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

marnieelizabeth i need help
  • replies: 3

I’m so depressed i’ve barely left my bed in days. i got a letter from my phycologist who suggest going from full time 5 days a week to 3 days a week to see if i managed better. i can count on one hand the amount of days i’ve gone to work in the past ... View more

I’m so depressed i’ve barely left my bed in days. i got a letter from my phycologist who suggest going from full time 5 days a week to 3 days a week to see if i managed better. i can count on one hand the amount of days i’ve gone to work in the past 2 months, i’m scared i’m going to lose my job but my mental health is crippling and the longer i put off going back the harder it is to. i feel so lonely and weak. it’s just getting worse but i can’t bring myself to reach out to the ones close to me, i physically just can’t do it and i’m so scared that my depression has gotten this deep

Niks85 The news of man with bipolar being attacked by police has affected me
  • replies: 10

Yesterday I turned on the news because I heard that a man struggling with bipolar was attacked by police while being arrested and is now in a coma. It's seriously affected me because I have bipolar and I know what it's like to seek help at hospital a... View more

Yesterday I turned on the news because I heard that a man struggling with bipolar was attacked by police while being arrested and is now in a coma. It's seriously affected me because I have bipolar and I know what it's like to seek help at hospital and wait longer than 24hours for a bed like this man did. I feel so awful for him it's left me feeling down

Original_nickname Depression.
  • replies: 9

I don't know how to start one of these so i will just get into it. I enjoy barely anything anymore and I am constantly isolating myself. I can eat a lot like a lot for one week and then go without food for three days with little water. It's hard to s... View more

I don't know how to start one of these so i will just get into it. I enjoy barely anything anymore and I am constantly isolating myself. I can eat a lot like a lot for one week and then go without food for three days with little water. It's hard to sleep taking around 2 hours to fall asleep. I self harm sometimes and have daily thoughts on suicide. I get angry very easily My Stepfather used to pick me up by the ear and chuck me into my room, he even used to hit my head and tell me to toughen up a lot. I don't usually talk about this anymore because the last time I did (which was to my parents) they said "everyone is feeling the same" and walked away. I also believe i have ADD, I get distracted easily, find it really hard to do school work and I am always loosing things only 5 minutes after putting them away somewhere. I also don't know what to say at the end so i will just say, bye and thank you for your time.

cv02 Depressed about my pretender life
  • replies: 12

I'm 36, wife and two young kids. I have an undergraduate degree, a masters in accounting and am a CPA working for a bankp1. It sounds great on paper but everyday I feel like a pretender to the degree that I have been diagnosed with depression. I work... View more

I'm 36, wife and two young kids. I have an undergraduate degree, a masters in accounting and am a CPA working for a bankp1. It sounds great on paper but everyday I feel like a pretender to the degree that I have been diagnosed with depression. I work as a management accountant which does not require any skills whatsoever and now I feel like I know nothing. Like I cant remember anything I've ever learnt and it has gotten to the degree that I'm scared of making mistakes. Even small mistakes where "it's ok to fail because it's just another step of learning". I feel lke I'm worthless. I look at my kids and cry because I feel like they have a worthless father who will get made redundant and will end up as a loser. This unreasonable thought is affecting my life and my work even though nothing has happened yet!! All I know is that I dont want to do it anymore but I dont know what else to do. I have read things like "do what you are passionate about" but I'm not passionate about anything other than my wife and kids. But this won't pay my mortgage or put food on the table. Not sure what to do..

Liiina Bipolar and medication
  • replies: 4

Hi there I’ve recently got the diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder I’m on meds at the moment but I feel like it slows me down.they are helping me so much to function and live a meaningful life but for some reason I struggle to keep taking it, eve... View more

Hi there I’ve recently got the diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder I’m on meds at the moment but I feel like it slows me down.they are helping me so much to function and live a meaningful life but for some reason I struggle to keep taking it, every time it works for a little while I go off them and have the same cycle over and over again is anyone here struggling to take meds for bipolar? How do you guys manage it ? I feel a lot smarter, more confident and think faster without meds it’s hard to give it up for the mood stability

PrincessMilktea Am I being unhealthy?
  • replies: 28

So despite the fact that I'm posting this in the depression forum I'd consider myself a pretty happy person overall, I just didn't know where to post this and depression seemed like the best fit, so my apologies in advance. Basically, everything in m... View more

