Depression

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

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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

All discussions

_Sinner_ Sinner
  • replies: 9

I’m an alcoholic. I smoke. I’m heart broken. Got bills and no money. No job. I wake up everyday, feeling the guilt sink in. Feeling worthless/ a failure. No motivation. I just want to feel numb all the time. But I know I can’t be this depressed anymo... View more

I’m an alcoholic. I smoke. I’m heart broken. Got bills and no money. No job. I wake up everyday, feeling the guilt sink in. Feeling worthless/ a failure. No motivation. I just want to feel numb all the time. But I know I can’t be this depressed anymore. My life’s going up in flames and I just . Don’t. Know. What. To. Do. ✞

Slippers I dont like weekends
  • replies: 4

It can start to sneak up on you without you knowing it. During the week I am busy with work and I have structure. But come the weekend I begin to feel sad, stressed or down. I live alone (except my cat) and I experience loneliness, after a week of be... View more

It can start to sneak up on you without you knowing it. During the week I am busy with work and I have structure. But come the weekend I begin to feel sad, stressed or down. I live alone (except my cat) and I experience loneliness, after a week of being surrounded by people. It is a two edge sword for me as I spend most of my weekends alone anyway. I am in my early 50’s and don’t have a girl friend or significant other, I guess because I spent too long as home and not out chasing girls that this has hurt my social skillsI find weekends depressingly hard especially Sundays as I ruminate about paying bills, I have enough to pay bills and live but I seem to spend more money than I save, I am lucky I work full time. I spend most of Saturday doing house chores or washing so I keep my mind busy so I am generally happy.I am blessed I am allowed animals in my unit and my cat is my support system, he loves me no matter what.My family said that I should be on anxiety medication, I don’t know about this whether I should or not. I have heard of people going on medication for anxiety and becoming almost zombies with no emotions. My family while they love me in their weird way can be a little heavy telling me what to do. I remember once getting told repeatedly that I should get my hearing fixed to the point I started to cry. Then being told I shouldn’t be that emotionalUnfortunately I haven’t taken care of my dental hygiene, to the point that four teeth have been extracted. I look at the price of dental implants and they are too expensive for me to affordI sleep on weekends till 5am I am then up and have breakfast, after the chores are done I am more than likely to either go shopping, play computer games or sleep in front of the television.I need to get out of this rut, it has been a life time getting this way. I have made headway in the past but it has been up and down. I feel like I am like a broken record bringing this up again. I don’t know if I am just sounding off here and I am asking for help.

Unprocessed-Feelings Opening up for the first time
  • replies: 3

To the outside world I’m a happy 23 year old who excels at my work and is well known to the community. Yet the sad reality is my life is not the picture people perceive and I’ve never opened up about it to anyone just pieces to my partner of 3 years.... View more

To the outside world I’m a happy 23 year old who excels at my work and is well known to the community. Yet the sad reality is my life is not the picture people perceive and I’ve never opened up about it to anyone just pieces to my partner of 3 years. I have a mentally abusive family which have always treated me like garbage and to think I only have 3 more months till we move out yet the damage is done. If I’m alone at home after work I literally just cry and dwell on the past, and think about how unhappy I am. It’s got to the point where I consider taking my life and when expressed to my family was told “we don’t have time for this” nobody understands how it feels to be so unhappy so here i am. I’ve mastered the whole paint a smile on as nobody would ever suspect it yet why can i maintain a happy existence? I work so hard but i think the main issue is i overthink to the point where I create enough scenarios for every little thing so i can pick outcomes so I’m not surprised when they happen. Too much overthinking has ruined my life and recently even hear things which are clearly voices in my head. I cannot afford physiologists and would probably be deemed as schizophrenic. I’m not a danger to anyone else but fear my anxiety and depression will one day turn into anger…. I’ve tried to put myself first yet am perceived as being selfish. Do you think once I escape the grasp of my family i will truly be happy? Move into new house with parter around early October but fear the constant pressure of bills and money stress will become the new triggers. Why must life be so harsh and unforgiving?

