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I have been diagnosed with depression by several doctors and psychologists.
I am allergic to most medicines (including all current anti-depressants) and though I do have therapy sessions, they only do so much.
Can anyone suggest some ideas to help deal with it? Note that I am not severely depressed, and about 60% of the time I feel fine or better. But do any of you know any ways to ease the pain?
Sorry if this is a repost, I looked and couldn't find a thread like this.
The first thing that occurs to me is Hypericum perforatum (powder or steamed). Sorry, I don't know the English name of this herb, but even doctors here say that it is a natural antidepressant without side effects. Consult a doctor before using it, though.
And the second thing, try regular physical exercises, 30-60 min a day. Just shake the blood in your veins up. :)
Anyway, I hope you soon cope with this condition. :)
It would help to know why you are depressed? If you dont know then you need to figure out the underlying cause as to why you are, do not supress it - you need to face and overcome it, you cant let depression rule your life, it will slowly kill you.
Lucid dreaming is a great way to face such things, to have motivation, and hope.
Take care
it doesn't matter what makes a person depressed, it really doesn't
here's my advice: exercise, also long walks. not just for a day, though, i mean every day.
I'd find that quite difficult. I don't really like leaving the house.Quote:
Originally Posted by greenhavoc
I've heard St. John's Wort helps. I don't take medication. Only rarely do I feel sad. Most of the time I feel nothing, but I can still experience anger (frustration), and humor. So emotionally it's manageable. But my life just slips through my fingers.
The idea of exercise is to oppose this unwillingness to act directly, and it really helps.Quote:
Originally Posted by JesterKK
And just look at what women do when they are depressed. ;) They change their lifestyle dramatically which manifests in new haircut, diet, sports, divorce (in my case), etc.,etc.... Depression is only a bad period and it will end some day. So use it to make room for the new things to come into your life.
Of course it does, you need to get to heart of the matter and find out how to deal with and overcome whatever is causing it, not just go for a walk.Quote:
Originally Posted by greenhavoc
From personal experience taking my mind of it for an hour or two only helped when my mind was of it for an hour or two, what about the rest of the day, week, month?
There isn't any real particular cause for the depression usually.. I just suddenly feel like I'm drowning and I feel horrible about everything, and for a day or two I just can't feel good about anything.
There must be a cause, something that started it, I dont see any reason for a perfectly happy person with no traumatic experiences to be diagnosed with depression. It is common for the mind to suppress such traumatic experiences, which can make it hard to remember and overcome them, which can lead to problems like anxiety, depression.
You say it only happens every now and then, there must be something that triggers it? what causes you to feel like this? when does it usually happen?
How did they diagnose you? I'm curious about the process.
I won't pretend to be an expert by any means, but I think this is your problem. Just drawing from my own experiences, doing shit does wonders for this kind of thing. Get off your ass and run, go somewhere do shit.Quote:
Originally Posted by JesterKK
But why would I do something I don't like expecting it to make me feel better. I guess it's true we don't always know what's good for us. My depression is unfortunately of the atypical sort. Something happens to trigger it, I won't even know, but everything starts to take a dive. Wherever I go that trigger will still be there and I still might not even know what it is let alone find out how to fix it. But even when I'm not depressed, I don't like leaving the house. It's not that I'm afraid to, I just feel uncomfortable there. The obvious argument would be to get comfortable with the outside world. I'll consider it.Quote:
Originally Posted by dave1701
Not to get all freaky-deak on y'all but I find meditation (just simply focusing on my breath) for 20minutes a day helps you see emotions for what they really are. These transient states which aren't really 'me'. Then it becomes more like watching the weather from under an umbrella, sun or rain, happy or sad, It doesn't matter what the emotions do - I'm fine.
I meditate too. Half an hour a day on average. My type of depression isn't really emotional though, it just drains me of the will to do anything. The meditation certainly helps with unmanageable emotions though.
Just try not to end up like me, I experienced some events that had large impacts on me, so I started over analyzing my emotions and dismissing them as ridiculous, I was actually repressing them. Now it's like I'm not even a human being. I don't experience emotions as much anymore and I'm fighting to myself to get past this so I can more fully experience life.
EDIT: Now that I read that last post I guess your depression is more medical. If anything I would say try to be with someone during your "episodes" of depression, even if it's only for a little while. Depression, like most things in the world is a cycle, which needs to be broken, simply put, depression leads to being alone and being alone leads to depression. If you ever want to talk with me about anything, you can just shoot me a PM.
well to be honest I actually really like being alone. I too have quite flat emotions a lot of the time, but not all the time and I still have some good emotions thankfully. I used to worry about not 'fully experiencing life' but I learned that there really isn't all that much out there that is worth more than learning about one's self, and to do that you don't have to travel especially far. Most of the things I've learned are that the things 'out there' are unsatisfactory/will not give lasting happiness.
