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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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Stinson I feel like a book that's missing chapters
  • replies: 3

I don't know where to start, I don't know if I even suffer from depression or am just a little lost in life.I'm Stinson, I'm a 23 year old Caucasian male. I haven't had the best luck with employment, everytime I get a break get a job, it falls apart ... View more

I don't know where to start, I don't know if I even suffer from depression or am just a little lost in life.I'm Stinson, I'm a 23 year old Caucasian male. I haven't had the best luck with employment, everytime I get a break get a job, it falls apart as soon as I get ahead, and I end up back to square one. It's like I can't move forward. I've been going through this for 4 years, and it's stressful.my relationship history is the only thing more sketchy than my working history, I've had 2 long term relationships, 1 mid term passionate, romantic relationship and then the spark of a pre relationship recently. All of which were unsuccessful and just end in me being hurt more than they are. so I'm sort of in a point in life where I don't know what to do, I think it would be easier to not wake up most mornings, and I think about dieing more often than not. I'm not capable of suicide, I couldn't do it, it scares me too much, but I do think it would be easier if I just stopped waking up one morning. so this is where I'm at, I don't know what's wrong with me, I just thought I'd reach out, because I'm at a point that I need someone but have no one. beyondblue's clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}

Rossmonkey Self harm and Depression
  • replies: 3

Ok So I cant mention self harm but would like to say it does go hand in hand with certain forms of depression. This can mean putting yourself in dangerous situations, physically hurting yourself, abusing drugs, becoming reclusive, associating with th... View more

Ok So I cant mention self harm but would like to say it does go hand in hand with certain forms of depression. This can mean putting yourself in dangerous situations, physically hurting yourself, abusing drugs, becoming reclusive, associating with the 'Wrong type' of people. I have done them all but would like to hear from anyone who has had success in suppressing these urges. Strategies, own stories, Anything even a good recipe for scones. The only tricks I have learned so far are laughing at 'It' or compartmentalising it....

Molly604 Hope?
  • replies: 3

I would be very interested in hearing from people on this. What gives you hope? What makes you hopeful? I have been in such a dark place for so long I just don't know if it will end.

I would be very interested in hearing from people on this. What gives you hope? What makes you hopeful? I have been in such a dark place for so long I just don't know if it will end.

corbeau Stopped taking anti-depressant, mood gone down
  • replies: 4

Hey everyone. A bit of background on me: had first ever appointment with psychiatrist in January, he said I have mild BPD and also prescribed me medication for depressive feelings. He also referred me to a psychologist. Had a few appointments with ps... View more

Hey everyone. A bit of background on me: had first ever appointment with psychiatrist in January, he said I have mild BPD and also prescribed me medication for depressive feelings. He also referred me to a psychologist. Had a few appointments with psychologist, found he wasn't going in a direction I felt I needed to go in (focusing entirely on phobias and social anxiety which aren't the problems I came to get help for) so I have stopped going. Was feeling good on medication, was as upbeat as I can be and had no suicidal ideations. During this time I had no job and was running out of money so that's a time that would normally trigger bad thoughts, and I weathered it, remarkably. Due to having no money I couldn't afford to get my script filled and haven't been taking it for over a week. I started a full time job nearly 3 weeks ago, got a car and have started learning to drive, and am moving to a nicer house this month, where I can fulfil my dream of getting a dog. Yet the creeping thoughts of loneliness, helplessness, sadness, despair, uselessness and thoughts of suicide have crept back in and tonight I have been crying in the bathroom alone and picturing a world without me. I feel so lonely and isolated from my family (they live an hour away) and down and out. This is exactly how I have felt for a long time and why I sought help. So I am beginning to realise, that even though things are, on paper, 'looking up' for me, that I can never be happy. My own brain will not allow me to be happy. This adds to my sadness and despair and wondering what is the point. I need to get my script again, and I see that maybe I can never live a life without some type of anti depressant. Even though I don't have major depression, a persistent low mood and patches of feeling worthless and suicidal is a big deal to live with. Is a life on anti-depressants a life? I feel like I have been burdened with this brain and I'm so lonely, yet know that being near people won't cure that loneliness. It's a bad thing. Anyway this is a huge rant, I guess I want to hear from people that it IS possible to have 'a life' when your own brain is working against your happiness. Thanks and sorry for the rant. beyondblue's clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636.

Hopefullseeking Low
  • replies: 10

Feeling extremely low today, thank goodness I am off to see my shrink this afternoon. Have been going along feeling not great but managing to get through the day. My resting rate as my shrink calls it. Yesterday I could feel myself going down and thi... View more

Feeling extremely low today, thank goodness I am off to see my shrink this afternoon. Have been going along feeling not great but managing to get through the day. My resting rate as my shrink calls it. Yesterday I could feel myself going down and this morning I woke up feeling really low. Yes I suffer from depression/anxiety/ptsd/gad but with the help of my shrink and a psychologist I am presently seeing on the mental health scheme, I get by. Today is a shocker, feel like a heavy weight is squashing me and I don't know why. Nothing unusual has happened that I can think of. Saw my mum last weekend and I feel she is a bit more frail but I was aware of that. Don't know what is going on, don't like it, was feeling a slight glimmer of hope that one day I would feel better but today that has gone. Life shouldn't feel so hopeless.

