Immediate support
Immediate support

Depression

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

Start a discussion

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 discussion

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 discussion

Jaymore feeling overwhelmed
  • replies: 3

There's a lot that's always on my mind: feeling like I'm not good enough to be loved; feeling like no one cares about me; feelings of loneliness when I'm on my own and stress from work. My negative self-worth stems from my Mum's mistreatment of me af... View more

There's a lot that's always on my mind: feeling like I'm not good enough to be loved; feeling like no one cares about me; feelings of loneliness when I'm on my own and stress from work. My negative self-worth stems from my Mum's mistreatment of me after her and Dad's divorce when I was 9. Long story short, I felt neglected, unsafe and hated. Eventually, what followed that is thinking that everyone hated me. I became depressed at a young age. I had a new school, a new living situation and both my parents found themselves in new relationships. It was too much for me. I felt so lost, I didn't want to be alive anymore. While my situation gradually became easier, the negative self-worth remains to this day. It's ruined some of my closest friendships. I've learnt to keep the hatred of myself on the inside and not express it out loud to ensure I don't scare anyone off. Unfortunately, with everything building up inside, it sometimes gets to a point where everything is released and I don't want that happening because it affects the people around me. I work full-time in the hospitality industry as a manager so I carry everything on my shoulders which is sometimes extremely overwhelming. On our busy days the smallest things can make me snap and I don't like the way I treat people. I try to remind myself to reign it in and to control my emotions, but in the heat of the moment I forget to. Multiple times I've just had a complete breakdown at work when everything becomes too much. Of course I do have good days and I believe that I'm perfectly fine and don't need help - but deep down I know that isn't true. I know millions of people around the world would definitely feel the same way as I do, which I guess is sort of comforting. I have many people in my life I know I can go to for help. But sometimes, I feel like it would be wrong to bother them, or that they don't care about me so I don't reach out. That's when the loneliness comes back. My girlfriend is right now my biggest supporter, not only do I want to get better for myself, but also for her too. I see how happy she is when she knows I'm happy. I love her and despite everything I've said above, I do believe I'm the happiest I have ever been and a lot of that is down to my relationship with her. I want to get married and have kids with her one day. So all of that is definitely a source of motivation to get help. Thank you for listening. Even the smallest piece of advice would be really appreciated!

TheBigBlue Good News!
  • replies: 3

Hi All, A few of you have been around a while & seen my posts. This year was hard. But of the blue, some goodness came. I wanted to get out of the travel industry, obviously it’s been significantly affected by Covid, but I had also had no desire to c... View more

Hi All, A few of you have been around a while & seen my posts. This year was hard. But of the blue, some goodness came. I wanted to get out of the travel industry, obviously it’s been significantly affected by Covid, but I had also had no desire to continue with it. I’ve been reduced to 2 days a week work for over a year & just needed to move on. After working from home, I also realised a few things. I don’t want the commute to the city any more. I just want something close to home, no matter how mundane it is. So I’ve kind of looking while still working my 2 days. I either felt completely out of my depth with no experience in new roles, or felt completely unqualified & worthless. Anyway, I had applied for a job weeks ago but they had paused recruiting due to the covid lockdown. Anyway, recruitment re-opened, I impressed with the phone interview, HR then had the manager of that role contact me. He called me last Wed, asked if we could meet in person on Thursday morning & by Thursday afternoon I was offered the job. im so happy! I’m starting this coming Wed & I feel really excited. Those never ending thoughts & feelings of being absolute useless, worthless & unwanted have lessened & I feel like going back to full time work places me back as a valued member of society. So just wanted to share my news. I’ve come from a very hard place, to a much happier place in the space of a week. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a change of fortune in such a small amount of time. Things are on the up! (I hope)

LateInLife My spouse is depressed and waiting for the Psych visit. Anything she can do now?
  • replies: 7

Hi Everyone My Wife is on meds and will need an adjustment. Her doctor is unwilling to make changes and we are now in a waiting period for a Psychiatrist appointment (4 weeks away). The issue is she is low and feels like just giving up. We are financ... View more

