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

MBG Where do I start?
  • replies: 6

Some days I have enough in me to think...give yourself a bloody good shake and then there are days like today. 40+, 2 kids, a partner of 10+ years. But somehow it feels like it has all gone wrong. I haven't taken to the 40+ club well. Mentally, I've ... View more

Some days I have enough in me to think...give yourself a bloody good shake and then there are days like today. 40+, 2 kids, a partner of 10+ years. But somehow it feels like it has all gone wrong. I haven't taken to the 40+ club well. Mentally, I've found it depressing. I feel old, over-weight (still claiming baby fat after nearly 11 years) and unloved. My eldest has a medical condition that is managed for most part by meds, but he drains my partner and I and there are days, where he pushes us to the limit and it just seems ever more frequent as he heads to his teens. My partner and I - there doesn't seem anything for us anymore. 3 years ago, there were discussions around a third baby before I got too old etc that has been stopped dead and that affected me too. Now there is just full time abstinence on one side so as to avoid any "accidents." It feels like just an existence and nothing more. A financial in-home convenience, because seperately, we would probably struggle as would most couples. I've put out there as recently as this mornig (seems to come to a head now with every argument) - to just bite the bullet and finish it up for the sake of the kids having to live in a argumentative environment, so he stands there and says - well...just go then..leave!..never taking any initiative or positive actions towards making it happen. And so the circle continues..... I've been to sort out my will, I've got the estate agent coming today re. house sale & I've arranged with my employer to have my salary go into my own account now. I've done a spreadsheet of all our incomings and outgoings and who needs to take what on going forward. It will include the sale of big items, e.g. house. There is never a discussion, he just says do what you want. I'm not sure why I'm on here, other than to say I feel like crap every day and it's a struggle to keep face at work or anywhere really, because I feel desperately sad all the time. I lost my mum last year. I lost my dad a few years back and my only brother and I no longer speak. Knowing that I wouldn't be much of a miss to anyone doesn't particularly help. I stick it out because of my youngest who is nine. I left a high paid job last year to go back to something similar I did 6 months prior and at half the salary. Knowing my old employer thinks I am only worth half what they used to pay me doesn't help my self-esteem - although I accept I am in a different role I find the dynamics difficult Mostly just on days like today.

m_star Lost
  • replies: 1

Hey I’m not sure whether this will get to anyone or whether there is someone out there that can guide me in some way or another, but this is my first step in acknowledging that although I seem okay to every person around me, I am very lost and sad in... View more

Hey I’m not sure whether this will get to anyone or whether there is someone out there that can guide me in some way or another, but this is my first step in acknowledging that although I seem okay to every person around me, I am very lost and sad inside. I have a full time job, which I love. I know I love it because I spend most of the day smiling. I feel needed there, i am needed, and it is the happiest part of my day. I come home (my family home) and I feel terrible, alone, sad, unwanted. For as long as I can remember, my mum has abused me and my dad whenever she can. She picks on things that I am self conscious and have issues with. She often makes fun of my issues with anxiety. More recently it has been making fun of my relationship with my boyfriend - making me feel like my relationship is worthless. For these reasons, every time I hear her voice it causes me a huge amount of anxiety. When I feel down I retreat to my bedroom. I then can hear her voice coming from upstairs and i am very afraid. If my mum abuses me one day, she may come home the next, and she will give me so much love. It confuses me. I force myself to forget what she has said or yelled at me, and show her love back. As long as I can remember it has been this way. this has effected my relationship. whenever I have an issue with my boyfriend (of 5 years) we tend to neglect dealing with it and instead prefer to give each other space for a few days. In these days I often force myself to forget what it is that the issue was about, similar to how my mum has forced me to not think about her bad side. I Hear her talking about me right now. This has ultimately resulted in me feeling very lost. I could leave home but I am too scared of being alone in another house and what I could do to myself I was alone. I’m scared of what I am capable of. I could move in with my boyfriend, but am afraid of if something goes wrong or if we fight, where would I go. Or retreat to. I feel like I have no safe space where I feel protected and at peace. The hardest part of this is, I don’t want to get better. I feel like I deserve pain Any help would be appreciated, please