Oh I see, I think I know exactly what you are talking about, I'd recommend jogging.Quote:
Originally Posted by JesterKK
Meditation can definitely improve your capacity to respond to depression, help you to recognize the onset at a very early stage, and help you to ride it out less painfully and perhaps more quickly.
I had pretty powerful mood cycles in my teens and twenties (and have actually been in a pretty dark place this past month, at least by my standards in recent years), and one simple thing that helped me through the down-swings in particular was to think of it as weather. You can't help mood, or at least you have no direct control over it, so best to just be aware of it and get on with things. Don't let yourself get caught up in negative ideation--recognize that it's coming out of the depression and let it go.
That is not how depression works. Even when it is triggered by events--which often is not the case--clinical depression is a prolonged chemical imbalance, not a logic puzzle. What you're describing is a rough approximation of the Freudian psychoanalytic approach to anxiety disorders.Quote:
Originally Posted by ShadowOfSelf
Exercise. Set your self goals which require effort, put in effort, attain goals. Exercise exercise exercise.
^ This.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xei
Run. Say hi to the hot blond you see in somebody's front yard. Repeat.
The best!It always helps :banana:.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xei
Hey! I too have been diagnosed with depression, was even on the brink of suicide at one point. I know the hurt it can cause. I'm glad you're seeking professional help. You say you don't like leaving the house? Honestly, staying in the house and rarely leaving it will make you feel much, much worse. This much I found out. I was afraid to even be around people.. at all.. that's how bad off I was. My advice, is make yourself go to public places, try to enjoy yourself once in a while. Find activities you find fun and do those. What helped me was getting a job that involved a lot of people. I was scared out of my mind, but I conquered my fear, and so can you. I'm still depressed admittedly, but nothing like I used to be. So maybe challenging yourself to getting out and about could help a bit.
Research has confirmed your greatest chance at long lasting alleviation from depression is, indeed, exercise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xei
Exercise. There is a reason so many are posting it, and it's because it's vital to mental health along with physical health. I very often have bad mood swings, though I try and not let it affect my actions. I'm a candidate for bipolar, just to give some background info, so it doesn't sound like I'm talking out of my ass here. Any time life seems to have literally no point, as in there is no reason left to live at all other than the fact that I'd rather not be dead, and when I feel overly negative about everything and myself for seemingly no reason, I go for a nice run. I used to hate running with a passion, though before I used to exercise a lot, so I had an excuse to hate it. Now it's something I love to do, though not particularly all the time. After a good run, not only do I feel better about my current situation and myself, but I have a better memory, feel mentally sharper, and overall, just good about everything. Not exuberantly happy about things, but what feels like a meaningful and long lasting, solid good. And as long as I keep with the pattern of run for two days, take a break for one, run two days, etc., I feel good things a lot more often in general. Also proper nutrition can play a bigger role in how you feel than you'd probably think, along with getting enough or not too much sleep (which I know can be hard to do, half the time I'm near insomniac, then the other half I sleep for 14 hours).
Find some good music.
eat healthy
wake up early everyday
try yoga
take a course or find goals you can work towards
try useing your depresion as a way to gain creativity and start drawing or painting.
Read Taosaur's signature...
I guess that refers to helping the less fortunate.Quote:
Originally Posted by mcwillis
You know it sucks big time being the nice person and everyone just neglect about your contributions.
Exercise and diet are key. It will be hard at first. It's taken me a while to finally go to the gym consistently. I'd go for a while, then stop. Go for a while, then stop... every time I'd go for a while, I felt GREAT. When I stopped going (and didn't replace gym time with other physical activities)? Not so great. I've finally gotten to the point where I go every other day. If I skip a gym day, I actually start feeling grouchy and mopey.
I've also been biking a lot lately. The gym time seems to create gradual sense of happiness, but the second I'm on a bike I feel great. The days when I feel down are almost always the days I don't go to the gym/biking.
There are a lot of options for exercise. Skiing, skating, swimming, jogging, hiking, biking, walking... speaking of walking, do you have a dog? I don't (can't at this apt), but I think dogs (or just a pet you love) can help tremendously as well. And taking a dog for a walk is a blast. I love seeing them get crazy happy just to run around sniffing other dogs' piss.