Eagle2022 Is work making me depressed or is my depression making work hard?
  • replies: 3

I’m severely depressed. I haven’t felt this bad in a long time. Getting out of bed for work is an absolute torment. I’m struggling at work, doubting everything I do, second guessing myself self, reluctant to engage with people. But I can’t work out i... View more

I’m severely depressed. I haven’t felt this bad in a long time. Getting out of bed for work is an absolute torment. I’m struggling at work, doubting everything I do, second guessing myself self, reluctant to engage with people. But I can’t work out if it’s work itself that’s making me depressed or if my depression is totally clouding my judgement at work. I suspect it is both. I feel like quitting work but I obviously can’t. I can’t talk to anyone at work as it will go against me to admit how I’m feeling. So everyday I have to pretend and get through the day but I’m absolutely exhausted and I really want to go to sleep and not wake up. I feel immensely guilty for feeling that way because my beautiful children deserve a better version of me. I just cannot work out how to find myself. I’m completely lost. I can’t breathe, sleep, eat, think. I don’t know what it feels like to laugh. I can’t feel anything. I just feel dead inside.

iamtired Single mum not sure what to do anymore..
  • replies: 2

Hey everyone I’m a single mum of 2 age 4 and 6, the little one is part time school and the bigger one full time 9-230pm there both amazing and light up my life no problems there.im only 29 but I feel like iv lived a million lives already and I am exs... View more

Hey everyone I’m a single mum of 2 age 4 and 6, the little one is part time school and the bigger one full time 9-230pm there both amazing and light up my life no problems there.im only 29 but I feel like iv lived a million lives already and I am exshasted…I grew up with an absent dad and an extremely depressed mum who slept all the time and when she was awake we walked on eggshells, I looked after my little sister since I was 7 as mum couldn’t always. Mum and I have made peace later in life that’s all okay and she couldn’t help she was mentally struggling. It turned me into a people pleaser though because I didn’t want anyone to get mad and yell, I met my ex husband at 16 and quickly moved out with him and married at 19 as an escape, he was a narcissist though, mentally and physically abused and used me up, this man wouldn’t even let me wear clothes some days, it was again walking on eggshells to keep him happy, severe financial abuse, I fell pregnant quickly twice the list goes on, eventually I managed to pack the car and leave with the kids while he was at work, stayed with my grandmother for abit but i became her caregiver and had to eventually go back to mum and dads. At 18 I broke both my legs in a car crash which ex husband was driving I got a payout which he spent and its left me unable to work as much but iv become so tired and had a lot of other bad luck plus I’m a full time mum and I now live with my childhood bully my mum which is causing my mental health to go down I can no longer work at all and where would I put the kids I have no babysitting avalibe and little one is only at school 2 days plus house work ect, so I get abit of gov assistance but it’s not enough, I could do some more work from home if I had my own place but I can’t get a rental with no job and I’m nowhere near a mortgage I don’t know what to do or where to turn to get out of ahead I need to get out to improve my mental health for the kids and as time goes on it’s deteriorating fast! Gov housing waits are years.. should I just give up because I’m so tired

peacock Ups and downs
  • replies: 3

Hi. I first got diagnosed with depression about 30 years ago. I usually feel Good on my medications but every now and then I have blip that lasts anywhere from hours to days. During these times I cry a lot an feel very down. It affects my ability to ... View more

Hi. I first got diagnosed with depression about 30 years ago. I usually feel Good on my medications but every now and then I have blip that lasts anywhere from hours to days. During these times I cry a lot an feel very down. It affects my ability to work or do the things I usually enjoy. When it passes I feel back to normal but I live in fear of these bad days. I know what to do on these days, eg exercise, talk to my husband, ring lifeline but really I just have to wait for it to pass. Does anyone else experience these dips in mood? Do have any tips for getting through this? Thanks

Sla24- Feeling depressed and lonely
  • replies: 11

I have had depression for a long time now and have a lot of hurt and anger inside me from my past. My first baby was stillborn, I have been hurt by family members, in-laws and friends and lost my Mum a couple of years ago. Just feel so down and lonel... View more

I have had depression for a long time now and have a lot of hurt and anger inside me from my past. My first baby was stillborn, I have been hurt by family members, in-laws and friends and lost my Mum a couple of years ago. Just feel so down and lonely

DepressedFairy am so depressed I want to die
  • replies: 2

I am a 40 year old married with 2 kids( 13 yr and 3.5 yr old). In the recent months, my 3.5yr old son has been diagnosed as ADHD and my 13yr old daughter is also on the path to an ADHD/ODD diagnosis. I just cant stop blaming myself for this. what hav... View more

I am a 40 year old married with 2 kids( 13 yr and 3.5 yr old). In the recent months, my 3.5yr old son has been diagnosed as ADHD and my 13yr old daughter is also on the path to an ADHD/ODD diagnosis. I just cant stop blaming myself for this. what have I done wrong. Why both of my kids. Should I not have given birth itself. I just picture myself killing myself to get out of this. I dont know what the future holds for me. I have a sick narcissistic husband who gaslights me on every instance . No help in housework or taking care of the kids. Comes back from office, props himself on the easy chair with a beer and binge watches TV into the late hours of the night. Iam just so bogged down with this. nothing seems to help...