So despite the fact that I'm posting this in the depression forum I'd consider myself a pretty happy person overall, I just didn't know where to post this and depression seemed like the best fit, so my apologies in advance. Basically, everything in my life is going great except for the fact that I seem to have lost the ability to emotionally connect with others. I've noticed that I fake my emotions often and pretend to be more interested/invested than I actually am in people because I either don't want to hurt their feelings, want to gain something from them, or I just feel a strong compulsion to behave normally to preserve my 'image'. I'm averse to standing out in any way (good or bad) and go to great lengths to keep a low profile whether at work or uni or just my social circles. I feel anxiety from being noticeably different from others and thus will not let people know how apathetic I truly am on the inside. The irony is that I want to emotionally connect with others but I can't seem to genuinely feel anything for them, even though they're mostly amazing people and had I met them when I was younger I would have definitely felt close to them. I think this apathy stems from just my terrible past friendships, relationships and familial trauma. Over the years I've had to dissolve many close relations with people I've cared deeply for and now I'm starting to think I'm emotionally burnt out as a result. This is going to sound sociopathic but I view like 90% of the people in my life as disposable. I know I feel next to nothing for most of them and that the only reason I'm not a full-blown sociopath is because I have enough empathy and integrity to realise they deserve to be treated better and I would feel terribly guilty for hurting them, so I treat them with compassion, commitment, support and 'perform' my duties in whatever capacity they need me to be. I don't know if I should continue down this current trajectory or make an attempt to 'feel' again. It's not that much of an issue but nonethless it alarms me, and I wonder if it warrants going back to therapy. I apologise if my problems seem trivial in comparison to a lot of people here struggling with depression, I hope I haven't offended anyone and that my internal verbiage isn't too difficult to follow. I'd appreciate any insight/advice.

user981 Girl pushed me away for being nice and caring
  • replies: 4

So this girl used to be extremely close with me then things started going downhill... she started being different. She says she's got depression which I think is from other guys in the past which have hurt her and this may be a reason why she does ce... View more

So this girl used to be extremely close with me then things started going downhill... she started being different. She says she's got depression which I think is from other guys in the past which have hurt her and this may be a reason why she does certain things. She always brings me close and then pushes me away. She's told me she's scared we will get close again and she doesn't want to be that close so she pushes me away. (I've tried telling her that I don't want to be that close and just want to be friends) it's confusing what she does, one moment we are talking good and are happy and then the next moment she's pushing me away and says she doesn't want to talk to me. I don't get what causes her to be nervous after she seems very comfortable and happy to talking. Some reasons which she mentioned were that she gets nervous, she is uncomfortable, she doesn't want to get too close again. She told me that she is not used to someone caring so much for her and says she is nervous and scared. She also said: "i know there aren’t many nice people in life. but i’m not used to it and it’s scary" "I don't like it" "i know it sounds dumb to push someone away who’s nice to you but it’s overwhelming" "i don’t want to be hurt but i’m not used to people treating me this good and it sounds dumb but i don’t like it" So that's what she said... I have given up on chasing her and I said I won't talk to her but I will always be here if she needs anything. Anyone know why she says that and thinks that way though? Will she realise maybe that she has lost someone good in her life?

relatereality Guilt, rage and emotional rollercoasters
  • replies: 5

Hi, I am very new to this and have read through many other threads (which have been great in making me feel like I am not alone) but I just felt I should write a thread to see if anyone else would relate or if what I'm feeling even makes sense, or if... View more