A proper diet can help too. Obviously eating unhealthy food isn't good. But even if you eat healthy, you may be missing an important part of a good diet, and this can lead to feeling unhappy. If you can find a good nutritionist, go over a diet plan with them.
One more thing to add: We as humans have an amazing ability. We can change just about anything and everything about us. Not just physical. We can change what we like to eat. We can change what we think about ourselves. We can change our outlook on life. We can change how our bodies feel. We can change our overall level of happiness. Of course, these aren't easy changes. But they CAN be done. Don't get stuck in the mindset of, "This is just who I am." That's not who you are. You are whatever you think. So if you think you're depressed... you will be.
Get under the sun. Dance! Meditate... be around positive people/energy. Try something new. Get a new hobby! A new sport? Go to music shows! Go on adventures around your town. Walk around, get lost, and explore! There's a ton of ways out of this. Try everything. Don't just say you've tried it. Try again, even if you have tried it before. I know what you mean though. I get the same feeling. And to get over it, I just pop in my headphones, walk around the city and think about everything I'm taking for granted. Change yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neoquestmoo
Bake cookies. :)
I'll be spending a lot of time on this thread, so don't fault me for any double posts.
Umm.. stop being a pussy I guess. Everyone gets depressed from time to time, it's no big deal. Exercise is something that should be done on a regular basis anyways, funny how so many people need to mention it. Your cause of depression is non-specific, you just feel like you're "drowning" and "feel horrible about everything". You don't need medication for that, it sounds more like you need a definite purpose in life. Also I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you have way too much free time, which you spend moping around the house. If you're productive and working towards your career, you won't have time to feel sad and pathetic. Accomplishing things will also build your self-worth.
But this is all common sense, so I'm usually wary whenever I see threads like this; because I assume the poster just wants some love and attention. Trying to solicit support from people is the last thing you need to be doing. Stop victimizing yourself and self-dramatizing your situation. You didn't have a death in the family or any legitimate reason for depression as far as you stated, so I'm gonna assume that's the case.
Perhaps this thread should be in 'Help'.
go swimming,
go kiss someone
listen to some good music
find something to take your mind off your troubles
do something exciting
Boredom creates depression
I have to say, another reason you should be trying to get out of the house is to get some sunlight; it helps improve your mood. There's another nice reason to go on that nice long walk everyone keeps telling you to go on :) Seriously, when I was getting my shit together I spent basically a whole summer outside wandering about, and it really helped.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neoquestmoo
Quote:
Nothing beats a sofa and a television for depression. (11:11)
From post 7 of this thread
http://www.dreamviews.com/f96/enligh...ecture-125855/
Good point. A lot of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder, so depending on where you live this could play a major role in any depression you may experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blunt
Sleep deprivation. Short term, however.
Doing the things you love. Obviously.
Not particularily helpful. If you're truly depressed then you won't really love doing anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Warheit
My advice would be try and force yourself to do some sort of exercise, push yourself to your physical limit. I always feel amazing after a day-long hillwalk.
As someone who has had bouts of depression over the past four years, I can tell you that me going for bike rides, driving fast cars, playing my guitar and following my bliss made things a lot better. Sitting around doing nothing certainly would not have. Getting active will. How do I know this? It worked for me. This article seems to agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pensive Patrick
I know, I said that my advice was to get active.
It's just that from my experience with depressed people they don't 'love' doing anything while in a bout of depression, that's all.
Yeah, and you do know that most people who are depressed do not have the get up and go to be active. I was simply encouraging people do do what they enjoy. It has helped for me. It has helped others. Just as you were encouraging others to get active.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pensive Patrick
I mean seriously, stop being petulant and criticizing every fucking word I say. Well, I will just take care of it. First person to be put on ignore: Pensive Patrick.
Sowwy
Patrick is such a doodoo head, sometimes. :cheeky:Quote:
Originally Posted by Warheit
The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once said that the it is an individual's responsibility to come up with their own purpose and ideals in life and that once we have that one thing in our minds, we ought to pursue it wholeheartedly. Only then can you experience true happiness.
Find someone that cares about you and talk to them about your problems. Ultimately, this is something you'll have to overcome yourself but loved ones can give you the strength to stand back up again after life has tried to knock you down.
ThePieMan: That is pretty good advice. Change and wanting to get better comes from the inside. You have to want to change. However, it is also good to be able to have a close friend or friends that you can confide in and trust. I'd listen to PieMan.
