Is anyone fighting or have fought depression?!
Question: Is anyone fighting or have fought depression.?
if so, tell me your story and how you overcame it.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
It is not. I don't recommend medication as anything other than a last resort.
Basically learn to love yourself and not be dependent on others. Your motivation has to come from within and depending on friends or family can go wrong. This doesn't mean you shouldn't take advice, but the main point is this is a bridge you must cross by yourself.
Just try to list all the things that you love and pursue all the things that you can. Never get too negative, things can go wrong, but worrying and putting yourself down will make it worse. Try to look for a path or career that would make you happy and don't be hesitant to follow what you think would be the best for you. Be bold and don't let ANYTHING get to your head. This was extremely unorganized but i hope it helped at least a little.Health Question & Answer
Basically learn to love yourself and not be dependent on others. Your motivation has to come from within and depending on friends or family can go wrong. This doesn't mean you shouldn't take advice, but the main point is this is a bridge you must cross by yourself.
Just try to list all the things that you love and pursue all the things that you can. Never get too negative, things can go wrong, but worrying and putting yourself down will make it worse. Try to look for a path or career that would make you happy and don't be hesitant to follow what you think would be the best for you. Be bold and don't let ANYTHING get to your head. This was extremely unorganized but i hope it helped at least a little.Health Question & Answer
I had clinical depression and felt like I had a break down. Its all snow balled after having my child and i did not get help straight away but mine came from a bad childhood that i had been running away from for years and when i had my child it all caught up to me and i could not longer pretend everything was ok anymore. I was not going to kill myself to scared of dying to do that at the time , I would not see my friends I hated even leaving the house. I started shutting everyone out I had a big black cloud oer my head all the time and nothing made me feel happy and everything felt hopeless. Even phone calls from friends seemed to hard to handle so i would not answer the phone. it was not until i got really bad that i started to look for help. And that was hard to do and the meds we changed time and time again to find the one that worked for me but when the doc did find the one I got alot better and i also went to councelling. I really believe in my case that the meds were only a bandaid fix i still needed to resolve my issues. I did all this and have been off my meds now for over a year and yes i still have some bad days but who doesnt and whats great is i have my life back . It is different for everyone but if you have been depressede for a long time your chemicals in the brain get mixed up and the meds just balanced them out again. Health Question & Answer
Medication has only been a small part of the picture for me. (Most meds I've tried have not worked well.) However, I have had a degree of success using a combination of treatments- therapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy is especially effective for depressed people), light-therapy, and medication (Effexor XR). In the past, when my depression was severe and not responding to treatment, I also underwent ECT treatments.
A new treatment has recently been approved that holds a lot of promise- It's called "transcranial magnetic stimulation" or "TMS" for short. It is noninvasive and treats depression via magnetic pulses sent through your brain. I was in a clinical trial for this at Mayo in 2003 and it made an amazing difference in my depression at the time. I had been very skeptical at first and pretty much participated to make my psychiatrist happy, but ended up feeling better than I had in the preceding five years.Health Question & Answer
A new treatment has recently been approved that holds a lot of promise- It's called "transcranial magnetic stimulation" or "TMS" for short. It is noninvasive and treats depression via magnetic pulses sent through your brain. I was in a clinical trial for this at Mayo in 2003 and it made an amazing difference in my depression at the time. I had been very skeptical at first and pretty much participated to make my psychiatrist happy, but ended up feeling better than I had in the preceding five years.Health Question & Answer
Yes. Ask yourself: "Why do I feel depressed, and when did I first start to feel this way: can I associate this with any recent change in my life.?" (if so, it is probably situational depression: counselling, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is indicated). Or, was it a more gradual thing, with no apparent cause.? (nutritional deficiencies, hypothyroidism, environmental toxicity, or reactions to some medications, etc., becomes more likely as the cause).
Antidepressants work quicker than the following; 2 - 6 weeks, but you may have to adjust dosage, or types, whereas St. John's wort is effective for most people, tolerance doesn't develop, and the few side effects don't occur often, and even then are normally not severe.
