Lay it on us, man. You underestimate our ability to be sympathetic.
Depression
- Thread starter Jea Song
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Lay it on us, man. You underestimate our ability to be sympathetic.
Mato
Member
I was depressed for much of my teenage years and onto early adulthood. Now at 29 I'm doing fine. I haven't had pills for perhaps 5 years and I don't think I'll need them again.
Taking care of ones self is important and very rewarding. Everything else around you will radiate of that. The thing that worked best for me is learning new things and improving my education. Things like physics and math have made me feel immensely more at ease with the world. Coupled with a good diet and a little bit of working out and it's all much better now. Gradually, by degrees you can cultivate and improve yourself and become a better and happier person.
But if it's all too much for you at them moment, using medication for a period of time till you feel you are in control again can be effective, as long as you continue to work on yourself.
Taking care of ones self is important and very rewarding. Everything else around you will radiate of that. The thing that worked best for me is learning new things and improving my education. Things like physics and math have made me feel immensely more at ease with the world. Coupled with a good diet and a little bit of working out and it's all much better now. Gradually, by degrees you can cultivate and improve yourself and become a better and happier person.
But if it's all too much for you at them moment, using medication for a period of time till you feel you are in control again can be effective, as long as you continue to work on yourself.
My 23rd birthday is coming up this Thursday so it's really getting me down.
I've achieved nothing I've wanted to, and I'm not where I wish to be.
I'm still heavily considering in restarting my life in some way, but I'm just trying to work out how exactly.
But eh, I only ever come here to complain and vent my feelings off, so just ignore me if I'm too annoying.
I've achieved nothing I've wanted to, and I'm not where I wish to be.
I'm still heavily considering in restarting my life in some way, but I'm just trying to work out how exactly.
But eh, I only ever come here to complain and vent my feelings off, so just ignore me if I'm too annoying.
So whatever breakthrough i had is completely gone. I made the mistake of telling my therapy group i wanted to see skyfall but wasn't sure i would go. they told me i should now that i have seen it i hate myself and everything even more. Packed theater and seeing couples everywhere made it an awful experience. This hot guy and his girlfriend sat next to me. i really wished i walked out of that theater. maybe it is time to go defcon 1 on that CBT group and see what happens. after coming home from the movie i bought some liquor which i hardly do and drank the whole bottle. What really pisses me off that it only just knocks me out.
Last night and even today i am starting to believe i have nothing left, nothing left in me to even want to live or fight or do anything.
Last night and even today i am starting to believe i have nothing left, nothing left in me to even want to live or fight or do anything.
scar tissue
Banned
Quite possibly you did nothing wrong.
Chemistry plays a huge role in how humans choose their mates, and women are naturally more picky than men.
How did you guys meet?
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
I'm currently on the generic version but was on regular Lexapro before. If you're going from nothing to 20mg a day, that's a pretty steep change. I started at 10mg before being ramped up to 20mg (and later 30mg for awhile, before being lowered back to 20mg with no discernable change.)
It will take at least a couple weeks before your body adjusts (at which point your body will have an addiction and face withdrawal symptoms if you don't take it within the half-life which is about a day and a half.) Withdrawal symptoms are not nice, and for me have mainly included headaches and tingling sensations on the rare occasion that I've forgotten to take my medicine.
While acclimating in the first couple weeks, you will probably feel strange as the medicine begins to take hold, including feeling worse. So I wouldn't worry too much, and just continue taking the medicine and keep going while making sure to check in with your doctor if anything feels seriously wrong. You should probably be seeing your doctor every other week if not every week if you're just starting an anti-depressant anyway.
I've noticed this, it's really stupid. I think back on dates that didn't work out and I realize it was because I wasn't bold enough. Places where I stopped myself because I didn't want to be an asshole or mean or step over my boundaries, That there were certain things a girl did that I should have picked up on.
I havent been able to be myself today or yesterday, and I feel like this set me back 6 months of therapy I thought I got over.
Collete
Member
I really think you overexaggerate me sometimes, man =_=
(Much less I don't deserve to be at the front of the people that help with a "<3")
I don't think I helped that much in this thread much however.
Still as far as advice, a great thing to do with each new interview you post, maybe have a mini archive that link back to previous interviews you posted.
That way future readers can look back at the others if they wish.
