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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: 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

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Fredi Things I have lost part I - friends
  • replies: 2

I had a whole heap of friends that I kept in touch with, organised things with.I would be a recluse every now and then, but we would always be out and about. Travelling to Tassie, travelling to Canada, kayaking/canoeing Kangaroo Point river, driving ... View more

I had a whole heap of friends that I kept in touch with, organised things with.I would be a recluse every now and then, but we would always be out and about. Travelling to Tassie, travelling to Canada, kayaking/canoeing Kangaroo Point river, driving to Darwin for wedding, having dinners etc. Then things started to happen. My depression smacked me hard and I was down for the count for some time. My close friends were great, and even went to the community counsellor at the hospital to learn about depression, signs, what it means etc. This buoyed me up – how lovely. But I haven't really got better. I began to fall out of the loop. People did not include me in the group invites or to the Christmas party. Friends did not tell me that my other ‘friends’ were in a bad places (like 1 with stage III breast cancer; another whose parents died), so I just drifted backwards more and more. This made me terribly sad – and made me feel very selfish as I wasn’t there to support them,which made me more distant as I didn’t know what to say (I know this is very self, self, self, but that is where I am at right now).

white knight Sad all the time? Dysthymia
  • replies: 22

It's difficult to describe but if you see and feel sadness in most things in life you could have dysthymia. Constant, uncontrollable crying, thinking often about sad topics. A proper diagnosis is needed. This illness generally develops prior to adult... View more

It's difficult to describe but if you see and feel sadness in most things in life you could have dysthymia. Constant, uncontrollable crying, thinking often about sad topics. A proper diagnosis is needed. This illness generally develops prior to adulthood and can be described as a constant low mood depression. You can google "dysthymia mood disorder" to receive a full description. The disorder makes one feel alone, desperate and unusual. I have a friend I went to school with, he never cried in 35 years I knew him until his father died. He was uncontrollable that funeral day. The next day we chatted. I mentioned that his state the day before was how I felt every second day. He got some idea of the magnitude. Soon after I got the diagnosis Bipolar2, depression, anxiety and...dysthymia. my psychiatrist discovered that a near drowning of my brother when I was 12yo was the spark, the shock that set it off. I didnt talk for 3 months after that incident and was highly emotional ever since until 2009 when he prescribed medication. Since then my life has turned around in terms of sadness. If you believe your level of sadness is high, constant and you feel desperate, even suicidal, you might have dysthymia. It effects more women than men, can come about if you have a parent with a mental illness or if you suffered trauma at a young age. Seek help. The difference to your life will be much more positive. Tony WK

Izzy_blue Feeling hopeless and lost
  • replies: 1

I gave up everything to be where I am now. But when I finally started to find a job and started work, it seems like nothing's going my way. I've considered changing profession but I don't want my family to be disappointed as they have high expectatio... View more

I gave up everything to be where I am now. But when I finally started to find a job and started work, it seems like nothing's going my way. I've considered changing profession but I don't want my family to be disappointed as they have high expectations. I feel like a failure all the time. I have trouble getting asleep and I wake up in the middle of the night for no reason. I just don't know what to do anymore.

MelissaFirstTimeMum Post partum depression
  • replies: 7

I am really struggling. I feel like I'm not enjoying being a mum. I love my daughter but I really strugle with the stress of it all. I see a psychologist and I'm definitely doing better than I was but I am just wondering if I will ever be "better" or... View more

I am really struggling. I feel like I'm not enjoying being a mum. I love my daughter but I really strugle with the stress of it all. I see a psychologist and I'm definitely doing better than I was but I am just wondering if I will ever be "better" or "normal" or "me" again. I get so anxious in public situations especially if she is cranky or tired so I just avoid going out completely. I keep wondering how the psychologist is going to fix me. I'm just a bit lost.

