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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

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Neb Lost with no direction
  • replies: 3

Hey guys I'm going to try keep this short.... I was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety about two years ago now and started taking med's and seeing a psych for about six months what ended with me kinda getting told I had bipolar, but I wasn't... View more

Hey guys I'm going to try keep this short.... I was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety about two years ago now and started taking med's and seeing a psych for about six months what ended with me kinda getting told I had bipolar, but I wasn't diagnosed as I stopped going to my appointments and taking my med's because I thought none of it was working.... now this past month each day has been a struggle to get to the end of the day and I'm right on the edge right now as I don't know what to do and don't want to go through it all again....

JSM Short sad story
  • replies: 6

The Plate Imagine a plate dropping on the floor. Its broken but the pieces are easy to fit back together with some glue The same plate is dropped again, not only the glued pieces ..now there are smaller pieces and this time it takes longer after pick... View more

The Plate Imagine a plate dropping on the floor. Its broken but the pieces are easy to fit back together with some glue The same plate is dropped again, not only the glued pieces ..now there are smaller pieces and this time it takes longer after picking up each piece…fitting it back into place. Not long after the plater is dropped again. There are a lot more pieces…even smaller than before..some pieces need to be thrown away, some are chipped. After a long and tiring process the plate is put back …well kind of. It will never look or feel the same it now has rough edges and pieces missing. Again not long after this, yep you guessed it the plate is dropped. The floor is covered in hundreds of pieces. Is it worth picking up and putting together? It is decided..yep..it can be fixed. It takes over one month but with lots of glue and some paint the plate seems to be restored …It will just need to be handled with a lot more care and definitely not dropped again. Not even 1 full year goes by when the plate is taken away to a different house. It is continuously dropped on the floor but surprisingly the plate does not break. The glue and paint have worked …so you think. The plate remains unused until the next year where it is being used for an important event, there are doubts about its use…judgements from other people even; they advise that the plate is not good enough and cannot do the job. The plate is used despite the doubt and lack of confidence. Not long after the party has began pieces of glass are found on the table..on the floor..pieces from the plate….it was not dropped this time it fell apart on its own slowly but surely before the end of the night millions of pieces of the plate lay scattered on the floor all over the place.. This time there is no hope of putting it back together, even if attempted. 90% is thrown away…the other 10% a small, rough piece is kept for some reason. It is not useful at all. When some pick it up out of curiosity they are cut and hurt by it. Others avoid it completely or try to throw it away. The piece of the plate is now dangerous. It now has the capacity to kill a person so it is monitored to ensure nobody is hurt… There is talk of the piece being fixed..made in to something else…But it doesn’t fit anywhere it is useless. What would you do?

Matine1 How do I cope with long term major depression?
  • replies: 4

I can't cope any more. I've had severe depression for over 2.5 years and tried everything. Nothing works. I don't know how I can keep going like this.

I can't cope any more. I've had severe depression for over 2.5 years and tried everything. Nothing works. I don't know how I can keep going like this.

CaitieLiz80 Restless and lonely
  • replies: 2

Hi all. So I have been reading up on things and taking in other posts. It seems like a warm and embracing community on here. I've been on my new meds for depression for almost 3 months. I am still strugglung with dark thoughts and finding balance. It... View more

Hi all. So I have been reading up on things and taking in other posts. It seems like a warm and embracing community on here. I've been on my new meds for depression for almost 3 months. I am still strugglung with dark thoughts and finding balance. It's been a long time unmedicated so i guess it's takibg time to find my way. I really need the meds....noticing the difference in me if I forget a day's dose. I've found the last 2 weeks particularly hard as work has been quiet so my routine has been a little different. I've loved the time to myself but now at night i struggle with restlessness and I feel very lonely. I have 4 kids, a noisy house but i am still lonely. I also have a great husband. Does anyone else deal with this kind of thing? I'm open to suggestions. Thank you. Caitie

Kaz01 Feeling alone
  • replies: 3

Every day is a struggle atm, I am still taking my meds, going to work and putting on a brave face. I can't tell my family what is really going on inside my head and my body but I really feel like I'm slowly drowning and I don't know how much more I c... View more

Every day is a struggle atm, I am still taking my meds, going to work and putting on a brave face. I can't tell my family what is really going on inside my head and my body but I really feel like I'm slowly drowning and I don't know how much more I can take. I don't want my kids to see me failing again. I have made an appointment with my GP but I cant see her until the end of May. I m not sure if I should increase my meds myself of try to battle on until I see her. I wish it would just all go away!

happyannie Depressed and Alone
  • replies: 13

Hi Having a hard day today, feeling very depressed and low really low. Nothing I can think of has triggered my mood, I just woke up thismorning in a state of depression and haven't been able to pull myself up. Its alot easier said than done. Im also ... View more