It doesn't cause sleeping problems, or weight change, but usually takes at least 2, and generally 4 - 6 weeks to become effective, but can work quicker than antidepressants, sometimes. A recent, independent German double blind study showed it to be as effective as Sertraline (marketed in the USA as Zoloft: a commonly prescribed antidepressant) in cases of major depression, with far fewer side effects, and those were generally better tolerated, with a lower rate of discontinuation. Unlike antidepressants, where sexual dysfunction is a common side effect, it happens much more rarely with St. John's wort (I have noticed no effect in this area).
Remember back to a time when life was full of promise, or a day when you felt particularly good, or possibly excited from a good result. Emotional states are associated with memories, and if it isn't major depression, this method can help. A multidimensional approach to treating depression without medication follows. All except for no. (7.) are safe to use with medication, but not St. John's wort, because of interactions, and it's sensible to check out anything else first with your doctor.
(1.) Take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or grapefruit, or their FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it. also take a vitamin B complex which is certified as being 100% of natural origin; a deficiency in vitamin B9 (folic acid, or folate) is known to cause depression. Around 30% - 40% of depressed people have low vitamin B12 levels. Depressed females using the contraceptive pill may benefit from vitamin B6 supplements. ~~~ (2.) Work up slowly to at least 20 minutes minutes of exercise, daily, or 30 - 60 mns, 5 times weekly. Too much exercise can cause stress, which isn't wanted when dealing with depression. ~~~ (3.) Occupational therapy (keeping busy allows little time for unproductive introspection, and keeps mental activity out of less desirable areas of the brain).
(4.) Use daily, a relaxation method* and/or yoga*, and/or Tai Chi. ~~~ (5.) Initially, at least, some form of counselling, preferably either Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavio(u)ral Therapy. ~~~ (6.) Maintain a mood chart, and daily activities schedule. ~~~ (7.) As options, if desired, either a known, effective herbal remedy, such as St. John's wort, (get a German variety, if possible; local ones may vary in effectiveness. Take with a meal) or supplements, such as SAMe, or Inositol (from vitamin and health food stores, some supermarkets, or mail order: view section 55).
If 5HTP is used to boost serotonin levels, (which are low in depressed people) it is best taken with a high carbohydrate, minimal protein meal, like pasta, with tomato & basil, and avoid protein for 90 minutes, before, and after, to maximise the amount crossing the blood/brain barrier. also, 80% of people in the Western world have low magnesium levels, and these are known to cause depression & anxiety. Try the magnesium supplement types shown in http://www.real-depression-help.com/ Some of these will be available in pharmacies, or supermarkets. Low levels of calcium, and potassium can also cause depression. Have your blood tested, and correct any deficiencies, preferably through improved nutrition.
An improvement can be noticed in as little as a week, if a deficiency is the cause. also, iodised salt is much preferable to regular salt (one of the treatments in books on depression is iodine drops). Try to imagine, as vividly as possible, a time in the not too distant future, when you have overcome this temporary setback, and things are much better. *View section 2, on the first 3 pages, and also pages R, C, I, and section 11, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris Health Question & Answer
Antidepressants work quicker than the following; 2 - 6 weeks, but you may have to adjust dosage, or types, whereas St. John's wort is effective for most people, tolerance doesn't develop, and the few side effects don't occur often, and even then are normally not severe.
It doesn't cause sleeping problems, or weight change, but usually takes at least 2, and generally 4 - 6 weeks to become effective, but can work quicker than antidepressants, sometimes. A recent, independent German double blind study showed it to be as effective as Sertraline (marketed in the USA as Zoloft: a commonly prescribed antidepressant) in cases of major depression, with far fewer side effects, and those were generally better tolerated, with a lower rate of discontinuation. Unlike antidepressants, where sexual dysfunction is a common side effect, it happens much more rarely with St. John's wort (I have noticed no effect in this area).
