Support
Support

Depression

Depression affects people in Australia every day. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with depression.

Start a conversation

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a conversation

Pinned discussions

BeyondBlue Hello! Read this if you're not sure how to get started
  • replies: 0

Welcome This section of the Beyond Blue Forums is for talking about our experiences with depression. There are lots of chats about how it makes us feel, what it’s like to live with depression and what has worked to help in these times. Thank you for ... View more

Welcome This section of the Beyond Blue Forums is for talking about our experiences with depression. There are lots of chats about how it makes us feel, what it’s like to live with depression and what has worked to help in these times. Thank you for coming this far, we know it can be really hard to take these steps if depression is in your life - we see you and think this is a great step. To get the most out of this space we have a few tips: Get involved. The Forums work best for you when you get active and post where you can. Now, we know that can be really hard, especially when you are experiencing depression. So, if you can post something supportive to someone else here, that would be an incredible start. Speak from the heart. This community wants to know how YOU feel and what has worked for YOU. We trust that you have something unique to say and we can’t wait to hear it. Check in. Lots of the discussions in this section of the Forums have been going for years and they are some of the richest conversations we have. Keep checking in to get new ideas and offer your support. We know it can be tough to start, but when you are ready we want to hear your thoughts. If you need some time to get to know the community, that's okay! Have a look around and see where you want to get involved. Thank you for being here! Beyond Blue

Jeriava How do I talk to my doctor?
  • replies: 9

I’ve been struggling with my life for the past 7-8 years but I finally made an appointment with a doctor. I feel really scared though because I don’t ever go to the doctor for anything, and I havent seen this doctor for so many years that I’m really ... View more

I’ve been struggling with my life for the past 7-8 years but I finally made an appointment with a doctor. I feel really scared though because I don’t ever go to the doctor for anything, and I havent seen this doctor for so many years that I’m really scared that they’ll judge me or won’t believe anything I say. I’m really anti social so I feel like I won’t be able to say what I wanna say or I’ll say the wrong thing causing them to just dismiss me and move me along without helping. I’m just tired of feeling alone, depressed and just worthless but I’m really scared to talk to them.

AGrace SELF HELP TIPS FOR MANAGING DEPRESSION
  • replies: 132

Hi Everyone, Here are some ideas you might like to try for managing symptoms of depression. Of course everyone's different, so let us know what works for you, and please feel free to add to the list... Mindfulness – through breathing or engaging the ... View more

Hi Everyone, Here are some ideas you might like to try for managing symptoms of depression. Of course everyone's different, so let us know what works for you, and please feel free to add to the list... Mindfulness – through breathing or engaging the 5 senses Distress Tolerance – Accepting Emotions and Self Soothing Distraction – Put the thoughts/feelings aside and come back to them when you are ready to deal with them Positive Affirmations – Have some affirmations written down repeat them to yourself daily Sleep/Exercise/Diet – All 3 aspects of our lifestyle can impact the way we think/feel Increasing Pleasurable Activities – Engage in at least one pleasurable activity per day

All discussions

Start a conversation

justagirl Painfully lonely, but all of my desperate attempts at connection are met with silence
  • replies: 4

I've never posted on here before - sorry if this is too long. I'm lonely. I live on a very isolated property with my partner. We moved here 6+ hours away from anyone we knew a few years ago. The small community around us are quite a lot older than me... View more

I've never posted on here before - sorry if this is too long. I'm lonely. I live on a very isolated property with my partner. We moved here 6+ hours away from anyone we knew a few years ago. The small community around us are quite a lot older than me (40-50 years older) or very young with children. I don't have children and have found that my friendships with these people fizzle out or there is less time for me in their lives because they involve themselves with other parents etc. which makes total sense. My partner works out of the house for 12+ hours a day. I am alone all day and rarely see friends and family in person. I was able to socialise with a small group of people at work but I lost my job and those people ("friends") never contacted me again. I've been working very hard on making myself available and communicating strongly though social media etc. to be able to keep connections alive with people in my life - however, I'm finding that everyone (including my partner) are too busy to reply to me. My family is narcissistic and will only speak to me to complain about their lives, I've tried to foster a meaningful connection but they have their own problems. My partner is busy at work and I often won't hear from them all day until 5/6pm. My texts or an interesting video that I'll send go unanswered even though I can see they're active. My friends all have other friends that are physically part of their daily lives so it makes sense that I'm the last one they get back to but all the same, I'm very very very lonely. All I've ever wanted was connection after a childhood of neglect. A lot of advice says to look into myself and be better friends with myself, find hobbies etc but I've done that - it's all I do - what I'm craving is connection with other people and it can't be filled with a substitute hobby. I feel so tired and heavy all the time and just thinking about how lonely I am and how I can't seem to be able to fix it puts a weight on my chest.Has anyone been in this situation and found a solution?

