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
Jump to
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

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.

Chris_B Are you looking to support someone else with depression? PLEASE READ before posting
  • replies: 1

This forum is for people seeking support for their own mental health issues. If you're posting on behalf of someone else with a mental health issue that you're concerned about, please have a look at this section of our forums: Supporting family and f... View more

This forum is for people seeking support for their own mental health issues. If you're posting on behalf of someone else with a mental health issue that you're concerned about, please have a look at this section of our forums: Supporting family and friends with a mental health condition It's full of threads from people who have family members and friends going through anxiety, depression or other related conditions. Have a read through the threads there, and feel free to take part in the discussions. Below are also some helpful beyondblue resources you might want to look through first as well: Supporting someone Have the conversation

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

ChilledChaos Falling back down the hole
  • replies: 3

Hello.... I have been sitting here for the last 10 mins, staring at the screen, thinking how do I put what is in my head, into words on a forum with a bunch of strangers. I really should be at work today, but have taken a sick day (once again), as I ... View more

Hello.... I have been sitting here for the last 10 mins, staring at the screen, thinking how do I put what is in my head, into words on a forum with a bunch of strangers. I really should be at work today, but have taken a sick day (once again), as I just don't want to see anyone and put that fake polite facade on that every this good and I had a great weekend. Truth be told, for the last several months, I only go outside my front door for work or to take the garbage bin out. I have been actively avoiding going out, even to the shops - thank goodness for internet shopping. Pretty much my entire socialization is online only. Over a year ago, I came out of a severe bout of depression (not the first time), including taking antidepressant medication and therapy sessions. I hate taking the medication, even though it helps and gives me more positive confidence, I dislike what it does to my brain and memory. I have had two Therapists in the past that were lovely, but I feel they weren't able to assist, as I have had an unusual background, both did mention I must have learnt to have a lot resilience at a young age and should even write a book about my life. Yes, it has made me wiser and good at human nature, however, I feel like an outcast, a bit of a fake. Like many, I feel CoVID, gave me a reason to indulge in depressive behaviours and isolation (probably more like avoidance), it become a blanket of comfort, but the silence was deafening. As restrictions eased and we started going back to normal, I wasn't able to adjust, however once again, I pretended I was fine. My workload tripled, and I have suffered severe burnout, to the point it affected my health and my blood pressure hitting dangerous levels. I have decided to quit my job and remove myself from the casework industry. I feel trapped, confused and hopeless at times, I know I need to take some time to rest, but I'm not in a financial situation for that. The hardest thing is having limited support and not having anyone to lean on. I'm a self-saboteur, have a fear of success, lost motivation and joy. Ironically, I'm the person, people come for advice and support, that is happy, friendly and approachable, but man I'm a totally complex mess and just want to have some peace from it all. How do people find ways to become friends with the darkness and still function in society. Are we just faking it and going through the motions, one day at a time. Along with where do you find support when you're vulnerable.

Juliet Counselling help
  • replies: 2

Hi Everyone, I am going through a bit of a slump at the moment and just wondering what sort of councillor would help the most. I have basically been in bed since June and am feeling No motivation even though I’m not feeling dreadfully down like I hav... View more

Hi Everyone, I am going through a bit of a slump at the moment and just wondering what sort of councillor would help the most. I have basically been in bed since June and am feeling No motivation even though I’m not feeling dreadfully down like I have in the past. I am not going out at all except for once a week when I go with my boyfriend to my parents house for dinner, which I sometimes miss. I have been seeing a psychologist for about five sessions but I feel like I might need some sort of more practical help to help me out. I find psychologists are a lot about listening rather than actual advice on what to do. Would a therapist or something be a better option for me? Thanks a lot Juliet

Alexlisa Feeling apathy about something I was previously feeling very positive about. Which is real?
  • replies: 1

At the end of last year I was super excited about moving to a city that will allow me a better quality of life. I’d gone to visit there and was looking at rentals and planning the move. But because of border lockdowns I had to wait a few months befor... View more

