Depression

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

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BeyondBlue Hello! Read this if you're not sure how to get started
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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 chats on this Forum having 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?
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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
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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

rebecca2012 depression
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idk what to doive been put on meds and its not workingmy head is so flooded with thoughtsi cant distract myselfim struggling with S.H tooanyone got suggestions..?...please.

idk what to doive been put on meds and its not workingmy head is so flooded with thoughtsi cant distract myselfim struggling with S.H tooanyone got suggestions..?...please.

Mr K Losing my grasp on perspective.
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Some days are better than others but at the moment I feel like my life is slowly slipping out of my control and I'm just feeling utterly overwhelmed and isolated from support. I feel like all my close friends are out of contact, my remaining family m... View more

Some days are better than others but at the moment I feel like my life is slowly slipping out of my control and I'm just feeling utterly overwhelmed and isolated from support. I feel like all my close friends are out of contact, my remaining family my elderly father lives on the other side of the world, my last relationship ended last year and I'm afraid to speak to anyone at work in case the facade falls and they see me as a wreck. As a single dad, i struggle at the best of times to find time for myself let alone time to speak to anyone about this. I feel like my work is starting to really suffer because of my state and I feel overwhelmed trying to put it right and restore confidence. I don't want to end my life and I can't afford to not work but I wish I could just reset things somehow and start again. I don't know how much longer I can last in this constant state of survival. I feel like I'm running out of options and I don't know what else I can do.

naralle Depression sucks
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I'm really getting sick of my depression. I'm on medication and they do help. I do have my good days but when my depression kicks right in I can barely function. It's really frustrating I want to scream

I'm really getting sick of my depression. I'm on medication and they do help. I do have my good days but when my depression kicks right in I can barely function. It's really frustrating I want to scream

KatnissPrimrose Ever feel you have no control?
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We are at our boss' disposal.We are at our landlord's/real estate's disposal.We HAVE to pay tax and GST.We HAVE to vote.We HAVE to all the social 'norms'.We can lose it all in a second if we don't comply.

We are at our boss' disposal.We are at our landlord's/real estate's disposal.We HAVE to pay tax and GST.We HAVE to vote.We HAVE to all the social 'norms'.We can lose it all in a second if we don't comply.

Guest_74403194 Struggling to find joy
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I recently went on holiday to Japan and loved it so much I didn’t want to leave. But I had to, and I’ve come back to the city I’m living in with my boyfriend (for his job), which I never really liked. But I now feel so much distain for this place and... View more

I recently went on holiday to Japan and loved it so much I didn’t want to leave. But I had to, and I’ve come back to the city I’m living in with my boyfriend (for his job), which I never really liked. But I now feel so much distain for this place and I’m struggling to find joy in anything. I’m not excited about anything, I feel lost, I’m uninspired, I don’t know what I want, I don’t know what will make me happy again. I’m going between just ok days and awful, hating life days. I’m usually a really happy person but I have gone through low patches like this before, it happens every couple of years and I can never pin point why or how to pull myself out of it. I feel like I’m drowning and I don’t know how to swim back up to the surface. I don’t have any “close” friends here, and I have adhd so I find organising things really hard. I don’t know how to spark joy in my life again. Does anyone have any suggestions for pulling myself out of this low?

Jaz001 Depression and perimenopause
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Not sure how to start this I'll just dive right in. My perimenopause symptoms are giving me really bad depression. Sometimes I feel so alone and often old memories of trauma will pop into my head which cause me to sink even lower. I'm writing this at... View more

Not sure how to start this I'll just dive right in. My perimenopause symptoms are giving me really bad depression. Sometimes I feel so alone and often old memories of trauma will pop into my head which cause me to sink even lower. I'm writing this at 3.30am because I can't sleep, feeling wide awake. I've been struggling to enjoy my normal hobbies and just life in general. Lately I put on a brave face everday because that is what is expected in this world for women. Sometimes I feel being a woman in this world is too hard. There are too many pressures and standards we must live up to or become. It's like that song, why can't I just be me, or is that not allowed?

