Depression

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BeyondBlue Hello! Read this if you're not sure how to get started
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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?
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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
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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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connor56 Need some advice
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I have for a while suspected that my partner has some form of mental illness. The simpliest way to explain, her emotions control who she is and everything she does. She has openly admitted to me that she relies on me and that without me she couldnt c... View more

I have for a while suspected that my partner has some form of mental illness. The simpliest way to explain, her emotions control who she is and everything she does. She has openly admitted to me that she relies on me and that without me she couldnt cope. I suppose we are the complete opposites, I base my decisions and opinions on the facts etc she bases hers on how she feels at the time. She is extremely insecure, afraid shes not good enough for me, afraid that im going to leave regardless of how much I express the way i feel about her. Occassionally I admit i do lose my patience with her and the situation Things are that bad that my friends and family won't have anything to do with me while i'm with her, eg if i want to catch up with friends and family i have to do it myself. The tipping point for me is that we are expecting our first child and as someone who grew up in an abusive home i wish to give my kid the life i never had. The way things are currently i don't see that happening. I have attempted to talk about this with her however i have had little success. I can handle her and how she is, i believe if you truly love someone you take the bad with the good but i really dont want our child to have to. She is miserable 90% of the time and it breaks my heart. All i want is for her to be happy but i have no idea how or what to do, I know that there isn't a quick fix, however I would appreciate some advice from people who have been in similar situations and have got through it.

orlypops Rock bottom
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Hi all, This is my first post and desperation and utter despair brought me here. I am 31 years old and I have been living in Australia 2 and a half years. I work in the health profession and I am oncall 5 days a week , 24 hours a day. I live in a sha... View more

Hi all, This is my first post and desperation and utter despair brought me here. I am 31 years old and I have been living in Australia 2 and a half years. I work in the health profession and I am oncall 5 days a week , 24 hours a day. I live in a shared house with some nice girls. Basically I feel overwhelmed by depression and sadness. I cry every single day. Multiple times a day. I feel very lonely. I have friends but feel like I lack a tight knit support network or even one friend that is close enough to share my feelings with. I think partly this comes with the territory of being new to a country. But I'm really feeling the loss of having a person to share my feelings with. My sadness seems to come hand in hand with binge eating. I have always been chunky but this past year Ive put on lots of kgs and I am properly fat. And I am getting fatter. And I feel like the eating and the sadness compound each other. I'd really like to meet someone but literally feel that this is impossible because I am so fat. 5 months ago I met a married man online that I started a relationship with. Initially I felt so happy that someone - anyone - acted like they found me desirable that I fell hook, line and sinker for him. The whole relationship is actually a total emotional roller coaster and aside from the obvious reason as to why its not good, he's literally toying with my emotions. And I'm stuck. Because he's the only person in my life that shows me any affection and I cant give it up, no matter how much he makes me cry at other times. My head is screaming LET HIM GO but then I just feel so lonely and broken I cant cope. My relationship with my parents in the UK is sporadic at best. They are both fully embroiled in mid life crisis's themselves and contact me rarely. My Dad doesn't contact me at all. I have this innate feeling that there is no one in my life looking out for me. That if I stopped trying with people they'd all just forget me. And that belief makes me incredibly lonely. Ive been seeing a psychologist for a few months and although I love going to see her I feel that we are not actually tackling my problems. I feel like I'm just paying for someone to be my friend and listen to my woes. I keep thinking about medication. I desperately want to break out of this. I know I have to stop binge eating. I know I need to start using that gym membership Ive never ever used. I know that if I did that for 1 week I'd be well on my way. But..... I feel crippled. I cant seem to have that morning where I wake up and do what I need to do. Today was a day off and I have been in bed ALL DAY. Now i feel disgusting and useless and totally responsible for my own pathetic behavior. My internal dialogue is really negative. I can honestly say it didn't used to be this bad, but all day every day I think horrible things about myself. I can notice it but I cant stop it. I need help. I don't know where to begin. I don't have suicidal thoughts but I do think if God was to have the good grace to not wake me up in the morning that would be okay. Will antidepressants help me???

