Support
Support

Depression

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

Start a conversation

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 conversation

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 conversation

SilverFox49 Am I depressed or just sad?
  • replies: 2

I graduated 2 years ago and Im in uni. Last year I took a gap year because I was crying every night and I found it really hard to commit to the study load however I didn't really think much about it because uni is hard! In the past year, I have spent... View more

I graduated 2 years ago and Im in uni. Last year I took a gap year because I was crying every night and I found it really hard to commit to the study load however I didn't really think much about it because uni is hard! In the past year, I have spent my time with my boyfriend of 2 years, however I cry a lot. This might be TMI and remove if it is, but after we sleep together I normally end up crying, and whenever we're on a phone call it usually ends with me crying (he isn't abusive). Another instance is with my family. I am the youngest and I have ALWAYS been spoken to as a child and ignored despite being an adult. Whenever I try to talk to my mum about something serious e.g. being sad or having problems she just shrugs it off and leaves which in turn makes me feel neglected and unloved. This, again, leaves me crying because I feel a sense of uselessness and like I'm not good enough. I often turn to alcohol to make me forget about it which isn't a good coping mechanism but it works. I also often cancel plans on people because I don't feel up to going out because I feel like if I do I will ruin the mood and be upset the whole time. So my question, am I depressed or just sad? I don't know if it is normal to cry this much, and I'm not sure if it's just who I am as a person? My mum has depression and has been for the past 5 years and relies on her medication. I'm scared of seeing someone, being diagnosed and then relying on something to make me happy

Jkp_BP I have Bipolar. Newly Diagnosed
  • replies: 6

Hi guys, I've struggled with my mental health for quite some time and it wasn't until the last hospitalization in (Aug18 for 6weeks) that i was diagnosed with Bipolar. In many ways the diagnoses made sense, however i never asked for this. I don't thi... View more

Hi guys, I've struggled with my mental health for quite some time and it wasn't until the last hospitalization in (Aug18 for 6weeks) that i was diagnosed with Bipolar. In many ways the diagnoses made sense, however i never asked for this. I don't think its quite sunken in just yet. All i see myself doing is having to take my medication each night going to sleep waking up going to work and repeat. The meds just slow down everything im not as productive as i use to be. the meds null the activity in my head and allow me to get some sleep. with mood stab in the mix. I guess i miss the old me me, wanting to run wild and i feel as if i'm losing many people around me as i feel i am not the same person i was. As much as things are a little more "balanced" in the doctors eyes in some odd obscure way, i find that i find myself more and more isolated in my head than ever. Also find that i'm more of an internalize r now as i do not want to say the wrong thing to someone and worry anyone around me as i have lost a couple of "good friends" with the last episode back in Aug. I wanted to see if any others had these feelings, and what did they do to try and find "legit Balance" in the head whilst on these BP meds. Cheers

BeccaBeccaGoGo Bouts of depression that go away
  • replies: 3

Hi there. I'm very confused with my depression. I am 100% sure it's depression and not just sadness I'm dealing with as I've had it on and off for years, but I don't understand why it just comes on so randomly and only for a few days to a week, then ... View more

