That doesn't always help. In fact, going down that road can lead to more problems. Trust me, I know. I went for mild depression 15 years ago and STILL suffer from vivid nightmares that are the result of taking Zoloft. Seeking out help made me far worse in the end.

The change has to come from within, any therapist will tell you that anyway. You have to find something to live for, and ways to cope on the bad days. And only you can discover those.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7r-sE0hwc]Is Abilify right for you ?...soundtrack The eots - YouTube[/ame]

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Gracie, you need to go see someone - seriously. Depression is a very, very dark and lonely place and I know that from experience. The best thing I ever did for myself was to seek help - best money I ever spent, too. Take good care of yourself, girl.
xo Granny

That doesn't always help. In fact, going down that road can lead to more problems. Trust me, I know. I went for mild depression 15 years ago and STILL suffer from vivid nightmares that are the result of taking Zoloft. Seeking out help made me far worse in the end.

The change has to come from within, any therapist will tell you that anyway. You have to find something to live for, and ways to cope on the bad days. And only you can discover those.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7r-sE0hwc]Is Abilify right for you ?...soundtrack The eots - YouTube[/ame]

Nice work.
I have no doubt I am not alone when it comes to seeing good people turned into emotional jello taking these pills.
I have no doubt they are both effective and necessary to the very few individuals that truly need them. The rest - are effective and necessary to make a very few individuals very rich.

 

[Granny]

And the pills - Zoloft etc.
Be wary - very very very very wary of these "quick fix" pills that can and do have devastating effects including dramatic personality changes, paranoia "crucifix" syndrome - what I call when someone constantly puts themselves on a cross and accusing everyone of trying to destroy them. And increase the risk of suicide.
These pills are woefully over prescribed. They contain chemicals that were intended for severely depressed and mentally ill people and are now given out like candy to anyone who shows up at a doctr saying they feel sad. Theses damn pills are perhaps the greatest travesty in modern medicine.
I have seen plenty of people go down hill in a hurry taking these damn things, some really good employees that I eventually had to let go because their ability to think becomes so clouded and their emotions so incredibly unstable.
DO NOT take these damn pills unless you are clinically diagnosed with severe depression where the side effects are worth the risk.
Feeling a little sad is not a reason to take Anti-psychotic medicines

You are quite right about the meds. They can be over prescribed which is a pretty good indication that you need to find a new doctor. I went for a long time (early childhood) until my 30s before I got any help but at that time refused medication. Thought about suicide in my teens but always managed to back away from it. Had a few breakdowns in my thirties. Finally in my early 40s I got curious about one episode in my life that I knew occurred but I couldn't remember anything except the aftermath. No meds involved. Finally I had two major breakdowns in my 50s and had my daughter take me to a psych ward. Massive drugs there since the stay was something like a 3 day event and they had to get me up out of the depression. But I lucked out SO GOOD with the doctor who was assigned to my care. I started taking a combination of anti-depressants up until a few months ago when my doctor (new one for last 6 years because I moved to TN) discontinued one scrip altogether and greatly reduced the dosage on a second scrip.

But, yes, it does take a couple weeks for the meds to get into your system. One of mine made be puke like a ***** the first 24 hours - it was so violent I pissed all over myself with every puke. Then it was all over with - as long as I don't let it get out of my system for more than a day or two I don't get sick.

 

[DarkLion]

Perhaps you didn't have a good psychiatrist - or a scrip happy one. Zoloft seems a little extreme to me for mild depression. It IS true, however, that the progress one makes toward healing depends on the patient and how open and forthright he/she can be. Some people find it very hard at first to starting talking about his/her issues but as they are able to open up more the sooner things get resolved.

Also, don't go to a psychiatrist who sits behind a desk while you sit in a chair - puts the psychiatrist in an "authoritative/intimidating" position. More comfortable if the doctor sits across from a patient without any obstacles between them.

You misunderstand me; a therapist can give you the tools to help yourself, but in the end it's you who helps yourself. One tole me he "can give the brake pads and brake fluid, but you have to apply the brakes"

It sounds to me like you're fostering dependence on the doctors, looking to them for the solution. Nope. The solution comes from within yourself.

I've been though it all. ER stints after failed suicide attempts, forced hospitalizations (TDO's). The works. And I've always been VERY open about the issues I'm dealing with. The happiest I ever was came after I ditched the professionals and took responsibility for my own thoughts and actions. A therapist might help for a little while, but don't stay in too long or you get in a rut and that's when they actually do more harm than good. Especially when you are dealing with stuff they can't "help"

 

[whitehall]

If you think you are clinically depressed the first thing you need to honestly consider is your intake of legal and illegal drugs including alcohol. Quack doctors will no doubt prescribe more drugs to mask the symptoms of the other drugs and the spiral will lead to psychotic social behavior. If you can't be honest with your addiction and you continue to fool yourself you might as well kiss your pathetic ass goodbye.

 

[eots]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNvQr9EAh28]Antidepressants found to be no better than Placebo. - YouTube[/ame]

 

[DarkLion]

If you think you are clinically depressed the first thing you need to honestly consider is your intake of legal and illegal drugs including alcohol. Quack doctors will no doubt prescribe more drugs to mask the symptoms of the other drugs and the spiral will lead to psychotic social behavior. If you can't be honest with your addiction and you continue to fool yourself you might as well kiss your pathetic ass goodbye.

Depression often leads to drug abuse, not the other way around.

 

[Noomi]

Most symptoms of depression can be alleviated with exercise and lifestyle changes.

You sound like a Scientologist.