StephD I hate humanity
  • replies: 7

Is this just depression or am I right to feel this way?I hate humanity because I get pushed out of the way by selfish business men trying to board the train before me so they can get a seat.Because I was insulted and teased by strangers on the street... View more

Is this just depression or am I right to feel this way?I hate humanity because I get pushed out of the way by selfish business men trying to board the train before me so they can get a seat.Because I was insulted and teased by strangers on the streets for being overweight and now being accused of a drug addict or told to eat more food because I worked hard to lose the weight and am now apparently too thin (I'm not).Because women on three occasions have thrown drinks at me from their car window and have shouted abuse. Even though I hate my body, and was a virgin when the events happened.Because I fianally worked up the courage to wear a dress for the first time and a man spat at me for wearing a dress. It was below my knees and I was wearing a jumper.And because a man once punched me in the shoulder because I walked too close to him.Because I feel lonely and other women walk past me giving me narky looks.Because I'm socially akward and people assume I'm dumb and condescend. Because a man once asked me if I was a prostitute while I was waiting for a bus. I know it sounds like I underdress but I don't.Because I dated a narcissistic man for six years who took all my money and my self respect.Because I survived high school not being seriously bullied but had my self esteem damaged by my mum when she was going through her mid kife crises and started to call me flthunder thighs before I even started gaining weight.Do I menifest this behavior from others because I don't love myself or something? Does anyone go through what I go through? I also hate the way people judge others in such a small minded way. I hate that people stare at their iphones all the time. I hate that they're addicted to technology.I hate that they take too many selfies and are self absorbed. I hate that they all follow trends no metter how ridiculous.I hate that people throw around mental illness and disorders like OCD, depression, bi polar, adhd, etc like they're meaningless adjectives. "I'm tots OCD because I'm so neat".I hate that people are fake to impress others.I hate that people are selfish in general.I hate people who use a instead of an.That's just my OCD.I know that there are diamonds in the rough. I wish there were more good people than there are bad. I don't want to hate humanity. I want to have fun in life.

NOmadx Guilt about depression
  • replies: 4

Hi guys, I have been quietly struggling with depression, anger and mood swings since I was 18. What gets me the most when I feel depressed is the enormous sense of unbridled guilt. Guilt that my partner and my family have to put up with me on my bad ... View more

Hi guys, I have been quietly struggling with depression, anger and mood swings since I was 18. What gets me the most when I feel depressed is the enormous sense of unbridled guilt. Guilt that my partner and my family have to put up with me on my bad days, and guilt that I'm depressed but don't have any valid and communicable reasons for it. I have a decent paying job and a loving partner and a supporting family. Not all that much bad has happened to me in life that warrants me being a depressed curmudgeon. My dad did die when I was in my early 20s and I did struggle with school early on (primarily because I was angry) which resulted in me dropping out really young. I did work through that though, so I thought, I went back to school accrued a couple of tertiary qualifications and found a loving partner. On paper at least and in my own head I feel like there is just no rational reason for being depressed and I'm guessing this is why I feel incredibly guilty about it. I'm 29 and I just don't know what the right next steps are. Does anyone have any good tips about how to cope? Is this something that warrants professional help?

Braxiatel81 I need to get this off my chest
  • replies: 4

I need to say right at the start that I just need to get this off my chest. I have anxiety, depression, bi-polar and I'm not coping...I'm over it. I don't want any more help...its not working. Everything I do is impacting my family and my friends and... View more

I need to say right at the start that I just need to get this off my chest. I have anxiety, depression, bi-polar and I'm not coping...I'm over it. I don't want any more help...its not working. Everything I do is impacting my family and my friends and all the strategies and sessions and meds are not working. Its all happening still and its impacting my family, my friends and my colleagues. Its not fair on them and I am over it. I don't know what to do and all I want to do is crawl into a corner and cry. I don't want to talk about it anymore, I don't those looks of sympathy, those looks of "I don't know what to say". I don't want to be included in the world anymore..i want to be me, away from everyone that I make frustrated and angry. I don't know what to do other than to write this down and get it off my chest. No one else I know is like this and I can't deal with professionals anymore.

Ant71 Post adventure depression
  • replies: 4

Hi there everyone. I wondered if anyone had any experience with this. Last year I had an awesome adventure that I had been training for and planning for a long time. When I got back home and went back to work I crashed. I read some article last night... View more

Hi there everyone. I wondered if anyone had any experience with this. Last year I had an awesome adventure that I had been training for and planning for a long time. When I got back home and went back to work I crashed. I read some article last night about post adventure depression and it seems to describe what I am going through only all the articles say it only lasts a few weeks. I have been down since I got home in September. I keep thinking and hoping that things will get better but there always seems to be something bad to bring me back down again.

