Depression, addressing it and moving on / anti depressants

[citizenyank76]

Here are some basic rules I have as someone who suffers from depression.

1. When you medicate make sure that don't you over medicate. It's better to have a low level if the dose is effective.
2. Always use your coginitive skills daily. Work, reading, books, hell, even tutoring at the local library.... keeping your mind busy can lessen the mood swings.
3. Sleep.... keep regular healthy sleep patterns. CPAP machines are often times your best friend.
4. Social interaction. When you cut off contract from the world the swings can get bad because you lose perspective. Force your body to fight back.
5. Eat three square meals. The better overall health you have the better you can regulate your mood.
6. Regular Excersize.

Fighting depression requires constant work and you need to draw from the well of your physical being. Keep your body in good shape and practice good emotional self care which can work wonders. I hope you feel better.

 

[Blumers Bloomers]

Hope I’m ok to resurrect this thread.

How do I help someone who won’t help themselves? Diagnosed with depression, seen a counsellor a number of times (no interest in going back after 5 sessions), 6 months on sertraline but won’t go back on medication as she’s scared of becoming addicted (and doesn’t think it was having any effect anyway)

Withdrawn from everything socially, putting on a massive front at work with no motivation/energy. She says just functioning and getting through a day is an achievement

I want to help and she won’t thank me for staging any kind of intervention ….but really at my wits end watching her pushing the self destruct button and just totally giving up on life. She’s no longer having suicidal thoughts which is about the best I can say


Any advice very gratefully received. Appreciate she needs to want to help herself but this has been going on for 18 months and I feel like I can’t just wait around hoping one day she’ll wake up with a desire to address this

 

[Keith Moncrieff]

Hope I’m ok to resurrect this thread.

How do I help someone who won’t help themselves? Diagnosed with depression, seen a counsellor a number of times (no interest in going back after 5 sessions), 6 months on sertraline but won’t go back on medication as she’s scared of becoming addicted (and doesn’t think it was having any effect anyway)

Withdrawn from everything socially, putting on a massive front at work with no motivation/energy. She says just functioning and getting through a day is an achievement

I want to help and she won’t thank me for staging any kind of intervention ….but really at my wits end watching her pushing the self destruct button and just totally giving up on life. She’s no longer having suicidal thoughts which is about the best I can say


Any advice very gratefully received. Appreciate she needs to want to help herself but this has been going on for 18 months and I feel like I can’t just wait around hoping one day she’ll wake up with a desire to address this

That’s a tough one, I’ve been off and on medication for anxiety and depression for over 20 years.

Spent thousands on counselling self help books and medication. I’ve got fed up talking reading and popping pills that make me feel like a zombie.

I’m currently tapering off Martazipne after the last lockdown nearly finished me off.
I’ve decided I’m going to ‘white knuckle’ the rest of my life.

Maybe your friend is doing the same, 18 months seems a long time to be in a crisis.

Sincerely hope she’s ok. Wouldn’t wish mental health issues on anyone

 

[Marklr]

Hope I’m ok to resurrect this thread.

How do I help someone who won’t help themselves? Diagnosed with depression, seen a counsellor a number of times (no interest in going back after 5 sessions), 6 months on sertraline but won’t go back on medication as she’s scared of becoming addicted (and doesn’t think it was having any effect anyway)

Withdrawn from everything socially, putting on a massive front at work with no motivation/energy. She says just functioning and getting through a day is an achievement

I want to help and she won’t thank me for staging any kind of intervention ….but really at my wits end watching her pushing the self destruct button and just totally giving up on life. She’s no longer having suicidal thoughts which is about the best I can say


Any advice very gratefully received. Appreciate she needs to want to help herself but this has been going on for 18 months and I feel like I can’t just wait around hoping one day she’ll wake up with a desire to address this

She needs to be encouraged to go back to the doctor. They can try her on other meds. I know it's not always ideal, but they DO help a lot of people. What can you do if she doesn't want help, really? Maybe it's a help that she knows you're still there for her when she needs it.