Hi, I am very new to this and have read through many other threads (which have been great in making me feel like I am not alone) but I just felt I should write a thread to see if anyone else would relate or if what I'm feeling even makes sense, or if I'm just being overdramatic. Anyway, ive found that lately my rollercoasters of emotions have been that much more draining. Thinking back through my memories I recall times where I was over-hyper, to the point it was incredibly embarrassing and left people almost uncomfortable. Or periods where I was depressed and turned to going out every weekend and over indulging in everything I really shouldn't be. But lately day to day life has just become confusing. Working shifts have become a period of intense happiness and then just dull separation from my surroundings. I am either happy or incredibly full of rage, taking it out on my family and arguing so intensely over minute things that the neighbours can hear and I then sit in my own shame. Small inconveniences in my relationships and upsetting people have left me wanting to remove everyone from my life and run away. I would love to sometimes live in a void of nothingness, which sounds silly but I am paranoid of everything. I push people away based on my own preconceptions for months at a time. I live with someone who is experiencing their own detrimental problems and seeing this makes me want to take control and steer my life in a better place than theirs. I'm worried that my emotions are starting to take more of a hold of my life - how I act in the workplace and my relationships. Usually I would be able to keep these things to myself. I fear that ultimately i'll reach a level of chaos and leave destruction behind that I will never be able to clean up and that everyone will view me as a horrible person. But I have a heart and all I want to give is love yet all that comes out is neglect for others or crazy highs where I would be able to take over the world and succeed and that nothing really matters because I perceive myself as a future godlike person. That sounds so very silly but I dont know where these emotions come from cause it isn't who I really am or want to be. Im rambling at this point but if anyone has any idea on how I can dampen these waves that seem to take over me I would love to talk to you and discuss anything that may come to mind

niko22 Dealing with Guilt and Separation
  • replies: 4

Hey everyone, I've been really struggling with the negative impact I've had on someone else's life and the separation anxiety and feelings of guilt that has come of it. I have recently stopped talking to my ex-girlfriend, We dated for 2 years and for... View more

Hey everyone, I've been really struggling with the negative impact I've had on someone else's life and the separation anxiety and feelings of guilt that has come of it. I have recently stopped talking to my ex-girlfriend, We dated for 2 years and for the most part it went well however i was not totally engaged towards the end of it and made some terrible decisions that tore us apart and eventually ended the relationship. What hurt the most was we still had love for one another after the breakup, even despite the fact of what I had done to her as well. I was holding onto her because I still loved her and wanted to make things work but I knew that the destruction I had caused was too much for her and that i had to let go. Things ended peacefully and we both gave one another the closure we desired but I just can't shrug the pain. This has been really hard for me and it hasn't been the first time something like this has happened to me. I am pursuing professional help and have made conscious efforts to try and rid myself of the negative behaviours that keep leading me into these predicaments, but letting go of her and processing the guilt is proving difficult. Has anyone else gone through something similar and have any advice to give?

stressedcrayon Having a little vent...
  • replies: 4

Could be triggering Mentions of: Animal sickness, death Possibly toxic parents I am currently doing a year 12 equivalent. I managed to get past the last semester of school with really good marks but I'm still mentally exhausted from the last couple o... View more

Could be triggering Mentions of: Animal sickness, death Possibly toxic parents I am currently doing a year 12 equivalent. I managed to get past the last semester of school with really good marks but I'm still mentally exhausted from the last couple of weeks of tests and assessments. Didn't help that an animal companion of mine was dying and had to be put down just a couple days before starting. I watched him stop eating, drinking and he lost a lot of weight. It hit me hard as I knew at the start of his last 48 hours there was no chance of recovery. He was a small animal so it's harder to determine what exactly had made him this way and it was harder to find out on his species. Unfortunately small animals will try to hide their illness. His birthday was only a couple of days before. I wish I could turn back time but I can't. I can't change what happened to him. My mother was quick to mention the vet bills, it hadn't even been half a day. Yet she was even "upset" about putting him down. That wasn't the last mention of money either. The next day was my father's day with me, the day after school. He has emotionally blackmailed me in the past that still effects me. School didn't start on a good point with me already being depressed and now mourning. I'm pretty much a zombie and I fail to complete my first assessment - a report. It was a simple report to do but being depressed, sleep deprived, starved (starving myself = no energy) and dumb, doesn't lead to much good. I find it hard to ask for help and it doesn't help I'm a bit of a perfectionist (I'm insecure about not being smart). Believing I was out of the course I texted my mother (I was too scared to do it in person) while my father was still around as I was afraid of being yelled at and kicked out. I expressed that I was upset about it and did not what to talk about it right away. She didn't respect my feelings and wishes... I stayed at my Grandma's and with her calm touch things were getting better and we finished the report together. Now a weeks later I am in a similar situation again... very stressed and still depressed... my mother knows it's overdue... she did offer to help once but I was currently angry as I remembered about all the times she yelled, ignored and degraded/belittled me... So today has been a mixture of anger and crying... Am falling behind as we speak both school and mental health wise... I am just feeling like I'm mentally destroyed Will try to mention to my therapist...