zaynixey life still sucks
  • replies: 2

hey, i am really struggling right now, it's so hard to explain to make it understandable. i guess the hardest things just keep happening to me. like first, i had to make the hardest decision of putting down my baby boy (cat) almost 2 years ago. one o... View more

hey, i am really struggling right now, it's so hard to explain to make it understandable. i guess the hardest things just keep happening to me. like first, i had to make the hardest decision of putting down my baby boy (cat) almost 2 years ago. one of the hardest things ever. basically, since then, my mental health got worse and worse. my dad was involved in a car accident several months after, and nearly lost him. he's alive and doing well now, but stuff really went down for my family since that day. about a few weeks after he arrived back home (so roughly under a month after his accident) we had to put his cat down, after a sudden heart failure accrued. a few months later, his dog died. we knew she wasn't well and the hardest thing was, we couldn't support that. then i was having a hard time with my boyfriend, as he was manipulative, controlling, and just so many other things that made it harder. he was my first relationship (primary school personally, doesn't count) he would try change me to become what his needs were like... 1. becoming christian 2. change my personality and there's so much around this i don't need to get into. but we hate him, we hate the whole situation! anyway, let's just move onto the present. my mum's dog has be diagnosed with a disease, and we have to make a decision. my ex and i have been in another situationship. ive been distant from my best friend because.. 1. my mental health is really bad 2. shes not the same 3. im js starting to see her differently (don't know how/why) im overwhelmed with school. im overwhelmed with dance. im struggling to feel put. i dont have a job. i dont have money. i dont have a licence. i dont have a clear head. i dont stick to any routine. but i really need one. im so lost. im so tired. i want it to end. but ive lost so much hope. (im so sorry for the huge as yap)

Sunflower23 I feel like a failure
  • replies: 4

I feel like a failure because I should have my life figured out by now but I don’t. I feel like I’m failing uni because I’m so behind everyone in my cohort and not sure if I’ll even complete my degree because my confidence has been shaken and my life... View more

I feel like a failure because I should have my life figured out by now but I don’t. I feel like I’m failing uni because I’m so behind everyone in my cohort and not sure if I’ll even complete my degree because my confidence has been shaken and my life tipped outside down. I feel like I’ve taken a step backwards in not being able to get out of bed or do grocery shopping or get out of the house. I cancelled two appointments with my psych due to experiencing depression and not being able to leave the house on those days and now I’m back on the waitlist. I regret my decision to cancel now.In this moment I don’t feel like I will experience joy again. I feel so isolated and alone. I don’t feel like anyone truely understands what I’m going through and how difficult it is to keep on going. I find it hard to confide in others because I feel like a burden. I tend to mask how I truely feel around others because it’s easier to say “I’m ok”rather than be honest and say that “I’m not ok”. To this end I’ve been avoiding seeing people which is not the norm for me even though I know it would be good that I do… i just find it really hard to explain how I’m going and have small talk. I’d love to hear from anyone who has experienced anything similar so that I feel less alone. 🫶

Reminiscent_sky The trail persists but alas my mind has lacerated my legs.
  • replies: 2

Hello people of this forum. It’s been a while since I posted here. I’ve been severely distressed and searching down other avenues and such, trying to find a way out of this debilitating mental pain. My unwavering fear of death has kept me from suicid... View more

Hello people of this forum. It’s been a while since I posted here. I’ve been severely distressed and searching down other avenues and such, trying to find a way out of this debilitating mental pain. My unwavering fear of death has kept me from suicide, comedic in a dark way being too cowardly to take “the cowards way out”. But outside of the grim and hopeless the only option shown to me is getting some sort of counsellor. But I’ll be frank. That is such a huge mental gulf that it just feels impossible without help, and even with assistance it feels too far out of reach. nobody in my family has enough expendable funds for me to claim I need it. Even then, I’m sure you’d call me stupid for saying this but it’s so deeply rooted in my subconscious that I’m steadfast in this belief. I’m don’t feel like I’m worth all that time, that effort to repair. I’ve fallen apart before and each time after picking up my pieces I just fall apart again. Things don’t get better just… Back to the status quo. I’ll never learn or break away from my restrictions so why even pick up the sand like shards of my mind and heart? the people who’ve taken up the task of performing litter cleanup on my soul with me have all left me. because I assume they too know it’s futile. So why should I be so bold as to claim their efforts were too shoddy and that’s why I’m not healed? I’m right where I deserve to be. I’ve made my bed and now I’ll lay in it till the frame rots. so… I’m not sure what to do. I hate feeling like this. But I won’t pull myself out, it’s under my belief that this is my sentencing for my transgressions in life. I have nobody in my life that seems to care enough to disprove me anyway. I have no friends and my family has been spending more time judging me it seems. I don’t know. Nobody checks on me anymore. It’s like I’m not even here sometimes. I know nobody outside these walls is thinking about me right now for example. I feel translucent. I’m doomed aren’t I? This is unsolvable, I’m just meant to suffer for now till the non-existent future. I’m sorry reader if this has been a confusing journey. I can’t control the spiral, if you felt this was a waste of your time I hope your day gets better than what it could be.