You're not annoying at all don't worry.
What interests you in general these days?
Maybe listen to a few lectures on YouTube or something and see if it's a field you want to go to.
(Only recently I discovered there's actually writing lectures and English lectures on YouTube for free!)
Let it all out. Depression GAF is a safe empathetic and sympathetic place; don't fret.
I knew daniel craig sucked but damn
Life isn't worth anything.
apart from it being worth everything?
I was on the floor when I read this from OKcupid GAF
"You seem like a great guy, just not MY great guy."
I fucking give up.
everything is a fucking joke lol
I've been in relationships before and tbh I just want more sex
just have to wait for Japan to perfect sex robots in that case
of course, we will all be dead by that time
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Pessimist!
vatstep
This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
After seeing a psychologist for the past year, I started seeing a psychiatrist as well a few weeks ago. I'd been really apprehensive about medication for the longest time, as side effects and the cost of prescriptions terrify me, but I just finally said fuck it — it's worth a shot, since I can't imagine myself miraculously starting to feel better on my own.
After a few meetings, she started me on Prozac (20mg) for my depression and OCD. I started it a few days ago, although obviously it'll take a month or more to know if it's doing anything. No discernible side effects so far, and it's cheap as hell, so that's a relief. I just actually feel sort of proud of myself (strange feeling) for getting over my fear and trying to do something to get out of this rut.
By the way, I appreciate the support and sharing of experiences in this thread, but if Prozac didn't work for you, I'd rather not know.
Trying to just put trust in my doctor and not over-analyze things for once.
After a few meetings, she started me on Prozac (20mg) for my depression and OCD. I started it a few days ago, although obviously it'll take a month or more to know if it's doing anything. No discernible side effects so far, and it's cheap as hell, so that's a relief. I just actually feel sort of proud of myself (strange feeling) for getting over my fear and trying to do something to get out of this rut.
By the way, I appreciate the support and sharing of experiences in this thread, but if Prozac didn't work for you, I'd rather not know.
Trying to just put trust in my doctor and not over-analyze things for once.
bengraven
Member
I'll post when my #2 cause of anxiety finally leaves me be.
Forgive me the huge block.
After seeing a psychologist for the past year, I started seeing a psychiatrist as well a few weeks ago. I'd been really apprehensive about medication for the longest time, as side effects and the cost of prescriptions terrify me, but I just finally said fuck it it's worth a shot, since I can't imagine myself miraculously starting to feel better on my own.
After a few meetings, she started me on Prozac (20mg) for my depression and OCD. I started it a few days ago, although obviously it'll take a month or more to know if it's doing anything. No discernible side effects so far, and it's cheap as hell, so that's a relief. I just actually feel sort of proud of myself (strange feeling) for getting over my fear and trying to do something to get out of this rut.
By the way, I appreciate the support and sharing of experiences in this thread, but if Prozac didn't work for you, I'd rather not know.
Good for you! I know making the leap to taking medications was huge for me as well. I had that same sense of..pride, almost, when I finally took the plunge.
The one nice thing about the meds nowadays (aside from the sheet number of choices!) is that there are so many generic options. There are some drugs on patent still, but they're just metabolites or enantiomers of other drugs. They work great for some people but, overall, there's no difference in efficacy between the older generics and the latest brand name "ask you doctor about____" drugs.
Jubei, and everyone else trying to get better - it sucks, but getting better won't be a linear progression. Whether you're doing meds, therapy, exercise, alternative treatments, whatever, you'll have successes and you'll fall back down again; you'll have good days and bad. Even if everything is going better, you can still get blindsided and knocked down again - that's life. Hell, just as I started to climb out of my absolute lowest point of suicidal depression (at one point my girlfriend dropped everything and flew across the country to save me. She knew better than I did, in retrospect, how close I was to ending it all), my best friend unexpectedly dropped dead. He was 23 and we were looking forward to him playing music at our wedding. I was devastated and I'm still dealing with it.
My point is, getting better requires a longer term view. Your mood will oscillate day to day (or even hour to hour), but if you plot a straight line through your mood over a longer time, the trend, driving through the oscillations, will be positive.
You had that positive thought, Jubei, that you'd had a breakthrough. The positive feeling didn't last. I wish it did, but just having that brief blip of positivity is great. As you keep working at it, you'll have more, longer moments like that.