Incomprehensible I have no reason to be sad. Yet it consumes me.
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I have everything that is supposed to make you happy. Everything is basically really good, and when bad things happen I don't mind, it's just another thing il get past it. I lost my job it annoys me and worries me, but not really... It's just an all ... View more

I have everything that is supposed to make you happy. Everything is basically really good, and when bad things happen I don't mind, it's just another thing il get past it. I lost my job it annoys me and worries me, but not really... It's just an all consuming sadness. I know how to make it fade, I have a whole process. But everyday it comes back and I find myself lying on the bed or floor just crying, I can't move it completely consumes me. Il lie there for hours just crying till there are no more tears but such complete emptiness. I just want to end it all. But then I start the process again, get up walk around have a bath, watch YouTube have a cigarette if those don't help have a shower and then it becomes background music again. A feeling in my heart, but not in my mind. I don't go out, I stare at my computer and don't get things done for class. But I'm supposed to be happy! I have a great partner a cute little house an adorable poodle/Maltese who adores me, I'm trying to succeed. Why am I so sad? When I should be so happy..

RonnieW Depression: Advice needed
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Hi all. After many years of suffering from this damn depression and anxiety I have finally decided to get some help as it's ruined my life. I'm sure that a lot of you know what I'm talking about. The problem is I don't know where to start. What is th... View more

Hi all. After many years of suffering from this damn depression and anxiety I have finally decided to get some help as it's ruined my life. I'm sure that a lot of you know what I'm talking about. The problem is I don't know where to start. What is the process that some of you have gone through to get help? Do I first need to see my GP, or psychiatrist, or phycologist? I have no idea where to start. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Dennis38 Have a problem I am not totaly sure if its a problem or if its me being a twit?
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Ok so here is the question for all you lovely people out there, both guys and gals. Today I did something I have not done in a while and that is send my resume and CV in answer to a help wanted ad. But as I was writing up the CV and straighting out m... View more

Ok so here is the question for all you lovely people out there, both guys and gals. Today I did something I have not done in a while and that is send my resume and CV in answer to a help wanted ad. But as I was writing up the CV and straighting out my resume, I suddenly got this really tight feeling in my gut, stomach started to knot on me, started to get really nervous and very teary. I sent the CV and resume off despite all of this sudden gut churning emotional roller coaster and as it went out via email I started to really back slide into a bit of a depression. And I am honeslty not sure what the hell brought that on, nor is this the first time this has happened, and this is just sending the CV out, its not like I am going to an interview or anything. Was just sending out a letter basically! Even thinking about it now has me shivering a little and I am not sure why, if its dread, fear, or me just being a twit, now do keep in mind that I have not worked in 13 years thanks to being run over. I have two advance degrees, a BS in computer networking and a Masters of Information Systems and I am even going after an MBA with a consceintration in marketing, so I do know my stuff for when I am applying for a job. And of course I know that when and if I get yet another rejection letter that will cause me to do a tail spin into a depression, which of late I can kind of stop myself from going to deep, that and my wife and dog are a big help in that matter when I let them in. So any ideas of what the hell is going on and better yet how do I stop myself from sliding into the depression that shows up when I get a rejection email? Any ideas would be greatfully excepted!

