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
Jump to
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 chats on this Forum having 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

jodes76 Will it ever end
  • replies: 2

The other night I self harmed. I want to get better, but there's so many obstacles I feel I will never overcome. I'm really stuck with what to do.

The other night I self harmed. I want to get better, but there's so many obstacles I feel I will never overcome. I'm really stuck with what to do.

amamas Crappy day!!!!
  • replies: 11

Hey guys How've you all been today? I have been pretty crap! It wasn't me being alone that was the trouble that part been great. What threw me is that this is the least alone I've ever felt at xmas. That's been a painful reality to try and face. One ... View more

Hey guys How've you all been today? I have been pretty crap! It wasn't me being alone that was the trouble that part been great. What threw me is that this is the least alone I've ever felt at xmas. That's been a painful reality to try and face. One of my so called "friends" just text me (first time in a while) asked me how I was. I text back I've been ****. My "lovely friend" text me Still ****? This "friend" knows heaps of what I've been through, knows my illnesses yet still expects me to snap out of it. Sorry vent done... So food been delicious, started my painting, watched some movies, listened to music and here's the stink part smoked. Fell off the non smoking wagon with a mighty thunk!!! Back to it tomorrow. I have to find a way to feel my emotional pain without smokes (my little security smoke screen). How do you guys do it? Any non addictive things I'd love to hear ideas!!!! Merry Xmas everyone!

Pete81 Alone
  • replies: 1

I'm back from a small holiday with the boys and my now ex. It was great being able to spend time with them all. Until on the way home to realise that once we got home that we will all be moving and it will be my first time away from the kids and firs... View more

I'm back from a small holiday with the boys and my now ex. It was great being able to spend time with them all. Until on the way home to realise that once we got home that we will all be moving and it will be my first time away from the kids and first time I've ever lived on my own. Its worried me so much I've made myself sick over it and getting my usual tight chest feeling. The more I think about it I just cant do it. I have been unable to find employment locally but have managed to find a good job over 7 hours away. Just don't think i can not see my kids everyday. My ex says that i lived closer i could see them when ever i want but if she doesn't want to live with me now why would she want me around everyday and its still not the same I love seeing them going to sleep and seeing them wake up with huge big smiles that just melt your heart first thing in the morning. I have no family that i can talk to and just feel so alone nearly all of my so called mates cant be bothered to talk to me anymore as they are too busy and don't really give a stuff about keeping in contact anymore. I just feel so alone and isolated and worried or nearly certain I'm going to do something very stupid once i move. I feel lost and numb i cry everyday i just want it all finished and not feel like this anymore. All most can tell me is its going to be a long tough road ahead but i don't have the will or the energy for that tough road I'm afraid to say. Thanks for taking the time to read. I will write more when I'm able to it just hurts so bad I cant do much at a time.

RiverPeaks I was born a monster..
  • replies: 7

So to break the ice, and finally get this of my chest. My Grandmother attempted to kill herself because she couldn't have any more babies after her previous 5 children. Her husband came just in time to call the Ambulance and save her life. After this... View more