Hi there. I'm very confused with my depression. I am 100% sure it's depression and not just sadness I'm dealing with as I've had it on and off for years, but I don't understand why it just comes on so randomly and only for a few days to a week, then it goes away. Like a virus, I get sick then get better, then it might happen again in like a month or 2. I don't get mania so it's not bipolar. I've started on medication again as I was incredibly bad for the last few days, but before I can even give it a chance to kick it, I'm better again. I don't think it has much to do with happy and bad things happening in my life, it seems so random but either way it's very strong when I get it. I don't want to face the day, I don't want to have a day, I keep telling myself to just get through it as I always get better but it's so hard at the time. It feels like I'll never get better and at the time I'm always convinced I'll be like this forever. It's not until I come out of it that I can think clearly again. I nearly quit my job last time it happened, because I didn't think I'd come out of it but I feel like I am getting better now even though I've only been taking my medication for 3 days. I'm not sure if I get anxiety, I feel like saying I worry is more accurate. I get obsessed with thoughts and play them out in my head to the point where I feel like they are real and I'll be at work convinced something bad I've thought of is happening and be trying with everything I have not to cry and concentrate on my work which I normally can't. I also feel constantly frustrated and irritable. I don't feel like this is me. I feel like I'm naturally patient so I don't understand the short fuse. Ive been like this for the past few years. I don't really know what I'm asking, I just don't know how to get better. My work is suffering and I've been through 3 jobs in the last year because of it. My relationship is suffering and I don't know how to explain to my partner what's happening because I get frustrated that he doesn't get it. He does try, but I just expect alot of him because I feel like I need someone to help me get better and he's not a miracle worker. Anyway, can someone relate or suggest any ways to get better?

liammcc1 Backpacking and miserable..
  • replies: 1

I’m from the U.K. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I have been feeling so down over the last few months. If I’m down in the most beautiful place on earth, then what hope do I have?! I was travelling with a group of guys I met up the east coast f... View more

I’m from the U.K. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I have been feeling so down over the last few months. If I’m down in the most beautiful place on earth, then what hope do I have?! I was travelling with a group of guys I met up the east coast from sydney and we stopped in Brisbane to do work and then carry on after. I soon realised that the group dynamic changed and that cliques began forming in our duration in Brisbane. I started to begin to feel like the group did not like me or have time for me. I was living alone for my duration in Brisbane as my job was very far out the city. Anyway, I started developing panic attacks where my arms felt tingly at night, I was going into a downward spiral. I’ve not voluntarily listened to music in months, and I’ve not been eating right. I opted out doing the rest of the east coast because I no longer felt comfortable, instead I opted to travel alone. I’ve had bad news about family back home, and the bank has told me that my credit card is overdue, everything is just happening at once. I feel like there’s only so much positivity I can have. I literally have no interest in anything and enjoy drinking to compensate. My dream has always been Australia. I have no chance of travelling the east coast as I messed up. I am exhausted from travelling and backpacking life, I feel like I should go home, but I know il hate being back. I’ve never felt like this before, and wondering what the hell is going on. I appreciate anyone’s advice. Thanks

Alexander_Horse How to move on, to deal with procrastination, rumination and reconciliation
  • replies: 8

Hi all I posted sometimes last year when I was in a really bad way, although my threads have disappeared, archived maybe. It helped and I thank those who supported me. My family especially has stuck by me although I have been very toxic to be around ... View more

Hi all I posted sometimes last year when I was in a really bad way, although my threads have disappeared, archived maybe. It helped and I thank those who supported me. My family especially has stuck by me although I have been very toxic to be around and I need to reconcile with them. I'm far from well but a lot better than what I was. I came off meds in July. I found they fogged me up. I'm not in therapy anymore. The shrinks thought I was well enough to carry on. I tend to agree but there is a lot of wreckage. The problem I'm encountering is massive procrastination and rumination. I've basically been sitting tight for more than a year. That was necessary to begin with, when my anxiety levels were off the chart and I was at risk. But those have subsided to a point where I don't have physical symptoms. I've got comfortable sitting tight, kind of accept my situation but really need to get back on my feet. Any advice on how to do this? I mean from people who have been there. I know I can find stuff online about this. I have a backlog of stuff to do which sometimes seems overwhelming, so I don't do it. I fear a relapse but we're moving house so I have to get moving, literally. Does this make any sense? What is the next step please?