Is it me or DV has a huge number of people who had depression before. I forgot how I managed to walk out of it, mine wasn't serious in the first place too. But school ended and made everything easier. I was still a little loony after school ended though. Then I told myself I want to experience being happy for the sake of being happy after reading a post on DV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcwillis
I assume mcwillis meant attachment and not detachment when he says: '.....then the main basic reason why we don't experience pure bliss on a continuous basis is basically because of our mental detachment to the thousands of demands and expectations that we place on every aspect of our experience of life.'
Yah I know.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfwood
I read it as attachment. I got his mistake despite the typo. ;)
Hi. I haven't read through other people's replies so sorry if I'm repeating. I have depression, sometimes managable, sometimes worse. I don't take any meds either so i'll just share what I have found.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neoquestmoo
If I feel bad, I let myself feel bad. I sleep a lot, eat junk food, don't get any work done and generally mope around feeling sorry for myself. I don't force myself out or try to hide it as I then feel worse.
Exercise. No doubt you've heard this one? Well you don't have to go to the gym or do anything which takes effort. I just stick my ipod on and walk around for hours, run if I can manage it. The exercise releases 'feel good' stuff in your brain. Yep, thats the technical term for it.
St John wort. It's cheap, legal and harmless. It's sold in most hippy type stores (Holland & Barrat in the UK) and is a great, natural anti depressent but no or very few side effects.
Talking to someone who listens. If you dont have anyone nearby who will listen, just log onto here and send me a message! Ranting and moaning to someone who will listen and not judge you is the best way to feel better.
Best of luck and hope you can manage ok.
I wanted to add, I always believed it was just me being a miserable sod. Knowing is half the battle. Accepting you have depression and telling yourself that it is ok, a lot of people feel like this will help you overcome the hurdles!
Of course if there is something CAUSING the depression, then that needs sorting out before anything else!
Eat bananas and exercise!
This. I just accept it as a temporary altered state of consciousness, and then do what this state wishes to do. That's assuming you have bouts of depression, and not persistent depression.Quote:
Originally Posted by isthisit
Also the do letting through thinks in congratulatory directions.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnwalter
Listen to The Beatles, they're a better anti-depressant than any pill doctors have given me! Walk barefoot through the woods for an hour. Meditate. Eat a lot of fruit! If you're addicted to caffeine, quit. Stop watching TV, the news is rarely completely true and usually just makes you feel worse.
I know this feeling, and your struggle as a whole, even though I don't know what it actually is that happened to you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neoquestmoo
When my pet died, I couldn't talk to anyone. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror, knowing that I might have killed him in an attempt to save him. What if I hadn't intervened? What if he could have taken on the problem himself and saw himself on the other side, stronger and more successful? What if I ended his life?
What if I ended his life?
What if it was me who inadvertantly killed my beloved pet?
When I finally got out of bed, I almost went for a straight razor to end the pain. I couldn't take the loss, as it was too much of a burden to live with. How could anyone live with the knowledge that they killed an innocent animal?
I thought "I should stop moping and do something productive. What happened is over. His corpse is in the garage, waiting for the ground to thaw before getting buried. He's making progress, but you're just moping around you sad slick."
So, when I closed the drawer, I thought "I need something physically exerting to null the pain. It's the same idea as the straight razor, but it's not as extreme, and it'll serve a better purpose."
I put on my running shoes.
I stepped out the door.
I ran for hours. I let out my inner demons. I let them control my legs. Bursts of energy came from the emotions that told me I could have done something. The frustration inside me was manifesting itself as usable energy.
As my body changed for the better, I looked at my progress.
I'm a fan of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. It's that through many generations, there will be many adaptations. Those who fail to adapt weren't meant for this world, as they were weak. Only the strongest will survive.
During one of my runs, I thought this. "Am I good enough for this world? I have to be! I'm not going to end up like my unfortunate pet! I belong in this world for a purpose! Only the strongest will survive, and I am one of them!"
A push in the right direction, running saved my life.
Sometimes depression meds aren't all they're cracked up to be. They don't solve the full problem so much as take the edge off. I was outright suicidal for years, and finally had to be put on medicine just to keep myself going. I'm still severely depressed, even with the meds, and I've had them changed up multiple times over the years to see if anything would work better than the others. I find keeping busy helps a lot. When you're depressed, doing anything, let alone getting out of the bed, can be quite difficult. But, when I force myself to get shit done, it makes me feel a lot better about myself, and a lot more accomplished, even if it was just some random household chore. My work helps as well, somehow, even though I abhor it... :P