Hello Laurenn
I have replied to you before I think on another thread. If not then I am really getting too old.
I too have been bullied and it is devastating, particularly when nothing is done about it. I am so pleased you are able to be away from work for a period of time. If this is work related you should be able to claim Work Cover payments.
I understand the sleeping bit. Your body (and mind) have been through a great deal and needs to recuperate. Sleep is a fantastic healer. I found I could sleep all night and a couple of hours during the day. Don't worry about it. Once your body catches up you will regain your usual sleeping pattern.
One of the things depression does to us is to make believe we are lazy, not worthwhile, self critical etc. It's not true. I imagine this is the sort of thing your psych explained to you. It's an insidious process that can take over before we realise it so if you find yourself saying I'm an idiot etc, tell your brain to go jump as you are perfectly OK.
You mention your hesitation about taking ADs. They do not cure depression, or only rarely. What an AD does is to repair damage to brain caused by a reduction in neurotransmitters and receptors. Without the proper chemical soup these bits of the brain are not able to do their work efficiently. This affects the emotional side of your thinking and stops much of the rational side doing it's job. I hope I got that right. My GP told me that this morning.
So to know if they are working you need to see some change in your emotional patterns and this does not happen for a number of weeks. And probably the full effect is not achieved for several months. Yes, I would like to pull a switch and everything to work properly straight away. As Bringoflight has remarked, we have not had a great deal of time researching ADs but more is being dicovered rapidly.
There are many different medications on the market. I spent several years trying to find an AD that both worked and had no side effects. Didn't happen. I needed a medication to prevent the side effects of the best of the ADs. However I now take a relatively new AD. No side effects and it works very well. I am not "cured" but I am definitely more able to move along that road. And I feel different. So I do suggest a good discussion with your doctor and what each AD does,potential problems and what to do about it.
Almost out of word allowance.
Mary