I might just be in your part of the country in the not too distant future. We'll totally hang out! I have an uncanny ability to attract gay men (not sure why. It happens even when I'm with my wife. :/ ), so I'll help draw them your way.
Keep at it, Jubei! Build on each little success. Play the long game.
SquiddyCracker
Banned
Shit happens, and people aren't that emotionally invested in one another when they barely know each other.
Generally speaking that is, it seems like you are taking this a bit harder than you should - you do barely know her after all.
Just another fish in the ocean and all that!
Here's something I've always been curious to ask...
Is there anyone here who is depressed AND religious? For me, the two seem pretty much antithetical to one another. I was raised by non-religious parents, so religion has never been a part of my life. I really don't think I can comprehend feeling like life has no meaning, but at the same time believing in a higher power that has everything planned for a specific reason.
...and I think I just found a topic to write about for my Religion & Society class.
Is there anyone here who is depressed AND religious? For me, the two seem pretty much antithetical to one another. I was raised by non-religious parents, so religion has never been a part of my life. I really don't think I can comprehend feeling like life has no meaning, but at the same time believing in a higher power that has everything planned for a specific reason.
...and I think I just found a topic to write about for my Religion & Society class.
scar tissue
Banned
Pretty sure religious folks with depression just won't admit that they're depressed, and maybe their mental illness will manifest in different ways than in nonreligious people.
I certainly can't see religion being the 100% cure to depression.
And I actually know two or three people with depression who were raised by religious parents. They pretty much stopped believing because of their lasting depression.
pretty sure sadsic and/or neojubei are religious, as is Bagels
Im pretty sure ignorance is bliss applies here
being certain that theres an invisible force looking out for you probably comforts people
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
Not me, but I think deeply religious people are either less susceptible to depression and/or are able to recover from it faster due to their faith. I don't doubt their beliefs would help them in the struggle.
christians and depression can go hand in hand. the bible speaks often of people who believed in God but were depressed.
David went through a deep depression after he sinned against God.
heck, even Jesus was depressed.
In all cases we are to pray and put our hope in God.
Napoleonthechimp
Member
I started taking Citalopram a week and a half ago and I don't think I want to continue with it. It reduces anxiety but I feel emotionally flat and don't really care for a lot of things (not in a depressed apathetic sense but in a - I literally don't feel or care about things I'm supposed to).
It also seems to take away a lot of the aggression from me which is one of the things that pushes me to change my life (but it also destroys those things too). I really don't know what to do about it because anxiety and aggression stops me from living a good life but while taking medication I don't care about achieving the things I previously wanted.
I haven't had much desire for sex either, which is an issue because I wanted to overcome anxiety and depression so I could have relationships. I could either feel passion (and the misery that comes with it) or not enjoy my life at all.
It also seems to take away a lot of the aggression from me which is one of the things that pushes me to change my life (but it also destroys those things too). I really don't know what to do about it because anxiety and aggression stops me from living a good life but while taking medication I don't care about achieving the things I previously wanted.
I haven't had much desire for sex either, which is an issue because I wanted to overcome anxiety and depression so I could have relationships. I could either feel passion (and the misery that comes with it) or not enjoy my life at all.
see here is what I have a problem with
say a severely depressed man prays daily to god for help
when his life ends up taking a turn for the worse he is going to think that god has forsaken him.
now thinking that you're not worth a shit to this all loving being is going to work against you
no i am not religious.
ok then it was just sadsic
I've been outed! How could you?!
True story - I actually taught Sunday school to high school freshman (which is as close as I've come to leaving the faith. lol. I also thought pretty seriously about becoming a monk or priest, but sex turned out to be too strong of a counter-argument).
So yeah, I'm Catholic (but I don't totally follow the church. I love me some gay people, am all for female priests, etc. Also, the church is totally down with evolution - I'd have a real problem if it wasn't.) I really struggle with it, though. I spent a long time being very upset because I prayed so hard for God's help with my depression and nothing ever came.
This is a huge topic. Piano is going to interview me next week - I feel bad asking others to share with me when I haven't really told my story. If you have any questions you want me to address, post 'em, or PM me or Piano. I'm actually pretty open about most things. I just haven't posted my story in full because I wasn't sure people would be interested, not because it's a big secret. Oomi asked me a lot about it and it really helped to talk, so I feel more confident people might gain something from my experience.
okay, but what exactly is he praying daily for?
