[girlgun]

Originally Posted by gmku

I think you've mentioned this before, Sy, and I hate to sound redundant, but as I've said before, depression is nothing to mess around with. Forget self-medicating, and go see your physician. It's often medically based, and a simple prescription will help. Or your physician might refer you to a psychiatrist or other professional. But PLEASE don't try to handle this by yourself.

You wouldn't try home remedies for appendicitis, or if you were dying of cancer. This is just as serious, and shouldn't be trusted to homespun remedies you read about in an Internet forum, no matter how well intentioned they may be.

See a doctor soon.

i think antidepressants are bad way to go. just because it's easy doesn't mean it's best. they fuck you up (they're not so bad for a situational depression where you use them for a short time.. i.e.... your spouse or something dies). actually the best thing you can do is exercise. and not just walking (sorry, *&$% person)... hardcore endorphin inducing exercise. i'm not full of shit here... i've dealt with this issue my entire life, taken every fucking drug on the market and the only thing that ever helped was exhausting my body through exercise. btw...i haven't been able to exercise for a while and i'm in a bad place.

[floatingslowly]

I don't have much advice to give since I'm a fucking RAY OF SUNSHINE, but I highly suggest you listen to gungril.

she know her bad moods.

ya rly.

[gmku]

Originally Posted by girlgun

i think antidepressants are bad way to go. just because it's easy doesn't mean it's best. they fuck you up (they're not so bad for a situational depression where you use them for a short time.. i.e.... your spouse or something dies). actually the best thing you can do is exercise. and not just walking (sorry, *&$% person)... hardcore endorphin inducing exercise. i'm not full of shit here... i've dealt with this issue my entire life, taken every fucking drug on the market and the only thing that ever helped was exhausting my body through exercise. btw...i haven't been able to exercise for a while and i'm in a bad place.

Okay, fair enough. That's your personal experience. And I'm not saying a physician necessarily would determine that an anti-depressant is the way to go. BUT a physician could determine a course of action. It would be the first step.

Depression is mental but it is also physical, in many cases. At the very least, there's no harm in seeing a doctor.

When something's wrong mentally or physically, you should see a doctor. Sometimes that means you'll go home with some medicine to feel better.

But unless you can tell me where you got your medical degree, please don't advise SY not to see a doctor. I think that's dangerous and irresponsible.

[!@#$%!]

i've seen a wide range of shrinks and i can attest that a lot of them are crazy or just plain incompetent.

so you have to shop around.

however, i still recommend seeing a shrink cos when you find a good one it can make a world of difference for your sanity.

just because some shoes hurt your feet it doesn't mean you shouldn't wear them at all. just find a good fit.

for the record, i'm speaking as a person who used to suffer from serious chronic depression plus some acute episodes & a number of psychotic episodes, but I AM WELL NOW and i don't need medication or therapy anymore.

in other words, *i'm cured of my depression*. this is not a joke. i've lived, and it hasn't been in vain. ha ha ! but seriously...

[gmku]

I would suggest seeing a medical doctor first, who then can determine if you should see a "shrink." Often the problem is rooted in something physical--hormone imbalance, etc.--as well as having mental or environmental causes. Or sometimes it is just physical.

[sonicl]

Depression can be hormone related, yes, but in most cases the cause of chronic depression is more likely to be psychological than chemical. Anti-depressants can help paper over the cracks and get the sufferer to a state where he or she is more likely to be able to cope with facing up to the problems that are at the root of the depression, but they're not much use as a long-term solution.

[floatingslowly]

Originally Posted by gmku

But unless you can tell me where you got your medical degree, please don't advise SY not to see a doctor. I think that's dangerous and irresponsible.

she's gone off to work. so I'll answer.***

please re-read her post. it was about antidepressants being of little use. she never advised anyone against seeking a physician.

as far as a medical degree, she has none (unless you count psychology). her father is a physician however and we have both worked in the medical field for a very long time.

I'm not saying this to qualify any advice that she gave other than to point out that she would never tell someone not to see a doctor.

that said, there are a lot of idiot doctors out there. simply having a medical degree gives you shit for cred in my book. however, I'm fairly certain that the good ones would have you try non-pharmaceutical options before rearranging yr brain chemistry with a prescription.

if they gave doctorates in depression, girlgun would have one. meds don't fix what's wrong, they just make you not care (about depression or much else for that matter).



***it's a rare occasion where I will ever do this on her behalf.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by gmku

I would suggest seeing a medical doctor first, who then can determine if you should see a "shrink." Often the problem is rooted in something physical--hormone imbalance, etc.--as well as having mental or environmental causes. Or sometimes it is just physical.

well ive never met anyone who has a hormone imbalance but i know plenty of people who judge themselves according to impossible standards, and hate & hurt themselves.

i've spent plenty of time reading synth's posts and i know there are things from his past etc. so i'm pretty sure he could use some therapy. plus the coming out issue which is not easy...