SkyDancer The End?
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Years ago I was diagnosed and successfully treated for Gender Dysphoria which involved surgically transitioning from a male to female. The law at that time forbade me from being married so our family life was destroyed and I had to divorce my darling... View more

Years ago I was diagnosed and successfully treated for Gender Dysphoria which involved surgically transitioning from a male to female. The law at that time forbade me from being married so our family life was destroyed and I had to divorce my darling wife. It affected our two children inevitably. I became suicidal several times and was compulsorily hospitalized by the police on one occasion. All that is long past. For about 10 years I loved dance exercise classes and had great times with the girls. I also did bellydance, Polynesian dance and my own style of solo freestyle dance. I have had many interests and activities in the past. I am a good archer and play the autoharp. I have a degree as a Registered Nurse and was also a Mental Health Nurse and Counselor for Drug and Alcohol Addiction. But I retired from nursing in 2000. I live alone with my doggie and have no real friends. On 2 Oct I turned 80 and it was a total non-event. I stopped watching TV as it depressed me and find it hard to put on a CD and listen to some music. I want to dance so badly but I just can't get to do it. I want to do archery and play my autoharp but find no motivation. I take my doggie for walks twice every day in the lovely bush around where I live and I am physically slim and fit. My doggie, a poodle, is over 14 and not in the best of health and my die soon. I will lose my only friend. I guess my life is coming to an end also.

Lisado Easing up a little
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Hi all After listening to advice (or reading on here I should say) I went to see a counsellor. Why didin't I do that months ago. She was great and I have my 2nd appointment tomorrow to teach me techniques on how to deal with stress. Work got so unbea... View more

Hi all After listening to advice (or reading on here I should say) I went to see a counsellor. Why didin't I do that months ago. She was great and I have my 2nd appointment tomorrow to teach me techniques on how to deal with stress. Work got so unbearable I applied for another job and got it. What a boost to my confidence. I know sudden decisions should probably not be made in times of stress/depression but a weight lifted off me. it also means relocating interstate and boy has the stress hit. As I type I have tingly arm, bloated feeling, indegestion, can't sleep, concentrate etc but I know it is for the best so I am just powering on as best as I can. I think going to see a counsellor and talking things through also made my husband realise there was a major issue so he has been more understanding. As in a previous post I mentioned through all of this my normal brain left me and I did stupid things - like drink and drive. Something I hate and still cannot fathom what the hell Iwas thinking. Well my case is up at the Magistrates in 2 weeks so Im trying not to go into meltdown with that. I know I am disqualified and will be hit with a hefty fine but thats nothing compared to what could have happened. That as I mentioned was my wake up call that the Lisa I was before was slipping away from me. I feel like I am starting to get the old me back. Baby steps I know and boy is it a daily struggle but with the support from here, family and I finanlly told my firend (who was amazing ) then I think there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Jessiegirl You never think it will happen to you
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As the title says I never thought that I would be at the stage in my life where it is all just so hard. I have met many people who have suffered from mental illness and my little brother has Tourettes, ADD and OCD so i thought dealing wih my own depr... View more

As the title says I never thought that I would be at the stage in my life where it is all just so hard. I have met many people who have suffered from mental illness and my little brother has Tourettes, ADD and OCD so i thought dealing wih my own depression and anxiety wouldn't be as hard. So here it all is Im 21 years old I work full time doing the job I always want to do whilst growing up. In the last year I have had a relationship breakdown with my first "proper boyfriend" who i thought was my world but very quickly turned into an abusive alcoholic who I was afraid of. I am currently about to lose my job due to begin diagnosed with depression and anxiety and am seen as unsuitable to do my job even though my work feedback says I am an amazing worker. I have been fighting this decision since the day it happened yet I feel like everyone is against me. At the start of the year I met the most amazing man who has been so helpful for me but lately due to everything that is happening all we seem to do is fight and it is killing me inside. Im always upset then angry I wake up with a headache and go to sleep with one it has just become such a normal part of my life. I am starting to hat the person this has turned me into I exercise all the time I do everything right. I am the person that makes sure everyone else is ok and never get to think about myself. In the most recent weeks my partner has also been diagnosed with depression and separation anxiety( as we live states apart) Even now while typing this im crying and just dont know what to do

iJUSTwantTObe trapped inside the square i live in.
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Where to start, Ok so im 23 and i have been suffering on and off from Depression, Anxiety & OCD since i was about 7. I had a fantastic upbringing cant fault it at all. I have a beautiful son, incredibly supportive parents, a loving sister and last bu... View more