So to break the ice, and finally get this of my chest. My Grandmother attempted to kill herself because she couldn't have any more babies after her previous 5 children. Her husband came just in time to call the Ambulance and save her life. After this my grandmother's husband decided to do the deed with his own daughter - in which she agreed to go ahead with. That daughter is my mother, and my grandma's husband is my father. My birth is from the result of inbreeding and will forever be a burden on me. Yet I had no control over it, no opinion in the matter. Sure my father did it on somewhat "good" intentions. But once he proceeded with this, it's was no longer his problem. It was mine, a problem that will never go away. A problem that was always destined to make my life pure misery. That why I can never forgive him for what he has done, what SHE has done. My family is no longer a part of my life- and I like it that way. I cannot do anything about what has happened, but I can at least do anything possible to erase it from my memory.. The worst part of this burden is that I cannot tell this to ANYONE I care about. Picture this: You have a wife and kids. Your wife asks you, why you keep your parent's history a secret and why you keep refusing to tell her the truth. You told her "I don't want to talk about it", how does that portray yourself as a husband? You are suppose to be honest with the person you care the most about in life. But what if being honest, will be the reason for your relationship to fail. But at the same time, if you're not honest. Who's to say that NOT being honest won't also cause the relationship to end because of "trust" issues. How do you persist to live, knowing that everyone you love will eventually leave once they find out a secret that you have had no control over. I'm weak and distress, the thought of killing myself now is a common thought.But, there is still a part of me that wants to persist. To take control of the opportunities I DO have a say over. To overcome this burden, and focus on the future. Not the present. To live a life with no regrets, no concerns and no more pain. But the path to happiness is a long travel - and giving up seems so much easier. I like to think of this being my first REAL step in making my goal reality. Addressing my problem, and getting other opinions on the matter. Getting another view on the concept will hopefully help me see this as something I can eventually overcome... This is a very sensitive topic for me as you all can probably imagine. But I know, if I don't express myself on this then I will not be around much longer. Please don't judge me on what I am, judge me on who I am. Thank you all for reading my story... Peace.

Mares73 A different day
  • replies: 1

Hi all, I'm sorry my last post referred to the distant past but I was upset BB wouldn't initially publish it due to the "graphic" "abuse" so I needed to deal with it somehow. It's also an indication of what has led to TNT PTSD, anxiety & depression I... View more

Hi all, I'm sorry my last post referred to the distant past but I was upset BB wouldn't initially publish it due to the "graphic" "abuse" so I needed to deal with it somehow. It's also an indication of what has led to TNT PTSD, anxiety & depression I live with today. It's overwhelming and debilitating at the moment. I hope 2014 for all of us is a better healing year. Love Mares

Girl_Anachronism SOS
  • replies: 27

So this year has been pretty terrible for me. This was due to a combination of : losing my job midway through the year when I suffered from gall stones, got initially misdiagnosed and ended up having to go into emergency surgery to have my gallbladde... View more

So this year has been pretty terrible for me. This was due to a combination of : losing my job midway through the year when I suffered from gall stones, got initially misdiagnosed and ended up having to go into emergency surgery to have my gallbladder completely removed; ongoing medical complications which lead to me not being well for months afterward; both myself and my husband having no job of the same past few months resulting in centrelink payments which can cover rent and food but not internet bills, car rego or electricity; losing my passion for studying my uni degree which transformed me from Distinction level student who did all the extra reading and research for projects to someone who couldn't care that i did an assignment half assed or when times got really dark, not handing in assignments at all failing both units in both semesters this year a rocky relationship with my husband as i lied to him about failing units leading to almost divorce (not that either of us could afford to separate- one of us can't keep up the rent payments) ...and the biggest elephant in the room, finding out early in the year that my father sexually abused both my older sisters between the ages of 12 to 24 and I never knew. I don't know how I didn't notice but I am now looking at all the times i can't remember anything about my childhood- memory gaps with a new light. Conversations I thought strange but shrugged off now seem to make sense. When I was in my teens, facing the TEE and a verbally and emotionally abusive father I struggled with depression and suicidal tendancies. I fought my way out somehow. I told myself I would never go back again. Turns out I lied to myself aswell. THis year....I still fight every day to stay here. For years I haven't felt this emotionally void and yet out of control. I feel like there is a glass wall between me and anything I touch, watch or read. I acknowledge what a reasonable person would feel but feel...nothing. To this end I broke my silence on it and talked to both my counsellor at University and my GP. I have been started on antidepressants for the first time in my life, three weeks in now. I can no longer access the counsellor as I am notattending University next year. I can't afford to see anyone expensive. I have an appointment with someone free in the New Year but they had nothing available before Christmas. I just don't know if i can hold it together until then. Everyday is so hard. I am back in that dark place again but I don't know if I will be able to pull myself back from the edge. So this is me. Calling for help. GA

