Depression

[Billy Batts]

Cracking post that.

 

[The Fullwell Step]

aye, fair play to the OP for laying it out there.

I suspect we all have a bit of depressive in us, be it the booze blues, the monday morning blues or just plain fed up with your lot. Its how we react to them, I get terrible booze blues after a heavy one where my thoughts drift to negative places like death, health, money etc. but I try and focus on the good i.e. I had a great day out with my good mates, I have a decent job, kids are happy etc. etc.

Out of interest do you think eating healthier affects your mood? i.e. more fruit, water etc.??

Sorry mate but depression is far more than booze or Monday morning blues. It is a serious mental health issue. You do not just look at good things or "Pull yourself together". If you have or are with someone with depression, when they don't leave the house for months on end for example is only then you get a scale of the issue.

Great post by the op.

 

[The Mighty Mackem]

Sorry mate but depression is far more than booze or Monday morning blues. It is a serious mental health issue. You do not just look at good things or "Pull yourself together". If you have or are with someone with depression, when they don't leave the house for months on end for example is only then you get a scale of the issue.

Great post by the op.

I am in no way belittling it mind, just saying everyone has some form of it, it can start with small things and grow into something more substantial. I have never said it is a case of "pulling youself together" The reason I inferred to focussing on the positives is because the OP alluded to that in his post. Not sure why you feel the need to point out how serious it is using my post as a way of doing so tbh.

 

[THE_MAINSTAND_BAND]

Nice one OP. What was the first meds you were on ?

 

[The Fullwell Step]

I am in no way belittling it mind, just saying everyone has some form of it, it can start with small things and grow into something more substantial. I have never said it is a case of "pulling youself together" The reason I inferred to focussing on the positives is because the OP alluded to that in his post. Not sure why you feel the need to point out how serious it is using my post as a way of doing so tbh.

I wasn't mate, I understand your post and focussing on the positives is exactly right.
For what it is worth I would have been a "pull yourself together person" as I had no experience of it other than Monday blues. I have had it now and fuck me its awful.

 

[The Mighty Mackem]

I wasn't mate, I understand your post and focussing on the positives is exactly right.
For what it is worth I would have been a "pull yourself together person" as I had no experience of it other than Monday blues. I have had it now and fuck me its awful.

Absolutely agree mate, just saying how I personally get negative depressing thoughts/moods, not saying it is anywhere near as bad as others and I am in no way a "pull yourself together" type of person.

Now pull yourself together you daft bassa

 

[urmom777]

I suffered badly with depression last year.

I was at the lowest point in my life, suicidal thoughts, couldnt eat, couldnt sleep and was off work for nearly 3 months. The only thing that got me through the day was drink.

After i started to talk to friends and family i realised i wasnt alone and got great support. My GP was excellent also, although he prescribed me anti deppressants, i refused to take them. I managed to get myself together by my own methods and cutting down on the drink. Never underestimate the power of your own mind.

Deppression affects more people than what you think and a lot of people bottle it up for years and feel ashamed of it. I felt ashamed about it and i worried that people might think i was a mentalist.

My best advice to anyone suffering from it is to talk to friends and family and go easy on the fizzy pop.

Glad to hear you managed it, I needed the boost that the meds can give you. I know exactly how you feel about talking to others about it, I did tell one person - it was a mistake and I no longer talk to that person, which made me shut everyone else off. I also, even know, would like to tell people but haven't a clue where to begin to tell anyone.

Alcohol is probably the only thing now that can trigger it for me, it's the devils work! Doesn't stop me from drinking though but if your in that stage where your really bad its the worst thing for you.

aye, fair play to the OP for laying it out there.

I suspect we all have a bit of depressive in us, be it the booze blues, the monday morning blues or just plain fed up with your lot. Its how we react to them, I get terrible booze blues after a heavy one where my thoughts drift to negative places like death, health, money etc. but I try and focus on the good i.e. I had a great day out with my good mates, I have a decent job, kids are happy etc. etc.

Out of interest do you think eating healthier affects your mood? i.e. more fruit, water etc.??