Rob_us_expat I just want to be happy
  • replies: 3

I've dealt with depression since my teens but I always hid it well. I always smiled made jokes anything to make sure my family and friends didn't need to worry until it caught up with me and I became exhausted and couldn't put up the masks anymore. I... View more

I've dealt with depression since my teens but I always hid it well. I always smiled made jokes anything to make sure my family and friends didn't need to worry until it caught up with me and I became exhausted and couldn't put up the masks anymore. I've been on medication regularly for 4 to 5 years, But I can't seem to break the curse, lately it feels like it's gotten worse. 2 days ago I actually let myself do what I call a depression sleep. It's that sleep of mental exhaustion and the thought of getting up was too much to handle so I sleep the day away as my partner and our son were at work and school. We moved here so my partner could take a job at the university. I'm originally from the US and thought I would pick up my career just as I did in the last country we lived in.I wrong, so I took a part time job below my skill set so I could get my masters degree, I finished last year and for the past year no job, not even in my own company. So I find myself trying to take more courses, apply for more jobs , my family is doing well here in Perth , I'm so proud of how my son is growing and how much enthusiasm my partner has , and I feel like what am I doing wrong?I find myself homesick quite often,envious of past colleagues, and find myself getting angry with the managers I work,all of I feel is just petty.Digging deeper, I've never not had a career since I was 18, my parents are not doing well and I can't send them my hard earned money I send my partners, my son isn't seeing what I hoped he'd be seeing which is a successful accomplished person, I feel as if I'm not wanted here, I've dealt with more bouts of bigotry here than I have in US or RSA and I struggle to not let it get to me but I hide it well cause I don't want my son to understand that part of life yet I want to protect his innocence as long as I can. I don't want my partner to know just truly how unhappy I am so I wait to he falls asleep so I can cry to sleep from exhaustion. I just want to blend into Perth and every day I tell my self that I just need to embrace it and I try. I don't give up the job search, I don't let the bigotry seap in, I do what I can to make sure my mom and dad know I love them and am doing my best, and I'm sorry I'm not the independent person that taught me to be, I tell my partner that what counts is that he loves his job because I want him happy. But I'm afraid my lows are coming back that I can't but on a mask of drama or laughter to hide. I just want to be happy.

Clementinee So tired
  • replies: 2

Hey there, This is my first post and it seems a bit strange to write to the "unknown". But here goes. I am in my late 20s and I have a good life. I recently got married and I am finishing up my professional degree. I moved to a new country about 4 ye... View more

Hey there, This is my first post and it seems a bit strange to write to the "unknown". But here goes. I am in my late 20s and I have a good life. I recently got married and I am finishing up my professional degree. I moved to a new country about 4 years ago and I think that's what started it all. I started my degree after years of hard work trying to get into it. Once i got started with the program I just wasn't into it but I could not figure it if i am generally not interested in life or if I just hated the way the program went. I even wondered if it was burn out. I started feeling really crap because I had no family and friends were hard to make. That's when I met my now husband. Things were awesome between us but I knew i was always feeling a bit low. But he gave me happiness and was a good distraction. Unfortunately he had to move to another city and we started doing the long distance thing. I think my symptoms got worse then. I started having anxiety attacks and was always so tired. I lived alone far from the city and was isolated. I couldn't move due to placements for my course and i was just getting further and further tired. I started taking my frustrations on him because he was just focused on work and he didn't understand anxiety. I don't understand why i wa anxious. I tried to stay positive and i went to gym regularly. I meditated and I read self help forums to do the right things. I kept my self busy and adapted to live alone. I tried to stay away from him so that he can work and not be bothered by me. We speak daily and meet once a month dor a weekend. I can't ask anynore but why am I missing him so much? It bothers me that he is able to handle the distance so much better, I just want to be like him. I am honestly now so tired to the point where I am just crying non stop some days. Everything seems like an effort even sending a small email. Tiny stressors get me wound up. I used to be such a go getter with so many things on at once and I never complained. Now I am such a mess. I break down to my partner and then end up feeling so foolish. I have started to hate myself and i don't know what to do. I have big exams and I cant get the energy to study well. I sleep so poor and I can't seem to be in the moment. I wake up feeling crap and tight chested and I have to spend energy fixing myself. I feel a fool for this long message but can someone tell me how I can get my energy and my self back. I hate myself like this. Thanks