At the end of last year I was super excited about moving to a city that will allow me a better quality of life. I’d gone to visit there and was looking at rentals and planning the move. But because of border lockdowns I had to wait a few months before I could go back. In the meantime my depression relapsed and even though the borders are open I feel such apathy about the whole thing that it just feels like way too much effort for something I now don’t even care about. I can’t get in touch with any of the positive feelings about the move, even though I rationally remember working out that it would be a very good thing in the long run. But my current mindset makes me feel like my positive feelings about it must have been untrue, and these current thoughts (that it’s all a bad idea) are in fact reality. I don’t know what to do/think. A great opportunity came up for me in the new city, but it means I need to move in the next 6 months. But I’m spending most of my time struggling to just get off the couch and feel this looming limbo and apathy. My depression usually takes a VERY long time to improve (often years) so it feels like waiting around to feel better will just leave me stuck.

Shesme Struggling with my breakup with my partner with undiagnosed BPD
  • replies: 2

Hi all, Just writing as I'm completely struggling with my breakup two weeks ago with my partner who I am 99% sure had unsteadiness BPD. He has opened up to me on so many occasions offer the last 10 months about his intense life struggles. I think thi... View more

Hi all, Just writing as I'm completely struggling with my breakup two weeks ago with my partner who I am 99% sure had unsteadiness BPD. He has opened up to me on so many occasions offer the last 10 months about his intense life struggles. I think this hurts even more as I'm used to him consistently splitting and self-harming for periods at a time. I opened up to him that I couldn't take things the way they were and within an instant he cut off from being excessively clingy and loving to he just wanted to be alone, for a really long time and he wanted me to find someone else. He has made so many positive changes since the beginning of our relationship (I'm his first long term partner ever) I feel I have failed him, we were so connected. Just feeling so down and heartbroken. Both he and I have no contact with our families so this is really tough. I'm used to contact after a few days to a couple of weeks as he stabilised again. But this is different. Dealing with BPD (with other mental health struggles intertwined into this for him) is so damn heartbreaking and tough. Do I continue to try to be there for him? I have so much love and respect for what this man battles every day. Thankyou in advance x

Hollyy_m Can’t function
  • replies: 5

Honestly idk how these things work but I have a big problem. I can’t function like a normal person like I just can’t get up and go to school every day and answer normal questions and do things and have showers. And listening to that you’d think it’s ... View more

Honestly idk how these things work but I have a big problem. I can’t function like a normal person like I just can’t get up and go to school every day and answer normal questions and do things and have showers. And listening to that you’d think it’s like depression but I’m not sure it is because I don’t feel sad or depressed. I’ve been suicidal before and all that and it’s not like that at all. I ither feel completely numb, like the world is ending or on top of the world and unstoppable. And I don’t have the energy to control the swings so I kind of just sleep and drink my life away. Like I can’t keep focused on one emotion or one subject or anything. I was meant to get my laptop fixed 2 months ago. I was meant to get 2 blood tests a month ago and see a few doctors and I bailed on all of them. I literally haven’t showered in a long time and I havent gone to school in 2 weeks my mum is so disappointed It’s so annoying but I can’t getround to doing things. The week there was mould growing in my room and there still is like what am I doing. And it’s not like I don’t do anything at all I’ll go out and see my mates and get drinks but that’s it. Idk what’s wrong with me at I just super lazy.