Hi Everyone My Wife is on meds and will need an adjustment. Her doctor is unwilling to make changes and we are now in a waiting period for a Psychiatrist appointment (4 weeks away). The issue is she is low and feels like just giving up. We are financially well off and there is no stress in her life and nothing that would cause her depression as she has just lost joy in doing things. We are keeping busy to keep her occupied. Mainly she feels worthless and of no use. I am currently going through CBT with her and just started. Does anyone know of any excellent online resources, either therapy chat groups or videos to see how others got through the dark days? Kind regards Dave

Jimbob1 I just simply want answers
  • replies: 3

Here’s a little background about me I’m a 20 yr old man of English and NZ descent but anyways essentially things for me feel like hell. When I was younger I would get beaten by my uncle around the same time I was diagnosed with autism. I had a diffic... View more

Here’s a little background about me I’m a 20 yr old man of English and NZ descent but anyways essentially things for me feel like hell. When I was younger I would get beaten by my uncle around the same time I was diagnosed with autism. I had a difficult time making friends especially with things I am interested in which I’ll touch more on later on. Throughout the high school years are when things got really bad, I would be ridiculed by everyone about just about anything, I had trouble making friends and getting with girls to the point that I thought they all hated me and that continued throughout my entire school life. Things settled a bit, I got a new car and the job itself is alright but the people I feel just plain hate me, they just make fun of me day in and day out and the friends I managed to make there aren’t even slightly interested in anything I like or even how my day is. I feel out of place in this world & am ready to take my losses and end it all if things continue like this but like the title says I just want to know why things are this cruel. Simply, just why?? I finally graduated and the friends I did have barely or never spoke to me ever again which really hurt and I started working soon after and felt like I turned a corner in life but not long after I would lose said job, the ONE girl I managed to convince to like me and I crashed my car which nearly killed me, which I wish it did by the way. I eventually found a new job I’m still at now and then a year later of the same suffering like I felt in school the pandemic hits…. And i feel like I want to die even further than I already did.

Winnie333 Friend may have depression (maybe?)
  • replies: 0

Hey everyone! I am new to this forum and thankyou Beyond Blue for creating a space like this I want to get some insight to how others deal with depression and see if you have any suggestions for me to help as a friend. A bit of context My friend is a... View more

Hey everyone! I am new to this forum and thankyou Beyond Blue for creating a space like this I want to get some insight to how others deal with depression and see if you have any suggestions for me to help as a friend. A bit of context My friend is a typical middled age man with 2 adult kids and has expressed to me lately being tell me his feels suicidual (thinking about it/minor self-harm) and has no interest in anything. He also calls this no interest a "volid" in which he tries to fill it up with hobbies, volunteer, working 2 jobs etc. He says he has everything stable in his life, but his just sad and feels the only way to deal with this 'volid' is to die. Its crazy because his also very smart and learns alot about many different things (e.g. holds 4 degrees, can play 2 instructments, speaking 3 languages etc). Also this 'volid' feeling for him has being going on for years, according to him (I would assume since maybe his 20s). He gets moody from time to time and its sometimes hard to talk about his feelings as his not very expressive and negative (e.g. "I don't want to talk about" or "I just want to hurt myself" etc). Funny enough in person his fun, energtic and got a wick sense of humour and the 'depressed' side is not what he shows to everyone. Also in real life his still works 2 jobs and in his spare time, at the moment, learning to code (very impressive!). His recenlty also started taking up drinking 2 bottles of beer each night, which is very unusual for him as well. Its good that he talks about this issue, but he did say I am the only person he mentioned it to. I have also given him phone numbers to helplines and counselling services (which I am not surprised.... he does not take action). I have asked other friends about how they handled a situation similar to this. They emphasised a lot on keeping the communication open, which I have being doing. I hope it does make him feel better in some way. Questions 1. What is this volid? He doesn't really describe this feeling of emptiness very well and I have asked a few times. 2. How do others deal with 'no interest'? 3. What has being helpful things your friends/family have done? 4. And how do you encourage a person to go on a recovery jounrey 5. What ways can I encourage him to seek professional help Please share your stories I would love to know and understand Thankyou kindly everyone