Hendo Suicidal thoughts
  • replies: 2

Hey, I've been battling anxiety for around 6 years which turned into having chronic depression with episodes lasting weeks to months at a time but to be honest it feels like I've been stuck in a depressing episode for years. It's got to the point whe... View more

Hey, I've been battling anxiety for around 6 years which turned into having chronic depression with episodes lasting weeks to months at a time but to be honest it feels like I've been stuck in a depressing episode for years. It's got to the point where it's like finding a needles in a haystack for my good days, I honestly can't remember the last happy day I had. My therapist helps when I see him but as soon as I leave and the day progresses my depression comes back, the thing is I have nothing to be depressed about. My darkest days are clouded with thoughts of suicide, my therapist says that I am strong and that I need to find stuff that motivates me but I have not motivation and my negative mind calls myself a coward. I know that I will never do it but I can't see a future for myself like this. One days

44Max44 I'm so tired, 9 years of seeking treatment and it feels like I've gotten nothing done
  • replies: 3

For the past 9 years I've been seeking treatment for whatsoever is wrong with me (since I turned 18 and could start seeking treatment on my own), for years my doctors just said I had anxiety and depression, prescribed me some anti-depressants, and di... View more

For the past 9 years I've been seeking treatment for whatsoever is wrong with me (since I turned 18 and could start seeking treatment on my own), for years my doctors just said I had anxiety and depression, prescribed me some anti-depressants, and didn't think of looking any further into it. I've been suffering my whole life and never knew why, pretty much always anxious and depressed, so I thought the doctor's were right. But only very recently was I diagnosed for Autism, as well as ADHD a couple of years before that. After getting diagnosed I thought "great, I will finally get the support I need and can actually start do something with my life", but it's just been more of the same, more going around in circles, more huge wait times and appointments I can't afford.I'm unable to work because of these reasons, so I've been trying to get on a disability pension through centerlink (for the past 7 years actually, for different reasons), but Centerlink won't grant me the disability payment because (according to the Centerlink employee that talked to me) "haven't tried enough treatments yet"......... you'd imagine how that made me feel after 9 years of treatment. What else do they want me to do? To seek treatment, I need money.... and to get money, I need the disability pension, because I can't work...... like seriously, what am I meant to do? It really feels like I've been taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back through this entire process. I just want to get this pension so I can focus on improving myself. I'm so sick and tired of going in circles. You'd think after spending multiple thousands of dollars on seeking diagnoses for ASD/ADHD that it would go smoothly. How many more thousands of dollars do I need to spend? How else can I possibly convince them that I am need of this payment? I have been literally rotting at home for close to a decade. I can't take it much longer.

RudderlessBoat recently lost my job and I find myself getting into this rabbit hole
  • replies: 5

HIMY SITUATION NOW -I am from Canberra. I have a family, and I am 54 years old. I have been in the IT sector for approximately 35 years. In the last 8 years working in the public sector, I have been terminated 4 - 5 times. Most of them were due to ce... View more

HIMY SITUATION NOW -I am from Canberra. I have a family, and I am 54 years old. I have been in the IT sector for approximately 35 years. In the last 8 years working in the public sector, I have been terminated 4 - 5 times. Most of them were due to certain budget issues. The last one, my department said it is a performance issue. I tried to follow up, but everyone around me says it's futile.So what now?I am looking for a job every day, and it is making me depressed. At times, I would sit in front of the monitor, thinking everything was pointless. I take medication for my depression. It is hard to get out of this hole. As I am looking for work, I am also upskilling myself. It is hard to focus too. I have this feeling that it is so difficult to explain. Actually, I feel mentally exhausted. My survival is like fighting against all odds and times myself at the wrong end of a stick. Even writing this takes a huge toll on me. I was diagnosed with Vit B12 deficiency, which makes the depression worse. I am a migrant, and at the moment, I have very few friends in Canberra. I need help, but I don't know how.I used to love listening to music, but I find it hard to put on any music now. I used to play console games, but now I hardly touch my console. Sorry about the way I am writing it here; there is no structure. I am just putting whatever comes to my mind. I do not know what is happening to me. I wasn't like this before. I used to be quite optimistic, full of life. I did not know how I changed. At times, it is so hard to put on a mask of everything is good. It is another effort. Being a Hindu, sometimes I leave everything to my fate, which is kinda our belief. But at times, it is not enough. A few years back, I used to visit a mental health professional; honestly, it used to be like a band-aid. I used to visit the clinic and tell them what I felt. Come home, feel good and then back to square one.