G1231 Feeling depressed
  • replies: 3

1. I only get along with my mother and I don't get along with my siblings or father, this is due to him pretty much treating me differently to them all my life and he has had a habit over the years of being nice to me for a while, then saying or doin... View more

1. I only get along with my mother and I don't get along with my siblings or father, this is due to him pretty much treating me differently to them all my life and he has had a habit over the years of being nice to me for a while, then saying or doing something to ruin the relationship and we don't talk for months. Then he will want to act very nice to me again only to turn on me again and say or do something hurtful, and I am really sick of him. I feel he has undermined me time and again by trying to turn me away from education, trying to convince me to stay in a job where I was being mentally abused by toxic management, trying to control who I date and don't date, he even yelled at me because I buy my own groceries and I bought a brand of juice that my brother doesn't like. Another time he screamed abuse at me from the kitchen because I bought a coffee from McDonalds and he didn't like it, I won't repeat what he said. Also he never let me have friends over as a kid and he wouldn't even take me to other friends houses, he told me to walk, so I was a young kid driving on a dangerous highway and could have been hit at any time. Looking back, he has been extremely irresponsible in how I was raised and all of the stupid crap he tried to put into my head, like bragging about how much he likes to fight, sleeping with as many women as possible, how much of a "thug" he was, and because I don't follow in his footsteps and sit around listening to his vulgar talk / porn, I am rejected. 2. I also have had problems with jobs, typically because of management. I am not bragging at all because this has stressed me out to no end, but I seem to attract a lot of negative attention from people because of how hard I work and I typically end up showing some people up, especially in my current job. I want to switch industry to a more office based role instead of retail but I don't have much confidence in myself and I kind of lack soft skills. 3. I also feel that I lack a real purpose in my life. I get home from work and school and I just wish I knew of some kind of project to work on or build but I can't think of anything I really feel passionate about. I wish I had something that really pleased me, like some kind of interest or talent, but I don't know of anything sadly. I feel like I'm wasting my life working and trying to get ahead, but my personal time is wasted and I don't know what to do with myself in my own time.

manicmonkey I'm bipolar, depressed, lonely and isolated from my bipolar friend
  • replies: 16

Hi all, I had no clue where to post this. It covers a few bases. I'm a 50ish male; diagnosed as manic depressive 23 years ago. Been on the usual treatment rollercoaster, but managing, generally successfully, unmedicated for a number of years now. My ... View more

Hi all, I had no clue where to post this. It covers a few bases. I'm a 50ish male; diagnosed as manic depressive 23 years ago. Been on the usual treatment rollercoaster, but managing, generally successfully, unmedicated for a number of years now. My major episodes are pretty much always triggered by personal losses though, and just in the last few years I've lost my sole surviving parent and three friends (two to cancer and one to suicide). My best and closest friend succumbed to cancer after a long, tough battle last year, leaving me with only my partner and one close friend, who is also bipolar, and who I've known almost a decade. I've been in a relationship for a dozen years, but my partner and I have been 'growing apart' for some time. She's retired and living out of town, while I live and work in the suburbs during the week, and drive out to her on weekends. We're really just friends that share a roof two days a week now, and, though she's a warm and caring person, she avoids anything difficult. Like ... bipolar disorder. She jokingly describes both me and my friend as 'Flakey'. My surviving friend has had a very, very tough year. As a result she began socially isolating several months ago, and has been completely ignoring me for a month or two at a time, but, on the (very) rare occasions that she does respond, she still tells me she's pleased to hear from me. She keeps saying "It's not just you", when I ask her not to shut me out, but I know she's still managing to function day to day, and she's found a new boyfriend during the same period she's been 'isolating'. She told me not too long ago that she was "Done with relationships", and I'm very worried that this one isn't going to last very long, and she's going to suffer another big setback. I care for her a great deal, but I'm also feeling very hurt that she's pushed me away while she's obviously able to socialize with relative strangers and begin new relationships. I really want to be 'there' for her, but I also wish she was 'here' for me. I feel so much better when she's around, and she keeps telling me "you're always a laugh". Apart from the fact she's just an adorable human being, it's so good to talk to someone I don't have to explain the BP to. I am not a 'people person'; I don't make friends easily, but when I do bond with someone I tend to go "all in", so this is all extremely difficult and painful for me. With everything stacking up I'm feeling extremely lost and alone.