Saber01 Please read. I just need someone to listen to me.
  • replies: 5

I've been suffering from depression for i think a year and a half. The peak happened at the beginning of this year but I'm gradually getting better. I even think I'm almost healed up now from depression. However, I started looking through at my old m... View more

I've been suffering from depression for i think a year and a half. The peak happened at the beginning of this year but I'm gradually getting better. I even think I'm almost healed up now from depression. However, I started looking through at my old messages with some of my close friends and I can tell how my I have changed. I used to be so carefree and joke about everything, and was very close with my best friends. Now I really struggle with showing affection to my close friends. It's like I'm trying to control my emotions all the time. I just want to get back to that old self. She was secure about her friendship and have no problems saying I love you to her friends. The me now feel anxiety from messaging people I care about holiday greetings or birthday greetings. It's like I don't even deserve to greet them. It's like the only time I'm myself is when I'm drinking alcohol. I don't want to be addicted, but its only when I had alcohol I have the confidence to be honest to everyone. I just really want to be my old self back. The self that I used to love.

acute-ava I am a borderline
  • replies: 6

I work a very demanding job, and I have spent the last few months counting down the days until my annual leave. I was feeling exhausted and I wanted to have a "stay-cation" at home, complete gardening projects and relax. It has been far from relaxing... View more

I work a very demanding job, and I have spent the last few months counting down the days until my annual leave. I was feeling exhausted and I wanted to have a "stay-cation" at home, complete gardening projects and relax. It has been far from relaxing. I work a demanding job, but it is no-where near as demanding as spending time alone with this brain. I am staving off depression, again, for the umpteenth time. A big part of this has been reflecting on the 'celebratory' period, Christmas, etc. Christmas is supposed to be about connection, and I came face to face with how disconnected I feel. The truth is, many of my relationships are points of escape from being alone. Particularly my romantic relationship, which is often times abusive (I am on the recieving end). But the vile things he says about me are nothing compared to the vile things I say about myself. Although, I have spent the last 6 months dedicating one- two days a week to therapy, I never mention it to anyone. I don't talk about the medication I am on and how it is making me sweat waterfalls in the summer. This mental illess is a big chunk of myself, my personal history, my hopes for the future and it is just absent from my relationships for the most part, because nobody likes a Borderline. We are supposed to be evil, crazy, manipulative, selfish, self-destructive, moody, annoying. I try to suppress the Borderline so much in my relationships, and I would never, ever share the diagnosis, ever. I haven't even shared it with one of my primary doctors. Anyway, so there are multiple parts to this:- I am afraid to be alone. But, not being alone is playing along with a farce, and also tolerating abuse. So, I did not feel the "spirit of Christmas". I felt more alone than ever, because it's getting harder to tell myself that my friends & partner know me and love me, and that these relationships are meaningful and fulfilling. I tell myself these sweet little stories all the time, but they are not the full picture- just like I am not the full picture to most people around me. But, the truth is, I have this illness, and I have a trauma history of sexual abuse. And every day is a battle. I just wanted another human being to hear the truth for once.

Hmm No real friends to talk to in person re how i feel
  • replies: 4

Hi Struggling with emotions on my own... Every single moment if I'm not distracted is a battle inside me. Worse lately, noticeably, constantly working on every second to not feel shit in every moment. Super annoying on buses (the crying). Exhausted. View more

Hi Struggling with emotions on my own... Every single moment if I'm not distracted is a battle inside me. Worse lately, noticeably, constantly working on every second to not feel shit in every moment. Super annoying on buses (the crying). Exhausted.

BBUser36 I feel like I have no one
  • replies: 2

Hello, I am new to this forum and really don't know where to start, but I'll try my best For my whole life, I have been raised in a very very religious household. I don't want to get into too much detail, as it is a very broad topic in my life, but I... View more

