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

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

Start a discussion

Sirklost Lost and overwhelmed
  • replies: 2

I'm so desperately overwhelmed and lost. I'm struggling to get my brain to stop going off the rails and running at 100% I don't know where to begin... I resigned from my job just over a year ago due to unhappiness and stress. I started taking medicat... View more

I'm so desperately overwhelmed and lost. I'm struggling to get my brain to stop going off the rails and running at 100% I don't know where to begin... I resigned from my job just over a year ago due to unhappiness and stress. I started taking medication 3-4 months before my resignation. I've spent the past year complacently looking after a parent who suffered a brain blood clot and a stroke and now has aphasia. Cognitively they have passed their tests, but their personality is more childlike. My point is that I used this time to do nothing... My relationship of two years ended just over a week ago. With her saying she doesn't know if she wants this anymore. It was hard to hear, but upon reflection, I understand why. I let my anxiety get out of control and in fact, control me. We never went to the beach, hardly going out, telling her those skirts were too short and pushing my anxiety and self-consciousness onto her. The list of issues I noticed spans longer than that, and it doesn't improve. We met up, and she let me explain all of the issues. I realised I was negative and not helping anyone, especially not the woman I loved. We still communicate, sort of. She has been working non-stop graveyard shifts and is starting a new job next week. I miss holding and talking to her properly. On top of all this, I missed out on a job that would've been an opportunity to get into admin work as a demand planner. My prior work experience is as a fast food manager, and I don't want to go anywhere near that. I find it hard to not cry, to distract myself. I'm not motivated for anything, not even eating. I just want to sleep and switch off. I've reached out to my GP and Psychologist today, but they have patients and will try to get back to me.

Lotus_85 Don't even know
  • replies: 28

So... being having issues with my partner, I tend to complain about my stuff to work friends. I'm sure I blow it all out of proportion from my own screwed up way of seeing things. They r great, supportive,etc. But I no longer want them to be. I don't... View more

So... being having issues with my partner, I tend to complain about my stuff to work friends. I'm sure I blow it all out of proportion from my own screwed up way of seeing things. They r great, supportive,etc. But I no longer want them to be. I don't want them or anyone else to care about me, or pretend to. I gave my partner no compassion, no positive anything. Been on ssri on and off for nearly 15 yrs. It's blunting, I don't have compassion to give him. A few months back switched to anri to try and make him happy, less blunting, but only on the negative stuff really. Don't get me wrong, when I'm at work I have a good time with the girls and enjoy them. But I go home and it's gone. My kids must hate me. I just sit in my room and remove myself from life and watch others on TV instead. In the last wk, I stopped my snri coz we were still fighting about me being heartless who doesn't care about him. So wats the point if taking pills if I'm still like that. In this last wk, I broke up with him, we told the kids, then I cried and crawled back... all in a day. I blew up my life, destroyed my kids... for nothing. Since, I'm ok with my partner, that ain't bothering me... but I am just... throwing myself into music to try and numb something. I am sad and angry and irritable and want ppl to stay away from me. I wake up ok, but as soon as someone, usually my kids talk to me, that's it. I'm all in my head. I lose my stuff or my obvious misery destroy everyone else's mood. Then I hate myself for it, alopologise over and over for everything I say outa place. And today I'm just angry. Punched the work Keyboard and scared my co-worker. Great work. I just want to be gone and have everything silent. But the silence is so deafening. (Would never hurt myself, just hope that the universe will do it for me). Then I'm numb, no feeling, no emotion, until something happens I don't think and I lose it again. Don't even know y I'm writing this really. Just forget it. I just need to get over my cop-out and stop making excuses for bad behaviour

Eagle Ray Perimenopausal depression anyone?
  • replies: 8

Starting from late October last year I began experiencing the strangest kind of depression I've ever had. I eventually realised it was hormonally linked and a blood test confirmed a significant drop in oestrogen, to be expected in my late 40s. The de... View more

Starting from late October last year I began experiencing the strangest kind of depression I've ever had. I eventually realised it was hormonally linked and a blood test confirmed a significant drop in oestrogen, to be expected in my late 40s. The depression was fused with a disturbing anxiety and very strong feelings of wanting to end things. It lasted until the end of November. While I've still been a bit up and down a supplement seemed to help up until a few days ago and now the depression has just taken over again. I think I must have just experienced a very steep drop in hormone levels again which apparently knocks out serotonin as well, hence the feeling so bad. Is anyone else going through this? Maybe I just need to connect with someone who has. I've spoken to a few women older than me hoping they would have some wisdom or advice to offer. Mostly I get a reaction along the lines of that is an embarrassing topic we don't talk about, or you just keep busy and get through it. But from what I've read it's not that easy for some women who get this severe depression, whereas other women just get a few hot flashes and feel a bit tired but are not in a place of desperate depression. It is hard to function to do basic tasks. It's like I don't know what to do with myself and I'm in tears multiple times a day. It's kind of paralysing but I'm trying to move through it. There is so much I need to be doing right now, so many jobs around the house and in the garden and I'm meant to be applying for jobs. It's like at the point I'm trying to get back into the workforce after a very difficult several years I've now been thrown this disturbing curve ball. Help?

mariannek Support
  • replies: 3

Hi guys. I have been battling depression and anxiety for 2 weeks now and my doc has put me on anti depressants and sleeping tablets. What I want to know is . I have quick thoughts of harming people and myself but when I have those thoughts I feel dis... View more

Hi guys. I have been battling depression and anxiety for 2 weeks now and my doc has put me on anti depressants and sleeping tablets. What I want to know is . I have quick thoughts of harming people and myself but when I have those thoughts I feel disgusted and sick to my stomach. My doc , psychiatrist and social worker says that's part of the depression process and it will pass when the medicine kicks in. Has anyone experienced this???

