Am I going through a depressive episode?

[Russian_Red_Foxx]

Hi everyone,

I've been feeling really down lately and I don't know if I am going through a depressive episode. It's happened before but this time it feels different. I've had no energy recently and haven't left the house for anything other than work for about a week now, normally I leave at least once per day. I've been struggling to sleep and I've been feeling flat for no reason, mostly just spending the entire day sitting at home. I have a few projects going including art and homework that I haven't been motivated to finish, usually I try to get stuff done quickly. I wanted to attend a large social event tonight (a fur meet, don't judge) but couldn't because of work and now I'm feeling isolated since this is the once in a blue moon chance I get to meet my only friends in person. On the surface I have seemed fine. I've been interacting with my family and doing basic chores like nothing is out of the ordinary. On the inside however I feel broken, as if the fire that was keeping me going has suddenly died. I've been feeling severe anxiety about various things for about a week now and I occasionally think about self harm but I don't have the energy to do anything. I did talk to someone and I've been trying out various mental health apps, but they only seem to fix minor problems in the moment, I've also tried talking with my mother and she thinks that it's just a cycle of boredom, however this feels different. I don't know what I'm feeling and I don't have the energy to do anything about it.

[geoff]

Hello RRF, judging ourselves is common with any type of depression and each time it can be different to how it was last time, because another situation may spark this feeling so how you currently feel could always be worse than the last time.

Can I suggest you look at these sites 'books on trying not to judge yourself', and please know this won't change rapidly, but only slowly, and in your own time.

Let us know how you get on.

Geoff.

[That Other Guy]

Parents sometimes minimise your problems because they desperately want them to go away. You talk about mental health apps, there's an app for everything i guess, but i suspect seeing an actual counselor would be a lot more helpful?

To answer your question, yes that sounds like depression. That could mean you need medication but in my experience, doctors push drugs too lightly, I've had several major episodes over the last few years and mostly beaten them through counseling. Certainly now when i have an event i know what it is, and to talk to my counselor about it.

[Russian_Red_Foxx]

It only started a week ago, so I may give it a bit more time just to see if this is more than just a low mood period.

[That Other Guy]

I do think that we medicalise human emotion a fair bit. Every time I've been urged to get on meds for depression, I've had real reasons for the ways I have felt. I did need therapy to work through them, but I knew that and sought that out