Question about my depression?

Question

I simply do not have time for therapy. I have bills to pay and a low-paying job because I am young and starting out.

My depression has gotten to the point where it is an every day struggle. If not for my religion, I would have killed myself at the age of 6. That is how long I've been dealing with it. I'm almost 18 now and I'm soon going to have MORE bills and have MORE responsibility.

I have a few friends who take antidepressants and they seem... almost apathetic. like they don't have as many emotions anymore. Their depression was cured, but now they suffer because they cant feel the joys and true happiness that they did before. I don't want to end up like them.

I've tried all home-made alternatives like relaxation techniques and herbal remedies and all that worthless c**p. nothing works.

I'm just asking... what would YOU do?

Answer 1

Ignore Mike - what he said was mean.  It sounds like you need to take a good anti-depressant like Lexapro, or whatever your Dr. recommends.  Don't be afraid to take an antidepressant because of your friend's behaviour - everyone is different.  You need to enjoy life - I urge you to see your Dr. (that's what I would do).

Good luck sweetheart.

Answer 2

You have God... what the h**l do you need us for?

Sorry I like giving religious people c**p whenever I can. I'm sure you'd give others c**p too if you realized that 90% of the planet TRULY believes that a Twinkie named Bob created the universe a week ago.

I would say try weed, it helped me, but you have to get used to it, because lots people just get hella paranoid when they start smoking... takes about a month to get over it. As stupid as your reason my be, we all have reason for being depressed. Something in your life not going how you want it... figure out what it is and work on fixing it.  

Answer 3

i understand what you mean about the anti depressants when i was first diagnosed i wouldnt take any medication  as i didnt want the happy periods to be false happy if you no what i mean i didnt want my good moods to be chemically induced, my doctor soon realised i wasnt taking them and he explained to me that it was better to take the medication than feel the same self loathing as before, reluctantly i took the meds but only for three months and i feel so good now and i realise that anything is better than how i felt before!

Answer 4

I'd wake up.

If you can say c**p like that about your so called depressed friends, then you'd realize that it's all in the power of the mind.  

Quit feeling sorry for yourself, and realize that all of us have happy and sad moments.  Life is all about ups and downs.  Just because you have a down stretch, doesn't mean your depressed.  You make yourself like that.  

So I'd man up, deal with it, and quit being an idiot.

Answer 5

Sir, I hope you the best. Though I hope, I would consider in your shoes, go to a place where;

-you *must* live life to the fullest

-there is no h**l.

-there is no heaven

Love, like many things, is a verb. You do not passively "fall out of love"

What you have done, is forget to love her. As a verb. You Buy her something. You Walk to Scrape the ice from her windows. you Listen to them.

this can be applied in many situations. depression as an action. what could You be doing do enjoy life right now?

I'm not at the beach, yet.. but planning can be stress-relieving.

Moreover, adding the right, befitting people to your life.. thats usually pretty win-win for depression. Hang out with funn(ier than you) people. That helped tremendously for me (it did eventually, & abruptly, though :)

most drugs do help though :)   -as long as you take more out of it, than it takes out of you.

Answer 6

I'd say that whenever I feel depressed, it's because I feel deeply, deeply uncomfortable with my mental state at that point.  Therefore I usually seek those things that are very comforting for me, a list which sadly at this point has been reduced to old, S****y video games and hanging out with my cousins.  I am 19.  However, sometimes I feel detached even from those things that are nostalgic to me simply because of the extreme passage of time, in which case I would probably just do something creative or absorb someone else's creativity, be it ina  movie, book or music.  Of course, it's important to have others around every so-often.  So much of our thought process exists only because of our direct interaction with other people.  I don't believe in hopelessness.  If you don't have interests, get them.  If you do, satisfy them and share them.  If you have to, get a new job.

I personally question myself into oblivion.  Are things actually bad?  What would be better in comparison?  Would that really be better (the answer to this is usually 'no')?

Consider this.  The human mind, the same mind of yours that has supposedly made itself depressed, is also capable of retaining information.  No matter how awful a situation is, this ability for the mind to grow and live precedes the very depression that ails it.  Even if, by some circumstance, all that exists in a mind is the depression itself, then at least there is that base off of which the mind can expand, and that becomes its building block.  This fundamental concept that encompasses all thought, I can't think of anything more important than an infinite appreciation for that.

Answer 7

we all get depressed sometimes.  The key is not to let it take over your entire life.  Think about the things that make you happy or bring you joy.  then try to make more time for those things.  