Suzbj The Reality of Hope
  • replies: 7

Hope is often lost in the worst yards of depression. When hope is lost and feelings no longer matter or exist - it is such a dark time. That is the place where some people give up. But what it actually is, is the dark before the dawn. When you get to... View more

Hope is often lost in the worst yards of depression. When hope is lost and feelings no longer matter or exist - it is such a dark time. That is the place where some people give up. But what it actually is, is the dark before the dawn. When you get to that place, be excited, something great and revealing is up ahead. The dark before the dawn is such a profound place to be. There is some break-through imminent if you just hold on!!!! For me, this is the first Christmas I don't feel alone, even though I literally am re family. It is how I SEE myself and ME belonging to ME that matters. I, for the first time ever in my life since 5yo feel good in my skin. So the relationship we most need to be well with, is the relationship we have with ourselves. Does that make sense? Love you all, Thinking of you all My love to you all Suz xxx

jodes76 not sure anymore
  • replies: 2

I'm not happy in my current situation, I want to leave but am scared. My hubby busted me on a chat/dating site and got shitty with me, all because I have cheated in past. I don't know what to do. My depression is getting worse and so is my anxiety. I... View more

I'm not happy in my current situation, I want to leave but am scared. My hubby busted me on a chat/dating site and got shitty with me, all because I have cheated in past. I don't know what to do. My depression is getting worse and so is my anxiety. I don't want to feel like this anymore

Juliet Uncontrollable anger!
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. I am finding that almost anything anyone says at the moment is whirling in my mind and I can't stop myself from biting their head off. For a while I've been having trouble controllin... View more

Hi everyone, Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. I am finding that almost anything anyone says at the moment is whirling in my mind and I can't stop myself from biting their head off. For a while I've been having trouble controlling what I say and I'm to the point where I'm unable to have a conversation without arguing or being really angry with the other person. I have recently come off some meds and I'm stressed from christmas but I don't feel they are the only reasons. I feel like I'm losing it a bit and I really can't control myself at all. My psychologist mentioned possibly going to hospital for a while and to discuss with my new psychiatrist who I see mid Jan. He obviously thinks I'm acting crazy too! Thanks for listening. Juliet

Louis-Rigolly Dogs and Depression
  • replies: 1

I'm 74 years old and live next door to a boarding kennel. I doubt that it's a legal one but the council's local laws team don't seem to be interested in it. It's now nearly 1.00am on Christmas eve and it appears I am not going to get much sleep tonig... View more

I'm 74 years old and live next door to a boarding kennel. I doubt that it's a legal one but the council's local laws team don't seem to be interested in it. It's now nearly 1.00am on Christmas eve and it appears I am not going to get much sleep tonight because of the barking, howling, and yapping. I was supposed to go to lunch with friends tomorrow but it involves a 70km drive and I don't think it would be safe to drive without sleep at my age. I first complained about the dog problem in January this year and the council told me to keep a diary of the barking for two weeks. I may be stupid, but if one complains about a stress inducing problem, this act of complaining suggests that the person is not able to sit through this stress for an extended period. Effectively, this requirement to record the barking presents a "Catch 22" situation in which the person is not able to get out of the life threatening situation. I did spend nearly ten years at university, some of it part time, but, as I said, I may be the one that's stupid. Beyond Blue state that depression is not a part of getting older. In my situation, depression is definitely a required part of getting old. A year ago I was enjoying my life and involved in all kinds of activities. I tried to be a "Good Neighbour" and endure the barking during school holidays and such. But one can endure stress for a limited period. The stress gradually takes over. Now I spend two or three days each week away from home and when I am at home spend my time closed in a room reading and playing music to disguise the barking. I also smoke a pipe because nicotine has anti-depressant qualities. I see a counsellor once a week, paying money that I can't really afford. The counsellor can't do much so I slip deeper and deeper into depression. My active life is crammed into those two or three days that I am away from my home each week. Depression, for me, is definitely a part of ageing. .