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Depression

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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: 0

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

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adrian_mm My girlfriend left because i'm struggling to cope with my depression and social anxiety
  • replies: 14

Hi everyone, I'm 31 and having a very hard time coping at the moment so i thought i'd ask for advice here. My girlfriend of more than 4 years broke up with me yesterday and i know it's essentially because of my increasing depression, anxiety and soci... View more

Hi everyone, I'm 31 and having a very hard time coping at the moment so i thought i'd ask for advice here. My girlfriend of more than 4 years broke up with me yesterday and i know it's essentially because of my increasing depression, anxiety and social anxiety that seems to be getting worse, despite my efforts. I can't stop crying and i'm heartbroken and feel like it's my fault, she wants to move overseas and travel around the world and wanted me to go along, but the thought of being in that situation with no stability of family, friends, or work terrified me and though i desperately wanted to be the kind of person who could just 'do it' i know i would not be good in those situations and couldn't take the leap. She saw this as me not thinking she was worth it, even though that couldn't be more untrue. So i feel like i've driven a wonderful person that i love away because of my weakness and this in turn has made me feel even more depressed and alone than ever before. I've tried to explain that i can't do certain things because of my issues, but it's been interpreted as a lack of commitment to the relationship, which isn't true in the slightest. On top of the depression, I have a lot of trouble in group social situations and i get very stressed out at family gatherings and parties and people think i'm anti-social, but i'm just very anxious and feel the need to escape those situations. All this adds up to not being able to function as a normal person would in social situations that are important to a relationship. Then if i'm having a particularly bad day with my depression, i can't handle anything at all and avoid seeing people to not let them know what state i'm in. I'm lost for any way to get around this web of symptoms that seem to exist to attack everything that would make people want to be around me, or for me to have a better life. I've tried therapy twice, but found their approaches simple at best, for what feels like something that is immensely complex and being given the 'depression kit' of documents from a therapist seems like fighting the tide with a broom. I can't sleep, or find motivation, or connect with anyone i don't already know and i'm just foreseeing a future of never getting close to anyone, or worse, getting close and having them leaving me as soon as i have a bad day, week or month of depression, or can't fulfil social obligations. I feel like i've unintentionally sabotaged the best thing in my life and am immensely sad and lost.

thehiss I HATE MYSELF
  • replies: 4

Due to my chronic anxiety I have been unable to live a normal life which in turn has caused depression, anyway lately my depression has intensified and I'm always comparing myself to other people my age (24) and looking at what they're doing with the... View more

Due to my chronic anxiety I have been unable to live a normal life which in turn has caused depression, anyway lately my depression has intensified and I'm always comparing myself to other people my age (24) and looking at what they're doing with their lives- working, studying at university, have friends, fit and healthy, independent and happy. I then look at myself and see this lazy, stupid, uneducated fat slob who sits around all day thinking crap and does time wasting things. I feel like I've wasted the past 7 years of doing nothing, even though I have done a couple of TAFE courses I feel as though that it's not good enough and I'm still dumb. I've explained this to my psychologist and he basically said "they're just thoughts" plus my family constantly says that I'm smart and intelligent but I think they just say that to make me feel better. I'm going to be 25 early next year and I can't work, I'm certainly not independent, I have no friends and I'm overweight and unfit. There are people out there that are far worse off health wise than me and yet they still manage to study and work etc.. Honestly I feel as though my life is just one complete messy waste and it's never going to improve. I don't know if any of these thoughts and feelings are due to depression or if it's because it's all true.

RainOnMyParade Sick of being sick
  • replies: 2

It's hard to know where to begin. I'm just sick of being sick/it's a never ending cycle. The last few years I have had pnuemonia, cancer, deviated septum surgery, constant colds and flus, insulin resistance, migraines, ulcerative colitis... The list ... View more

