I'm severely depressed

[D_VictorVikkiTielVictoria]

For the past few months, maybe longer, I've been feeling very sad and depressed.
I see a therapist every two weeks to talk about my problems
to try to find new ways of coping with this overwhelming anxiousness, saddness and dread.
I've also been taking various medications to battle this thing over the years.
There are mornings where I wake up pissed off and sad because I woke up at all.
Is there anyone here that feels the same as I do?
I'd really like to talk.
Please PM me and maybe we can help each other and be friends :frown1:

 

[dcw4]

i am so sorry,

I too have battled depression, and it is awful.

Dont watch the news or Oprah or anything like that.

It makes it worse for me and I cant even read the newspaper right now.

Take your meds, see your doctor and watch a comedy.

love yourself and hang in there.

dcw4

 

[gwr1349]

Your not taking the right meds for depression. You need to find the right one that works for you. Your Doctor should have you try something else. I started on Effexor XR and found that it works great for me. There is no reason for you to feel depressed anymore. There are meds for you to take that away.

 

[poizen-ivy]

Yes, be very kind to yourself and take time to heal. It will take a lot of time.
Check out some CBT.

 

[B_lrgeggs]

Ah depression.....I know it very well. And pretty much spend a lot of time and energy hiding the fact that I am depressed. But it's good to spend as much time around others that put you in a positive frame of mind. How is your therapist working out?

 

[D_VictorVikkiTielVictoria]

i am so sorry,

I too have battled depression, and it is awful.

Dont watch the news or Oprah or anything like that.

It makes it worse for me and I cant even read the newspaper right now.

Take your meds, see your doctor and watch a comedy.

love yourself and hang in there.

dcw4

Thank you for your response
I try to stay away from the news and other shit that brings me down.
One of my problems is that being someone involved in music and the arts,
makes it tougher because music is all around us, and I never got to where I hoped to go in music, so that in itself is one of those little triggers.
I don't know...it seems like everything sucks.
I've lost interest in the things I used to love..I'm lonely but in no shape to
have a relationship with anyone.
So now what do I do?
I can't stand this living hell

 

[gwr1349]

The longer you stay away from people the worse it can get for you. You have to force yourself to be around people that Love You. You need to see someone else besides a therapist. Most therapist's can not prescribe meds for you a psychiatrist can. I highly recommend you see a psychiatrist.

 

[D_VictorVikkiTielVictoria]

Ah depression.....I know it very well. And pretty much spend a lot of time and energy hiding the fact that I am depressed. But it's good to spend as much time around others that put you in a positive frame of mind. How is your therapist working out?

The therapist I'm talking to is great
I also see a doctor in the same office for my meds but this guy is a prick, and doesn't make things very easy for me.
I've asked him many times for a different drug, but he always has some story why he won't give me what I ask for, but gives me something that doesn't work and I'm back to square one.
Now I know what you're going to say...you're saying...
Get a better doctor..well the biggest problem is, my health plan does a really poor job in providing good doctors for mental health.
So I have very few options.
The condition of mental health care in america is horrible.
It's no wonder people flip out and open fire on an office full of people

 

[poizen-ivy]

#1. Meds don't 'cure' or 'fix' you and to say he has "no reason to feel depressed" if he's on the 'right meds is false.

#2. Psychiatrists use different therapies to a psychologist. A number of therapies used by psychologists work quicker and more effectively than the decade of sitting on a psychiatrist couch. Of course everyone is different.
A GP doctor can monitor meds inconjuction with a regular psychologist

 

[D_Chaumbrelayne_Copprehead]

The therapist I'm talking to is great
I also see a doctor in the same office for my meds but this guy is a prick, and doesn't make things very easy for me.
I've asked him many times for a different drug, but he always has some story why he won't give me what I ask for, but gives me something that doesn't work and I'm back to square one.
Now I know what you're going to say...you're saying...
Get a better doctor..well the biggest problem is, my health plan does a really poor job in providing good doctors for mental health.
So I have very few options.
The condition of mental health care in america is horrible.
It's no wonder people flip out and open fire on an office full of people

Have you talked with your therapist about the doctor? The therapist might be able to intercede for you if you're not getting what you need from the doctor.

I've been severely depressed ... even suicidal ... and it totally, totally sucks. Getting on the right meds allowed me to get to a place where I could work on the shit I needed to work on in therapy. Without them, I would either still feel bad, or be dead.

Good luck. I know what it's like.

 

[D_VictorVikkiTielVictoria]

At first I wasn't sure if posting on this board about this was the right thing to do.
I can now see it was the right move.
You people are great.
Thank you so much for your compassion and understanding.

 

[B_doc23cm]

Your not taking the right meds for depression. You need to find the right one that works for you. Your Doctor should have you try something else. I started on Effexor XR and found that it works great for me. There is no reason for you to feel depressed anymore. There are meds for you to take that away.

The OP already said he has tried various meds. I think you are oversimplifying to imply that all cases of depression can be treated simply and 100% effectively with antidepressants. It's difficult to pass comment without knowing what meds have been tried.

Robert, just hang in there. What kind of medication are you asking your psychiatrist for that he won't give you? If you are asking for valium, etc, he might be resistant because they are drugs with addictive potential and are often sold on the street. What medication have you tried so far?