M-ia_123 Depression
  • replies: 3

So I’ve been going through a depressive episode for a while and today (this morning) I spent an hour crying because I didn’t want to get up and go to school. Then later today it was raining and I got really happy, So I like put on a raincoat and ran ... View more

So I’ve been going through a depressive episode for a while and today (this morning) I spent an hour crying because I didn’t want to get up and go to school. Then later today it was raining and I got really happy, So I like put on a raincoat and ran outside with my music and I was out there dancing and picking blackberries (which we have in our backyard) and just like being happy for an hour then once I come inside I give the blackberries to my family and ask if we can like picnic on the deck and my dad says yes, so I run and get a mat and like go to make drinks because that’s like how I celebrate something idk but anyway my mum seemed kinda upset and so I asked if she was ok and she nodded then told me I was getting everything wet. So I cleaned up then asked if they wanted me to make a lemonade. My brother gets really excited but my mum goes “no, it’s too sugary” then I say ok and only make mine and my brothers sweet. Then I ask if I can add raspberries and mum scoffs and says no because it’s to much for just a drink then she goes to tell me how messy my room is and how I never clean up or leave my room. So I went to do that but I just felt really sad. And then later when we’re eating dinner mum gets upset again for me not cleaning my room and dad gets upset because “you’re so moody, you were just laughing what happened.” And I don’t know I’m just upset.

Guest_59807641 Son 30 years of age won't see a doctor
  • replies: 3

I have a son who is about 30 years of age and has been depressed pretty much since he was 16. He has seen a psychologist and given up. It seems perfectly clear from my reading that he needs antidepressant drugs but absolutely refuses to see a GP. He ... View more

I have a son who is about 30 years of age and has been depressed pretty much since he was 16. He has seen a psychologist and given up. It seems perfectly clear from my reading that he needs antidepressant drugs but absolutely refuses to see a GP. He is extremely intelligent and I am at my wits end trying to get him to do so. He knows he is wasting his life but says it's already too late. Talking of sunk cost fallacy and talking has no effect on him despite his intelligence and otherwise impeccable logic. Any suggestions on how I can get him to a GP greatly appreciated. (And no, he won't do telemedicine). Can one email or text a GP?

Marm homosexuality and religious guilt
  • replies: 2

Hi there. I don't know where to begin because of the number of layers to my situation. I have been friends with this girl for years, and after graduating high school in 2024, we naturally grew a lot closer. Basically we have been dating since April o... View more

Hi there. I don't know where to begin because of the number of layers to my situation. I have been friends with this girl for years, and after graduating high school in 2024, we naturally grew a lot closer. Basically we have been dating since April of last year, however, I had to keep it hidden from my Orthodox Christian family. I felt so much guilt hiding this big part of my life because I love and truly respect my family, however by Christmas I was crying due to my conflicted feelings. I came out on boxing day to my mum, to which she passed in onto my dad, and saying the least they didn't take it easily at all because they mourned at my grandma's house for hours. They tried sitting me down to say how wrong this lifestyle is under their house, encouraging me to "see it from their perspective" and how hard this news is for them. They said a lot of horrible things that night that I slept over at a friend's house without telling them - this was very hard for me because I've also never been allowed sleepovers and usually I would respect their rules. Since then all areas of my life have been a wreck. My parents have decided they hate all my 'gay' friends because they are the ones influencing me, and thus contest me whenever I leave the house or see my girlfriend. As a result just asking to go out to places becomes a burden of guilt, not to mention my location is tracked at all times and I just don't feel like I have the space to grow as an adult. There's constantly unspoken tension between my parents and me, they look at me like I've disposed of their old daughter. Which is something quite literally my mum told me. I feel like I can't keep living every day like this and that it never will get better. I'm writing this because I've talked to professionals and gone through free counselling; I feel so hopeless as to what I can do. I can't move out because of my funds and the fact everything is too expensive - despite working three jobs in the past. Thank you so much for your time.

As an organisation that supports people from across Australia, Beyond Blue acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.

First Nations Peoples are advised that this website may include reference to and images of deceased persons.

Beyond Blue is committed to safe inclusive spaces, policies and services for people of LGBTIQ+ communities and their families.

Helpful information

Stay in touch

Sign up below for regular emails from Beyond Blue, filled with information, advice and support for you or your loved ones.

Stay in touch

Talk it through with us, we'll point you in the right direction.

Call 1300 224 636

24 hours / 7 days a week

Chat Online

24 hours / 7 days a week

Email us

Get a reply in 24 hours

Copyright © 2026 Beyond Blue Ltd

All rights reserved

Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Site map