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2004/02/09, 11:44 PM
Hey everyone...its your...well its me tex, and im curious about something. Has anyone ever battled with depression? Ive been battling with this tri-headed beast for 19 yrs now. I was born with bipolar I disorder, and i do take meds...but every now and then i still get down. Of course we all do...but i dunno how to explain it..
What do y'all do when you're feelin kinda poopy?
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2004/02/10, 12:15 AM
i know how you feel man, i get depressed plenty of times.. im not really living the life that i want right now..i actually use to go out driving alot, that made feel a little bit better.. but then i got a speeding ticket one time.. oh that was bad...but yeah for me driving around really helps. Take care man, hope u get out of your slump
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2004/02/10, 04:19 AM
I take the dog out, clean the floor, work out, play music inapropriately loud, do my homework in Russian, write stuff down...
Basically, I never indulge in depression these days - I used to do that, I used to do nothing and wait for it to go away and it eventually did, but after consuming too much of my time.
Do something that gives you energy and makes you stop thinking the same thoughts over and over again.
:)
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It\\'s not a case of telling the truth/ Some lines just fit the situation
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2004/02/10, 08:59 AM
Depression - comes in lots of levels. You're under medical treatment, good. Therapy? Most insurance now covers therapy these days, from personal experience I recommend it.
Dealing with depression? I find that exercise - love workin out - works better for me than anything else in responding to short term symptoms. To deal with depression one must deal with the underlying issue, not just the symptoms and chemistry.
Through therapy I have found techniques to enable me to function while depressed, to anticipate bouts of depression and realize that there are issues in my life I'm not dealing adequately with.
Depression has different impact and risk at different times of life. You're on the good side realizing its role in your life. Keep getting help.
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2004/02/10, 04:57 PM
I agree with rsquade. More and more of us are admitting that dealing with depression in any way that gets you results will improve our lives. There have been a couple of threads on this before. You might want to do a search and read what others have had to say. Im all for meds, if needed and therapy. Sometimes you find out that there are things eating away at you that you hadnt even thought of. Best to get them out and deal with them. Exercise is a great way to deal with the blues. But I will treat myself to some kind of indulgence. Anything from spending a few hours reading a good book and not feeling guilty to taking a few days and getting away for some R&R. And changing my hair (color, cut, style) always makes me feel good.
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~Victoria~
...Do not be discouraged; everyone who got where he is, started where he was.--anon
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2004/02/10, 05:33 PM
I have bipolar, too; not bipolar I but I do struggle w/ depression and of course mood swings from hell, and have for most of my life. The one thing that has helped me the most w/ depression has been exercise but then the flip side makes it really easy for me to abuse exercise. Honestly the best thing that I've found is Lamictal. Since I've been taking Lamictal I think I finally know how normal people think and feel. LOL I don't have a lot of blue days since I've been taking it (and unlike antidepressants it doesn't make me nuts) but when I do at least I know it will pass. So usually I just spend some time alone, preferably working out - since that puts me in sort of an alternate reality anyway.
I've had such bad experiences w/ antidepressants that I fought meds tooth and nail this time. Now that I've found one that works I'm really sorry I wasted so much time feeling out of control, than miserable and guilty because I couldn't snap out of it. Therapy really is not enough on its own to treat bipolar. It does, however, help you put your life back together after the bipolar chews you up and spits you back out. :) Anyway I'm sure you already know this. Take care Tex.
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2004/02/10, 07:42 PM
thx all
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2004/02/11, 01:07 AM
Bipolar is a legitimate disorder that should be medicated. It is not your typical depression where meds don't always need to be taken. I work with bipolar clients on a daily basis so I know how this can be hard for you Tex. Meds along with therapy is a great way to battle your 3-headed beast. Meds alone may not do it. If you haven't already, try talking to a therapist. I've seen great results with clients. Good luck.
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May the lift be with you.
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2004/02/11, 01:42 PM
I've battled the monster too, not bipolar, just depression. I'm a follower of chemical theories. In college, we studied all the branches or focuses of study in psych., and the neurosciences always seemed to most powerful regarding treating disorders--summed up, you fight chemicals with chemicals.
Every disorder is treatable, if not curable, and there is no weakness in having an imbalance. The only weakness I've seen is people who won't admit it or get the help. It's just like a broken leg--you're not tougher or smarter for letting it go unattended. Just push forward with your treatment and understand that it may be a constant fight, like keeping a cancer that one can't kibosh contained. A day that you find happiness is a day of success; take them one at a time and I truly hope the best for you.
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--There are no versions of the truth.--
Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park II
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2004/02/11, 01:50 PM
Another thought about dealing with depression - eat small meals through out the day. Its handy that this is also central to good workout nutrician. I find that when I allow my blood sugar to drop, I am much more susceptible to mood changes and anger and sometimes depression. Eating right and often helps me. I travel often and always take water and protein bars in case I get caught in a line or on a plane without food. Sometimes I can sense the "bad feelings" coming on, sometimes I'm surprised at sudden anger. Eating helps me control it.