Yes I does. Eating healthy and exercising etc make us feel good which is turn helps the mind. Keeping active is also a massive part of it - go out with your friends when you don't want to etc, evening cleaning the house, it all helps.

Nice one OP. What was the first meds you were on ?

Flouxetine. As I switched to Sertraline, my GP practically said they were crap but the NHS say they must be given first as they are cheaper than others. :roll:

He was very confident that the new meds would work and luckily they did. Some people though aren't as fortunate and have to bounce between meds to find the right one.

 

[The Mighty Mackem]

Yes I does. Eating healthy and exercising etc make us feel good which is turn helps the mind. Keeping active is also a massive part of it - go out with your friends when you don't want to etc, evening cleaning the house, it all helps.

aye, I exercise loads but my eating is probably not best described as healthy i.e. serious lack of fruit and water.

Having said that I have switched form being on site eating at 6.30am, 10am, 1pm then evening tea to more regulated office job (with a gym) and now eat 8.30am, 12.30pm then evening meal.

Its the fruit and water intake I cant seem to increase

 

[Deleted member 29136]

Glad to hear you managed it, I needed the boost that the meds can give you. I know exactly how you feel about talking to others about it, I did tell one person - it was a mistake and I no longer talk to that person, which made me shut everyone else off. I also, even know, would like to tell people but haven't a clue where to begin to tell anyone.

Alcohol is probably the only thing now that can trigger it for me, it's the devils work! Doesn't stop me from drinking though but if your in that stage where your really bad its the worst thing for you.

The first thing i was told from friends,doctors etc was to stop drinking but i couldnt. It was the only thing i could fucntion on. It got to the point where i would be opening a can at 4am and wondering the streets. I thought i was losing the plot big time.

For those that have never experienced it depression really is a mind fuck. Dont get me wrong, i still get pissed and enjoy myself but drink to my limits.

I've had my blow out, onwards and upwards.

For what it's worth, if you support Sunderland, you will experiance quite a bit of depression in your lifetime!!

 

[urmom777]

The first thing i was told from friends,doctors etc was to stop drinking but i couldnt. It was the only thing i could fucntion on. It got to the point where i would be opening a can at 4am and wondering the streets. I thought i was losing the plot big time.

For those that have never experienced it depression really is a mind fuck. Dont get me wrong, i still get pissed and enjoy myself but drink to my limits.

I've had my blow out, onwards and upwards.

For what it's worth, if you support Sunderland, you will experiance quite a bit of depression in your lifetime!!

Scary stuff mate, its an awful thing. It destroys the person that you are and sends you almost to the brink of losing your mind.

I think the blow out as you call it is needed when someone has depression, its awful at the time and hard to get through but sometimes you need that to happen to then realise something must change.

One of my sayings was: "I support Sunderland, it was never going to be good."

 

[Deleted member 29136]

Scary stuff mate, its an awful thing. It destroys the person that you are and sends you almost to the brink of losing your mind.

I think the blow out as you call it is needed when someone has depression, its awful at the time and hard to get through but sometimes you need that to happen to then realise something must change.

One of my sayings was: "I support Sunderland, it was never going to be good."

Of all the questions my GP asked on lifestyle, relationships, health etc i should have just cut to the chase and said.........'listen mate, i support Sunderland, it will send the best of us over the edge'

 

[TheLizard]

Evening all!

I know there has been a few threads in the past about this subject. Thought I would share my own experience and hopefully others can take some positivity from it.

If your reading this and your in a pretty desperate place at the moment, there is light at the end of the tunnel (excuse the cliche).

I suffered from it for years and there is no coping with it on your own. You think that you can do it but it only gets worse.

In January I was at a point where it had got really bad, suicide attempts regularly (nothing serious, nothing no one else knew about put it that way) - although I bare scars from the cuts on my arms. I could barley get through a day - the cracks in the act were showing and my friends and family were beginning to question the way I was behaving - but people never guess what it really is. Realised I had come to the point where something must be done, either finish it or get some help and see what happens. By the way - still no one knows of what has happened to me recently, suppose I have mastered the art of secrecy...I wouldn't advise it to everyone....it makes it alot harder to cope in the desperate times but can possibly make you stronger when you come out the other side.