Where to start, Ok so im 23 and i have been suffering on and off from Depression, Anxiety & OCD since i was about 7. I had a fantastic upbringing cant fault it at all. I have a beautiful son, incredibly supportive parents, a loving sister and last but not least a fiance. Im sorry if im boring anyone just thought id start from scratch and im actually really happy to have found this website ive been dying to get my story out there and find out if there are other people like myself. Ok so my first real memory of id say anxiety & ocd was when i was about 10, before leaving my parents whether i was going to bed or to a friends house ect id have to ask them numerous times and get to reassure me that i wasnt going to die, basically that id wake up or id return. No matter how many times id ask it was still never enough, i feel quite bad to my mum actually theres nights id come out of my room and ask her about 1000 times and still go back to bed convinced i was going to die and not wake up. Anyway i remember going to the dr about it all, id already been to a councilor prior to this for my ocd with washing hands ect but i dont remember much of that. So yes dont recall what happened at the drs when i went and from what i can remember everything turned around from my memory i feel like the whole death fear went to a complete holt and everything was going well. Age 13 my family and i moved states and that was quite hard for me as i hated having to move away from my friends and the thought of having to make new ones was so scary, but anyway i did it but struggled each morning to get to school, i think i was home more than at school. I had what i now consider were good friends but i guess i didnt see it at the time. Every morning before school was a struggle, i just remember sitting in the back of mum and dads car with extreme pains in the stomach feeling as though i was going to diarrhea from nerves. And this same routine went on the entire year that i lived there. I remember going and seeing a counselor but being a 13 year old the last thing you want to do is sit there and tell a stranger your problems so i basically told her i was ok and i didnt need to see her anymore so that was that. After a year my family and i moved back to our original area which i was extremley happy about to be reunited with my friends again. It was hard at first because a year went by but in my mind i imagined everything would be the same but as people do they grow and change as time goes by so it was hard at first to get back in to the swing of my old group but after a while things were ok. I always had fears of not being good enough for people and being ugly or fat ect, my first real memory that stuck with me was at school in year 7 being laughed at because of the way i ran, to most people that seems trivial but to this day it sticks out in my head the way it made me feel and affected me. Also a comment made from a girl also seems trivial but she said i breathed heavily and made a joke of it and to this day im always conscience of my breathing and making sure its not to loud even in front of my own family. Anyway back on track things were ok between the age of 14-16 like i always had the thoughts in my head, tormenting me that i wasnt good enough or i hope i dont sound stupid ect ect although i remember a class i had no friends in, i sat alone, often ridiculed by the people sitting behind me that was quite challenging, kids can be mean especially 15 year olds, i eventually moved classes which was one of the best days of my life i no longer had to feel unwanted and alone. I considered my group of friends as good, but i guess i felt like i was always fighting to keep up with them, making sure i always joined in so i wasnt left out, being left out was an easy reaccurance though, i struggled with that too not knowing why i was last picked or never thought of ect. Its hard cos your fears get backed up sometimes, so its hard to pick yourself back up. It wasnt until i left school and had a falling out with what i considered a close friend at the time that things got bad. I was 16 wasnt working, basically just would help mum around the house. I guess not having to get up and face people at school and well face anyone made things hard and made socializing very difficult. Especially once id had the falling out with my best friend at the time i didnt want to go ANYWHERE. Didnt want to risk bumping into her or anyone else from school who had left unwanted marks on my life. Everything was so overwhelming, but mum being the supportive lady she is pushed me and i ended up working with her for about 7 months which was good i loved it. Unfortunatley all good things come to an end and the business closed for alot of reasons but one of them happened to be my nan passing away from cancer. That was hard i feel like i was sort of out of it while nan had cancer, when i think about it now im angry that i didnt spend more time with her or help her more. I remember nans last week like it was yesterday. I found her on the floor, i dont know how long shed been laying there but i ran to get mum i was so scared she was already gone but she