Immediate support
Immediate support

Depression

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

Start a discussion

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 discussion

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 discussion

Snoman It would be easier
  • replies: 7

I have been pretty good, until a few days ago. I have been fighting the beast almost constantly and getting tired of it. I want to curl into a little ball under the doona. I know I can't give in to it, or I will slip back into the hole. I am a nerdy ... View more

I have been pretty good, until a few days ago. I have been fighting the beast almost constantly and getting tired of it. I want to curl into a little ball under the doona. I know I can't give in to it, or I will slip back into the hole. I am a nerdy type, so I have been researching into the effects of depression on the brain. If you don't want to read too much sciency stuff, skip the next three paragraphs. I learned a few months ago about the impact on the hippocampus which is believed to play a role in memory and concentration. I noticed that in me, my memory got severely impacted, as did my ability to concentrate. I started to do mental exercises to improve memory and concentration. I think this helped. Recently I learned of some research that suggests that AD's don't help by elevating low chemicals like serotonin, but they help by starting to repair the hippocampus. This is good news. Research into repairing the damaged brain function is welcome. I also learned that when we "ruminate" on our low moods, we make it harder for the hippocampus to repair itself. This knowledge is making me determined to: Continue exercising my brain to help it repair Avoid "wallowing" at all costs. The problem I have at the moment is that last one. I have so much to do (not really, but beyond what I feel capable of right now). I am currently trying to apply for jobs, go house hunting, work on a project I have been contracted to do and be the stay at home dad. This with significant financial pressures. I am finding it so hard to get done what I need to, and I think I am wearing my happy mask again for my wife's sake (and mine). Just needed to vent. Thanks. Sno

GutterStars My Invisible Torture
  • replies: 8

After making public my battle with depression via my Facebook account, I seemed to connect with many other people who are struggling with varying versions of mental illness, all of whom I had no idea were doing so privately. That effort to write down... View more

After making public my battle with depression via my Facebook account, I seemed to connect with many other people who are struggling with varying versions of mental illness, all of whom I had no idea were doing so privately. That effort to write down all of my darkest and deepest thoughts from the past 6 years was in one turn liberating, but also terrifying and very nearly caused insomnia for a few nights. Family have encouraged me to join up to the forums on here and share my thoughts and story, so that I can further investigate this illness, and how it is affecting other people (especially those about my age, 24)I have been married for just over a year now, and my wife and I are very much struggling to maintain a healthy and working marriage, very much due to my illness and it's effects on my personality and actions. Depression is not an excuse though, I do take full responsibility for everything I so and do, and more importantly when I feel down, all the things I do not do or say. My method of coping when depression sets in, is to retreat inside myself and clam up, not talking, not getting out of bed and ruining any headway I had made against anxiety and depression. Not knowing what to say or exactly how I feel is the main cause of this method, however it frustrates my wife immensely and debilitates anyone from being able to properly help me, because no one knows what's going on inside my head.So instead I contemplate methods of removing myself from thetorture of constant feelings of failure, disappointment toward those I care about, and seeing my wife break down in tears, and know it's all my fault. I have made several attempts at taking my own life and came close to succeeding and recently have had to stay with my parents so that I have very little time on my own, making it a lot more difficult to get in that state of mind again. I have a whole story behind all of this, but this is where I am at right now, and help is still a long way off. No one on the outside will every fully understand, and knowing that, to me, is proper torture.~GutterStars 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 cmments from the cmmunity are encouragaed. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636.

bbqsauce think it just hit me!
  • replies: 14

I was wondering if I had depression, I didn't think I had because I thought people with depression stayed in bed all day and couldn't function, but I go to work etc and don't feel bad every single day. I suppose I have had weeks of feeling down for t... View more

I was wondering if I had depression, I didn't think I had because I thought people with depression stayed in bed all day and couldn't function, but I go to work etc and don't feel bad every single day. I suppose I have had weeks of feeling down for the past few years I just thought maybe I had extreme moods only when I am in these moods I feel like nothing in life is positive, theres nothing to look forward to, I feel like ive been hit with a ton of bricks and nothing can cheer me up. I wondered if anyone else feels like this? Anyway I made an appointment for this afternoon with the dr and an appointment with a psychologist next week, as this week I feel terrible I snapped at my son this morning for something small, then I got upset that I over reacted and then I went to work and felt like I couldn't breathe or calm down for over an hour, and then someone said something to me and I burst into tears, I'm so negative and I haven't always been like this, I cant put a finger on what exactly is bothering me. Any advice would be great