It's hard to know where to begin. I'm just sick of being sick/it's a never ending cycle. The last few years I have had pnuemonia, cancer, deviated septum surgery, constant colds and flus, insulin resistance, migraines, ulcerative colitis... The list goes on and on. I can't remember the last time I was okay! I have tried so hard to combat this with regular exercise when I'm not bed bound And eating ridiculously healthy but it doesn't seem to work and I'm continually putting on weight. I had to quit my job because I was told, how can you look after sick people if you are so sick all the time, you should stop working in X profession because you are shit at being healthy and are letting the team down. I was bullied Everytime I showed up to work with a medical certificate and accused of "faking it" As well as this I have lost multiple friendships over me being sick and friends telling me that I haven't put the effort in, despite when they have been sick in the past I've been the first person there to help. To add to this, I have recently been told I won't be able to conceive children because of my array of health problems and recent diagnosis of PCOS. This really is affecting my relationship with my husband as he is the first born child and only one to pass on the family name and I've basically screwed our chances of having children just because of being me. We both agreed we wanted kids and he has always said that if this changes it would be a deal breaker (back when we were dating) I honestly feel useless. I can't go back to work because I'm too sick. Too sick to conceive a child. Been exercising and eating healthy yet can't shed any weight off. The last time I was severely depressed I was a young teen at home, being physically, emotionally and financially abused by my parents at home and socially isolated from all my friends, but I had my grandparents to help me out. This time though, they have been gone for quite sometime, I have no friends and I feel like if I tell my husband im slipping back into bed depression we will have no marriage/relationship either. On top of this, the unit we rent is being sold and we are being asked to move. It's been difficult to find anywhere to live as we have a pet and so far all of my applications to new places have been rejected. I have previously tried Lexapro consistently for a year with no luck. I have been to four psychogists with no break through. I exercise. I eat healthy. I just don't know what to do anymore.

FiaBusa feeling overwhelmed, down, angry, upset, work issues, feel like a failure.
  • replies: 3

Hi I'm brand new and dont know where to start. I had an excellent career as an intelligence officer with the AFP. I decided to leave that and move on to bigger and better things (or so I thought). my wife and I bought a franchise and they pretty much... View more

Hi I'm brand new and dont know where to start. I had an excellent career as an intelligence officer with the AFP. I decided to leave that and move on to bigger and better things (or so I thought). my wife and I bought a franchise and they pretty much screwed us over. We lost over 160k in 12 months. It was like a kick in the guts to me. since moving to a coastal area its really hard to find work and has been for the past 6 years. I have had 3 month contracts with gov and even doing traffic control. I def feel like I have wasted a smart brain which makes me feel like a failure to me and my family. every time i try and do the right thing things just dont work out. my wife and my 2 boys (2.5 and 6 months) keep me going and remind me of the fun things in life. I have always worked to my full potential in the workforce only to get screwed over by others. I stand up to the bullies and get punished for it which makes me so irate. I feel down a lot and tend to break down sometimes. my mother passed away last dec and one of my sisters may not see xmas which is a lot to take inn. sometimes i just feel like packing up and just going, getting away from everything and find a place that I have no worries about. I tend to worry about everything and anything. I tend to create jobs for myself at home to try and forget about all the bad stuff, but then i just get overwhelmed with everything i am trying to do. I have so much more to say but its hard to talk about. I am def in a rut of not being happy. I hide it very well, but my wife can see it a mile away. ok thats all for now. im not a huge fan of bothering anyone else with my issues that are so much smaller than so many others out there.

rosa_noir High-functioning depression/anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi! I've been researching a lot of symptoms and feelings I've been having. A lot of it seems to point in the direction of high functioning depression/anxiety. By all means, I am not self-diagnosing at all. Just wanting to find answers on how to impro... View more

Hi! I've been researching a lot of symptoms and feelings I've been having. A lot of it seems to point in the direction of high functioning depression/anxiety. By all means, I am not self-diagnosing at all. Just wanting to find answers on how to improve my quality of life. I feel like GPs I've seen in the past haven't really been able to help in the mental health department as much -- maybe that's not their primary focus. I just want to know how I should approach a GP with getting a referral to someone who can really help me. My life is manageable, I get by. But, I'm not sure if I'm really happy a lot of time and just kinda going with the flow, keeping things together.

Phoenix_ Is it possible to make new friends when you're depressed?
  • replies: 3

I’m very alone, and am having trouble coping with this. I’ve joined lots of organisations to try to make friends, and for three years I succeeded in pretending that I was cheerful and friendly and helpful (and people have complimented me on how cheer... View more

I’m very alone, and am having trouble coping with this. I’ve joined lots of organisations to try to make friends, and for three years I succeeded in pretending that I was cheerful and friendly and helpful (and people have complimented me on how cheerful etc I am); but only a few people have wanted to be friends with me, and most of those have walked out of my life anyway. I’ve had more rejections than I can handle, I’m more depressed than ever, I’m not able to pretend any more, so I expect I would scare off anyone new. I have run out of psychology visits for this year, but I wouldn’t have needed so many if I had people in my life to have regular conversations with. There are 3-4 nice people I can talk to maybe once a month, when they have time, but they are all busy with work and family most of the time, I'm a much lower priority. It seems that the more you need friends, the harder it is to find any.