 

[mccity]

Hope I’m ok to resurrect this thread.

How do I help someone who won’t help themselves? Diagnosed with depression, seen a counsellor a number of times (no interest in going back after 5 sessions), 6 months on sertraline but won’t go back on medication as she’s scared of becoming addicted (and doesn’t think it was having any effect anyway)

Withdrawn from everything socially, putting on a massive front at work with no motivation/energy. She says just functioning and getting through a day is an achievement

I want to help and she won’t thank me for staging any kind of intervention ….but really at my wits end watching her pushing the self destruct button and just totally giving up on life. She’s no longer having suicidal thoughts which is about the best I can say


Any advice very gratefully received. Appreciate she needs to want to help herself but this has been going on for 18 months and I feel like I can’t just wait around hoping one day she’ll wake up with a desire to address this

I'm going to assume this is someone close enough to you that you spend a lot of time with them to begin with.


1) If you can help with the diet it's always a good start. Clean foods, lots of water, fruits and veggies. It won't cure anything but it'll always give the mind and body the best chance it could have on any given day. Exercise too if at all viable.

2) Babiest of baby steps. When you have zero motivation doing anything is a chore. So setting the absolute minimum of goals habitually can sometimes get the ball rolling. Anecdotally for instance when I feel I need to read a book but I really don't want to, I'll force myself to read 1 sentence. Annoyingly I would often put the book straight down again, but it's ok because I got my 1 sentence in. It's ok because sometimes I carry on reading, and that's a win, even if it's infrequent.

3) As a corollary of the last point, self-help books like to advise people to go for things like 7 daily wins whereby you have to do 7 specific activities in a day every day. It helps create a sense of purpose so that you become motivated a little bit more whilst developing good habits. So if you created a 7 daily wins thing with 7 really basic and easy tasks (like making the bed) you might be able to kickstart something.

4) Make the most out of any good day. Any time she's in a chipper and upbeat mood (even if it's rare), make the most of it and be as productive as possible. This plus the last two pointa can help create positive momentum.

5) Patience. Even if you do everything right there'll be a ton of shitty days. A lot of zero progress days (that's why the baby steps are useful because it ensures that there's always a tiny bit of momentum at all times). It sucks but you need to only concern yourself with long term progress, not day to day progress. It's a bit like weight loss in that sense.



If she can discover (with your help possibly) a new hobby then that always helps. People don't have the time to think about their lives and bodies if they're busy. Give her a pencil and paper and tell her to doodle for example, maybe she'll take to it.

 

[Bigga]

That’s a tough one, I’ve been off and on medication for anxiety and depression for over 20 years.

Spent thousands on counselling self help books and medication. I’ve got fed up talking reading and popping pills that make me feel like a zombie.

I’m currently tapering off Martazipne after the last lockdown nearly finished me off.
I’ve decided I’m going to ‘white knuckle’ the rest of my life.

Maybe your friend is doing the same, 18 months seems a long time to be in a crisis.

Sincerely hope she’s ok. Wouldn’t wish mental health issues on anyone

I'm with you, Bruh.

I've tried almost every drug under the sun it seems, according to my doc, so I'm at the point where I have to recognise my owns signs before I'm in the middle of it, so I can take active steps as I don't have another half to lean on anymore.

It's my own responsibility now and I totally get that that 'white knuckle' reference completely!

 

[Keith Moncrieff]

I'm with you, Bruh.

I've tried almost every drug under the sun it seems, according to my doc, so I'm at the point where I have to recognise my owns signs before I'm in the middle of it, so I can take active steps as I don't have another half to lean on anymore.

It's my own responsibility now and I totally get that that 'white knuckle' reference completely!

Yep, I’ve accepted that I’ll never be ‘normal’, I sort of embrace it nowadays.
If I fight it it gets a whole lot worse.