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2004/02/11, 05:04 PM
Wow Ogun, great post. I expected jdelts to have good advice also, and it was. I was miserable most of my life until a few years ago I had a meltdown in my PA's office. He talked to me for a few minutes and said 'you are really depressed, has anyone ever suggested meds?' I am so grateful for that man giving me that referral. My life is 100% better. I just wish it had happened 20 years ago; my kids would have had a much happier mom.
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~Victoria~
...Do not be discouraged; everyone who got where he is, started where he was.--anon
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2004/02/11, 08:55 PM
Thanks; yep, I didn't mean to do any disservice to the idea of therapy, like jdelts recommended, because I believe that it is very important, too. I just have found that medicines are effective, and people seem so scared of them.
I went to a counseler when I first filed for divorce, and it was the most emotionally trying time of my life except for the "2" of the "1/2" combo punch--losing custody of my daughter because I'm a man.
Everything you've come to believe, even in a short marriage, is toppled. All beliefs have the foundation ripped out from under them in an instant, and you are left there like a leaning, shell of a house sinking slowly into soft mud. Ugggh.
I think ideally that the ultimate combo is medicine and therapy. I was fortunate enough to turn directly to exercise and fighting so hard to keep my thoughts logical (they get all murky and foggy with depression) that the therapist told me that I was, "psychologically healthy..." and that he didn't want me to even call the office again unless it was an emergency. For that, I was grateful. And here I am, in near perfect health and thinking, for the most part, optimistically.
Go figure. Some pills, some exercise, and the weebly wobbly ship that we call normal turns it's masts skyward again. Great Googli Moogli!
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--There are no versions of the truth.--
Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park II
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2004/02/11, 09:13 PM
Yeah, thx for all of the replies...I started taking meds the end of my junior year in highschool after some regrettable physically scarring decisions i made my freshman year (and my dad started shortly after me, so i know who i got it from)...and i started therapy my senior year, and my therapist finally turned me loose saying that i had a healthy mind etc etc...but i still wasn't ready for the low blow i recieved this summer/fall semester. Loosing all your friends is killer (his gf was a drama queen and said i called her a whore and did a bunch of stuff that never happened....so all stopped talking to me because she was very convincing) Then during my fall semester i was tossed into this totally different culture in which i kept finding out peoples' true colors the hard way bc i guess im a very trusting guy. Welp, the friends back at home are talking to me again and all that good ish (the gf was found out to be a whore and everyone apologized to me for this past summer) So now everything is good on that side of it...the meds work for the most part...but there are still those days, and i find it easiest to retreat to my room and go back to my old habit of hiding away at the computer.
And at the same time, i completely lose my appetite for weeks at a time. I end up only having 2 meals a day instead of the 5 or 6 i should. And it doesn't necessarily help that the food at my college is hard to find healthy things......or atleast for me trying to figure out my calorie count out of all of it.... Its just somethin that kicks my ass from time to time, then i get back on top for a while, then again im down for a week or two...and i keep doing all the things ive learned. I get out, i workout, i attempt to eat right...but that never happens...I make a conscious effort to keep the thoughts logical and I surround myself with my best friend now (whom i developed a week and a half ago up here at college) I read an entire book last night (which im kicking myself for because i woke up late for Gen Chem this morniing ugh....) But ish like that helps. And so its just like i said...somethin i deal with...Thx for the great views etc.
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2004/02/11, 10:53 PM
Just like physical health, mental health takes hard-work, patience and time. An overlying theme with Tex was his social life and his distresses therein. Socializing and building relationships is part of who we are as humans and it also gives us a sense of identity. When we feel that we have lost that identity, our minds can go into retreat and fall back into the patterns it is used to by using defense and coping mechanisms. EXAMPLE: not eating, or hiding away in your room. Its easy to say "hey, go out there and face your fears" BUT its not easy to put into action. Its looking at how you have dealt with adversity in the past and using it now to cope in a healthy way. How have you dealt with problems in the past...how did you get through them then? Continue to utilize how you've coped in the past for combatting future problems. When you get caught up in specific reoccuring thoughts that just bring you down, you will continue to follow those thoughts downward creating that pattern of depression again. The key is to step back during these times of feeling blue and to look at what triggered that particular episode. Then, step even further back and see why this is happening in a concrete way NOT saying "WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?" but rather, to realistically look at what triggers you and why. This conscious effort is a first step to understanding your feelings because thats what this is about...understanding your feelings, not to pin-point one specific reason to why you feel the way you do. You'll never be able to put your finger on one instance but actually re-asses your role in society on all facets(family, friends, job, spouse, school, etc...). Bottom line is to, as OGUN suggested, accept the fact that this imbalance is a major factor to your disorder. From there its time to make the conscious effort to begin to notice events around you and try to understand them and what drives them. Changing your thought process in a positive, constructive way over time, has shown that the existing chemical imbalance can begin to minimize and create some relief from bipolar symptoms...and this is true for regular depression as well.
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May the lift be with you.