Guest_8472 I just don’t know myself..
  • replies: 10

Hi all, so I’ve lurked on these forums a long time, trying to understand myself and what I’m feeling but I just can’t explain what it is. I know in my heart I’m broken. Im 26 years old and Male. Ever since I was in my tweens and early teens my life h... View more

Hi all, so I’ve lurked on these forums a long time, trying to understand myself and what I’m feeling but I just can’t explain what it is. I know in my heart I’m broken. Im 26 years old and Male. Ever since I was in my tweens and early teens my life has been one big mess to the next. My home life was upturned when my parents divorced at 11, ever since then I have t felt right. I missed so much school in those times just because I didn’t cope as much as I lied to myself and I think that partly why I’m such a loser now. My Mum suffered a nervous breakdown after the divorce and since then has had multiple health issues including cancers, she’s never recovered cognitively, and has had constant treatment. and I took on a lot of responsibility for the running of the household and just a lot of her pain. That’s why I’ve shut out what I’ve been feeling for so long because I don’t want her to have her son be such a failure and I need to be strong for her. I dropped out of school at Year 11, because truthfully I was naive, being avoidant and just had these grand ideas of going to TAFE, and somehow getting a job. That never worked out because I just never had any motivation and was constantly fretting over Mum..and spent a few years unemployed. A family member helped me snag a menial job in 2015 just doing some record keeping. I felt for while I had my life together..but under the surface I was still no where near content. One day in 2017 I just suffered a massive panic attack out of the blue…and I just stormed out of the workplace never to return. and That’s where I’ve been. Floundering since 2017 trying to keep up this facade of being ok, trying to find a job and looking after Mum still. I’m on Jobseeker and not coping with the requirements I need to meet. I’ve been trying to work up the courage to see my GP about it all but I honestly don’t know if it’s worth it. Somedays I’m fine, it doesn’t feel like anything’s bothering me but then I’ll hit a wall or have something push me too far and I’ll just shut down. I won’t leave my room, I constantly worry. My brain just doesn’t stop But even then i Just feel an emptiness most days even when I feel ok. I just don’t feel like myself…I can’t explain it. It actually drives me mad. I’ve never wanted to commit suicide, I’ve had fleeting thoughts but thinking of my family brings me back down. i just need a break. Sorry for such a long post, I’ve left out a lot.. I honestly just wanted to vent. Thanks for reading.

A-X-K Am I faking it?
  • replies: 5

I’ve been feeling completely isolated lately. I’ve been slowly building up this dam of emotions and secrets and things that I don’t want to bother others with. Ive gotten to an extreme low and I want to see someone about what is beginning to feel lik... View more

I’ve been feeling completely isolated lately. I’ve been slowly building up this dam of emotions and secrets and things that I don’t want to bother others with. Ive gotten to an extreme low and I want to see someone about what is beginning to feel like a growing monster in my head. But in the past I’ve been accused of making up the things that I’m dealing with. And my automatic answer is to say no I’m not making it up. But the growing monster in my head keeps telling me that maybe I have been and I’m just so used to making it up now that it feels real. what I’m worried about most of all is that even if someone was to believe me enough to take me to see someone, the doctor or who ever it is will just take one look at me and tell me that they were right and that I didn’t need to come. cause if that’s the case then I’m dealing with something so tiny and insignificant that it just shows how pathetic I am. And then I am stuck on my own trying to fix what should be the tiny and insignificant thing but feels like this huge mess. so I guess what I need help with understanding is if I should even try at this point?