Answer 8

Do you feel truly depressed or just a little sad? Everyone has feelings of sadness every now and again. However, it's when you cannot get out of bed or even make yourself a meal that it becomes a problem. Are you able to take care of yourself? I'm not going to be like that *** Ovation and tell you to man up becuase if you are really suffering from depression it can be pretty tough and if we all were as perfect as him there wouldn't be any depressed people in the world. As I was saying you just cannot man up or as my favorite saying goes "snap out of it" as it's just not that simple. Sure you can do things like change jobs or even take a medical leave of abscence as most employers allow you to do that then you can just concentrate on school or if school is hard put that on (if you're in college) hold too until you feel better.

I'm assuming you are still in high school so if you have a decent sized school you may be able to talk to a school psychologist free of charge. If you don't want to do the medication route then you may be out of luck since you've tried the alternative remedies.

I take an anti depressant it really does help, but you may need to do some tinkering before you find the right med for you. The med really doesn't have any bad side effects. However, I do take an anti psychotic which has awful side effects so I may not be the best judge on anti depressants if I were just taking them.

So you ask what would I do. I would try the meds forget about therapy as it really doesn't help severe cases of depression. Go see a doc and get yourself straighten out so you don't have to live in a world of perpetual sadness.

Peace!



  

Answer 9

I would go to a dr and get help.  We are talking about your life here.  I have taken anti-depressants (effexor) for nearly a year and I am fine.  I feel happy, sad, joy, anger, etc...  Anyhow I definitely feel emotions.  I am just a bit more in control of myself and better able to handle the more negative one.

Best explanation I have heard for how anti-depressants work is that everyone has a plate and everyone can only handle so much on their plate.  Anti-depressants don't take the problems off your plate, but it makes your plate a little bigger so you can handle all the problems on your plate.  You will need to seek therapy to deal with the problems.

Now that I have been working with a therapist I am much happier with myself.  I actually like myself.  I am able to set boundaries and ensure that people respect them.  We are looking at weening me off of the meds before the end of the year.  

Also keep in mind that it is possible to get better with out the meds, but it is just a lot easier with.  

It is ok to be happy.  Don't make excuses for not getting help. You sound like a very nice person that is experiencing some bad stuff right now.  Good luck and best wishes!

Answer 10

it wouldn't hurt to try the drugs, would it?

if it's not worth it, get off them and save up money for therapy?

and dont listen to the guy above me, that r****d obviously doesn't understand anything about depression.

Answer 11

I've tried all the "natural stuff" too- I spend thousands of dollars trying everything under the sun not to take antidepressants because of what I'd heard. I suffered horrible panic attacks, insomnia, depression, and self hatred I didn't understand. After 4 years of this, I finally gave in and started a low dose of Lexapro. I felt the effects immediately and have been on it for 4 years now. I had slight emotional numbing when I went up to 20 mg. but on 10mg a day it stops all the anxiety and pain inside. It's just not worth living life in pain! I finally accepted I needed real help and I got it. I wouldn't have made it through without it. I'm poor too and have never been to therapy but have gone to self improvement group classes in the area and they've helped a ton. Don't give up on yourself and realize you deserve THE BEST life you can live!

Answer 12

Hey bro..I've lived a similar experience..nothing worked.  Then one day (literally) I realized a few things all at once:  1.)  This is my life and the only one I'll ever have. 2.)  I need to stop taking meds and try to figure out what it is that will work for me. 3.)  I realized that my life pretty much sucked..cuz I didn't ever do anything all that fun or amazing and my relationships were shallow, at best.

The solution was to simply start doing everything I ever thought I'd want to do in life.  Since that time, I've become an avid hiker (I'm not all that athletic) and spend a lot of time volunteering at a local zoo.  I dropped all of the negative people and influences in my life. Oddly enough, some of the most toxic people I knew were from church.  God didn't abandon me for becoming more spontanious..as a matter of fact, I feel closer to him than ever.  As I've grown and decided to live my life on the edge by making a list in my mind of things I want to personally accomplish, I find I don't get depressed as often.  Also, friends seem less reserved around me than before..cuz I they sense I kind of dig my life now.  If you were here..I'd take you on a hike..we'd ride down the river in my canoe and I'd have you laughing about how screwed up the rest of the world is..and how really OK you are!    Hang in there, bud..and hang tough..cuz you really are.  People who have lived in pain can become people who are almost immuned to it someday.  

In the meantime, I pray peace on you, bro!  Btw..Wattz..I was reading some of your other posts.  You're a very intelligent guy.  I think you just need to expand your territory.  Job isn't making you happy right now..maybe time to check out something new.  You'll be alright, dude..hang tuff:)