How many of you have experienced depression in your life?

[Foam]

Originally posted by Kfamr
I got a pretty high number.

I feel really odd just posting this, because normally I just talk about it to my close friends.

I have a really hard time talking to people in real life though.
I used to be into alot of things. Now, It's just my music, Animals, photography, and poetry.

I hopped at the chance to go places, like out to dinner and all -- Now all I want to do it sit at home "alone" with my babies.

I used to be much worse though, to the point where i'd come home from school, get Simba -- And just crash in my room.
I'd bang my head into my walls. I'd punch my walls. I'd rip my hair out. I'd cry to no end. Simba was literally my box of tissues. Everytime I felt the slightest bit of tear coming, I'd run to him. He's soak it all up, and i'd hug him as tight as I could.

I have a hard time crying infront of people, but in school last year I finally let it out. I cried in the middle of class.
I'm constantly thinking about things that happened before, or things that may happen in the future.

Honestly, I think Simba was the only thing that kept me alive.
Everyone always tells me how happy I am -- Really, it's only how happy I seem.

The tiniest things make me cry. The things that make me cry most are drugs and alcohol. That, and when something happens to Simba or Nala.

Most of my emotions now are let out through poetry. When i'm not feeling so well -- I ask my father to bring me to the Humane Society or SPCA. Yes, it's very saddening that all of those animals are in there, but being able to get away from home, being able to go and talk to all of the animals makes me feel so peaceful. Everything clears my mind completely, everything goes away.

I'm not sure if it's just a teenage girl thing -- or if I'm just psycho.

I could probably go on and on -- But you guys probably think i'm crazy enough. I have tears from typing all of this -- And I need to go hug Simba.

Kay-
I know we're not the best of friends, and we don't get along very well but we have a LOT in common..
Everyone goes through depression, and you are not alone. I promise.
I think everybody knows about my depression..family, friends, strangers and just about everything else.
You say Simba is the only thing keeping you alive?? I know how you feel. I also know that it shouldn't be that way, because there are so many things in life to love and be happy about, but lots of times it just feels like hell and pets are the only ones who care. Darlin was my life saver during the time I thought about leaving. She still is. Now, I'm getting older and I'm getting more mature and with that, comes darker depressions. Now, Oz is my love. Oz is the only one who cares, right? No. Lots of people care, but I feel like he and Darlin are the only ones who do. They're always there for me to just..let out on. They're there for me to cry on, talk to, and listen. Ozzy knows when something's wrong.
When you said you cried during class...I got so many flashbacks, girl! I cry in class a lot when I'm going through heavy depression. Sometimes to the point where I have to leave the room and go into the bathroom for the rest of the class. Most of the time, it's just a bunch of drippy tears and sniffles, though. I cry when I need to, unless it's about physical pain.
I'm NOT ashamed to show my 'painful' emotions to people. I'm showing them that I need support, and I can't do it alone. If they think that it's babyish, then screw them. I don't have a problem with it.
This might sound pretty weird coming from me, but talk to me whenever you need to. I'm here. That goes for everyone!

[mahayana]

A couple of people here have mentioned fighting depression without meds. Just wanted to say that despite the PC which puts everyone, including little kids, on mood drugs, I am way on the counseling end of this spectrum.

The medications don't solve the problems that make you depressed. It's not that they don't work, temporarily. Just that they make you dependent without really changing anything in you or in the life conditions that distress.

Does anyone have statistics on what percentage of the population is on these meds? How many school children?

I can share info on self-counseling; I have a library of self-help books, two of the best are "Feeling Good", David D. Burns MD, and "Help Yourself To Happiness", Maxie Maultsby, Jr, MD. Both are probably in your public library.

Please know that this is not a criticism of any of you. You deserve love and understanding and support!

[moosmom]

Mahayana,

I am way on the counseling end of this spectrum.

Me too! I had been seeing a wonderful therapist in CT but then I moved. I got the name of a great therapist here in MI from my friend and have an appt tomorrow night with him. Medication is only HALF the treatment. That along with talking to someone go hand in hand.

As far as people saying "Come on, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and move on!!" If it were THAT easy, I would've done it years ago. People who don't suffer from depression and anxity have absolutely NO idea what it's like. I hated being at the mercy of my chemical imbalance. But I feel like I am in control and my life is on an even keel.