Emma N Never felt like this before.
  • replies: 3

Hi, it's my first time posting on this site and I've come here because I don't know what to do with myself. Since last year I have been struggling with feelings or more of a heaviness around me. I'm posting because I used to be able to find the posit... View more

Hi, it's my first time posting on this site and I've come here because I don't know what to do with myself. Since last year I have been struggling with feelings or more of a heaviness around me. I'm posting because I used to be able to find the positive in every day and get past how I am feeling. Lately, though I find it harder and harder to push these feelings away. I always feel like theres a tightening in my chest and everything is closing in. I've been having issues with money, issues with never having time for myself or my partner and I just feel so exhausted by everything. Only recently I've been thinking about what it would be like if I wasn't here. I don't want to kill myself but I just would like everything to stop for a while. I used to be such a happy and easy going person. I just feel like I am never that anymore and I don't know what to do. I am so tired of struggling everyday.

HiThere19 There is no help, it’s all lies
  • replies: 1

Everyone’s heard it ‘I’m here if you need me’ ‘there’s support for you’ ‘anytime’ it’s all rote learning, means nothing. Everyone has a threshold of ‘helping’ and if you’re not better in time for that you’re on you’re own

Everyone’s heard it ‘I’m here if you need me’ ‘there’s support for you’ ‘anytime’ it’s all rote learning, means nothing. Everyone has a threshold of ‘helping’ and if you’re not better in time for that you’re on you’re own

Worried_1965 Intimacy Issues with husband.
  • replies: 1

Hi,I need some advice on an issue my husband and I are facing around intimacy. My husband is a wonderful man and looks after me very well and I inturn to him, but after a injury to his member during sex he has not been able to do what he normally doe... View more

Hi,I need some advice on an issue my husband and I are facing around intimacy. My husband is a wonderful man and looks after me very well and I inturn to him, but after a injury to his member during sex he has not been able to do what he normally does....sorry to get personal. We are on the waiting list to see a urologist, which is great but the issue we have is that he said that from the moment he hurt himself, something switched off in his mind and he does not want to do anything intimate at all, not even touch, which is killing me as before this, we were so affectionate to each other. He does not want to talk about it and I have offered to help him get help to talk to someone who, can help him deal with the feeling and issues he is feeling within himself, but it's like he is a brick wall. With anything else he does not have this issue, he is proactive about his health, but this issue is like he has totally shut down. It is affecting our marriage and how I am feeling, but I am trying really hard not to make it all about how I am feeling or affected. I Really want to be a support and help for him so he can feel like a man again, as he puts it in his own words, and to get some sort of a intimacy back, even if it is only playing around for now, until he can see urologist and get some solution for his issue.I Really want him to talk to someone, but also know that it is his choice, but his choice to do nothing is now really affect us as a couple. PLEASE help me, if any one has some tips, or if you have been through similar thing and can give me some advice or resources to help me I would love to hear them.Thank you for allowing me to talk about this.

joseph11 Hi
  • replies: 2

Idk what I’m doing 

Idk what I’m doing 

needsomehelpplease Need help with finding COUNCELLING and peer support workers
  • replies: 3

Hello,I am really struggling to find a good psychologist and peer support workers.I have severe depression, anxiety and financial issues.im a single mum.i have no friends or anyone to talk to.i actually tried to take my life in February which I regre... View more

Hello,I am really struggling to find a good psychologist and peer support workers.I have severe depression, anxiety and financial issues.im a single mum.i have no friends or anyone to talk to.i actually tried to take my life in February which I regret and will never do again because I don't want my kids to live in misery without a mother I was referred to mead centre and had an appointment but for some reason I'm not even on their patient list anymore I have called them 3 times now and each time they have told me a nurse will call me but no one has called me.i don't know what to do about getting some help.can anyone please help me I want to do everything I can to get better thank you

Lalalalola Just so alone and isolated
  • replies: 5

So I am 35, have 2 kids with special needs (asd/adhd & adhd/odd) and my partner was just diagnosed with autism(explains so much!) , I have no support network, my friends don’t ever bother with me, will happily ignore me for weeks, I feel like I am dr... View more

So I am 35, have 2 kids with special needs (asd/adhd & adhd/odd) and my partner was just diagnosed with autism(explains so much!) , I have no support network, my friends don’t ever bother with me, will happily ignore me for weeks, I feel like I am drowning and no one notices or cares. My partner doesn’t feel anything when others show emotions so I can’t even count on him either. I dunno what to do anymore My partner is a truck driver so he is gone all week and when he’s home on the weekends he mostly sleeps. He’s struggling with ptsd and severe depression too which is scary for me, as how bad it is. I have no one to talk to and if I try I get ignored. But my anxiety prevents me from speaking up to my so called friends about how they act like I don’t exist.