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female
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anonymous
writes: I suffer terribly from depression. I don't want to go on medication. Today is a very bad day, everything is so black. I just can't get my head together today. I wish i knew the answers. Is there anyone out there who can give me some advice. I need a hug. Reply to this Question
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (21 November 2006): try www.artofliving.org.uk
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female
reader, DrPsych  +, writes (21 November 2006):
 I work in the field of mental health and I appreciate that anti-depressants are not for everyone. However, there is a special form of counselling called cognitive behavioural therapy which is clinically proven to be effective in the treatment of depression. It is all about reshaping the way you think about things and problem solve challenging situations. I am sure if you ask your doctor for a referral to a cognitive therapist and stick at it then you will find benefit as most people do. Of course a lot of people respond well to a combination of anti-depressants and cognitive therapy. If you have had a bad time on the pills before, ask your doctor for another brand - it can take time to work out which one is best for you. You have to realise that depression is a biochemical imbalance in your brain and therefore you should not feel bad about not being able to handle this alone. Good luck
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (20 November 2006): Here`s a hug from me.
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (20 November 2006): you might be surprised at what those meds can do for you. i was always highly resistant to medication, b/c i functioned without it, and at a high level. if i did well academically, had a great career and even managed to have what looked like a normal personal life, why on earth should i be thinking about medication? but every day was such an effort. everything i did, everywhere i went ... it's like i was fighting this thing inside myself -- like there was ME, and then there was this other person who totally WASN'T me -- who was insecure, moody, sad, always negative, etc. I'm an optimist by nature--why was it sometimes such an effort to see any bright side to what should have been nothing more than a minor inconvenience?
i finally started taking meds when my bf suggested it. and i'm really, really glad i did. it's not that i NEED them ... it's just that my life is so much easier this way ... so effortless ... in a lot of ways i really could compare it to dayquil when i have a cold. it's not that i really NEED it to function -- i could just walk around feeling achey and congested, and it'd suck a little, but i'd suck it up and do it anyway, and i'd even enjoy parts of the day. but man ... if i just take the dayquil ... everything feels so much easier, and those things that i might have kind of enjoyed, i can just enjoy so much more. so yeah, i'd really suggest reconsidering the meds. i was really against them b/c i felt like they were a sign of weakness, or an indication that i'm crazy. but i've come to accept that this is just something in my body as much as other people have chemical imbalances that keep their blood from clotting and they take special pills for that.
but exercise is also great, and in the worst case scenario, i've always found that if you can just force yourself to go to sleep, you'll feel better when you wake up.
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female
reader, Naz92 +, writes (20 November 2006):
 Hi there! *Hugs* :-)
Depression is awful. I can understand you might not want to go on medication though. The idea of something altering your mind is not nice. There are other ways to cope. Exercise is clinically proven to work, because it releases endorphins into your body. Try going for half an hour or 45 minute power-walks when you are feeling low. This will also give you the added benefit of having time and space to clear your head. You could also try making a worry list of everything getting you down and see if you can sort them out (i know there's not always something in particular but if there's nothing on it that's alright)and then make a list of positive things and things to look forward too. Sometimes just getting out of your routine a bit can hep you to fight the 'zombie' feeling you might get. Try doing something different like taking up a new hobbie.
I hope you feel better! Remember- Smile! You're alive!
Nazxxxxx
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female
reader, eyeswideopen  +, writes (20 November 2006):
 I totally agree with the cat. The medications that are out there today are absolutely great. You need to make an appointment with your doctor. You will be amazed how well you feel in short order. Don't waste anymore time being miserable. Good luck I wish I could give you a hug.
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reader, anonymous, writes (20 November 2006): Why do you not want to go on medication? Depression is NOT something that you can will yourself out of. It is not a character flaw or a sign of weakness, it is a very real chemical imbalance that occurs in your brain, it is genetic and is not something that you did to yourself.
Why do you want to live your life in a black mood every day? There are new wonderful medications out there that are very very effective in elevating your moood and balancing the chemicals that control your mood in such a way that makes your life normal again...They do not change your personality or change your issues or problems however, and talk therapy is a very good help with those.
See your family physician, they can prescribe the medication and ask for a referral to a PHD psychologist either behavioral or cognitive and get going! Things will improve and there are no sexual side effects either with most of the newer drugs out there...HUGS!
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