Depression - Page 6

I have a lot of depression and anxiety, and all those side-effects that come with them. If you really are extremely depressed I think it's fairly obvious to yourself unless you obsessively deny it. Given my own little history of conflicts, exercise, if anything, made it worse, pills don't really do anything, therapy just makes me stop seeking friends, as therapists usually have more interesting conversation. I guess I'm still trying to fix everything, and hoping it will leave with age.

I haven't read all of this thread but it seemed people were listing their own experiences.

i have it as it comes and goes....most times for no reason at all I will feel down or sad...I don't have the kind where you just stay in bed all of the time, not in my nature I guess. I usually try to keep busy and work out, the normal stuff. Also suffered in the past from panic attacks, although mild, were very scary until I "figured them out", well sort of...mostly all stemmed from anxiety which still isn't very much under control. Now it seems anxiety is the most prevalent symptom, whereas in college it was depression...although I have linked that to mostly lifestyle (no excercise, smoking, drinking a lot and not being proud of myself due to inactivity).

on a side note I always find days after I drink I have a very high anxiety level and a general melancholy mood....anybody else? I know it's one of the side effects of alki but most of my friends don't share the same problem...

i have it/GAD/ADHD. everyone in my immediate family has some form of depression or worse. was on meds a few years ago and stopped because of side effects (and i was getting depressed that i had to be on meds, which wasn't helping). i can feel it coming and that, i think, is very important because i know what to look for and can take preventative measures, such as: get out in the sun as often as possible bump up exercise routine cut back on caffeine/booze eat lots of fruit, cut out pizza, etc. breath doing this helps a lot. it allows me to focus on smaller tasks (distractions) and also makes me feel like i have some sort of control over it so there's light at the end of the tunnel.

alcohol is a depressant. often after heavy drinking nights i'll have serious anxiety/minor panic attacks for the next day or two. most of my friends don't have problems, either, but none of them have the same issues with anxiety/depression (that i know of).

Not diagnosed but it helps to know if one is Depressed or has medical depression.

Sometimes people are depressed and they know not why.

Lets say Bob is getting over a flu or some other airborne sickness and he takes medication.

He is now healthy but the medication made him depressed.
If it is medical depression then swimming and jogging can help out greatly.

My family has been had its fair share of mental health issues. If you went by the DSMIV guidelines, "depression" is a profound and elongate state of being, not just having the blues because of circumstances.

I've witnessed many forms of coping; excersize, meditation, religon, drugs, booze, sex, etc.

In the end, what seemed to work across the board was finding purpose in their lives, AND seeing beyond the moment. Purpose often drives action, which in turn creates a sense of control and satisfaction which some describe as the antithesis of depression.

I can't comment on medications and the treatment recommended by your doctors, but I know how devistating they can be from seeing it first hand.

For me personally, I think I've always been too defiant to stay down for long. I'd rather fight and struggle than accept a situation. Consequently, even though I've had some truely prolonged unhappy periods (circumstantial not depressive or chemical) I've managed to stay active and positive in most situations.

That said, I fully acknowledge that I have so many things for which to be grateful, that I can't personally justify feeling blue. A quick reflection snaps me right out of it - and forces me to deal with whatever is making me feel beat down. That's not to say chemical imbalances can't impose feelings upon you.

There was a period where I was on a very strong cocktail of pain meds - and the effect was astounding. For the first time in my life, I felt truely fearful and vulnerable emotionally. After that experience, I'll never underestimate how difficult it must be for women to cope with the sensitivity of their emotions day to day.