Symptoms despite treatment

[Optical1]

Hi. I am wondering if it is normal and if others have the same experience. 

I receive treatment for my mental health and have doctors and therapists involved in my care. 

Despite everyone's best efforts in treating my mental illness, I still have symptoms especially depression. 

So I've been told that mental illness is treatable but it seems ,yes it is but maybe not 100% treatable for everyone. 

So I'm thinking I'm just going to have to accept that still getting unwell and having "bad" days is what is normal and I'll have to accept these horrible times as part of the deal of having the illness.

What do others think?

[Croix]

Dear Optical1~

Welcome here to the forum where you will find very many people in all stages of depression, and can see what happened to them and how they coped.

There are far too many factors involved in depression for anyone to say it can always lead back to the life you had before however most stories have hope in them, also depression coming in waves from time to time is common too.

I can only give oyu my own example, my illness came about from my job, which left me suicidal, with PTSD, depression and an anxiety condition. In my case leaving the cause, i.e. the job, made a big difference and I have has-d an excellent psychiatrist giving hterapy, together with medications.

I cannot pretend it has been quick, however now I'm in a position I would not have believed possible, mostly enjoying life, loving and being loved, and working with  satisfaction.

No it is not a 100% cure for me, but it is so much better than before. For others it may well be that in time their depression goes away permanently with therapy and meds, and maybe a change in circumstances too.

May I ask if you have support in your life, mybe a family member or friend who you can  lean on? I did, an understanding partner. It helps if there is someone who cares -they just have to listen, not 'fix'

Croix

[therising]

Hi Optical1

I find wonderful people full of wonder, like yourself, tend to hit on revelations faster or more easily than those who refuse to wonder. What you're questioning is definitely worth wondering about.

From my own experience, I've found depression to be a side effect of something. The question becomes 'What is it a side effect of, at any given time in our life?'. Three key categories to choose from can involve mental issues, physical/chemical issues and natural issues or what some may call naturally soulful or soul destroying issues. Then there's the trifecta (a combo of all 3). Can definitely be hard to get a feel for which category or categories we're dealing with.

To offer an example of how depression may not be all that straight forward, someone could be in a soul destroying relationship with a lot of depressing belief systems going on (especially about themself). Without a lot of that internal 'happy' chemistry moving around the brain and body, this is an example of the trifecta. They may overcome the relationship (improve it or leave it), alter their belief systems to be more constructive and positive and begin to feel a little more dopamine as a side effect. But, still, they can find themself within a depression. Imagine they have sleep apnea, a condition that can become depressing if it's significant enough. No amount of relationship fixing or belief changing is going to cure the depressing side effects of sleep apnea. Only treatment for sleep apnea will do this. The person is treated for this condition and they no longer feel themself within a depression.

The question can be 'Am I facing one depressing factor or am I facing a recipe for depression, where there are a number of ingredients involved and a need to figure out what each single ingredient is?'.

As a 54yo gal who's faced ins and outs of depression since my late teens, at one point in long term depression I was told 'You'll most likely face periods of depression for the rest of your life. Some people are prone to depression'. Well, that was depressing, to say the least. These days, my take on it is very different and more empowering: I have the ability to feel when there's something depressing going on with me. The question becomes 'What the hell am I feeling (the depressing side effects of)?'. It always pays to wonder.