Keypi Struggling
  • replies: 2

Hi, I've been going down hill very quickly recently, I feel like my life is out of control in every way possible, I suffer from depression and have for a long time and more recently accepted that I have BPD, as I never wanted to believe it before. I ... View more

Hi, I've been going down hill very quickly recently, I feel like my life is out of control in every way possible, I suffer from depression and have for a long time and more recently accepted that I have BPD, as I never wanted to believe it before. I did start talking on a different thread so won't go into lots of details but my most recent development is that I only really had my wife as my support, she's my rock. I don't really have any friends and am in the process of trying to find some. But last night my wife told me we should split up, and then that was that, in one foul swoop I lost the very last thing I was holding onto. This past fortnight in particular has been rough, I've had 3 different people bail on me when I said I needed them. But as someone reminded me 2 days ago I have a supportive wife and now I've lost her too. I'm not sure what to do any more. I already felt alone and now I'm more alone than ever. Please help. I'm not ok anymore. Keypi

SisterKiKi DEPRESSION & ALCOHOL USE DISORDER
  • replies: 2

Hi All, I am 54 & started drinking at 48 following gastric sleeve surgery. Prior to this I raised three beautiful amazing children & did two degrees to get to my most loved job. I grew up with my father being a violent alcoholic so this has shocked m... View more

Hi All, I am 54 & started drinking at 48 following gastric sleeve surgery. Prior to this I raised three beautiful amazing children & did two degrees to get to my most loved job. I grew up with my father being a violent alcoholic so this has shocked me that i have succumbed to it. In the last 6 yrs I have drank alot of wine. I think trying to numb my feelings. I am an overthinker. Now, my husband, rightfully so, has had it with me. He's a very stoic, stubborn, older man. Very old fashioned. He's very critical of me. We've been married 29.5 yrs.

Soloyo Unable to stop crying
  • replies: 6

You know those days, when you are lying on the lounge room floor, sobbing, and unable to stop... What do people do to manage this?

You know those days, when you are lying on the lounge room floor, sobbing, and unable to stop... What do people do to manage this?

violet1212 does numbness go away? is it called feeling numb?
  • replies: 4

hi, my names violet and I am a normal teenage girl that's going through some shit. okay, my question is, am I feeling numb? and would this feeling go away? I have some problems which I will not mention. but this problem occurs frequently. it has been... View more

hi, my names violet and I am a normal teenage girl that's going through some shit. okay, my question is, am I feeling numb? and would this feeling go away? I have some problems which I will not mention. but this problem occurs frequently. it has been occurring ever since I could remember but as I grew older it became worse. usually, I would get mad or angry when the problem happens or sometimes I would get upset and cry but I had come to a realization that the past year I had bearly felt any emotions. whenever this problem occurs I would lash out and become angry but now I go emotionless. no anger, no happiness, no sadness nor frustration. I don't know what's happening but I feel fine. I've never really noticed but I don't remember the last time I had felt emotion when I was truly happy. and whenever I choose to let go and become happy and start laughing with true happiness it feels weird for me. like it's not right for me to be happy because I know something bad is going to happen next. im noticing im becoming faker by the minute. I always have a smile on my face at school and no one seems to notice its fake. my friends always say that im always happy or they've never seen me cry or become upset so I just softly laugh and walk away. I don't know what to make of myself anymore. when I see someone look at me a smile automatically falls on my face. but when I look away it sets back to the emotionless face. I feel like the most emotion I mainly feel is anger but even that I feel like im losing. I do cry but, for reasons that i will not say is that I never cry in front of people unles I can't get a grip on my emotions and i break down, but never really happens. I feel like im getting emotional easily and I hate myself for it I know everyone cries but I just feel vulnerable when I do so. apparently, I was told that I used to have anger problems and that I would lash out if I was angry. and thankfully I've learned to control that but as I steer my anger away I feel like I lost control of the steer and im losing the only part of myself where I felt something.... now whenever the problem occurs I wait till I feel upset or something but I feel fine and yet im dying on the inside.

