Depression, addressing it and moving on / anti depressants

[PinkFinal]

They offered me counseling but I told them I'd learned to live with my misery and didn't want any cans of worms opening.

Counseling has never worked for me.

 

[Bigga]

Bit of a deep one this. I've been unhappy for years, and never addressed it. I've had an ex who was depressed, and I didn't know how to handle it and I tried to hide from it because I've felt bad myself.

Recently I've had problems with a relationship, and the sh!t hit the fan. It's like all my scars have come back and years of hiding problems has just exploded.

I had to leave work yesterday, and went to the Drs today and explained everything I feel. They've suggested counselling and anti depressants. I don't want to take them. Has anyone taken them and what do they do? I'm going to do research when I get home but think I've decided. I know my issues and what's wrong, and want to be happy, but I'm not sure numbing things out with pills is good.

I feel flat as a pancake today, but admitting to it does feel good, like a weight off my shoulders. If anyone else feels this way I suggest addressing it. I've grown up in a family where you're just told to cheer up and be happy. Think talking might be the other way to go.

I feel for you. First of all, let me congratulate you on identifying the issue you need to tackle. That's ownership and, believe it or not, one of the biggest steps you can make towards stepping into the ring with your personal battle. The hardest fight is preparing to fight what's waiting for you.

I told another poster what I firmly believe, that fighting the fight you want to naturally run away from is the only way you get to the other side.

Yes, exercise, but that has to go hand in hand being ready to fight back.

How far can rock bottom be? As far as you want to fall.

But, luckily, you're ready to halt the fall and you can't dismiss that important aspect.

Maybe a counsellor will work for you; it didn't for me. I found them soft actioning when I wanted them to shake me and make me fight.

So I did it myself when I'd had enough of being scared of confronting the issue.

From the depth of a mental hospital 17ish years ago to here imploring you to fight.

Only when you're ready...

You are a bio-chemical machine - you consume energy from the Sun either stored in plants or stored in things that eat plants and use that energy to power a biosphere that holds trillions of creatures in it of varying degrees of "life". Every cell in your body is it's own little city with its own forms of that life all working together to power what is ultimately "you".

What we talk about colloquially as happiness, sadness, and emotions in general are certain chemicals working on the brain in certain configurations. Sometimes that chemical balance is off, sometimes you build or are born with a tolerance to it, sometimes the "lock" of the "key/lock" isn't quite the right shape to receive the key, sometimes the messages get lost or re-routed. These are all very poor descriptions for the record.

There's two ways to fix this. One of them is by introducing a controlled amount of specific chemicals into your system in order to defeat the problems that it current has. Another one is to reshape parts of the brain through training to be more open to those chemicals. They both work and the choice between them is pretty much your own.

The pills don't "numb things out"; nobody knows exactly how depression works but they do know that if you block neurotransmitter reuptake then it helps an awful lot. Cells work not that hugely differently to the way that lightning works - different electrical charge of elements creates an action potential and then it is executed by a transfer of energy. Again theoretically the cells in your eyes, your brain and your arsehole are no different from each other and are instead just "specialised" versions of cells that develop to perform a certain task when you're in the womb as instructed by DNA sequences. Neurons are the "nerve specific" type of cells. Neurotransmitters are unsurprisingly the thing that transmits information between different neurons and have familiar names like serotonin, dopamine and glutamate. They travel to other neurons, pass on their message and then go back to their home station. Anti-depressants works by stopping certain neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed which in turn stops the neurons from getting excited and firing all over the place when it's not needed.

There's more detail on neurotransmitters in an accessible and pretty simple manner here. The presenter may make you want to punch your screen:



The point is that depression isn't some bullshit thing. The people who talk about mental health like this are the same people who believed in the ether, and told John Snow that his germ theory was obviously bollocks and people were dying because of bad air. They are not just on the wrong side of history but their lack of understanding is causing people to suffer. As the videos says everything psychological is biological. Your neurotransmitters are being reabsorbed into the neurons in an uneven manner which is causing your brain to malfunction.

You've got a broken leg. You're asking whether you should take the pills that rebuild your leg so it works properly. Yes, you should take the pills that will rebuild your leg.

What the absolute fook??!! Have you ever been depressed via life experience?

What has a chemical restructure got to do with the OP's IDENTIFIED problem? He knows EXACTLY WHY he's depressed!!

I understand what you're talking about, but this is not the same thing!

Unless, of course, the OP has a hormonal imbalance that leads along the same lines as bipolar, schizophrenia etc., then I would agree!

 

[lafitz2008]

If you go down the chemical route, I've found sertraline very helpful.
Rough initial side effects and ya can put yer back out trying to orgasm but they take the edge off some of the shit life throws at you.