StgCrw Ongoing issues. Where to even begin?
  • replies: 4

Hi, I’m not new to these forums but I haven’t posted in ages. I’ve been struggling with depression, some anxiety and near constant suicidal thoughts for a few years now. I tried to reach out to a GP and found the process humiliating and unproductive ... View more

Hi, I’m not new to these forums but I haven’t posted in ages. I’ve been struggling with depression, some anxiety and near constant suicidal thoughts for a few years now. I tried to reach out to a GP and found the process humiliating and unproductive - I left with little more than a pat on the back and vague suggestions to “make some life changes”. Since this bad experience I have resisted going back even though I know I really should. I recently settled on a method of dying that suits me and I have acquired everything I need, but I have no specific time or date set to go through with it. I guess I’m waiting to reach a threshold of desperation or agitation that will allow me to overcome any reservations. I don’t anticipate that this will happen anytime soon unless something happens that puts me in a bad place. I used to have some outlets I could use that would help me feel better, usually outdoor activities, but now I can’t get the motivation together to even really try. I have become very unfit which has fed negatively into already terrible self image. It also probably doesn’t help that I live on my own a fair way out of town, I don’t really get any visitors, and having to drive over an hour to work is an hour each way that I’m left with no distractions from my own thoughts. I have a full time job which I have a love/hate relationship with. There are aspects of it that bring me great satisfaction, but it is also the direct cause of a lot of the issues I now have to deal with, esp. anxiety. The live entertainment industry has a terrible track record for mental health outcomes, even before COVID ruined everything. I have lost several of my friends to suicide. In the build up to a large event it’s normal to have some pre gig nerves. These days though the pre gig jitters has morphed into something closer to a state of panic, although I am good at hiding it. It’s all I’ve known since high school however and I don’t think I have the courage to start from scratch doing something new. I also worry about being able to support myself, if I have to start again at the bottom. I already struggle financially. I guess the point to all this is that I don’t know what to do, where to go from here, how to get myself some help. To be honest if help was offered I’m not 100% sure I would follow it because I think I do actually want to die. And yet I’m writing this post in this space so who knows ? Thanks for listening anyway.

Squid1 Feeling like an infection
  • replies: 6

Feeling like a big ball of distortion, my body is screaming and punching while my shell is limp and lethargic, everything I tough turns grey and I can’t seem to strip any happiness from anything, I have people that care about me and say things to mot... View more

Feeling like a big ball of distortion, my body is screaming and punching while my shell is limp and lethargic, everything I tough turns grey and I can’t seem to strip any happiness from anything, I have people that care about me and say things to motivate me but I feel like my inner child is dead just fragmented memories of things I liked or used to like or be, but my soul feels empty I don’t even know who I am. I want to run away and go off the grid I’ve had a very rough upbringing and I feel safest when something traumatic happens I feel safe with my fight or flight, I feel like a lunatic. What is the best first step or any advise on why I might feel like this.

idkkk i dont really know im just feeling a bit tired of myself
  • replies: 4

I just kinda feel like I'm always the villain that ruins everything. No body texts me and I feel like I'm always the problem, or I'm just so annoying. I always make a big deal out of everything and I just feel like a really bad person. I hurt many ma... View more

I just kinda feel like I'm always the villain that ruins everything. No body texts me and I feel like I'm always the problem, or I'm just so annoying. I always make a big deal out of everything and I just feel like a really bad person. I hurt many many people and I feel very guilty for my actions. Its my fault that I decided to draw attention to something so little and I believe that I really shouldn't post this. I'm sure that when I'm feeling sad, I'm just pitying myself and its really not that bad and countless people have it so much worse than me. I used to have a friend but I always had fights with her and it was because I always escalated the situation and she does not talk to me anymore. I'm intolerable and get too angry too often and when I do, I lash out and do hurtful things to people that I care for. I've been feeling alone and I feel like everything bad that happens is always my fault. I want to stop feeling this way but I'm just too lazy to work on myself. I feel as though I'm never good enough and that people will hate me unconditionally. Most of the time I am ashamed of what I say or what I do. I feel ugly, worthless and stupid. I don't know.