Susann Hi There
  • replies: 3

I am suffering from depression - in that I feel constantly sad, gained weight and just performing daily dutied takes enormous energy. Due to a lot of fairly recent issues occurring, I feel that a lot of my undealt with chidhood issues have raised the... View more

I am suffering from depression - in that I feel constantly sad, gained weight and just performing daily dutied takes enormous energy. Due to a lot of fairly recent issues occurring, I feel that a lot of my undealt with chidhood issues have raised their painful heads AGAIN. In the past, I have had years of councilling, which in the short term does reduce the pain by sharing it with a concerned person - however, with, I feel, no real long term effect. I really would like to get past this pain ( of not feeling loved and supported in my life) - but I really don't know how to do that. I have heard that the pain won't kill you - but the addiction will. However, I find the pain extremely debilitating. So - do I just plaster a smile on my face and get on with living (while squashing all of these feelings back down ) or do I really try to deal with the pain?? I have read that just sitting with the pain and getting in touch with it and going into it leads to happiness. I have not been able to achieve this , to date. Has anyone got any suggestions or ideas?? P.S. In the past, I have had medication and went as high as a kite, Warm Regards, Susann.

wishforbetter Feeling out of control
  • replies: 4

Hello, any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. I've experienced depression on and off since I was a teenager, so this has been over 20 years now. Normally I am depressed, seek treatment, am fine for a while then I sink back down into dep... View more

Hello, any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. I've experienced depression on and off since I was a teenager, so this has been over 20 years now. Normally I am depressed, seek treatment, am fine for a while then I sink back down into depression again. It constantly cycles. My most recent experience of depression is really starting to scare me. I'm in a job that I hate (and have been in for a long time now, and the feelings have been getting progressively worse). I am paralysed though and don't know how to make a change. Increasingly, my depression is taking the form of anger and complete blind rage, my partner is the one suffering the brunt of this and I'm really scared to lose a really good person from my life. I don't know how to change my situation and really have no idea what else to do. The pressures at work have been getting worse and worse and I don't know how much longer I can keep turning up there. Every little thing has been getting to me and making me so angry. I'm seeing a professional but it is really not helping me at all. Lately, my frustration over life has been getting so bad that I fall into an uncontrollable rage and I yell, swear and throw objects across the room. I'm at a total loss. I don't want to be dead, but I'm putting on a big fake, front in my workplace and I don't really feel like life is worth living either. I don't want to be so frustrated, exhausted, upset and angry all of the time! Any advice appreciated!

unfortunate12 Why my life is so blue?
  • replies: 3

Is there away out from this depression? I live in Sydney and it is a big city. There are thousand of people but why I am so lonely.

Is there away out from this depression? I live in Sydney and it is a big city. There are thousand of people but why I am so lonely.

AdamrW Diagnosed with Depression
  • replies: 5

Hello friends, after having a somewhat horrible couple of weeks, yesterday I took myself to the doctor, had a quick chat, did a questionnaire and was told I have depression. I have been feeling really low for a while, I'm a Project Manager for a gove... View more

Hello friends, after having a somewhat horrible couple of weeks, yesterday I took myself to the doctor, had a quick chat, did a questionnaire and was told I have depression. I have been feeling really low for a while, I'm a Project Manager for a government agency and have just recently taken on the role after a restructure, my partner and I have been having issues with our relationship for a while, we recently lost a 2 year court case in the federal court and I'm a father of two beautiful children under 3. I feel as if the struggles and constant grinding of my day to day life have caught up with me. I have seen a counselor who gave me a lot of printed material on anxiety and depression. I'm now 34 and find myself living in what seems like a black hole. 2 months ago my life seemed 'normal' but I think that things had been building up. I went to work earlier in the week and found myself sitting in front of my computer but not being present, I took myself home as I was struggling to be there. I'm now here putting an entry on the beyond blue website to share my story and read yours. I think I have some underling issues causing my depression, I can be a caring, sensitive person and usually put others first, I also tend to worry about what other people think. I have had anxiety in the past, I had a motorbike accident in Thailand when I was younger and suffered Anxiety when I returned home. I did however managed to get on with my life, progressed in my career, met my partner etc and have had a lot of fun. I'm now in a place I'm not familiar with, I will get better just at the moment I'm struggling to find or see the light at the end of the tunnel. I currently do have trouble sleeping and worry a lot during the night, some times I think I'm going crazy and that I'm a horrible father. My mind seems to spiral in thoughts sometimes. I realize now what depression is like and that its a big issue. I'm trying to find comfort in people who have overcome it and how. Sometimes the stories I read make me feel worse but there is also comfort in knowing others every day all over the world are going through the same thing. To all of you i send you a big HUG. My partner unfortunately doesn't understand mental health issues and thinks I should snap out of it, she is also focusing on our 2 children and does a wonderful job, I do wish she could understand what its like however and offer support. I'm going back to my doctor on Saturday Thanks for reading X