Lucyopp188 My partner is not very supportive
  • replies: 7

Having a newborn, he is not very supportive. He doesn't want have kids and doesn't want to pay child support. Everyday he just watches movies in his room. The way he talks to me so disgusting. It makes me hard to breath .What shall I do?

Having a newborn, he is not very supportive. He doesn't want have kids and doesn't want to pay child support. Everyday he just watches movies in his room. The way he talks to me so disgusting. It makes me hard to breath .What shall I do?

Burgundy3 Worried about too many sick days due to anxiety and depression
  • replies: 3

Hi, This is my first time posting here. I've read a few threads on here before and people seemed to be incredibly helpful so I thought I'd reach out with my current situation. I've been struggling with anxiety and depression for approximately five ye... View more

Hi, This is my first time posting here. I've read a few threads on here before and people seemed to be incredibly helpful so I thought I'd reach out with my current situation. I've been struggling with anxiety and depression for approximately five years or so now and it's recently gotten a lot worse, mainly increasing before or after a shift at work or in the lead up to work. I am only a casual, though I feel incredibly guilty that I have been taking more sick days than normal as a result of depressive episodes and anxiety attacks and I am aware that a lot of people at my work do think I am frequently just 'throwing a sickie'. Yesterday, I went to a doctor who was lovely and helpful, who booked me in for counselling, and recommended that I take a week off work and that, eventually, I try to find employment elsewhere. At the moment, I'm unsure of whether or not to use the medical certificate he gave me as the store (my workplace) has a huge event this weekend and they're probably going to be a little short staffed without me. On the other hand, I do believe that I need some time off to sort myself out. What should I do? Has anybody else been in a similar situation before? Thank you.

enerfydriinks BPD diagnosis??
  • replies: 2

hi, im pretty sure i might have BPD. ive read quite a bit about it and have pretty solid understanding on how it relates to me. my only problem is that im not sure how to get diagnosed, im not seeing at therapist and wold prefer not to so is there a ... View more

hi, im pretty sure i might have BPD. ive read quite a bit about it and have pretty solid understanding on how it relates to me. my only problem is that im not sure how to get diagnosed, im not seeing at therapist and wold prefer not to so is there a way to get diagnosed by a GP? is there a similar way to the k10 test or is it only able to diagnosed by a psychologist/psychiatrist?

HunterBresson Losing the happiness and want in my life.
  • replies: 4

Hi, Ive never posted on somewhere like this but im really looking for anything right now. My life has been good and stable, nothing has really ever gone wrong and im extremely grateful for that. But over the past 18 months, Ive had this emptiness fee... View more

Hi, Ive never posted on somewhere like this but im really looking for anything right now. My life has been good and stable, nothing has really ever gone wrong and im extremely grateful for that. But over the past 18 months, Ive had this emptiness feeling almost just overwhelm every aspect of my life. I belived it was my Job, so I quit and found another, I believed it was my lifestyle so I went out of my comfort zone. I actively tried to change all these major apsects of my life in order to combat it but it seemed to just consume me. In the past 6 months its became quite aggressive I wake up with little to no care about the result of anything or anyone for the day, I still go to work and remain apart of society, but the days of not even wanting to do that are becoming more normal. The want in my life is gone, I dont want anything or anyone. Im only 20 years old, i feel i should be wanting to take on the world. In the past couple months its been heartbreaking to see the enjoyment is used to get from being around family and friends completely dissapear. Life has become really grey and bleak, and it never used to be like this. Nothing has changed drastically in life so i dont know why or expect anyone to understand or believe this is happening. I dont want to feel like a victim and I sometimes feel like the best thing would be for it to be all over, not just for me but for everyone as id rather them remember me for the person I was rather the empty person im becoming. I know i need to talk too someone about this, but I just cant see myself ever doing so. Even if it may be the only way to get better, I feel like the only option i can convince myself is that its best to just let life take its course. I never used to be like this, im really exhausted and upset at the situation, but i know life will go on and im hoping it gets better. Has anyone else felt like this, and managed to find a happiness again? if so im really looking for help Thanks Sam