Hello, I am new to this forum and really don't know where to start, but I'll try my best For my whole life, I have been raised in a very very religious household. I don't want to get into too much detail, as it is a very broad topic in my life, but I have never really made any friends because my family doesn't really like me talking to people outside of the religion. I feel as if this has become a major issue as of recent, because I feel like I have absolutely no one who really cares about me, and a family who will limit contact with me once I come out as gay and leave the religion. All of this has accumulated throughout my early-mid teen years, in which I was very anxious and depressed 24/7, leading me to become extremely underweight to this day, and having no positive image of myself. Now, I am still no better than I was back then, nothing much has changed, I still struggle to get out of bed in the morning and talk to anyone, because I've been taught from a young age that all people will do is bring pain to me, so its better not to talk to them. I don't have many friends, and most of them tend to ignore me and get angry when I try to talk to them about anything, telling me to bother someone else because I'm too needy (their words). The one close friend I have, who I don't deserve, is the only one I really talk to anymore, and even then, I struggle with the negative thoughts about how "he doesn't really wanna talk to you" and "he is talking to you because he feels bad". I feel like I haven't really felt anything for a long while now, the only productive thing I can do anymore is draw, and am worried that I will continue to get worse as time goes on. My medicine and therapy haven't done much to help me, and I worry if I'm a lost cause. I have no idea on how to cope with this, but I hope that made sense, Thank you for reading.

Code_Blue I Feel Trapped and Helpless. Is there really hope out there?
  • replies: 4

Hello. You can call me Blue. Just as the title says, I feel hopeless and stuck in a rut. I have a strong desire to become happy, content, and dignified, but it just doesn't happen to me, almost ever. First and foremost, I apologize in advance if my e... View more

Hello. You can call me Blue. Just as the title says, I feel hopeless and stuck in a rut. I have a strong desire to become happy, content, and dignified, but it just doesn't happen to me, almost ever. First and foremost, I apologize in advance if my english/grammar is excruciatingly difficult to understand. I am both Asian and mentally ill, so please bear with me. My problems started in primary school, where I was badly mistreated by my peers. My mom and dad were very gentle and loving people, hence, I was well taken care of and very sheltered. Because of this, I grew up to become a principled but, very emotionally sensitive child. This made me a target for bullies, who took advantage of my pacifism, meekness, and sensitivity. The experiences I had were like that of a bullying scene in a movie, sometimes worse. Verbal abuse was much more painful than physical ones. I was often called names, pushed into the urinal, physically beaten, shoes and lunch money robbed etc. But what hurt me the most was the public humiliation. While most people consider their high school graduation as one of the happiest moments in their lives, I consider mine the worst. A graduation hymn was sung towards the end of our graduation ceremony. Imagine being around 500 students singing, distorting the lyrics with such disgraceful words that target only you. I was crushed. I was really crushed. I never recovered from that, and it gives me nightmares to this day. Having little self esteem and confidence, I grew up to become an escapist, trapped in my room playing video games, listening to music and playing the guitar. Later on, I started to became pretentious, delusional and conceited. I joined a band, tried to act cool, look cool, and occasionally bully weaker blokes. My academics suffered and I barely completed high school and uni. Because of that I dumbed down, and always have difficulty succeeding with work or study. Nothing has changed up to this day. Because of my shortcomings, everything in my life is suffering… career, health, relationships etc. I’ve had professional help for many years, but nothing they tried has ever worked on me. I believe in the efficacy of professional treatment, but I know that what’s best for me is to have a friend or relative to be around me, to mentor and guide me back towards normalcy. I really wish I had that person in my life, but I am just as bad with relationships. I only have 1 friend as a matter of fact. Thank you for listening. Blue.

As an organisation that supports people from across Australia, Beyond Blue acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.

First Nations Peoples are advised that this website may include reference to and images of deceased persons.

Beyond Blue is committed to safe inclusive spaces, policies and services for people of LGBTIQ+ communities and their families.

Helpful information

Stay in touch

Sign up below for regular emails from Beyond Blue, filled with information, advice and support for you or your loved ones.

Stay in touch

Talk it through with us, we'll point you in the right direction.

Call 1300 224 636

24 hours / 7 days a week

Chat Online

24 hours / 7 days a week

Email us

Get a reply in 24 hours

Copyright � 2026 Beyond Blue Ltd

All rights reserved

Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Site map