Jezzsm im struggling with my thoughts lately
  • replies: 4

So anyway since my first day at primary school to the end of high school. I have always been picked on having trash thrown at me, gang up on in groups of 5 or me bashed then left me laying there called me loser , creepy, dumb , worthless and poor bec... View more

So anyway since my first day at primary school to the end of high school. I have always been picked on having trash thrown at me, gang up on in groups of 5 or me bashed then left me laying there called me loser , creepy, dumb , worthless and poor because im ugly and due to that i have been isolated most of my life no body wants to be friends with the ugly kid. my family life isn't much better either my mum is a abusive alcoholic i have no dad and during school basically was living on and off the streets which was really hard to get good grades because as soon i was 15 i got a part time job so i could help pay mums rent, hotel, food or education school fees but most of my money i gave to my mum went to alcohol anyway. When i was 18 i moved into a share house because i couldn't stand my mum anymore i started a apprenticeship and recently finish im 23 now. i always thought it would get better when i got a roof over my head, car and a good income but i still find myself isolated and really struggling my thoughts lately. But i find it hard to reach out because i have anxiety lately i feel like there is someone in my mind always giving me negative thoughts making me feel down, worthless etc... like im a failure, your worthless, nothing is ever good is going to happen to you. i don't think help will work but has anyone out here had a similar story and had a positive outcome.

Archie3 Started University Prac and can't make it through the day without crying
  • replies: 4

I have been treated for clinical depression and on medication for over a year now after a major breakdown while working full time. I have been stable and doing well since. I started a Masters of Social Work this year and did excellent going to class,... View more

I have been treated for clinical depression and on medication for over a year now after a major breakdown while working full time. I have been stable and doing well since. I started a Masters of Social Work this year and did excellent going to class, participating in life in general and got great marks. My psychiatrist felt I was doing well and felt that I would do well coping with my placement. This semester I need to do 15 weeks (4 days per week X 8 hour days) on prac + a day at university doing a required course. I got a great prac at a hospital with an amazing supervisor in the area I want to study. The problem is by the end of the day I spend the drive home crying and feeling awful after a great day at work. For the first two days of placement I went to the bathroom throughout the day and cried but I think I was working through nerves and anxiety. I spoke with my supervisor and we arranged a daily to day list so I was always aware of what I needed to do that day and could take it slow as I am only a 1st year student. This worked wonders and I didn't have any more anxiety at work after this. I've tried pacing myself at home and not really doing much to conserve my energy and I have no negative feelings about the prac but even doing simple things like visiting my nephew, washing my work clothes and participating in family dinners is hard. I think my depression is getting worse again. I am exhausted all the time, I am binge eating everyday and for the last few days I have been really sad, crying hysterically for hours at night and this morning I called in sick because I couldn't control my crying for hours and telling myself I wanted to die, couldn't sleep but wanted to and just not wake up. I don't know if I'm just tired and need to rest more during the weekends? My prac is only for another 11 weeks (done 4 already). How can I get through this. I've worked too hard to chuck in the towel.

roadhawk depression (a poem)
  • replies: 5

my mind fireside momentum a buoyant life tame of mortal body, but idle strings dull, with weary rust marching over to melancholia at its bugle call then march through shadowy feelings into a Caravaggio painting of darkness and light, perilous is the ... View more

my mind fireside momentum a buoyant life tame of mortal body, but idle strings dull, with weary rust marching over to melancholia at its bugle call then march through shadowy feelings into a Caravaggio painting of darkness and light, perilous is the grip that the psychological tip-toe thief has on the frailty of the mind, depression breach the dam mad from jelly, it’s impetus flow into the gin clears waters of blood stream, through out the body.

happyannie Low mood not sure why
  • replies: 10

Hi Im having a really bad day today my mood is so low and my thoughts are all over the place. Ive also started taking meds at a different time of the day, not sure if thats anything to do with my being extremely depressed. Sometimes we have triggers ... View more

Hi Im having a really bad day today my mood is so low and my thoughts are all over the place. Ive also started taking meds at a different time of the day, not sure if thats anything to do with my being extremely depressed. Sometimes we have triggers that can upset us and our moods,but I cannot think of anything, I feel like Im losing the fight. I have a beautiful family, great medical support, I feel like I should be doing better than I am. Any advice would be so helpful, thanx BB for letting me vent. Thanx Annie