How many people on here, apart from me, suffer from depression?
Theland1 Thurs 06/11/08 02:11
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Ooh Theland - I'm not stalking you, honest!!! Looks like everyone else's gone off to bed, so hope you don't mind me replying, even though I've never suffered with depression.
I know folk who have though - very bad depression, not just feeling a bit low.
It's a terrible uillness if it gets hold of someone, so I hope that you're coping alright.
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Question Author
Nice talking to you Icey.
Any more answers from ABers will be interesting.
I thiought i might be cured - still hope so - but now live with it - ups and downs.
Still feel like a newcomer to it although i've been trwated for it for a few years now.
It's horrible when it strikes.
I used to be unsympathetic to people with it - then it hit me - just can' t believe that I can't, "snap out of it!"
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It's the same for those who suffer a nervous breakdown. people never think it's going to happen to them, but it can strike anyone.
A relative of mine was so poorly with depression, that she's spent a great deal of time in hospitals, and had electric shock treatment as well as medication. She's now just beginning to "get better", but it's a long haul. Unfortunately, another relative took his own life because of it. So did a good friend of mine. It's so very sad when people don't admit to themselves that they have a problem, and seek expert advice.
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hi there theland,i admit that i suffer very badly from it ,i think i have it constantly and not just bouts,some days i can laugh and its not too bad,some months i go through hell and cant break a smile,i hate it..people cant believe when they ask me have i ever been happy,i cant remember being happy,ever!! just a sort of conentment..i tried st johns wot,didnt work,ive tried every anti depressant under the sun,didnt work-they actually made me more suicidal,gittery,nervous,anxious etc..i have eyebrows now but most times i have to draw a pair on because i pluck them out when im anxious or worried or just down...ur not alone mate..hang in there..i have just recently been going to the gym again and to me that works..
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I am sadly an old hand - complete breakdown ninetenn years ago, three months in a psychiatric unit, a year off work, medication for life.
I think you reach a level where you assimilate it into your life. You envy people who can take for granted waking up feeling OK as though it's gravity, always there, no thoughts needed.
I have my times, we all do, but I got past the time when i seriously doubted I;d survive, I went down to below eight stone in weight (I'm 5' 10" and they were going to start force-feeding me.
But here I am, and here I stay, grateful for every good day, living through every bad day. I am blessed with mental strength.
I am lucky.
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A visit to the Joke section soon disperses depression.
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When in the grip of true depression there isn't a joke in the world that would cheer you up terambulan.Only someone who has never been depressed would say something like that. I have been depressed to the point that I have attempted suicide on more than one occasion,it is a terrible way to be but you can be helped with the right therapy for you,that may be drugs,or it may be counselling from a professional.I am ok at the moment but am fully aware that depression can be a lifelong condition and I know when to seek help for it now.
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daffy654....sorry to sound flippant on an issue troubling some. My OH was manic depressive but carried the woes of the world.
Am more realistic and know I cant cure much but do help those nearest. I can only face each day and deal with it. I summarise and give thanks at the end of each day and hope to re-live the next day to face more challenges.
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Question Author
What shocked me was that I came out of it, and thought it was all behind me, and i stopped taking medication. Then like a bolt from the blue, it came back with a vengeance, and I just can't get used to the idea that I have to live with these silly episodes.
I've never been able to adequately describe what I go through, each adjective gets near to the mark, but never quite hits it.
It seems pretty widespread doesn't it?
I find chatting to people about ANYTHING on AB helps me quite a bit.
Thank you all for your replies.
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Sorry to be blunt, but are you sure it is depression?
Occasionally, I hear frm people who have been going thru a rough patch of health and bad sleep, and as such their body gets massively messed up and their bones ache? This can make u feel depressed, but you're not actually.
I would be open to listening and giving advice anytime, and I know from my past experiences on Answerbank around 6months ago, that other users are also very helpful.
Please dont hesitate to get things out of your system, hope that will aid!
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Question Author
Yes, it is depression, and I had 6 months off work in 2006 with it, so it was properly diagnosed.
But I know what you mean, that maybe some folk call themselves depressed when it is just a natural reaction to a bit of tiredness and an electric bill!
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I too have and still suffer from PND. It became obvious that I had it after I had my daughter (2 yrs ago) when I felt like the whole world would be a far better pace if I wasn't part of it. The long walk I took the night before going to see my GP was too close to the end. I found a photograph in my purse which made me have second thoughts about what I was trying to achieve. I started taking medication, everything was ok I guess - put it this way, I managed to get through my working day without crying my eyes out or flying off the handle, the crying was saved for the bathroom when I got home.
I've since had a little boy (4 months ago) and although I feel more in control and no medication is needed, I do get moments of weakness and find myself right back at the beginning again.
Why do I see it as a failure? I know deep down I need to go back to my GP and get it sorted out but I really can't cope with the thought of failing to pull through again.
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Think i have mild depression at times, tried anti depressants makes my brain dead, i take st johns wort and find it helps!!!
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Question Author
Maybe just talking about it on here is helpful, it certainly helps me, just knowing I'm not alone.
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I hate the word 'depression' because it equates to the unkowing (which is most people thank heavens) with 'depressed' - and they are so very different.
We all get 'depressed' - that is part of the human condition, and is normal, natural, and acceptable.
'Depression' is a whole new arena of experience not related to being 'a bit fed up at all'.
I use this as a comparison - if 'being depressed' is a sprained ankle, then 'depression' us cutting your own foot off with a rusty tin lid.
Theland - try this as a description.
You are a rag doll, and you are in the cage with a large savage gorilla. Some days the gorilla is just 'there' and you are aware of it constantly. Other days it will grab you and throw you around in a blind rage, until it gets bored and throws you into a corner. There you will stay, alone and terrified unitl the gorilla decides tlo have its play again. You can't escape, you can't hide, you are at the mercy of an unthinking violent mass of rage that deals with you when it wants, with no rhyme, reason, or warning. The best you can do is to try to blend in and hope it forgets about you for a while. Medication and counselling, with a large dose of mental strength may open the cage door, but remember, you may find yourself back in there. Never forget that.
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Question Author
I hate that gorilla!
I'll spit on its bananas!
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Have suffered for years with anxiety and depression but as I get older I am more philosophical about it and seem to deal with it better.
The stupid thing is because I am an outgoing and, seemingly to others, one who is confident, smiles and laughs a lot, people are really surprised when they find out.
So many people think that depressed people are sad, miserable and fed up. True clinical depression is most often not evident to outsideres.
Hope thinks are getting better for you Theland.
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Question Author
Hi Lottie. Thanks for that. Yes i have good and bad periods, but my good friend Bathsheba has been a great support over a long period of time, God bless her.
I want to wake up one morning and be cured, and I thought i was at one time.
It's a stain on the brain and I am disappointed that I now am beginning to realise, that it can always flare up.
I like that phrase, stain / brain. Think i'll market it or write a song.
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LoftyLottie, you are far from alone in that situation.
People with depression are more often experts at masking their feelings behind a sunny facade. It's the people who are miserable, and can express their feelings who get through unscathed. It's the 'bottled up' people like us who develop strategies to hide their depression that cause the surprise when the mask falls off - as it eventually does.
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I am bipolar. Today my brain is in zombie mode. I am off back to bed with the cats.
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