Depression

Dimi said:
Thanks for that, did the therapy sessions help you?
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Yes, but it takes patience. For a long time it felt like I was wasting my time. It wasn't until the end of the course that I realised how much it had helped me.

Dimi said:
For those asking about meds, first word that came out of my GP's mouth was anti-depressants :eek: I'm sort of worried about them to be honest, wanted the option of getting help via a psychiatrist first.
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If you feel that you can get by without medication then you shouldn't take them. But don't let other people's bad experiences deter you from trying them if you feel like you need some extra help. Some meds help some people and, as with all medication, there are side effects. You have to decide if you they're right for you.
 
The NHS is woefully under-provisioned when it comes to mental health. My brother has clinical depression and yet I've had to really push the NHS to get him seen and to have the situation taken seriously. Even now, he is lucky if he sees his psychiatrist more than once a month. It's also disgraceful that GPs are so quick to prescribe meds without suggesting any sort of therapy to support the meds. Anti-depressants on their own often don't do much good and can actually make things worse in some cases.

There's also a general lack of understanding and a poor attitude when it comes to mental health issues. Someone with cancer would usually get the finest treatment possible, yet even though there are many mental health issues that can be just as dangerous and fatal it is much more difficult to get treated. I don't think the old-fashioned, predominantly male attitude of 'man up' really helps either.

Having said that, it could be that I live in a particularly overloaded or poorly provisioned area when it comes to mental health issues. Others may have better experiences, who knows.
 
Dimi said:
For those asking about meds, first word that came out of my GP's mouth was anti-depressants :eek: I'm sort of worried about them to be honest, wanted the option of getting help via a psychiatrist first.
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It's normal to be apprehensive about medication but from my experience I went through 2 different drugs that didn't help and had problems with minor side effects that I didn't like and then the third drug they put me on did the trick. I take a pill every night that has a mild sedative effect, helps me have a restful sleep, about an hour before going to bed, and after about a month my body acclimates to the drug which is basically a neural transmitter called serotonin, there is also dopamine, but your Doctor will decide which one you will need, and I have to say it works. It takes a month but now I'm stable and feeling better. So don't worry about being medicated. Once you find the drug that works for your body you'll notice the improvement in mood and you should be fine.
 
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Been on Antidepressants now for about 12 years! Cant imagine coming off of them! Too scared to be honest as i dont want to go back to the hell i went through!
 
Thompson_NCL said:
There is plenty you can do to address depression on your own: better diet, regular exercise and getting some order in your life will do far more than a 30 minute chat.
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I agree that in many cases and from personal experience that a lifestyle change can make a HUGE difference. For me I didn't do any exercise in years and also for other reasons had issues, I can't convey how much of a difference going for a 2 hour mountain biking session 3 times a week made to me, I'm still a different person now thanks to it.

Unfortunately our lives are too easy now and its entirely possible to go through life every day without breaking a sweat, which causes you to lose any appreciation for the effects exercise has on the body. I know this can't fix everything that might be causing your stress, but it allows you to see things for what they are.

How often do you exercise? Please avoid drugs from the doc unless you're totally at rock bottom, as you'll struggle with life without them and wont be fully human on them.
 
Has anyone here had any success with low dose antidepressants for anxiety issues? I'm debating if I want to try it but the side effects are putting me off.
 
Two of my brothers have been on anti-depressants and both said it helped them. I personally won't take 'em.

Neither had social anxiety tho. Both are outgoing and good with people. One had them for PTSD, and one for a prolonged period of depression.

So yeah, that doesn't really help, now that I think about it :p Sorry.
 
Akmeeda said:
Has anyone here had any success with low dose antidepressants for anxiety issues? I'm debating if I want to try it but the side effects are putting me off.
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I took for 6 months, 20mg of fluoxetine, which did help me out a bit.
Took about 2 months, maybe a couple weeks more, before I could say they were really helping. Felt a bit weird before that, and sort of robot-like for a bit after, which was useful.
I only stopped as I had to leave the country for a month with work, and stupidly didn't go to the doctor beforehand for another prescription.
It was pretty clear that the dose would have needed to be upped even a few months in. I guess you build up a tolerance quickly...
Depends how you are feeling, but I was struggling to even walk to work at points, due to just feeling so negative about the place I live.

List of side effects as long as your arm on fluoxetine, but I think it's more of a concern at higher doses.
Placebo effect is a good crutch for the first few weeks, "I'm taking something, so I know I'll be ok".
 
FoxEye said:
Two of my brothers have been on anti-depressants and both said it helped them. I personally won't take 'em.

Neither had social anxiety tho. Both are outgoing and good with people. One had them for PTSD, and one for a prolonged period of depression.

So yeah, that doesn't really help, now that I think about it :p Sorry.
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Emlyn_Dewar said:
I took for 6 months, 20mg of fluoxetine, which did help me out a bit.
Took about 2 months, maybe a couple weeks more, before I could say they were really helping. Felt a bit weird before that, and sort of robot-like for a bit after, which was useful.
I only stopped as I had to leave the country for a month with work, and stupidly didn't go to the doctor beforehand for another prescription.
It was pretty clear that the dose would have needed to be upped even a few months in. I guess you build up a tolerance quickly...
Depends how you are feeling, but I was struggling to even walk to work at points, due to just feeling so negative about the place I live.

List of side effects as long as your arm on fluoxetine, but I think it's more of a concern at higher doses.
Placebo effect is a good crutch for the first few weeks, "I'm taking something, so I know I'll be ok".
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I see, I see. Right now I have propranolol which is a beta blocker and helps alleviate panic, it works quite well and I can use it as needed rather than everyday. I think for now, that is the better option than antidepressants.
 
I'm not really sure what my deal was, I felt/feel pretty down about living in the UK, and with a long period of negative thoughts, it just felt like I eventually couldn't make it out the house.
Do you drink at all? I didn't drink for 4 months on the stuff I was on, and when I finally did, I didn't want to do it again (felt horrendous). I'm not sure how much of my improvement was just down to the lack of alcohol, but I'm not sure I'd have been able to go so long without a drink, without the medication. Definitely worth going a few months without alcohol, at the same time.
 
Best thing to do with depression is to work out what is ****ing you up and dealing with it....

All these pills are no good. I've been there, done that, and had the t-shirt a few times.

Face your issues head on.

Taking pills is not a solution.
 
FurryLemon said:
Best thing to do with depression is to work out what is ****ing you up and dealing with it....

All these pills are no good. I've been there, done that, and had the t-shirt a few times.

Face your issues head on.

Taking pills is not a solution.
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Depression and it's treatments, is not an exact science. What works for one person may well not work for another. I had to try three times to find what worked for me, which is mirtazapine and a course of CBT. You're right that facing the issues is necessary but medication is proven to work for some, myself included. CBT also helped me identify triggers and raise awareness of how to think about coping mechanisms. Life after or with depression is about maintaining a sense of equanimity.
 
FurryLemon said:
Taking pills is not a solution.
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I'm not sure it's meant to be a solution?
It's definitely a good temporary measure, to work out where you're head is at.

Low dose, for a few months, can just get you back in to the day-to-day running.
There really isn't anything wrong with my life, that I have control over, but it certainly didn't feel that way for a while.
 
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