Reaccurent depression

[viexon66]

For at least the last 10 years I’ve had depression episodes, I’d be on medication and have another episode switch medication or up the dose and maybe 3 months later the episode would go away. I would be going to therapy pretty consistently and I managed to treat anxiety and panic disorder pretty well with therapy and medication and I’m a few years free of panic disorders and anxiety that really impacts my life. However I haven’t seen anywhere near the same change with depression. I usually have depression episodes that last 3-5 months regardless of medication and therapy. This time I’m not really sure if medication is even helpful and it might be better to ride it out since they haven’t worked in such a long time. Other than regular exercise, maintaining a routine, eating good food, as much sunlight as possible is there anything that might help reduce the severity? I do still see my psychologist who is also pretty stumped at how to deal with it.

[Just Sara]

Hi and welcome Viexon;

I'm glad you decided to come on board the forum and well done too; it takes guts to write here for the first time. 🙂

I'm more clued in with anxiety/panic issues, but I've also known depression in its worst form. It only lasted a few weeks until I identified the cause and thank goodness too, because it nearly ended me. So I truly feel for you ok.

Have you investigated any triggers that may be causing these depressive bouts? It seems you're doing everything right re health and well being, so would there be a common (triggering) denominator prior to them starting that could be worth exploring?

I do this for myself. I look for clues which might provide a 'story' behind the flare-ups; like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Though I must say, anxiety is far easier to deal with than depression. My brain doesn't function the same so analysing was far more difficult.

What I found though, was triggers were never about other people. They were always about me and the way I 'approached' situations and people.

For instance, I was triggered once and spent all day in a state of despair. I looked back over the day and realised electricians had walked mud thru the house. I wanted to tell them to take their shoes off but couldn't find the courage to open up.

This frozen state of fear was indicative of deep issues about me 'speaking' and standing up for myself. Once I understood, symptoms reduced nearly immediately. Now I'm not saying it's this easy all the time ok. I'm just presenting an example of how our deepest fears and worries can act themselves out and play havoc with our daily lives.

You've asked for ways to address depression without med's, so I'm hoping this may resonate with you. You deserve peace and your life back.

(Just one thing about your post if it's ok; could you please put paragraph breaks in your writing? Many of us find it difficult to read from a screen especially when there's one long paragraph. It's a concentration thing that affects many of us who visit the forum daily to help. I respect your right to do as you feel necessary though ok)

Kind thoughts;

Sez