Keep talking to your therapist, and it may be useful to talk with both the therapist and the doctor together, to make sure you are all on the same page about your treatment (medical and psychological). Also, if you feel like harming yourself in any way, or are planning to do so, you must talk with these people, so they can help to prevent that.

I'm glad you are finding some support here, and I hope that our comments help you realise that you are a very valuable person and provide some solace for you.

 

[yayme]

Can you tell us about the context of your overwhelming anxiety and depression? You also mentioned that you no longer do things you once liked (really, one of the behavioral symptoms of depression). If your therapist hasn't already discussed this with you, read up on behavioral activation. It's basically a behavioral treatment plan to increase the rewards in your life.

Like what dock23cm said, unfortunately, not every medication works for everyone in the same way. I was taking Lyrica for chronic pain, which was told by my doctor to have very severe side effects but I strangely didn't experience any (or any treatment effects). If a particular antidepressant isn't working, try new ones until you've find the one that works for you.

 

[camchain]

that must be a terible thing to have. now i sometimes get pissed off and i think to my self.
1. how lucky i am to be alive. 2. my body is intack. 3. thank god i am not a teenager growing up these days. 4. and think of all the things i have when others strugle. and glad i am on my own and have no one else to wory about, and all the nice things that has happed to me in my life, much more good thing's then bad.
wishing you all the best of luck with it.

 

[zacr9]

Hey there,

Possible try some natural alternatives: Look up Amoryn (for depression), Seredyn (for anxiety) on the web, a company in New Zealnd makes it as well....worth a try...

Zac
Australia

 

[Principessa]

The therapist I'm talking to is great

I also see a doctor in the same office for my meds but this guy is a prick, and doesn't make things very easy for me.
I've asked him many times for a different drug, but he always has some story why he won't give me what I ask for, but gives me something that doesn't work and I'm back to square one.
Now I know what you're going to say...you're saying...
Get a better doctor..well the biggest problem is, my health plan does a really poor job in providing good doctors for mental health.
So I have very few options.
The condition of mental health care in america is horrible.
It's no wonder people flip out and open fire on an office full of people

Wow you sound like me. :redface: I don't currently have a therapist , but the doctor I see for my meds is an arrogant butthead. If it weren't for the drugs he prescribes which do help I would attempt to go elsewhere. Also he is very generous about giving free samples, which helps me out a lot.

The last time I was in his office he insisted that the reason my mother and I often argue is because of my personality. He then clarified this by saying my personality disorder had nothing to do with it. That perhaps I just had a bad personality :wtf1: He failed to take into consideration that my mom is in the early stages of dementia, and is often argumentative when you point out that she has forgotten something or if I try to help her by finishing her sentences. :angryfire2: My one year probation or whatever they call it for pre-existing conditions is now up so maybe I can find someone better.

 

[Smartalk]

Hi Robert for the past 2 years have battled with post traumatic stress disorder, which is not pleasant. I firmly believed that I would never work again, I felt so withdrawn, total lack of confidence. It was not uncommon for me not to leave for 10 days or more, quite happy and content just sitting in the same spot on the sofa day in day out, in my own little world. At 52 I thought I would never be able hold down the simplest of jobs ever again. With the help of an excellent GP a caring and supportive therapist, and eventually finding the right medication. I am now back as Managing Director of my own company, which is going from strength to strength. Feeling like my old positive confident self again. Please feel free to contact via PM more than happy to listen and support where I can. I never thought the impossible could happen, but it did.

Take each day as it come, don't try to psh yourself to much just go with the flow, it will take time but there IS light at the end of the tunnel

 

[8BigBen5]

Hey

Have you been having depressions before?

Are they usally during the winter time?

How long have you been on the medication? (it usally takes 3-4 weeks before one can sense any change).

The good thing is that depression goes over by them selvs, don't get too fixated or even more depressed over having a depression, they have a average duration of 5 to 6 months

 

[2322]

I battled with major depression for nearly ten years. It was absolute hell.

What I recommend doing is what others have mentioned: try a different pill. Pills do not cure anything but they can give you enough stability to tackle the issues for yourself. Take your bottle of whatever, walk into your therapists office, hand him or her the bottle and tell that person you refuse to take these any longer because they're not working and you want to try a different type of drug. Be firm and do not be intimidated.

Learn about what class of drug they're giving you. Different classes work best on different people. SSRIs sometimes work great for some people, SNRIs for others, and still others do best with traditional drugs. My suggestion is to switch the class of drug you're on. If you haven't tried an SNRI, I highly suggest it. My problem wasn't so much with seratonin as norepinephrine levels and I responded very well to Anafrinil, Effexor and, later, Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin had milder side effects in my case. If the MD doing the prescribing refuses to change then call your healthplan and complain. Tell them you feel this doctor isn't doing what's best for you and you want to see another prescribing doctor while keeping your psychotherapist. In this business, squeaky wheels definitely get the grease. Be ingratiatingly dogmatic, polite, and stick to your guns. You will NOT take this any longer as it's not working. Simple as that.

If the drugs don't work so hot they may recommend you for ECT. ECT sounds horrible but it's vastly different from the days of Sylvia Plath and I have not met one person who has had it who has not loved the effect it has had on their depression. In many cases it has been a literal life-saver.

 

[datdudecrunk]

I understand. I've been depressed for quite some time. And it seems so hard to shake. I've never taken any drugs or anything for it though.

Is there a cause for your depression?