Among the fruits of the spirit is joy and peace. The apostle paul wrote letters while he was in prison telling the members of the church to "not be anxious of anything" and to "rejoice in the Lord always" and to have joy. This is coming form a guy who was tortured, flogged, and persecuted many times
So the man who is depressed is depressed about things that are outside the will of God.
No rush. Just don't feel bad about "wasting our time" or whatever. This thread is here to share and help one another.
relief from his illness perhaps? but we know better than that, and talking to yourself cannot change the brains chemistry in that manner.
Thats making the assumption that spirit/souls are real, which there is no evidence for.
A person thats able to work through the pains of turture and persecution is not empowered by something holy, its called conditioning and it can be seen to great effect with people such as the shaolin or tibetan monks.
The only time prayers are deemed answered are situations of coincidence, and I beg you to provide evidence otherwise. The will of god is redundant.
When you met her, what kind of thoughts did you have in your head?
No, if he truly believes in God then he will believe that things will be put right for him in the next world. Putting up with 100 years of whatever bullshit comes your way in this world is a small price to pay if you got a billion years of joy and bliss in heaven to look forward to.
Just got to thinking... I don't remember the last time someone's genuinely tried to comfort me outside of saying "It will get better" which has got to be my most hated saying ever right now.
Said I was going to use my long weekend to catch up on math homework (which I am severely behind in), and guess what? Didn't do shit. Couldn't. Now that I'm killing myself over it, guess what? I'm exhausted. I still can't do it. There goes my motivation, and my already shitty mood. I'm sick of this cycle.
Was feeling bad over nothing. Was also feeling bad seeing as how no one bothers to take the smallest bit of effort to see past my weak facade. I don't even try to hide it well anymore. Feeling under-appreciated.
I'm sick of everything.
Said I was going to use my long weekend to catch up on math homework (which I am severely behind in), and guess what? Didn't do shit. Couldn't. Now that I'm killing myself over it, guess what? I'm exhausted. I still can't do it. There goes my motivation, and my already shitty mood. I'm sick of this cycle.
Was feeling bad over nothing. Was also feeling bad seeing as how no one bothers to take the smallest bit of effort to see past my weak facade. I don't even try to hide it well anymore. Feeling under-appreciated.
I'm sick of everything.
If you need math help, I can give it a try. I taught a couple of courses in college. Just lemme know.
i hate that phrase too. That phrase only works on fat teenagers who grow up to look like models.
If i was a religious guy i would say god hates most of us.
bah. the work thing is basically my life. i hate myself so much i don't do the work as i can't motivate myself, then i hate myself even more for not doing it afterwards as i feel useless and like i've wasted so much time and ruined any chances of doing well. my brain creates a no win situation - the motherfucker.
anyway sorry that no-one is comforting you. it sucks. i think normal people find it really hard to understand depression and the depressive mindset so comments which are well meaning just comes off as meaningless platitudes, try not to feel too bad about it.
what is this Dragonball Z?
anyway, that depends entirely on the religion and if he really believes he will be going to heaven. You have to remember that a truly depressed person will not be able to rationalize something like that and manifest it into a positive experience.
I think I decided that the entire concept of god was stupid when I was around 10 years old, and the kids in my class started harassing me about it
It reminds me of how the entire system is designed to put a spotlight on nonbelievers and it makes me sick
I messed up my math course this semester too. Definitely from a lack of motivation. It really pissed me off good at myself too. I'll re-do it next semester but now I'll have to take a class in summer session and I was hoping to have it off.
What stopped you from doing your work? I just plain forgot about a few test dates and failed to study adequately. Once I got a couple bad test scores I felt so awful about the class I stopped caring. Which isn't like me at all. Usually that just makes me work harder. I'd say it was depression but I don't think so. Things have been looking up. I think I'm just a lazy bastard most of the time. Having a new job gives me plenty of excuses for myself too, unfortunately.
I would greatly appreciate that, Bagels.
Too bad I'm really underweight and it doesn't help that I'm tall, so it really shows. I've lost about 15 pounds in the last few weeks. Didn't even notice until today. I'm so terribly unattractive. Really, no girl would ever want me.