Doolhof Life can be like a maze
  • replies: 11

Hi Everyone, this is my first ever post on this site. I'm going by the name Doolhof which in Dutch means Labyrinth or maze, not that I am Dutch, I just like the word! Some days I feel like I am in a labyrinth and have trouble knowing which way to tur... View more

Hi Everyone, this is my first ever post on this site. I'm going by the name Doolhof which in Dutch means Labyrinth or maze, not that I am Dutch, I just like the word! Some days I feel like I am in a labyrinth and have trouble knowing which way to turn, some days I feel like I am stuck in one place and just looking up at the walls wondering what is beyond, but having no energy at all to find out. As a teenager I felt like I knew where I wanted to be going in life, to be a Mum with 4 children, have a house near a beach, maybe a dog and a great relationship with a husband and my extended family. Four pregnancies and decades later I have no live babies, don't live anywhere near a beach, have a husband and a cat. I also have Borderline Personality Disorder, which makes life and relationships interesting, have a chronic back problem, and experience depression and loneliness, sometimes in almost overwhelming degrees. Part of me knows that my life is really great compared to what other people are going through, and then some days I think I am quite close to hell and no one has any idea how I am feeling. It frustrates me when the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all I feel like doing is going to bed for the day as I have no enthusiasm to do anything else. For me, feeling lonely is one of the hardest emotions to live with, when my mind tells me that no one cares, when I feel like I don't have a friend in the whole world and who would miss me anyway if I did disappear? I am thankful I do have friends who care, sometimes my brain just tells me they don't. I have been reading some of the posts written by other people and have appreciated the openness to share thoughts and feelings, it has helped me to understand that other people go through similar things I do. A few of my family members and a friends do not understand depression much at all, and understand "on going grief" even less. So many times I have been told to pull my socks up and get on with life. My answer to that is, that if I could pull my socks all the way up to my head, some days I still would not be able to cope very well. Depression is not a thing you can turn off like a tap. How do others out there cope and deal with depression, grief and feelings of loneliness? I will be interested to see where this goes, to see where the labyrinth of life will lead me through the Beyond Blue connection.

GeorgieBelle Feels like I'm drowning
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone, I just joined up, and I think I felt I had to because everything I was thinking and feeling was just being internalised. I know I have depression - I have seen doctors and am on medication - but for the last 6 weeks or so I have been fee... View more

Hi everyone, I just joined up, and I think I felt I had to because everything I was thinking and feeling was just being internalised. I know I have depression - I have seen doctors and am on medication - but for the last 6 weeks or so I have been feeling overwhelmingly alone and helpless. I always make a huge effort to see people, keep in contact and make others smile, but a while ago I wondered whether anybody would make that much effort with me. So I stopped. I decided I would talk to those who initiated contact and message when necessary, but would not go out of my way. Three people messaged me. In a month. One was asking for another friends phone number. My best friend knew I was in a bad place and still didn't contact me, nobody tried to make me smile. Everyone says they're busy. Hey, I work too. But if you have time to update your Facebook multiple times a day, or to sit down and eat or watch TV, then you have time to text a friend and see how they are, or ask someone how their day has been. I am so incredibly hurt because what I do for others, is apparently too hard for anyone to do for me. I feel helpless and worthless and I am just so incredibly tired of everything. I have hit the point where I don't wish I was dead, I just don't wish I was here either. I don't know if that will make sense to anyone. I just kind of want to disappear without causing a fuss. Just...be gone without anyone worrying. I know that isn't possible (I have family). It's so hard to explain.

Over_It Family is sabotaging my recovery. Help?
  • replies: 2

Hi guys, I haven't really got anywhere else to go, I have been fighting severe depression and anxiety since April. I was starting to make progress on it, regaining some confidence to step outside the house, but this morning a member of my family has ... View more

Hi guys, I haven't really got anywhere else to go, I have been fighting severe depression and anxiety since April. I was starting to make progress on it, regaining some confidence to step outside the house, but this morning a member of my family has sabotaged all that, making out that I can just get over it like that and I don't have a problem. I've had a massive downhill slide. This family member wonders why I become suicidal at times (I'm not currently). There's no point explaining to them because they won't listen to a word I say. I can't leave home because I can't afford to, but at the same time I can't cope with this anymore. I have barricaded myself in my bedroom and have not eaten at all today because I'm now too anxious to leave my bedroom or eat, lest this person starts again. I don't know what to do anymore. If I stay I won't get better, but I have no choice.