Should I tell?

[Superiority Tails]

How do I see the joy? Is there a way to get pass this without spending a lot money?

 

[Into The Light]

ST it takes some effort to get to seeing joy again. first and foremost you need medication. this can help stop or reduce your suicidal thoughts. you also need talk therapy. the combination of the two is the most successful treatment of depression. it's pretty tough to get through this and figure this out on your own. i don't know what resources and services you have available where you live. i do know it is possible to get free counseling or for a minimal fee where i live. there may be public services like that in your area. you could ask your doctor if you're not sure where to look.

in addition to the medication, some things that can help alleviate your depression are:
- exercise 25 minutes at least 4 times a week, something that gets your heart going
- talking, to friends or family or whoever, it doesn't have to be about just your problems but about anything. this is hard because when you are depressed you just want to withdraw. i have found though when i manage to do this even though i really don't feel like it, i almost always feel better.
- take some relaxation time for yourself every day or every other day. be kind to yourself. this can be a nice hot relaxing bath to curling up on the couch with a book, whatever might help you relax just a little.

these things are challenging to do when you are depressed, but they do help. don't give up hope if this seems too overwhelming. you need to take it one step at a time.

 

[Superiority Tails]

All of those are good choices to me except the medication. The idea of being drugged is a bit overwhelming for me.

 

[Into The Light]

medication is a difficult hurdle. many people have a very hard time accepting they need medication, myself included. i was afraid of it too, and kept putting it off, and kept saying to myself i didn't really need it. the end result was pretty bad. things got out of hand, it was a very frightening experience for me. i am so thankful i could take medication at that point. i do not know how i would have survived without it.

it takes time to accept you need medication. think it over, don't dismiss it offhand. as many here will point out, depression is a physical illness just like heart disease or diabetes. taking medication for depression is the same as taking it for other physical problems.

 

[Superiority Tails]

How is depression a physical illness?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

It involves issues with imbalances in neurochemistry of the brain. No one really knows if this is a cause of depression or an effect of depresssion but it's there nonetheless.

 

[Superiority Tails]

Does that mean if I don't take medication I'll die? What will I die from?

 

[Into The Light]

no, your body won't die on you if you don't take medication. the medication will help your brain function more like it should. depression is a disease of the brain. a depressed brain is physically different from a healthy brain. the medication helps get the brain well again. medication alone though is not as effective as medication & therapy together.

the medication will help you in that it will help your brain regulate your emotions better. it will reduce your thoughts of suicide. i would say that is a major plus.

 

[Superiority Tails]

Why can't you stop depression with friends and people you care about?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Because it's not that easy. Recovering from major depression requires work, altering negative thinking patterns, improving coping skills, identifying triggers for depression and risks for relapse, and usually medication.

 

[Superiority Tails]

What's relapse?

 

[ThatLady]

Nothing really worth having comes without effort, SM. If we really want something, we have to work for it. For those who suffer from depression, that would include getting beyond the depression to a better state of mind. It's going to take work and committment on your part to get there.

 

[ThatLady]

Relapse is a return to previous symptoms after a period without those symptoms, or a return to the original disease state.

 

[Superiority Tails]

I can recover and get it again?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Yes. However, if you do it right the first time -- which usually means psychotherapy plus medication for at least a year, in my opinion -- you significantly reduce that risk.

 

[ThatLady]

If you don't make the committment, and put out the effort to recover completely, of course you can. It's like a bad case of the flu. If you don't take the medication you're given as the doctor orders, and follow the regimen given you for recovery, the flu will come back. So will depression.

 

[Superiority Tails]

What will depression do to me if I don't recover?

 

[ThatLady]

What's it doing to you now, ST? There are a number of threads in the Depression forum that will answer your question from others' points of view. However, you know how you're feeling now. Is it enjoyable? Would you like it to continue or, perhaps, grow worse?

 

[Superiority Tails]

No. But all this talk about therapy and medication. Is a big risk and I can loss it all when I get it again.

 

[ThatLady]

It's a much bigger risk to let the depression go untreated, ST. As we said, if depression is treated the risk of relapse is much less likely than if left untreated. In fact, unless it is treated it will only get worse. Which seems the bigger risk to you? It seems pretty obvious to me.