Oh my God the bolded resonates with me so much. It's fucking terrible.
Yeah, there was a commercial on youth mental illness on television today and guess what people say? "Haha that's for you, man. You guys need to buck up." I didn't know if I wanted to kill myself, or them.
It was a clear cut lack of motivation. I spent most of the weekend sleeping, which I didn't mean to, but my seroquel pills knocked me out real good. Normally bad test scores shame me into working harder (happened two years ago; went from a 33% in math to a final of 80% because I busted my ass, but that was grade 10 math... eh), but not anymore. Bad marks demotivate me now and make me feel worthless. It's terrible.
Be glad you are not short and fat like me.
*sigh* Either way, it's not a nice situation. Girls weigh more than I do, clothes don't ever fit properly (even when they're "fitted"), I get tossed around by the wind, other guys just have to look and laugh... really, it still fucking sucks. It's a really bad blow to my already nonexistent self esteem.
The worst part of being skinny is that, unlike being fat, most people think it's okay to make fun or say things about it. I've been told way too many times things like "eww, gross, you're too skinny" without them even thinking or realizing it's not right to tell someone he's disgusting...
its easier to put on weight than lose it, just sayin
ClassyPenguin
Banned
I'm no fan of religion. I never got into it, even as a child. I was way more into other myths and stories. Religion always seemed forced, trite, and most of all just cheesy. I never truly believed in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny or any other made-up creature either. My parents are Catholic, but not strict. My dad is especially critical of the Catholic Church as an institution as he grew up in Franco's Spain and just saw how powerful and corrupt they can be. So, I grew up with a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to authority.
Most of all, I began to think about these issues at the time when the Catholic Church was going through their child-abuse scandals. With every story that came out and the Church's response to cover, lie, and impede any sort of investigation, I saw them as truly evil. How a supposedly moral institution defend these absolute monsters was shocking, truly shocking. And even now, with the Penn State case and the current BBC one, I feel as the Church got off with a slap on the wrist.
I think there is some good, however. It is a support system. You can feel at ease talking with a priest, rabbi whatever about more personal issues. You can feel the support of a close family, or a sense of belonging. But, religion also has the doubt or uncertainty of beliefs as a defense mechanism. Even Mother Teresa (whom, I don't particularly like and was just as horrible as the pedo priests in my opinion), had very serious doubts about her faith, but was told that it was natural or a test and that you should stick with it because it is what is "right" and "good".
It is personal. That's what an education does. It makes the world personal.
― Cormac McCarthy, The Sunset Limited
I never bought into atheism or the lack of beliefs as something that makes you depressed. I think that the idea of becoming aware of the world, the good and the bad is taken personally. I never though that the idea of an indifferent universe makes us feel small, cold and unloved. Or that it devoid's life of any meaning. The opposite is true. I find that it makes us feel absurdly large in the face of the seer volume of things we don't know. It makes our accomplishments that much more richer.
Existentialism is good as a philosophical exercise but I don't know if I would take it seriously. That's why I mentioned it in my previous post about suicide. It's a mistake that many people do. They think of it as a reaction to the realities of the universe and the lack of faith or the lack of "morality" or a consequence of believing in that we are nothing more than animals instead of thinking about it as a system overload. You get so depressed and you are in pain, real pain and the only way that seems sure to cure it is death. It's irrational, but of course when you are that in pain, there is not much rationality in it. And I see when religious people people talk about it as being an "ultimate sin, " I can't help but be appalled about their lack of compassion, understanding. It happens to non-believers as well for sure, but not as visceral of a response. I think it feeds into the guilt components of depression and makes the situation a lot worse.
Anyway, that's my thoughts on it.
Don't hate, ignorance is easily dealt with by ignoring it. At least if someone tries to comfort you, well they are implicitly saying they have good intentions towards you.
Depends on the individual and specifics of the depressive disorder. In some cases they won't be able to manifest it into a positive experience and some they will. In some cases they may even manifest it into a negative experience.
Yep. I constantly get "You're a fucking stick!" "Are you anorexic?" "Yo dawg don't you eat or something? The fuck is wrong with you? Haha" I just don't say anything. It makes me want to blow up.
I can't gain any weight. No matter how much/what I eat.
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