Hi Having a hard day today, feeling very depressed and low really low. Nothing I can think of has triggered my mood, I just woke up thismorning in a state of depression and haven't been able to pull myself up. Its alot easier said than done. Im also feeling anxious. My mind is at war with itself, everything seems muffled. I also feel very confused, my thoughts are all over the place. Its as if everythings moving along and Im just watching. Ive been doing my mindfullness and my controlled breathing, its better than nothing. My Doctors seem happy with me at the moment, shame Im not happy with myself. I also keep a daily journal which I find very helpful. Anyway I just needed to vent, thanx BB Annie

Millie04 How do I explain all this to my boss
  • replies: 6

How, how do I do that... a boss who says he's trying to be understanding, then sends me an email while I'm on a approved leave day telling me he wants a meeting with me tomorrow because he must take disciplinary action. I have always tried to keep hi... View more

How, how do I do that... a boss who says he's trying to be understanding, then sends me an email while I'm on a approved leave day telling me he wants a meeting with me tomorrow because he must take disciplinary action. I have always tried to keep him in the loop, maybe it's easier just to get a doctors certificate and tell them nothing... I try and do the right thing then get crucified... I'm getting closer to the edge

Redwings Galactosemia
  • replies: 6

Hello, I suffer from galactosemia and it does come with mental illness too. my crappy disability. I got diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2011 when I was very sick and I lost my paying part time job then. I feel socially isolated from people and I spen... View more

Hello, I suffer from galactosemia and it does come with mental illness too. my crappy disability. I got diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2011 when I was very sick and I lost my paying part time job then. I feel socially isolated from people and I spend most of my time smoking cigarettes out of depression and boredom. I feel depressed and lost with other people. I am suffering mental pain from my crappy medical issues I feel like I have no friends. I am taking monthly medication for schizo from my doctor. injections there is no fun in my life anymore for me. everything is a chore and it is really hard for me. I am getting more introverted the older that I get, spending time alone

Teewaa Stuck in a rut
  • replies: 1

So I have been stuck in this awful rut lately of being constantly down. I have to force myself to smile at work and around other people so no one thinks anything is wrong, but its so exhausting. Last night was the worst I've been in a very long time,... View more

So I have been stuck in this awful rut lately of being constantly down. I have to force myself to smile at work and around other people so no one thinks anything is wrong, but its so exhausting. Last night was the worst I've been in a very long time, I'm having troubles with my relationship because of my constant mood swings and I feel like no matter how much I try to explain how I feel, no one understands. I've been called crazy before and that sentence is stuck in my head. I feel like a constant dispointment and a burden on everyone. Is this normal? I try and question my thoughts but when I do I hear the words you're stupid and why bother. I don't know how to stop feeling this way. Can anyone offer a suggestion?

Black_n_White Do I have Bipolar or ADHD or BPD?
  • replies: 5

Hi there I'm new here. First of all, thanks a lot if you're reading this. I just need some advice cause I feel like no one around me really understands me. I have been really confused and lost with my mental health. I was diagnosed with depression an... View more

Hi there I'm new here. First of all, thanks a lot if you're reading this. I just need some advice cause I feel like no one around me really understands me. I have been really confused and lost with my mental health. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety 3 years ago and taking antidepressants. My depression got better but my mood is always changing. I would be really interested in certain things and get really into it. And all of a sudden, I got bored. My favourite food/colour etc also changes frequently. I think these have been going on since I was a kid but recently it gets more intense. I would become very close to someone and suddenly I could get angry to them for no reasons. I do impulsive things like spending a lot, gambling, drinking etc. Never had a stable relationship until the current one who really cares me and fixes my stupid mistakes for over a year. Before the longest one was 3 months, always broke up because of small things. I am 25, male, homosexual. My mind is always full of thoughts and sometimes I feel really tired and just want to sleep. I thought I might be bipolar and saw a psychiatrist 2 months ago. Despite having to make a booking for months in advance, he finished the session after 15 minutes. He said I am bipolar, increased the does of my antidepressant and prescribed me a mood stablizer. It made me feel so slow and my mind became very heavy and uncomfortable. I could not think properly and I got more confused in my thoughts. So I stopped taking them. I saw him again 2 weeks ago and he prescribed me with another one, ended my session in less than 5 minutes. I do not want to spend another $400 on a session as I don't have medicare. I did researches online about my symptoms and I can be having borderline personality disorder or ADHD. But I don't know. Can a GP or a psychologist diagnose these disorders? Where else can I get help as I can't afford a psychiatrist? And any advice what to tell the doctor when I meet them? I usually feel so anxious and talk a lot without thinking what I am talking about. Only after leaving the doctor, I will remember what I should have said. Thanks again if you're still reading. I really need some advice cause I have been confused for so long.

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