Luckily I have a very good GP who knows his stuff and I was put on meds and began CBT. It was pretty awful at first, the meds were f***ing me over (or so I thought) and did not work and the CBT was a complete waste of time. For those who don't know, CBT teaches you to be aware of the ways of negative thinking and the impact it has and points you in the direction of first recognising it then stopping those thoughts and thinking of something positive in a bid to rewire your brain and the way you think. At the early points I was too weak to stop it, although I could recognise my thoughts as bad they still consumed me and I kept falling back down.

Just when everything seemed to be failing, I started on a different med - sertraline. Just like a click of a finger something changed. I started to get strong again. The CBT started to work. The depressive attacks (as I like to call them) were becoming less frequent and less severe when they did happen. However there were certain catalysts that could still spark depression (such as asking a girl out on a date and getting rejected...) and I knew I needed to challenge it (as CBT would advise you to) and as I was stronger I did so and although at first I suffered for it and fell back down - I came out of it even stronger.

Now just 4 months on (still on meds) I am beginning to enjoy life again. I am not in pain anymore. The depressive side of me is still there but with the strength I now have I can fight it off almost immediately.

A long post but to those who are suffering, there is hope even if you do not see it at this moment in time. Stay strong and one day the pain will lessen and you will smile again! (cheesy...) :-D

I have so much to say on this it was pretty hard to cram it in a post that wouldn't look like a biography.

If anyone wants any info or advice, just ask.

Great Thread and Brave post

 

[Morse]

Just when everything seemed to be failing, I started on a different med - sertraline. Just like a click of a finger something changed. I started to get strong again.

Same here.

I've suffered mental health issues pretty much all my life, and been through loads of meds. Some didn't work, some made me ill to the point of being bedridden, and one, Fluoxetine/Prozac, caused paranoid psychosis. I've never known darker times, my family barely recognised me.

Sertraline has been a life saver. The efficacy of antidepressants is down to the individual, but I've heard a lot of success stories with this drug. I went from an emotional wreck having regular breakdowns to feeling stronger again and able to handle adversity much better.

I still suffer from clinical depression, my Psychiatrist has admitted it's not going to go away, but it's managed better than it's ever been.

I'm glad you're felling better, those who haven't experienced true depression can never understand how terrible it is.

I am in no way belittling it mind, just saying everyone has some form of it, it can start with small things and grow into something more substantial. I have never said it is a case of "pulling youself together" The reason I inferred to focussing on the positives is because the OP alluded to that in his post. Not sure why you feel the need to point out how serious it is using my post as a way of doing so tbh.

True clinical depression is a mental illness thought to be caused by neurotransmitter imbalance in the brain, ie Serotonin.

The blues or feeling temporarily down is a perfectly normal emotional state. Everyone gets like this at times.

The two aren't remotely comparable, and not everyone experiences clinical depression.

Check out 'anhedonia', which is a common symptom of clinical depression.

 

[JimBeam]

Evening all!

I know there has been a few threads in the past about this subject. Thought I would share my own experience and hopefully others can take some positivity from it.

If your reading this and your in a pretty desperate place at the moment, there is light at the end of the tunnel (excuse the cliche).

I suffered from it for years and there is no coping with it on your own. You think that you can do it but it only gets worse.

In January I was at a point where it had got really bad, suicide attempts regularly (nothing serious, nothing no one else knew about put it that way) - although I bare scars from the cuts on my arms. I could barley get through a day - the cracks in the act were showing and my friends and family were beginning to question the way I was behaving - but people never guess what it really is. Realised I had come to the point where something must be done, either finish it or get some help and see what happens. By the way - still no one knows of what has happened to me recently, suppose I have mastered the art of secrecy...I wouldn't advise it to everyone....it makes it alot harder to cope in the desperate times but can possibly make you stronger when you come out the other side.

