I’ve lurked here for quite a while now. I’ve spent the last few years suffering on and off with “depression”* of increasing regularity and severity. I came out of my last depression only 2 weeks ago and now it’s starting up again. Every down is getting longer than the respite preceding it and I don’t want to live like that. Tonight was the first time it hit me while out and about. One minute I was sitting down with a drink actually trying to enjoy myself and the next I was punching the shit out of a wall because I was suddenly overwhelmed. I don’t like this and I don’t know what to do.
*I use quotes as I’m not diagnosed, but I work on the principle that if everybody suffered this way, people would not have lived long enough to infect as wide an area as they have.
3 comments
Hi 🙂
I take it that if you’re not diagnosed, you haven’t ever tried medication or therapy for depression. I don’t have any experience of medication, and not much of therapy – I had a couple of short CBT sessions and overall they left me feeling worse… after that I just couldn’t go anymore. I’d recommend trying medication if you can though. It doesn’t always work for people (or not all the time or to the extent they need), but it sounds like a problem that keeps coming back, and it might help it to stay away for longer. I know there are plenty of practical or personal reasons that could you stop you from seeing a doctor or therapist, but it might be worth it if you can. I’m not trying to push you towards someone else – but I wish I’d managed to get the type of help I needed before I got so bad that I couldn’t anymore. All that said, I’d love to talk to you if you’d like to talk some more. I hope you don’t think I’m trying to push advice at you. I just think it’s worth trying. People can put the idea into your head that seeing a doctor will solve everything, which isn’t necessarily true at all, but you never know. I know how it can suddenly overwhelm you like that, and how terrible it can feel as it gets more severe. I hope you feel better as soon as possible. 🙂
Hi 🙂 Thank you for your response! I haven’t tried any medication or therapy: I’ve been leaning on my friends, who I’m very lucky to have, when things have got bad. I’m posting on here as a way to work out what’s happening and decide what route I’m going to take to deal with it. I think I’ll try to get to the doctor in the coming week to try and get hold of everything before it gets worse.
Hey,
It sounds like a good idea. If you’re still on here, let me know how it goes. 🙂 It might help to have an idea of what you think would help you before you go. When I saw a doctor, she found some sessions for me to go to, and then the person I saw in them said she thought I should see someone else, for longer, and then they mentioned another local group, and then it started to drive me mad! I’m sure some people would talk about your options more beforehand, but if you see someone and they mention something you don’t like the sound of, or you want to be offered more, press them for it – there’s always more. Good luck with everything.