Good luck whatever ya do.... Things will get better

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

My old boss had severe undiagnosed PTSD for years and was self medicating with booze. Not in a full blown alcoholic way, but definitely drank too much. It all came to a head after a confrontation with a senior manager after a completely unrelated incident, and he pretty much lost the plot for a while. I recognised his symptoms, and between me and one of the other guys at our place we urged him to seek help. He has since had months of counselling, and was on some serious doses of anti-depressants and anti-psychotics for a long time, which thankfully he is off all his med's but he did have to be weaned off them very slowly. His treatment for PTSD is complete now, but his issues haven't been completely fixed. His Doctor has said that he is as good as he is going to get. He still gets flashbacks and has bad dreams, but he has a handle on it now. He has since moved on to a completely new career and is doing very well.

I urge people to research mental First Aid; especially those of you who are employers. Mental illness doesn't come with a bandage or sling, but if you know what to look for you can recognise it in others. it If you work for a big organisation (NHS/Police/School/University etc), find out if you are able to do a course. You have an obligation to your employees and colleagues to look out for them, even if it is only to listen to their problems every once in a while.

 

[MillisleBlue]

Also helps to remember that conditions like anxiety / depression are incredibly common. Fairly certain I've read that 1 in 4 people will, at some time in their lives, suffer from recognised mental health issues. It's reassuring that most will successfully overcome their illness and become stronger too.

 

[Raheem's On Fire]

The side effects of the drugs can make you feel worse before you feel better and take 4-5 weeks to kick in,then they absolutely do work ,it's a case of finding the right one and dose for you.It is well worth it believe me,things become clear again and enable you to make sensible decisions again,in the meantime talking is the best thing and someone to hold your hand and understand is what you need

Not a fan of The Verve??

 

[The Silver Surfer]

I've struggled with depression for years and went to the doctor 5/6 times always willing to try different medications but the side effects were so terrible I always knocked them on the head. Turning around, going dizzy, ears vibrating and a knife slicing your brain isn't pleasant or feeling like you will burst into tears in public.
I stopped trying them for a couple of years until I started incorrectly accusing my wife of trying to fuck things up and make my life harder for me. Then I knew I needed to sort myself out.
I went into depth with my GP about everything and she put me on Ducloxetine (sp).
There were still some side effects but no where near a bad, although my knob would shrivel up and became completely non responsive :(
Anyway, I started on a small dose and I am now on 60mg of it and I can honestly say the old me is back. I feel 20 again. Even though my wife is disabled (I'm her carer) and I've got 2 teenagers playing up all the time I can cope much better, laugh at things and feel excited again. I've picked up my old interests and fallen in love with my wife again.
I still have days where I plummet back to where I was but they are much fewer now.
They are absolutely right that it's about finding a drug that works for YOU.

Now I feel happier it is much more easy to exercise.
I go swimming or bike ride 5 times a week now and it makes me feel even better.
Even my knob has returned and is functioning again. :))

Good luck OP, I've been there, but with help there IS a way back.

Stay positive bud.

 

[arfurclue]

Some good stuff one here OP. Truth is you will find your own way that suits you best. Sometimes I find there are two basic ways of looking at depression -
one is that it is an illness to be fixed and/or managed, the other is that it is just a stage along the way to knowing a deeper happiness than before. Not to say
which is 'right' or 'wrong' for you - indeed you might end up exploring/using bits of both.

 

[stonerblue]

Bit of a deep one this. I've been unhappy for years, and never addressed it. I've had an ex who was depressed, and I didn't know how to handle it and I tried to hide from it because I've felt bad myself.

Recently I've had problems with a relationship, and the sh!t hit the fan. It's like all my scars have come back and years of hiding problems has just exploded.

I had to leave work yesterday, and went to the Drs today and explained everything I feel. They've suggested counselling and anti depressants. I don't want to take them. Has anyone taken them and what do they do? I'm going to do research when I get home but think I've decided. I know my issues and what's wrong, and want to be happy, but I'm not sure numbing things out with pills is good.

I feel flat as a pancake today, but admitting to it does feel good, like a weight off my shoulders. If anyone else feels this way I suggest addressing it. I've grown up in a family where you're just told to cheer up and be happy. Think talking might be the other way to go.

Stay away from the pills. Whilst they may ease your depression they will also take away any joy you may have.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Exercise, exercise, exercise. Best way to feel better. Doesn't matter what form, just get out of the house and do something. If you can't get out, load the wii up or something similar and get moving.
Pills will help with the initial hump, but exercise and then something like cognitive behavioural therapy are the best routes as they will give you long term changes.

Exercise and a City ST.