My cats have also played a MAJOR part in my life. I've gone through alot in my 50 years. It wasn't till I got my first cat (Mollie Rose, now 9) that I found someone who would love me unconditionally.

I also write which brings me great comfort. When my Dad passed away back in 1997, I began a story of his life and my life, how difficult a childhood he had and how he succummed to alcoholism, and me as the sole caretaker of an elderly, alcoholic parent. It took me 6 years to write it, a little bit at a time, but it's done. I just need to find a magazine or newspaper to publish it. It was a very "healing" thing for me. That's why my passion is writing and cats.

[Soledad]

Mahayana - You have never experienced depression, am I right? That's what I gathered from your other posts.

There are many people who simply do not have the luxury of abstaining from medication. To do so would put their lives in jeopardy. Would you still insist on therapy only methods?

I think medication has saved a lot of people from the crippling effects of depression, and while we have to be careful about its overuse, I do not feel it is helpful to anyone to rule it out entirely.

[micki76]

Originally posted by Kfamr
I got a pretty high number.

So did I.

I’m going to give it some time, since my father just passed away, and retake this in a few weeks. I think my depression is pretty normal right now, considering my recent loss.

[Prairie Purrs]

Originally posted by Soledad
Mahayana - You have never experienced depression, am I right? That's what I gathered from your other posts.

There are many people who simply do not have the luxury of abstaining from medication. To do so would put their lives in jeopardy. Would you still insist on therapy only methods?

I think medication has saved a lot of people from the crippling effects of depression, and while we have to be careful about its overuse, I do not feel it is helpful to anyone to rule it out entirely.

I've gotta chime in here too, as someone for whom talk therapy has been worse than useless--including (especially!!) the cognitive therapy espoused in "Feeling Good," one of the books mahayana recommended.

Folks with chronic depression are not depressed merely because of "problems." They are depressed because of chemistry. When I was a small child, with no "problems" to speak of, I'd sometimes burst into hysterical tears for no good reason. Although a life crisis can certainly trigger a major depression for me, it's not a necessary prerequisite.

Depression is an illness. Talk therapy works for some, but not for all--and for major depressions, I believe most psychiatrists recommend a combination of medication and therapy, not therapy alone. If someone has a raging infection, most people wouldn't tell him to just go get some talk therapy and skip the antibiotics.

Also, there's a common misconception about antidepressants--that they're "feel good" drugs that get you high. I've never gotten a buzz from an antidepressant. Generally, the only way I can tell if one is working is that I can think more clearly and feel more "normal." If someone who isn't depressed takes an antidepressant, he or she won't get high. More likely, that person would just feel sick from the side effects.

I'm not advocating the "take a pill, make it go away" easy-fix mentality. There is no easy fix for chronic depression. I've spent many, many years trying to live in a way that allows me to manage my dysthymia without medication--and I've only taken the meds during major depressions that were otherwise uncontrollable. I hate the side effects from antidepressants.

But please, don't discourage a depressed person from seeking whatever form of help is available! For someone to think that they're not as good or as strong a person because they're taking medication will simply aggravate his or her illness.

[2kitties]

I've never been depressed. I've been Sad plenty, but never depressed. I think the word "depression" is overused in today's society- so much so that it is dismissive of the true disease.
Medication is sometimes necessary to treat true cases of depression. But doctors today are so readily handing out zoloft and prozac, that it's become almost vogue to be one some type of mood lifter. Therapy, however, can be enough to help someone who is dealing with mild depression or is unable to handle their emotions. Shoot, we could all probably benefit from some therapy at some point in our lives.
I would need two hands to count all the people I know who've been on some kind of drugs for depression. And I doubt half of them really have chemical problems in their mind.

[Soledad]

CatsinDenver, your post reflected my concerns perfectly. I get really tired about people dispelling the usefulness of drugs, especially when they themselves have not had to deal with severe and/or bipolar depression. These are not diseases to be treated lightly. They make you a danger to yourself and others and MUST be treated with meds and therapy.

People on meds are not failures, quitters or cowards. No one can truly know what goes on in someone else's mind, and so we cannot judge the mental state of a close friend as we would like to think we can. If someone feels the need to go on medication, I can only hope that those close to them will not judge them for it and tell them it's simply a matter of working harder. That is the kind of statement that can move people over the edge. I know this first hand.