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2004/02/11, 11:32 PM
yup, ive been working on that for a while as well... :) Damn you're one smart cat delts
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2004/02/12, 11:10 AM
I'm not trying to come across as "smart". lol But this is what my passion is. These are just basic steps that can go a long way. Tex and whomever...depression is common and becomming more so these days. There is no shame to admitting what you feel, becasue if you don't, it will never go away and manifest itself as just another symptom. Good luck to all of you who are going through this
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May the lift be with you.
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2004/02/12, 11:37 AM
Hee haw! No, I had a friend that used to say that in elementary school, and now, oddly, I hear it on "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast," a cartoon I often watch with my daughter when she's around. I don't know where it originated.
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Quoting from bhardy:
"Great Googli Moogli"?? Great line. Is that yours or did you borrow it from somewhere?
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2004/02/13, 10:47 AM
Depression............I think everyone in my family has taken some kind of medication for it except me but then again there was the suicide thing when I was 15 and after that I guess you could say that I never got that bad again. Here in the last few years in my life I can say that I have gotten depressed but I have found that if I go to the gym and work out on a daily basis and yes it maybe to the extreme because I am going 2 times a day 6 time a week..........but if I dont do that I get blue and just unhappy and I hate that feeling. I have had really really bad days but those are the times that I stay at home and dont leave and I found that it makes it worse. My remedy for depression.............I drag myself to the gym and I put on some Godsmack and turn it up loud and I hop on the treadmill and whatever I am feeling at that particular time comes out on the treadmill it is like I vent while running and after doing that for a half hour or until I am exhausted I feel better. Music for me is a huge part of my life it really helps me deal with whatever I need to deal with..........I hope this helps
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you can lead the horse to the water but you can't make them drink.....
~lynnoakdale
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2004/02/16, 01:51 AM
If anyone wants to read a good book on the truth about medications in the field of mental health, get "Blaming The Brain" by Elliot Valenstein. It'll give a little insight to anyone who takes meds but for some odd reason still battles with depression. What it comes down to is that most is hype and the perscription companies pushing their products through the psychiatrists today. Its easier to look at the human as a ball of biology and chemicals, but its far from the truth. In the end it says that psychotheraputic drugs are only about 30% effective. Which is one of the reasons psychiatrists are holding on for dear life and trying to regain their strength in the medical world. Because the traditional physicians are saying that psychiatrists arn't true medical profession while practicing clinical psychologists (therapists..ect) are ineffective. So they are getting beaten by both sides of the issue and are being dragged down, slowly however. But look up the book "Blaming The Brain" by Elliot S. Valenstein. It gives a thorough and controvesial analysis of the psychothersputic drugs that are so widely used today.
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2004/02/16, 10:55 AM
You may want to read my post in the "general health" forum, entitled, "depression, well worth the read". Great stuff in there. Depression is linked to decreased low seratonin and ephinepherine count. This is a prime example of how important Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are for mental health.
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Quoting from goodoldtex:
Hey everyone...its your...well its me tex, and im curious about something. Has anyone ever battled with depression? Ive been battling with this tri-headed beast for 19 yrs now. I was born with bipolar I disorder, and i do take meds...but every now and then i still get down. Of course we all do...but i dunno how to explain it..
What do y'all do when you're feelin kinda poopy?
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
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2004/02/16, 01:48 PM
read it, very informative :)
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2004/02/17, 12:53 PM
I'm Null. :)
For the longest time I thought Null was a real person.
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2004/02/18, 12:46 AM
LOL...you did misunderstand or I wasn't clear...I absolutely agree that meds can be the best treament for some cases where the client is not able to communicate their pathology because of brain injury, advanced psychosis, or any other physical or organic dysfunction. Bipolar, which was the original subject at hand, i feel, needs meds. Most depression and disorders need meds along with counseling...My original post was geared towards the importance of counseling whether or not one was taking meds, NOT whether or not meds are necessary, because in most cases they are..... but I see how that post could throw you off. The last thing I want is to be contradicting myself without realizing it! LOL
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May the lift be with you.
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2004/02/18, 02:29 AM
JDelts, no, I understood your post. LOL My post was in response to Jsom. The other J. You were perfectly clear!
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2004/02/18, 02:40 AM
Very interesting posts, everybody. Thank you for all the info.
I'm surprised so many people in the "fit'n'healthy" crowd have experienced/ are experiencing depression, though.
Everybody seems to suffer from this disease more or less nowadays. It's scary.
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2004/02/18, 03:44 PM
You are right Elise. I think a lot of it is societal pressures to grow up faster, achieve financial success younger and GET, GET, GET. It takes a strong person to resist all of that, not fall into the trap, and find happiness in what they have, not what others may think you need. I think it is great though that more of us are admitting we need help dealing with it all and are seeking that help. Whether it is meds or therapy. I personally think the combo of the 2 are the best answer, along with regular exercise and a well balanced diet.
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~Victoria~
...Do not be discouraged; everyone who got where he is, started where he was.--anon
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2006/08/25, 04:56 PM
I have had major depression since I was in public school. Meds. can only do so much. you also need to use councellers to help you understand things that cause an episode. Lots of natural light and careful exercise can help also in keeping the blues away. Depression is someting you will always have and must accept as part of your life. One of the best help if a supportive family, that will notice when days are bad and be there to help you.Be Happy:)
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