Katrina85 Premenopause
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Hii have recently been diagnosed with premenopause before 40. I have no kids and really wanted kids. My friend have kids or are pregnant. I feel sad. I was on medication for 2.5years which people I know knew how toxic meds a can be . I feel like I wa... View more

Hii have recently been diagnosed with premenopause before 40. I have no kids and really wanted kids. My friend have kids or are pregnant. I feel sad. I was on medication for 2.5years which people I know knew how toxic meds a can be . I feel like I wasn’t supported by anyone and trusted drs

Earth Girl Use to wish to be special, now wish I could at least be normal
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Growing up, I was extremely shy which gave off the impression that I was this practically "perfect" person to a lot of people, like as though I would never hurt anyone or do anything wrong. Even though for the most part I knew this wasn't really the ... View more

Growing up, I was extremely shy which gave off the impression that I was this practically "perfect" person to a lot of people, like as though I would never hurt anyone or do anything wrong. Even though for the most part I knew this wasn't really the case (I know what's going on in my mind and how I act at home, a place where I am not shy, so I would know that these people definitely wouldn't think that at all if I wasn't shy), part of me believed to a degree/wanted it to be true. All my life, I've had a lot of people tell me how sweet and lovely I am, as though they think I'm a saint. One day I joined a forum and made a LOT of mistakes on it so as you can imagine, people didn't think I was perfect anymore, to say the least. I tried to do a lot better, but whenever I make a mistake now, I feel like I'm not good enough. For years, I have tried to become the person that a lot of people thought I was, aiming for perfection/pure innocence and some people seemed to actually buy it (people who don't know me well and haven't known me for long) and they like me for that and not for who I really am. It sounds stupid to do this instead of just trying to be myself, but a nicer version of myself, but when I do that, I feel like I'm not good enough. (And technically am not because I'm a narcissist). I also have always wanted to be really special (e.g. a super nice, talented, beautiful, etc person), but now I wish I could just be a normal person. I seriously think I must have a vulnerable narcissism problem. I'm trying to become a genuinely nice person, but I keep going crazy and then it's like I've barely gotten anywhere with improving myself. Even my psychologists can't tell that I'm a narcissist, they say that I'm really sweet. Sometimes it feels nice when they say this, but other times, it's just awkward, especially since they wouldn't think that if they really knew me. If you are thinking "You can't be a narcissist if you think you are one, that's not the case. I often have moments where I know I am one and even when I don't think that I can tell that I have issues with it more than most people. I can't get help with it though because my psychologist would just think I'm feeling bad about myself and try to get me to work on my self-esteem instead of helping me with my narcissism problem. I just want to be a normal person.

Jaibigrone907 The world is overrated because of people!
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1) Society only conceives themselves and they don't try to understand others. Everyone's bias and no one can disagree with themselves typically. 2) People either cause your problems, they otherwise don't care, or they even potentially enjoy hearing a... View more

1) Society only conceives themselves and they don't try to understand others. Everyone's bias and no one can disagree with themselves typically. 2) People either cause your problems, they otherwise don't care, or they even potentially enjoy hearing about them with some. 3) Advice and support is usually cliché, interaction is superficial, often the only redirected recommendation is shrinks that leads to detrimental pharmaceutical treatment and involuntary clients who feel invalided and become victims. 4) I can't relate to my nationalities culture, only since my generation globally is following a unified consensus to not be interested or believing in Christianity Religion or with being all under the same political left wing mainstream consensus. I find their indisputable with any of their popularised views and they argue with illogic. They project their insecurities too often and they can't have as much meaningful or broaden conversation, everything's usually awkward, weird, or whose cringe, a hipster, desperate and they feel things are worth addressing. I don't like their music since 2008, their too into Andrew Tate, women aren't prude. I only like older generations. 5) The 21st Century is horrible, people are high consumers and overt materialist's, which than makes them more socially superficial, shallow, narcissistic, insincere. Their less emotional courtesy and manners today, people are more grandiose and with potential audacity to not care, it's too much with financial net worth and being entitled. I don't like globalism - diversity. 6) Everyone's more innocent until proven guilty and they won't take needed accountability, they have no humility to be wrong anymore, they treat sincerity and make it that your so humble or rare, to normalise to feel & be mental, fake and laugh at what's true or say that it's strange or weird, but to be guilty of the same acknowledged things. 7) I couldn't relate to my father. I am a male cultural misfit Christian Fundamentalist and my father is a generic misogynistic that's chauvinistic, sexist. His got no issue with the bloke culture in my opinion and he is stoic and selfish, His not creative. He tries to vicariously live his sports team through me at times and he diverts his illiterate limits onto me that I'm dyslexic. His potential with rarer jealousy and puts his average mediocrity on a pedestal with being the bread winner and the family bill payer. His sister and family is narcissistic and with dysfunctional differences.

Guest_41068502 Plodding along
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I hate that saying, I have used it so many times and it has been said to me so many times in my life, ‘just keep plodding along”. Recently, I went to see a psychiatrist because of depression and after 2 hours of ‘therapy’ he wanted to put me in hospi... View more

I hate that saying, I have used it so many times and it has been said to me so many times in my life, ‘just keep plodding along”. Recently, I went to see a psychiatrist because of depression and after 2 hours of ‘therapy’ he wanted to put me in hospital, he’s going away for 6 weeks btw, so my next appointment is in 3 months. What a shit show!