I haven't noticed many changes yet, as I am still in the "goal setting stage". However, accomplishing even a few of my goals does make me feel better and more empowered each day. I am managing to accomplish most of my goals, most of the time, and this has made me feel a bit better!
Thank you for the welcomes. :) I have realised that I may struggle with depression for my entire life, that I may just have a certain brain chemistry, but I know that I need to be proactive and learn how to manage the depression.
Ashley, I made the decision to stop taking the medication myself. I felt that I was better and didn't need to take them anymore. My doctor felt that it was okay for me to try. I was too proud to admit it when I started to feel depressed again. Also, the decline back into depression was so gradual, I didn't really notice it.
Depression has damaged so many of my relationships - with family, friends, and romantic partners. I am determined to gain some control over it so that I can maintain the few relationships I have left and build new ones.
Thank you for sharing and welcome to the family. You have made a very important decision to start educating yourself about depression. There is a lot you can learn from this program, try to make time every week to work on it.
When you were taken off the medication when you were 18 what led up to that? What made these change occur?
Come here and post often. We are all in this together here.
I am a 22 year old full-time university student currently residing in Ontario, Canada. I was diagnosed with MDD when I was fourteen, but my symptoms started when I was seven. My depression was treated successfully with medication. I stopped taking my anti-depressant when I was eighteen and my mood slowly decined over the following years. It is only when I had a very bad depressive episode this winter that my partner forced me out of denial. I also have suffered from anorexia, for which I was hospitalized a few times. I believe the eating disorder was a maladaptive coping mechanism for the depression. If I can understand depression I think I will be able to leave my eating disorder behind for good.
I am taking an anti-depressant again, but I have finally admitted to myself that I need to learn more about depression: where it stems from and how I can learn to cope. A friend referred me to this website, and so I have started the program.