Findinganswers3761 How did you first admit you needed help?
  • replies: 6

Please note I have not been formally diagnosed with any mental Illness, this post is to determine whether I should seek professional help. In the past five weeks I have been experiencing some out of character behaviours that I believe may be the star... View more

Please note I have not been formally diagnosed with any mental Illness, this post is to determine whether I should seek professional help. In the past five weeks I have been experiencing some out of character behaviours that I believe may be the start of a mild depression. These are as follows: Completely random feelings of sadness that often lead me to cry, sometimes up to six times a day with no apprant reason. Insomnia, previously I would sleep like a log, now I spend sometimes up to three hours a night trying to get to sleep, which has been ongoing for the entire five weeks. I'm finding myself having these little 'episodes' where I break down and cry at almost anytime e.g. driving in the car,often I can feel a little worthless or hopeless and while I have had some of these little breakdowns in front of my boyfriend I find that they mostly affect me when I am alone and that I have more intense one's when I am by myself. I've never once thought about self harm, or suicide and I have always considered myself quite a strong person mentally. I just seem to be having these little epsiodes of intense crying and sadness that I really cannot explain, and of course the Insonmia Is starting to really affect me. Do you think my concerns are valid? Did you ever experience anything like this? And what did you do?

Tinuviel14 Dealing with the really dark moods.
  • replies: 7

I have been fighting depression for a while now but lately I have been getting what I refer to as the really dark moods. They are something beyond the sadness or numbness that I usually get. I just feel like curling into a ball and crying at first an... View more

I have been fighting depression for a while now but lately I have been getting what I refer to as the really dark moods. They are something beyond the sadness or numbness that I usually get. I just feel like curling into a ball and crying at first and then I get irrationally angry. I feel like falling to my knees, holding my hands over my ears and screaming for the world to just shut up. I don't know what or who I want to shut up, that's just what I feel like screaming. They really scare me. They seem to happen randomly and can be triggered by the most insignificant reason. For example, today one of my really dark moods got triggered by getting frustrated by traffic. They always happen in the late afternoon or at night. Has anyone else felt like this? How do you deal with them? I really struggle with them and can be stuck in one of these moods for many hours at a time. They only seem to go away with sleep but it always leaves me feeling extremely drained afterwards.

Just_Lost All the help I can get
  • replies: 17

Been low for a long time I think.Bought up 7 children who are my rocks.Hubby is Fifo worker 10 years ongoing.Have always held it together somehow but now I'm crumbling.i feel so lost and confused about everything these days.cannot sleep, cannot eat.C... View more

Been low for a long time I think.Bought up 7 children who are my rocks.Hubby is Fifo worker 10 years ongoing.Have always held it together somehow but now I'm crumbling.i feel so lost and confused about everything these days.cannot sleep, cannot eat.Concentrating on anything is very difficult.I cry a lot.Go for days without even speaking sometimes when I'm home alone,which is a lot .i have never felt so helpless to help myself.my husband does not understand at all why I'm always blue.he is a very social person. My stomach churns constantly and I feel nervous most of the time. Some days I feel like I've no reason to be here really, though I know I do.My only constant is my daily work. routinely day in day out just do don't have to think because thinking is just to hard right now because it's all such a mess.im about to see a Doctor this Friday prompted by a friend.Im hoping it's a start on the right track because this black hole is consuming my every waking minute leaving me exhausted, vague and detached .I feel at this point that there is no hope really ....so please please assure me I can overcome this demon and beat it and begin to live again....please. 800x600 beyondblue’s clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}

Santana Struggling to remember the good stuff
  • replies: 10

Hi, I've suffered from both generalised anxiety and depression for a number of years. At present I feel I'm slipping into depression again, feeling disconnected and sad. One of my on going challenges is to remember the good stuff. When I think back i... View more

Hi, I've suffered from both generalised anxiety and depression for a number of years. At present I feel I'm slipping into depression again, feeling disconnected and sad. One of my on going challenges is to remember the good stuff. When I think back in time, it's the negative experiences that I remember most, and I find myself beating myself up over stuff that happened long ago. Anyone else out there experiencing something similar? What do you find helpful? I've read about mindfulness but I find it quite difficult to put into practice.

lolamoonrock I don't feel like a real person
  • replies: 4

I don't know what's wrong with me. A couple of years , even when I was in an abusive relationship, I was still interested in lots of things and being involved with activities and people. But now I feel like an empty husk. The only things I feel I can... View more

I don't know what's wrong with me. A couple of years , even when I was in an abusive relationship, I was still interested in lots of things and being involved with activities and people. But now I feel like an empty husk. The only things I feel I can manage to do is blog on tumblr; even on there I find it difficult to be involved with people and interests. I have a lovely new partner, but I feel like I don't bring anything to the table, that I'm there like a doll. I have no urge to do anything productive, I have no skills, I can't commit to interests anymore. I feel like I exist as some kind of doll, I'm not actually living a life. I despise my past, especially because I feel that my ex ruined me psychologically, I don't like the person I am now and I have no motivation to become better, and the future I want seems like a big joke because I won't achieve it. I just want to slip into sleep and not wake up.beyondblue's clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636.