Luckily I have a very good GP who knows his stuff and I was put on meds and began CBT. It was pretty awful at first, the meds were f***ing me over (or so I thought) and did not work and the CBT was a complete waste of time. For those who don't know, CBT teaches you to be aware of the ways of negative thinking and the impact it has and points you in the direction of first recognising it then stopping those thoughts and thinking of something positive in a bid to rewire your brain and the way you think. At the early points I was too weak to stop it, although I could recognise my thoughts as bad they still consumed me and I kept falling back down.

Just when everything seemed to be failing, I started on a different med - sertraline. Just like a click of a finger something changed. I started to get strong again. The CBT started to work. The depressive attacks (as I like to call them) were becoming less frequent and less severe when they did happen. However there were certain catalysts that could still spark depression (such as asking a girl out on a date and getting rejected...) and I knew I needed to challenge it (as CBT would advise you to) and as I was stronger I did so and although at first I suffered for it and fell back down - I came out of it even stronger.

Now just 4 months on (still on meds) I am beginning to enjoy life again. I am not in pain anymore. The depressive side of me is still there but with the strength I now have I can fight it off almost immediately.

A long post but to those who are suffering, there is hope even if you do not see it at this moment in time. Stay strong and one day the pain will lessen and you will smile again! (cheesy...) :-D

I have so much to say on this it was pretty hard to cram it in a post that wouldn't look like a biography.

If anyone wants any info or advice, just ask.

Excellent post mate thank you for sharing.

 

[sonson]

Excellent post mate, glad you're in recovery.

The positive and encouraging attitude to depression on here and mental health in general is definitely one of the best things about the place without doubt

 

[The Mighty Mackem]

The blues or feeling temporarily down is a perfectly normal emotional state. Everyone gets like this at times.

The two aren't remotely comparable, and not everyone experiences clinical depression.

Check out 'anhedonia', which is a common symptom of clinical depression.

this is one of the things that gets forgotten about I reckon, but as I said I am not one to judge on depression just thought they may be linked or in a way a start to a slippery slope.

 

[RestlessNatives]

Good post.

Would any of these type of meds make someone look drunk or really spaced out?

The reason I ask is I suspect a girl in my office may keep having some sort of episode and then gets like this when she is having a bit of a meltdown/panic.

Just so I can keep an eye on it. It's strange, but my first though was that she might be on some medication.

Diabetics can sometimes act like this. Once worked with a lad who was acting pissed and being a nobhead but I knew he didn't drink and was diabetic. Luckily his lass worked there as well so had a word with her and got it sorted.

Great post by the OP. I've been lucky enough not to suffer but have seen what it does to people and it is horrific. Amazed how many people suffer from it.

 

[The Fullwell Step]

Excellent post mate, glad you're in recovery.

The positive and encouraging attitude to depression on here and mental health in general is definitely one of the best things about the place without doubt

I agree mate, and it can be very supportive. One thing I found about this place when I got it was a) how many other people suffer so it made me feel much less that I was on my own and (please take this the right way as I can't think of another way of putting it) a weirdo as strange thoughts go through your head and b) this place can be an enormous support (see the depression and cancer threads) and is actually full of great people.

 

[Deleted member 664]

Really strong post by the op

 

[urmom777]

Same here.

I've suffered mental health issues pretty much all my life, and been through loads of meds. Some didn't work, some made me ill to the point of being bedridden, and one, Fluoxetine/Prozac, caused paranoid psychosis. I've never known darker times, my family barely recognised me.

Sertraline has been a life saver. The efficacy of antidepressants is down to the individual, but I've heard a lot of success stories with this drug. I went from an emotional wreck having regular breakdowns to feeling stronger again and able to handle adversity much better.

I still suffer from clinical depression, my Psychiatrist has admitted it's not going to go away, but it's managed better than it's ever been.

I'm glad you're felling better, those who haven't experienced true depression can never understand how terrible it is.

I don't think it will ever go away in everyone tbh. It's something that's gone wrong and will always be there but, as you say, it's how you cope with it and the meds and counseling helps you to understand it and manage it.

Thanks again to everyone for the positive replies - this place isn't so bad sometimes.