How many of you have experienced depression in your life?

[Prairie Purrs]

One of the most frustrating things about treating depression is that medication is trial and error. What works wonderfully for one person may do nothing at all (or have adverse effects) for the next person. For example, Prozac helps a lot of people, but it just made me really cranky. Plus there's all the guesswork involved in figuring out the right dose, and the amount of time it takes to switch meds (because you can't just quit one cold turkey and start taking another one).

[smokey the elder]

I had trouble three years ago, when in a short time, I lost the original Smokey, my dad and my job in a 7 months period. I got a lot of moral support from people, but the best therapy was whn Smokey used her RB connections to send Diamond and TicTac my way.

For those who need meds, it is important that they are closely monitored, since the side effects profiles very so radically from person to person. There is a new field developing called "pharmaco-genomics" where drug companies are trying to learn why medicines affect different people differently.

I'm glad society is starting to realize that depression is a hard wired/chemical condition and not a personal failure. Might as well say cancer is your fault!

[mahayana]

I'm glad to see a thread on this subject. I have never had anything in the "clinical depression" categories, but have experienced it in those close to me. My first college roommate talked about suicide a lot, and killed himself summer after freshman year. Also, my mom was real depressed after my dad died.

And I did some "rational-emotive" therapy after my wife divorced me to marry her boss, and they wouldn't let me see my infant son.

[primabella]

I used to be depressed while in grade 8. It was stupid kiddy stuff that really got to me, but luckily I was never really serious about taking my own life. I thought about it, but I knew I wouldn't.

I really got depressed because I had been ditched by one of my best friends (or so I thought) and she was talking bad about me to her new friends. Also I felt like my other friends hated me. I wasn't doing well in school, a guy liked me and I acted like a complete idiot to him when he was really a nice guy and I was going through that period where you think you are the ugliest, fattest person on Earth. One night I just broke down crying. Luckily my sister and parents talked to me and since then I have been okay. Especially now I have Mickey and 3 amazing best friends to turn to and I know I always have my family and you guys.

[bluekat]

I don't know...I guess I have experienced it before, but it wasn't that serious. I'm kind of stressed out all the time now, with homework and friends and everything. I do have depressions, but they're not too bad.
I never tell anyone in my real life about them though, I think I'm just more comfortable telling you guys

[lovemyshiba]

Yes, I have.

A couple years ago, it got to it's worst point. I had a horrible job, a horrible relationship, and just a crappy life.
I had panic attacks and horrible mood swings.
I quit my job, and got to a point where I wouldn't even leave the house--I was too afraid--Of what, I don't know, but the anxiety was taking me over.
Luckily, my husband helped me get help. I started seeing a therapist once a week, and a doctor prescribed medication for me. It took me a while, but every little step was wonderful for me. I started working again, and socializing, and felt pretty normal. I haven't seen the therapist since March, because the center shut down and she lost her job, but I was ready when the time came. Now I see my doctor every 2 months to check my meds, but he is talking about taking me off of them soon.

I did take Zoloft, and got off of it with no problems. I now take Effexor.

[Twisterdog]

No, never.

I really don't have any idea what it would be like to be depressed.

I'm happy almost all of the time, and if I'm not happy, I'm just momentarily angry - I vent, I'm happy again.

Works for me!

[mahayana]

Tonya and Twisterdog-

I would be happy to type the Beck Depression Inventory in here, for everyone that reads this thread to evaluate whether they are depressed and to what degree.

It is a 21 question multiple choice questionnaire, and an interpretation table.

Might take up most of a page, though...

[Tonya]

Go for it, mahayana! That'd be great! Thank you.

[G.P.girl]

Originally posted by mahayana


I would be happy to type the Beck Depression Inventory in here, for everyone that reads this thread to evaluate whether they are depressed and to what degree.

It is a 21 question multiple choice questionnaire, and an interpretation table.

Might take up most of a page, though...

yeah you should

[mahayana]

Ok, here goes.

Get a piece of paper and write the numbers 1-21 down the left side. When you decide which answer number best reflects how you have been feeling during the past few days, write it next to the question number. Answer each question.

1. 0 I do not feel sad
1 I feel sad
2 I am sad all the time and I can't snap out of it
3 I am so sad or unhappy that I can't stand it

2. 0 I am not particularly concerned about the future
1 I feel discouraged about the future
2 I feel I have nothing to look forward to
3 I feel that the future is hopeless and that things cannot
improve

3. 0 I do not feel like a failure
1 I feel I have failed more than the average person
2 As I look back on my life, all I can see is a lot of failures
3 I feel I am a complete failure as a person

4. 0 I get as much satisfaction out of things as I used to
1 I don't enjoy things the way I used to
2 I don't get real satisfaction out of anything anymore
3 I am dissatisfied or bored with everything

5. 0 I don't feel particularly guilty
1 I feel guilty a good part of the time
2 I feel quite guilty most of the time
3 I feel guilty all of the time

[mahayana]

6. 0 I don't feel I am being punished
1 I feel I may be punished
2 I expect to be punished
3 I am being punished

7. 0 I don't feel disappointed in myself
1 I am disappointed in myself
2 I am disgusted with myself
3 I hate myself

8. 0 I don't feel I am worse that anyone else
1 I am critical of myself for my weaknesses or mistakes
2 I blame myself all the time for my faults
3 I blame myself for everything bad that happens

9. 0 I don't have any thoughts of killing myself
1 I have thoughts of killing myself, but I would not carry them
out
2 I would like to kill myself
3 I would kill myself if I had the chance

10. 0 I don't cry any more than usual
1 I cry more now than I used to
2 I cry all the time now
3 I used to be able to cry, but now I can't even cry though I
want to

[mahayana]

11. 0 I am no more irritated by things than I ever am
1 I am slightly more irritated now than usual
2 I am quite annoyed or irritated a good deal of the time
3 I feel irritated all the time now

12. 0 I have not lost interest in other people
1 I am less interested in people than I used to be
2 I have lost most of my interest in other people
3 I have lost all of my interest in other people

13. 0 I make decisions about aswell as I ever could
1 I put off making decisions more than I used to
2 I have greater difficulty making decisions than before
3 I can't make decisions at all anymore

14. 0 I don't feel that I look any worse than I used to
1 I am worried that I may look old or unattractive
2 I feel that there arepermanent changes in my appearance that make me look unattractive
3 I believe that I look ugly

15. 0 I can work about as well as before
1 It takes an extra effort to get started at doing something
2 I have to push myself very hard to do anything
3 I can't do any work at all

[Kfamr]

* waiting for the rest *

[mahayana]

16. 0 I can't sleep as well as usual
1 I don't sleep as well as I used to
2 i wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual and find it hard to get back to sleep
3 I wake up several hours earlier than I used to and cannot get back to sleep

17. 0 I don't get more tired than usual
1 I get tired more easily than I used to
2 I get tired from doing almost anything
3 I am too tired to do anything

18. 0 My appetite is no worse than usual
1 My appetite is not as good as it used to be
2 My appetite is much worse now
3 I have no appetite at all anymore

19. 0 I haven't lost much weight, if any, lately
1 I have lost more than five pounds
2 I have lost more than 10 pounds
3 I have lost more than 15 pounds

20. 0 I am no more worried about my health than usual
1 I am worried about physical problems such as aches and pains, or upset stomach, or constipation
2 I am very worried about physical problems, and it's hard to think of much else
3 I am so worried about my physical problems that I cannot think about anything else

21. 0 I have not noticed any recent changes in my interest in sex
1 I am less interested in sex than I used to be
2 I am much less interested in sex now
3 I have lost interest in sex completely