Oddly, I have a similar background to you, in terms of academics. Most of my depression is around change in financial circumstances. I was formerly a child welfare worker for a lot of years, but the stress got to me, and I took a lower paying job, thinking my family could make it. We're hanging in, but it feels oppressive, and my performance at my new job has not been great. We have an EAP program through my work, but I know all the local people, since I've been in the same business as them for years.
I don't have the energy, and I don't hang out with friends anymore, as I just feel lousy most of the time. I was on medication, but took myself off, primarily because my depression is situational. I'm 53, and this is the first time I've ever been really depressed for a long period of time. I have lost a lot of weight, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and I sleep a lot more than I did before this thing hit. I also ***** at my wife a lot, and it's not really fair, as she has been more than doing her share.
My wife and I are also supporting my adult son who has ADHD, and works in the oil patch sporadically, as well as subsidizing housing for one of my daughters, and her 3 children, as her spouse left her just before Christmas. I'll tell you more in later posts, but for now, I just want support from people who can relate, and with whom I don't have some kind of previous professional relationship. Trust me, when you're in the helping field, and well known, it's really tough to turn to the local people.