[Prairie Purrs]

Originally posted by 2kitties
I've never been depressed. I've been Sad plenty, but never depressed. I think the word "depression" is overused in today's society- so much so that it is dismissive of the true disease.
Medication is sometimes necessary to treat true cases of depression. But doctors today are so readily handing out zoloft and prozac, that it's become almost vogue to be one some type of mood lifter. Therapy, however, can be enough to help someone who is dealing with mild depression or is unable to handle their emotions. Shoot, we could all probably benefit from some therapy at some point in our lives.
I would need two hands to count all the people I know who've been on some kind of drugs for depression. And I doubt half of them really have chemical problems in their mind.

Unfortunately, there are just as many bad therapists as there are doctors handing out drugs too easily. It takes a lot of searching (something that's hard to do on many medical insurance plans) to find a good one.

Once I was suffering from a crippling depression that left me unable to get out of bed and go to work. I went to a therapist who insisted that I had to work somewhere (I believe it was because she was worried about getting paid). The cashiers at a local supermarket chain were on strike at the time, so she recommended that I become a strike breaker and cross the picket lines to work there. For many reasons, that would have been a disaster.

Other therapists have just recommended self-help books. Now, there's a waste of money. I can certainly buy and read self-help books without also paying a therapist.

I'm sure there are some excellent psychologists and psychiatrists out there. I just haven't had the good fortune to find one--and my insurance plan would only pay for six visits if I did. And a bad therapist can do as much or more harm than unnecessary medication.

[Soledad]

A bad therapist can be deadly.

I don't understand why people think they are the end all be all. They are people, too. And often, they make many mistakes.

[primabella]

I think the word "depression" is overused in today's society- so much so that it is dismissive of the true disease.

You're very right, 2kitties. I guess what I went through wasn't a depression at all but more like a really stressful time or a breakdown and I just couldn't handle it. Depression is a serious illness, and a term not to be used lightly.

Kay and Foam...and anyone else who may feel the same way..*hugs* I don't know what else to say except if anyone needs to talk or even just to vent without expecting an answer I'm always here. Sometimes it helps to get things off your chest.

[bluekat]

Before this thread started, I had no idea that a lot of you guys were suffering from depression It makes me glad that I'm not alone too. I don't think I'm actually depressed, its just that I have SO MUCH stress right now. It was pretty bad at one time, I used to cry and cry every night. All this stress and everything, it all has to do with school. I always think back to the summer holiday when I was "stress-free" and I miss it so much Right now, my mind is always full of things. It makes me so mad and stressed out. Just when I think that its going away, it comes back again.

I know that next year it'll probably get worse. I'm going into my first year at high school next year, and I know that high school could be really bad. I know that for some people its the best years of their life, and for some its the Complete opposite I'll probably hate high school. I don't know...I know its going to be really hard though.

Anyways, I feel so sorry for the others who are feeling like this too. I know how you feel I think its best if we just let it all out here and get it off our chest. It'll be better, knowing someone's here for you. So if any of you need to talk, I'm here too

[mahayana]

Sorry people if I gave the impression that I was against the use of medication for treating depression. Just wanted to be honest about where I'm coming from. So to clarify-

You all deserve love and understanding and support, and whatever medication your doctor deems necessary.

Even Beck says that a score of 17 or higher indicates the need for professional (medical) help.

I'm sure that everthing Soledad said is true. The attitudes about mental health in the general population are very cruel and judgemental. Even one joke thread here has posted an ADD joke...

This may not be the right place to get into the subjects of why people feel low self esteem etc, maybe I just have longed to share some insights I got from counseling and reading.

The human mind is an amazing subject!

[dukedogsmom]

I've always heard that the medication should be used in relation to the therapy/counseling. And yes, I've experienced very deep depression as well. When going through my divorce, I could certainly understand why someone would want to commit suicide, but I would still never consider it myself. I haven't taken the test yet. Will do that now. I probably will score a little high, myself. I most of the time feel like Duke is my only true friend. Years of rejection can do that to you. I've found that if you aren't a starving model type, most men don't want a thing to do with you. So, that's made me harden my view on life. Geez, I think I've said too much..........

[lovemyshiba]

I scored a 5--seems like I'm doing well!!
The combination of medication and therapy seemed to have worked well for me--I couldn't get out of it myself.