David35 my panic attacks upset mum
  • replies: 27

I'm 46, live on a DSP with my mum who had cancer the last few years. Shes ok now, apart from preventative chemo. In this time my panic attacks have increased, due to the stress and trauma of it all, as well as emotions from dads death due to cancer. ... View more

I'm 46, live on a DSP with my mum who had cancer the last few years. Shes ok now, apart from preventative chemo. In this time my panic attacks have increased, due to the stress and trauma of it all, as well as emotions from dads death due to cancer. The problem now is that mums okay, but despite me getting counselling, I'm still struggling.Last month due to lack of sleep, I had a panic attack driving to chemo. It got so bad I had to turn around, go home and get a taxi instead. The last session was better, at least I slept well. The thing is, I'm trying hard to reduce stress, have a woodworking hobby, but the smallest things trigger me. The main one is anything medically related. I'm so sick of medical appointments, we had so many different doctors to see, that the mere mention of one makes me angry. Today i regrettably threw a loaf of bread on the ground out of frustration. It's like a form of ptsd associated with medical system. Has anyone else experienced this? How did they treat it? Then there's the insults. Today I got told that I hope I get better before she dies! As if I didn't have enough self worth issues from being on a DSP. The pressure to be better is itself anxiety inducing and when I do have them the guilt she induces by breaking down, slamming doors and telling me there's no hope for you makes things even worse.Tomorrow she'll be sympathetic. But considering I've been with her every step (urologists, gynaecologists, oncologist, biopsies, cystoscopies, etc.) And went out of my way, is it too much to ask that I have time to heal? Every time I try to explain things, it spirals into a competition which she inevitably wins because she's the patient. But what about the carer?

Elephant86 The power of mindfulness and meditation
  • replies: 2

The story began when I was about 15 and I was sitting with my grand father and he taught me how to meditate for the first time I did not realise the gift that he had given me but it would be something that would giude and protect me the rest of my li... View more

The story began when I was about 15 and I was sitting with my grand father and he taught me how to meditate for the first time I did not realise the gift that he had given me but it would be something that would giude and protect me the rest of my life. There is an author by the name of Ian gawler who writes meditation books and methodes how to control your thoughts and the mind itself. The thing with meditation is finding a chair or a comfortable place to sit and closing your eyes and relaxing not really. It is about focus and imaginign your are on a beach or in the rainforest. It is important to find the kind of meditation that works for you what helps you to get into a calm relaxed state of mind. I will use me for an example every night before I go to bed I listen to music and I do meditation to help me get to sleep. Just a for laughs I listen to mariah in the morning and the temptations in the evening. At the start it is important to close your eye's for 10- 15 a day just so your body gets use to it . Then slowly build up on the the amount of time , let me be clear this is not a race and everyone develops in meditation in a different way so stay calm relax and take your time it should be a powerful learning process and you should laugh and enjoy it with friends if you like practising in a group of friends can be fun for all. The trick is to remain focused in your mind and place yourself in a safe place and imagine a rainforest or sitting at the beach in your mind and try to stay focused in your mind as long as possible. This is the analogy there are cars travelling on in both derection but you need to calm the mind and the thought to bring peace to you. The hardest thing to do is to control eradic thought but with focus meditation will help you to do this .It's exercise for the mind. In meditation your heart rate drops and respiratry rate drops and your body starts to heal and repair itself. This is important to help us a human to recover from disease. The good thing is it only have to do it for 15-20 minutes every day to see changers to your well being and over all health. Meditation shows you the power of the internal world we always focus on the external world though. There is great healing possibilities with doing continual meditation and healing. You slowly need to biuld mind resilance and focus on getting yourself better. This works hand in hand with physical exerciseas well. Also eating a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and vegtables.