wasnt, the ambulance came and took her to hospital and i went later that night to see nan. She wasnt with it, she was up and talking and remembered my sister and i but she was saying things that just didnt make sense. She went downhill from there, day 2 she went into a coma and never woke up. It wasnt until day 4 or 5 until she actually passed away. It was so hard for my mum especially she suffered the worst. Things sort of went blank for me after that nan died in april and i ended up getting a job with a cousin in october. It was my first real job so it was pretty scary and didnt make it any easier having a horrible manager one that critisized me about my weight. It was december and one day id had enough so i just walked out and never went back. I was 17 incase anyone had lost track lol. I seriously dont expect anyone to sit here and read of this, it feels good to let it all out and i figured this is what this website is for but feedback would be great. From age 17-19 was my worst, id completley shut off from the world once again didnt want to face anyone, only contact i had was with mum, dad, sister, aunt uncle and internet friends. I went and saw a lady for it, she diagnozed me with the obvious but the main thing was social anxiety, i didnt want to be around my boyfriend (not so serious relationship) at the time, old friends no one. All of my relationships suffered and i guess thats why i lost so many friends but i could never explain to them about the anxitey or how i felt they would of never understood. I feel like ive gotten myself in way to deep with this story i think i might cut a long story short, alot happened, went to about 3 different physcologists in which none of them helped, went on 3 different meds none of them helped or help still on an antidepressant as of now and its doing NOTHING. I stay home most days, if i go out its with mum shes the only real person i trust to go out with because she knows me inside and out. Most places i go i find myself having to run off to the toilet with diarrhea which is 80% of the reason why i dont like going out or socializing but the other 20% is because i dont think im a people person, i dont make good conversation. I think people find me boring. I dont say much. As im shy and well yeah. Wouldnt we all love to be the loud confident girl who everybody loves. My son is my world, he is the light to this darkness. I need to change for him i need help, i dont want him to experience what i experience day in day out i dont want him to miss out on life because of me, theres so many places i could and should be taking him but my anxiety/panic/depression holds me back. I think thats why i buy him so much i try and make up for it that way, i do believe i am a fantastic mother thats probably the only thing i do like about myself but a mother living in a bubble is not good for my son, hes young now but before i know it he will be starting school and im going to have to go out into the world and face it. I cant do anything without my mum, im terrified if anything ever happened to her what my life would be. Im sorry i keep jumping stories, things come to my head and im like write that down lol. Also asides from all this my fear of death is back but x10, im petrified of having a heartattack or stroke or cancer ect. Being 130+kg dosent help. I wasnt always this big. I was around 80kg before i had my son. It wasnt until my son was about 1 i started comfort eating and well i havent stopped. Thats all i do eat chocolate takeaway and drink coke. You would think for someone so afraid to die i wouldnt eat all this food inclinded to kill you its such a vicious cycle im getting anxiety just writing this post theres so much that goes on in my head on a daily basis =( one day id love to just wake up, take my beautiful son out enjoy our day not worry about my weight or if im going to die or if im going to need to go to a toilet and not find one and make a mess of myself or be made fun of by people ect. You all get my drift im sorry for all of this writing its chaotic i know this is my thoughts on a daily basis =( full time job anxiety and depression is =( thank you to whoever takes the time to actually read all of this. xx

Bunyapine Am I just blaming others for my issues
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I've been demoted and transferred to another town. This is a result of a restructure and they refuse to tell me why this has happened. This is quite humiliating professionally as well as a huge impact on my family in terms of loss of friends and life... View more

I've been demoted and transferred to another town. This is a result of a restructure and they refuse to tell me why this has happened. This is quite humiliating professionally as well as a huge impact on my family in terms of loss of friends and lifestyle. I feel that I have failed them and myself and struggling to keep getting up each day. I'm working at the new location and come home on weekends. The depression is deep and I don't know whether I'm being a loser and should just suck it up and get on with it. The way forward is very clouded and not sure where to move next.