I have Depression

[Bepo78]

Hi,

I hope you are all getting through this Saturday evening ok. I just wanted to let everyone I don't know know that it's official... I have Depression.

May sound stupid, but I actually only realised last night, when I went searching on the Internet to deal with Christmas blues. I found this site, and all of you, and through reading your stories, telling my own, and some teary soul searching into the wee hours, I finally realised that it was more than just "the potential to get Depressed" which was what I thought for a very long time. While my health practitioners probably know it, and my medication, is probably a pretty sure sign, I always stupidly believed I was on a purely preventative path... I now know this is not the case.

Strangely enough, this realisation actually has given me some peace, in a way it's kind of nice to know that the freak I think I am may only actually be temporary and gives me renewed focus to find solutions.

Instead of feeling distraught that I'll be this sad sack forever and probably live to 100 just to be punished, I now feel like if I can do all the things recommended I may have a shot at being confident and happy again.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know you've helped me a great deal already.

Thanks xo

[geoff]

dear Bepo, I think they call this being in denial.

What does this mean, well we go along with the doctor who says for us to take this medication, believing that we don't need to take it, but doc says so, so I will, but I don't know why because I'm just having a bad time, work is giving me the s-----s, having trouble at home, well that could be because the hubby/missus can't get the kids to do anything, and the lawn is now turned into grass, but it will get better tomorrow.

I can get myself to feel better because I'II go and have a game of golf, but I don't feel like it today, maybe tomorrow, no, that didn't work, oh well I play a terrible game anyway.

Nothing has happened in the bedroom for months, but I don't feel like it at the moment.

So put all of these together and then someone says to you that their son has depression and visited the Beyond Blue site and has found it very helpful, so you decide to see what the site does, and by reading the stories, you suddenly say, that's me down to a T, bingo, I think I have depression, and now denial is thrown out of the window.

Thanks for letting us know. Geoff.