Remember back to a time when life was full of promise, or a day when you felt particularly good, or possibly excited from a good result. Emotional states are associated with memories, and if it isn't major depression, this method can help. A multidimensional approach to treating depression without medication follows. All except for no. (7.) are safe to use with medication, but not St. John's wort, because of interactions, and it's sensible to check out anything else first with your doctor.
(1.) Take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or grapefruit, or their FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it. also take a vitamin B complex which is certified as being 100% of natural origin; a deficiency in vitamin B9 (folic acid, or folate) is known to cause depression. Around 30% - 40% of depressed people have low vitamin B12 levels. Depressed females using the contraceptive pill may benefit from vitamin B6 supplements. ~~~ (2.) Work up slowly to at least 20 minutes minutes of exercise, daily, or 30 - 60 mns, 5 times weekly. Too much exercise can cause stress, which isn't wanted when dealing with depression. ~~~ (3.) Occupational therapy (keeping busy allows little time for unproductive introspection, and keeps mental activity out of less desirable areas of the brain).
(4.) Use daily, a relaxation method* and/or yoga*, and/or Tai Chi. ~~~ (5.) Initially, at least, some form of counselling, preferably either Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavio(u)ral Therapy. ~~~ (6.) Maintain a mood chart, and daily activities schedule. ~~~ (7.) As options, if desired, either a known, effective herbal remedy, such as St. John's wort, (get a German variety, if possible; local ones may vary in effectiveness. Take with a meal) or supplements, such as SAMe, or Inositol (from vitamin and health food stores, some supermarkets, or mail order: view section 55).
If 5HTP is used to boost serotonin levels, (which are low in depressed people) it is best taken with a high carbohydrate, minimal protein meal, like pasta, with tomato & basil, and avoid protein for 90 minutes, before, and after, to maximise the amount crossing the blood/brain barrier. also, 80% of people in the Western world have low magnesium levels, and these are known to cause depression & anxiety. Try the magnesium supplement types shown in http://www.real-depression-help.com/ Some of these will be available in pharmacies, or supermarkets. Low levels of calcium, and potassium can also cause depression. Have your blood tested, and correct any deficiencies, preferably through improved nutrition.
An improvement can be noticed in as little as a week, if a deficiency is the cause. also, iodised salt is much preferable to regular salt (one of the treatments in books on depression is iodine drops). Try to imagine, as vividly as possible, a time in the not too distant future, when you have overcome this temporary setback, and things are much better. *View section 2, on the first 3 pages, and also pages R, C, I, and section 11, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris Health Question & Answer
When I was about 18, I went into depression over something that someone very close did to me. I was self-harming and taking overdoses, none of my friends or family members knew what was going on with me. I didn't want to tell them (LONG story). As it was, the morning after I took an overdose I rang my doctor ASAP and went to see her 'cos it hit me what I had done. She told me not to it again, etc. I did it again after that, about two times. The third time she sent me to see a counsellor. I didn't know what was going on, I thought it was just another doctor or something. Anyway, at home my sister was telling me to stop being a moody ***** 'cos I was swearing, etc and having really bad mood swings, but they all thought it was just me being extra moody. I started seeing the counsellor for an hour every week. I can't remember doing anything else during those weeks, I can only remember dragging myself out of my room to go to see her. The rest of it is all a blank memory. But I remember feeling very alone, and useless, and worthless, and the counsellor was my only friend in a sense. After about 7 sessions, I think we finally got somewhere and I missed the 8th session by accident and after that, I simply wasn't bothered to go back to see her. I didn't feel like I needed to. It was just like I had snapped out of it but without even realising, do you know what I mean.? :S It's kinda hard to explain it, but I just started getting closer to God and 'cos we were getting our house redecorated, I used to keep myself busy with the painting, etc and that helped me take my mind off things. And I didn't even realise it but I was healing. It's hard to explain. I didn't have to go on any medication. I hope you're feeling much better soon hun xHealth Question & Answer
im fighting it w/o meds it's hard but im not going into the hole storyi found out 6mnths agoHealth Question & Answer
yes. i don't wish to go into the whole story though. i can tell you that celexa has changed my life.Health Question & Answer