kran Frustrated with the cycle - AGAIN
  • replies: 8

So I'm new here. I'm feeling super frustrated with this life of working my way through episodes - depression, anxiety, life's good - repeat. I know there are so many of us out here from all walks of life fighting the same battles. Mine is the truly l... View more

So I'm new here. I'm feeling super frustrated with this life of working my way through episodes - depression, anxiety, life's good - repeat. I know there are so many of us out here from all walks of life fighting the same battles. Mine is the truly lucky type of life (the one I remind myself I deserve as I've learned to do over the years) Wonderful family, friends, home, lifestyle and a great psychiatrist I've been seeing for nearly 20 who has literally been a life saver...I just wish this illness would go away forever. It's been a tough few weeks on and off. Really great days and REALLY rough days. I've been cycling a bit after coming out of hard lockdown. Being social again has been great but at the same time so very very challenging. It's exhausting. I hate feeling so low. I hate not having energy. I hate knowing what I need to do to help myself but just not wanting to do it right now. I hate not enjoying anything. I hate the negative thoughts that just won't go away. I hate that it impacts my husband. I REALLY hate that it impacts my kids. I just hate... I'll get through it. I always do. I just wish getting through it didn't mean "going" through it over and over and I wish it hadn't ruined my confidence in my ability to do life. I wish I never want to talk to people when I feel like this, just hide away, so this a bit of a win I'm hiding and talking without talking... Thank you for being a place to just be

Toughavocado33 Moving for uni, feeling lonely, adult things, depression and lots of sleeping
  • replies: 3

Hi there! I'm kinda struggling a lot. I moved states to attend uni to focus on my dream goal of doing art as a living. I moved into a sharehouse/boarding house almost and we live our own lives with little interaction. I sleep through the days, skippi... View more

Hi there! I'm kinda struggling a lot. I moved states to attend uni to focus on my dream goal of doing art as a living. I moved into a sharehouse/boarding house almost and we live our own lives with little interaction. I sleep through the days, skipping uni classes and have racked up a heavy amount of work to catch up on. I've missed one deadline - my first assignment. I don't know what to do. I don't have any motivation to do anything. At first I did. I went to the library and got out a mass amount of books related to my units and was so keen to get started. But everything went down hill. I don't have any family here and didn't move with any friends so I have no support network. I'm sorry angry with myself. I was a pretty successful high school student that that excelled in my studies but obviously with the change everything is messed up. I don't know if I should move back home, stick it out... I've missed the time where we can say we don't wish to continue uni anymore for the semester so I've already got a small debt waiting for me anyway. Everything is just a stupid mess. Thank you!

spaceyogurt Feeling down + anxious lately
  • replies: 2

Hi My first post here so kinda nervous. I have been feeling really down and anxious lately. I also noticed that I have been socially isolating myself for a while now. Its been affecting my studies as I cant concentrate much anymore.I feel tired all t... View more

Hi My first post here so kinda nervous. I have been feeling really down and anxious lately. I also noticed that I have been socially isolating myself for a while now. Its been affecting my studies as I cant concentrate much anymore.I feel tired all the time, and have no motivation to do anything. I'm not getting enough sleep as anxiety keeps me up till late, and I have to wakeup early in the mornings. I'm an introvert, and i also have social anxiety, which has prevented me from making close friends at university, all the friendships i've made here are very superficial, therefore im not comfortable talking to someone about my mental health. Most of the time I just feel like nobody cares. Im doing a psychiatry module at medical school right now, and its really hard for me as everything I learn makes me feel like its talking about me. And as someone who witnessed Domestic violence as a kid, it makes me really uncomfortable (get chills, cant focus) in the classes if DV is being talked about. I've tried doing some CBT worksheets from online, but I cant keep on track as I have zero motivation on most days,and exhausted at the end of the day. I have also been meditating lately, it helps a little on anxiety, but not my mood. I just wanted to vent a bit here as I am really overwhelmed by my emotions.