HOWEVER: a medical checkup is a GREAT idea. my original post here dealt mostly with health issues and maybe a physician can help identify problems. on the other hand, many american doctors are trained to be insensitive jackasses... the order a battery of tests and talk to you through nurses and put you on a pill-popping schedule.

psychiatrists are a little better at prescribing-- i used to have a very funny one, he got me samples cos he knew i was broke. great guy. but for them too it's a trial an error process.

the first time he got me on lithium i sat on my bed all day listening to some fucking radio station doing nothing. i picked up the phone & said "hey dude im quitting these pills, im sitting here doing nothing, i have to go to work, and i have classes to attend, and i can't be sitting here all day contemplating my navel". he said "oh, stop taking them now". & that was that for the lithium.

my point? learn to be an educated consumer & shop around &listen to your body & if you know something is wrong with you dont take one person's opinion as gospel, even if they have a degree.

[sonicl]

Originally Posted by sarramkrop

Surely if you feel depressed in a hopeless way you should go to see a cousellor first, rather than a doctor or psychiatrist. The practice of prescribing people anti- depressants is barbaric.

Anti-depressants themselves are pretty barbaric, when the sufferer starts taking them, but once the body has adjusted to the chemical changes that they cause they can be beneficial, even if it is only a placebo effect. I think that the days of anti-depressants turning people into virtual zombies are long gone.

[_slavo_]

I guess it's 50:50 cure. You need drugs to get better in case the depression is something continuous, but paralelly you need to see somebody that will try to alter your way of thinking and give you good advice how to move on further. Just eating pills is no solution.

[sonicl]

The other thing to be said for going to a medical doctor is that in countries where medical treatment is provided by the state, that's the only way to get psychotherapy and not have to pay for it.

Although in the UK you do have to join a waiting list that is so long (4-5 months) that if you're seriously ill there's a reasonable chance of ending up in hospital as a result of your condition before you ever get to see a therapist.

[gmku]

Most people I know, and most experts I've heard, suggest seeing a medical doctors as a first step. It seems fairly common sensical.

Here's more info: http://www.breaking-through-barriers.com/en/3-2-1.htm

[demonrail666]

My sister is currently taking anti-depressants and the saddest thing is watching her grow increasingly dependent on them, and her once lively personality slowly slipping away. Counselling and a good overall medical check is what you should consider LONG before you even think about pills.

[!@#$%!]

either way, a good psychologist should refer you to a doctor if they think somethign might be wrong with you.

BTW, a psychiatrist has training in psychology AND medicine so that would be a good place to start-- only problem is they are prohibitively expensive.

[gmku]

Sometimes all's ya need's a good smack up the side of yer head.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by gmku

Sometimes all's ya need's a good smack up the side of yer head.

that's usually what gets people depressed in the first place.

[SynthethicalY]

Thanks guys for all your input. I might go see the school psycholosgist tomorrow. I'll take it from there.

[Cardinal Rob]

Just so long as you're not on prozac or whatever, sitting there with delerious inane joy while everyone worries about this constant state of you. The least freedom you can get is from drugs like that.
'pparently I've been depressed since I was 3 so it would be pretty interesting to see what not being depressed is like... it must be blissful.

Sometimes I'll think of how crap I am at everything and everyone's help, motivation and enthusiasm that I have ignored, people I've accidentally upset, and want to mope for the rest of me days. Having healthy, organic vegan meals really cheers me up; cherries with dark chocolate, wearing my glasses (though they make me look hideous), being near nature, I've never got a high off exercising, good weather's extremely uplifting.

It's abysmal to be homosexual even today so I really can sympathise there. Round here at least some people of my age see a weekend of fun as beating up a 'gayer' severely (and I'm apparently from one of the 100 best schools in England FFS) and the homophobia is as high as the huge numbers of people round here who think rape's the funniest thing ever. I know myself being a bit effeminate isn't much easy round here at all. I s'pose all the uneasy feelings about all the related deviance will die out within our lifetimes. I guess I can't help out there. :\

[Katy]

Originally Posted by Cardinal Rob

Having healthy, organic vegan meals really cheers me up; cherries with dark chocolate,

Mmm..

.

[Katy]

(i tried to PM you this, SynthethicalY, but your inbox is apparently full..)

Umm, hi. I'm on medications for mental problems (depression and other stuff) but I also have therapy every week. Plus, I go to the gym and eat really healthily. I stopped smoking or drinking alcohol about two years ago and I don't do recreational drugs anymore. I read quite a lot of self-help books, I try and be honest and talk to people (I didn't before, this does help). I make sure I get out in the fresh air everyday, I read a lot about Buddhism and I go to meditation sessions. I've tried lots of "alternative therapies", I do charity work... etc, etc. Lots of other stuff.

I'm only saying this because I don't think ONE thing will help. I think this is actually from one of the self-help books I read, but here: try and think of each positive thing you do to help yourself get better as 1%. Like if you go to therapy, improve your diet, get exercise, be more honest with people, smile at yourself in the mirror, take your meds, meditate, start a diary, drink more water, clean up your surroundings.. that's 10%, yknow? You're 10% better. And it's actually not too hard to come up with 100 positive things you can do to help yourself.

I don't have answers really, just suggestions based on my experiences.

Oh, the only thing I'd really say is don't listen to people who warn you off taking any medications without really knowing your situation. And vice versa (don't listen to people who try to convince you to take medications without really knowing your situation.) Both sides are (at best) annoying and strike me as thoughtless.