Hi everyone. I am new to this site and I'm still working out how to use it, so if I mess this up, please bear with me.
I have suffered from clinical depression from the age of 16 and have been put on medication multiple times. I prefer to take SSRIs (and agreement I have with my doctor so that the ant-depressants don't interfere with contreception or ashmas medication, and because they are imporssible to get physically addicted to apparently)- namely Sertraline. But I find that I feel great for a few months, and then the effects start to wear off and the dosage has to be increased. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience and whether anyone has any advice?
I'm new to this site too and I'm never really sure what to say either. It's odd feeling like you have something in common and someone to talk to when you have no idea who the person is. I know how you feel though, I've had clinical depression since I was sixteen, and although I am only on weak meds. I have been through all the councilling that the NHS can provide. Nothing worked for more than a few weeks, so I find myself here. No one quite knows what to do with me to be honest... suggestions welcome lol.
What you've been through sounds so hard to deal with. I've never had to go through that, and I reckon the fact that you're still trying is credit to you.
I have another appointment at the doctors on Tuesday, so I'm going to talk to him about it then. The main issue is I can't have Tricyclids because they interefer with my ashma medication and as well other medications, which makes it tricky. I also don't want to be on anything too addictive...
I am so glad that I found this site. It's so different talking to people who have bee through exactly the same thing, or something similar. None of my friends have ever suffered from clinical depression and don't really undertsand it, though they really try to. So far this has been great. Thank you for your help :)
I don't know whether this the right place to post about this, seems to be.
I'm wondering whether anyone can help me out or whether anyone has any advice for the situation I'm in. I have suffered from clinical / biological depression for the past few years and have struggled to cope with it. The only thing that kept me going was my relationship with my recently ex-boyfriend. I invested a lot itno the reltionship because it was the only thing that made me happy. But recently it ended and I found out he likes someone else. Since I live in a student house and cannot move out I am stick in the limbo of wanting to move on but being unable to get any closure. My friends keep telling me he was emotionally abusive and I think they may be right (partciularly as one friend who believes he is studies psychology and councilling), but I don't know how to let go of the things we talked about and planned together; a life, children etc.
I know I need to move on and quickly because otherwise I am going to lose my degree.
I am trying very hard to be positive and so far have not self-harmed but I really have no idea hope to cope with the loss of not just my boyfriend and a very best friend of several years, but also the loss of the children he talked so much about.
If anyone has been through something similar and knows any way of coping with it or has any suggestions, please let me know, 'cause I'm desperate and just don't know what to do. Thanks
I'm new to this site and not really sure what's relevant and what's not. I don't quite know what to say to introduce myself, so I'll start with the basics (excuse the bullet points, but I'm not great at expressing emotion or myself);
I have clinical / biological depression;
My long-term relationship just ended;
My councillors have completely run out of options (they have no idea what to do with me);
I have had CBT before;
I am trying this because I need to be able to hope that someday thngs will get better;
I'm kinda lonely and isolated atm because no-one seems to know what I'm going through.
I like reading and writing and am trying to complete a degree in English Literature.
My councillors have tried pretty much everything. My first councillor tried to get me to focus on the fact that I wasn't in the worset situation, I wasn't caught up in war, I hadn't been raped etc. But to be honest I felt a lot like she was trying to change my feelings, which didn't work, rather than trying to help me work things out. My doctor then referred my to the NHS mental health sevices and placed me in a CBT course. My councillor tried to get me too talk about things, and I talked and talked and talked and all the emotions that I had held in I could no longer hold in. Sadly now I can hold nothing in, which is annoying. The islands and meditation techniques didn't really work. The next counsellor I managed to make cry. She tried to teach me meditation to, but it didn't really work. Nothing realy has. Every emotion I feel I tend to feel in excess and has no moderation.
At the minute because of this break up, I feel sooo sad at the loss of him and the things we planned together- kids and marriage etc. And there is also a new girl which doesn't help (since I live in a student house with him) who I believe he really, really likes. I just though that since I have tried everything else, I would give this a shot, because atm I have nothing else to lose.
I know exactly how you feel. Really I do. I myself have completely irrational fear wchich develop into completely irrational worries and panic. I find that I cannot believe and answer I am / was given in answer to my insecurities and have to ask a thousand more times constantly. No matter what anybody says to me I can never stop worring about it. So far it has cost me the most important relationship in my life and I stil have no idea how to cope with these fears and anxieties. I don't even know whather they are rational or irrational. The thing that I find helps (apart from the worry challenge in session 10) is to imagine the worst. Imagine the worst is going to happen and make a plan to get through it or to deal with it. Then if the worst does happen, follow the plan. Stick to it.
I hope it helps you to know that you are not alone in this.
That actually really does help. My mother, bless her, thinks that it's because I am young that I feel things so intensely. But youth doesn't necessairly equal naivity. I certainly don't for one minute think I am as naive as she thinks I am, but I think that parents tend to want to see their children as innocent and unspoilt forvever.
Things are somewhat better now. I told him exactly what I though and that his behaviour was emotionally abusive to not only me, but also the rest of the house and that seemed to sink in.
The guy that left you a few days after your birthday seems to be a typical guy- clueless when it ocmes to feelings. But if he lies to you about loving you because he feels it is the right thing to do, he's not right for you.
I have issues with my self-esteem, so I don't really think about my good qualilties, just the negative ones. I sort of need to lose some weight (I am a British size 16) and I hate that. The one thing that I really like about myself (don't laugh) are my feet. They're a bit big, but still appear to have the gift of baby skin.
Incidently, does anyone have any tips on how to lose weight (apart from exercise, got that already)?
Once again, thank you. Big help. I didn't know that all of those things helped. I've been veggie for the last eleven years so I'm pretty good at getting fruit and veg into my diet. I'm not so good at the exercise part. Having ashma makes it difficult.
I managed to find a 'pleasurable activity' that works really well if you have a creative mind...although it does sound a bit weird.
It comes from when I was a child and I got bored really easily. Make up your own little universe. I know it sounds silly, but when people get depressed one of the things that often helps is a 'happy place'... well, I invented (in my head) a whole little world that I could escape to if I get stressed. Plus, making / thinking up all the little details takes your mind off panic and worries. If it worked for Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.....:)
