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[Bagels]

Is that also, perhaps, your unsubtle callback to the Shepherd from Lord British's Ultima 4 Quest of the Avatar? I think it is. I think it definitely is.

YOU CAN'T DENY IT!!!

Since were doing game reviews. Ultima 4 Quest of the Avatar is fucking awesome. It had like virtues and stuff. But 5 is better. I liked-ed that one more because lighthouses.

Less screenshots, more cartoons, ya dink!

(it's only a callback to ultima 4 in that it, and cooper, are awesome)

 

[Bagels]

BEHOLD!

haha, 'dink'

Much better!

(I have LoL-induced bloodlust, so I feel a tad crazy. Apologies.)

JUST KIDDING! NO APOLOGIES EVER!

 

[MisterLuffy]

Man I'm tired myself. I never liked myself and never will. I did something bad that I'm not proud of. It has something to do with the internet.

 

[Prax]

Man I'm tired myself. I never liked myself and never will. I did something bad that I'm not proud of. It has something to do with the internet.

Did you say something embarrassing or reveal personal information? A lot of people say or do regrettable things on the internet and it does end up haunting them for a long while, so I can understand if you're worried or feel humiliated about it.
If it's undo-able, undo it. And apologize if you have to. And then try not to let it happen again?
With time and distance, hopefully the impact of whatever it was lessens.

Okay, I was letting my hair dry and made this before I hit the bed.
GLS, as featured in my depression comic~! He's my guardian of sorts.
May his dashing smile comfort your weary souls? XD (He's got wings, Mikedip~!)

 

[MisterLuffy]

Did you say something embarrassing or reveal personal information? A lot of people say or do regrettable things on the internet and it does end up haunting them for a long while, so I can understand if you're worried or feel humiliated about it.

What if I have urges?

 

[kitch9]

I hate my anxiety and stress. I think it's really doing something to my short term memory. 2 or 3 times today I walked into rooms forgetting why I even had to go to the rooms. I stayed in the room for about a minute until it clicked and I remembered why I had to go there. i'm only 30, but I feel kinda scared of losing my memory so early. I'm going to try to find some brain supplement on amazon and read up on memory tips.

I feel like the older I get the more effort I have to put into remembering. I need to relax. I need to socialize. I need to get out of this funk.

Just read this. 10 tips for improving memory. It might help someone like me:
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-ways-to-improve-memory.htm

Anxiety is a weird issue, your mind will sub consciously play tricks on you which tends to make the anxiety worse. The reason you are probably forgetting stuff is because your anxiety has sent your subconscious into overdrive so its not doing its normal job remembering the normal stuff you do as its focused on something else, which in turn is driving your anxiety and the cycle continues.

I got anxiety badly for about 3 months as I was stressed in the office which caused my heart to skip a couple of beats and sent me light headed a bit. (No pain though.) I then started to think something may be wrong with my heart which triggered my stress response and I freaked out and ended up in A&E hyper ventilating and with what felt like a heart attack. They calmed me down but for months I had weird little chest pains and pains in my arms which I had to keep telling myself was anxiety driven and lie quietly in a darkened room for hours to calm myself down.

Its a difficult issue because its driven from your worst fears but just try to slow down if you can and take a fews hours to fully try to relax a day and hopefully your body will fix itself. I found taking up swimming with a sauna and a steam after helped a lot, I know you shouldn't but I went on a sunbed a couple of sessions a week just to get my body producing some more endorphins and took 5 HTP to help boost my serotonin levels on a night and it worked in the end.

 

[cloudwalking]

I hate my anxiety and stress. I think it's really doing something to my short term memory. 2 or 3 times today I walked into rooms forgetting why I even had to go to the rooms. I stayed in the room for about a minute until it clicked and I remembered why I had to go there. i'm only 30, but I feel kinda scared of losing my memory so early. I'm going to try to find some brain supplement on amazon and read up on memory tips.

This happens to me too, I think I have the reason pretty much pinned down as to being tiredness. My anxiety keeps me up at night and the next day, if I'm not well-rested... I. Forget. EVERYTHING. I later find so many errors in my work or just weird things lying around the house in places they aren't supposed to be, or I go to the store to buy things and forget half of the things I went there to get. It's terrible! I take Omega 3 and gingko, but it doesn't help much at all if I don't have a restful sleep as a basis to my day.

I got anxiety badly for about 3 months as I was stressed in the office which caused my heart to skip a couple of beats and sent me light headed a bit. (No pain though.) I then started to think something may be wrong with my heart

Oh man, I know what you mean. My dad has a congenital heart defect that can be passed to his children so whenever I get anxious and my heart races that's the first thing I worry about.

Anxiety sucks, I wish I had a better way to get it under control. Tai chi helped me a bit, when I'm feeling really stressed I still do it sometimes. Maybe I should get back into it.

 

[MikeDip]

.

Wow. That's beautiful.

 

[Woorloog]

Noted in a PM to MikeDip that i'd kinda prefer to be artist of some sort (natural talents lie in logic, math, numbers, spatial awareness, the like), but i kinda lack skill in those things. Writing i could learn (as in, writing books) but... eh, would like to be more than a writer perhaps. Not sure. Also, this want is very, very vague. Just want to create something, you know?

Anyway, what i realized, is that my preferrence to be an artist of sorts started with depression, interest in logic and that stuff has vaned (and seemingly re-appear if i feel less depressed).
I wonder why?

EDIT oh and i think i'd draw something if my scanner wasn't busted. Drawing on computer screen... eh, nope.

 

[Smiley90]

.

Did you draw that? Whoa

 

[Pau]

Noted in a PM to MikeDip that i'd kinda prefer to be artist of some sort (natural talents lie in logic, math, numbers, spatial awareness, the like), but i kinda lack skill in those things. Writing i could learn (as in, writing books) but... eh, would like to be more than a writer perhaps. Not sure. Also, this want is very, very vague. Just want to create something, you know?

Anyway, what i realized, is that my preferrence to be an artist of sorts started with depression, interest in logic and that stuff has vaned (and seemingly re-appear if i feel less depressed).
I wonder why?

EDIT oh and i think i'd draw something if my scanner wasn't busted. Drawing on computer screen... eh, nope.

I'm like you in that I'm much more gifted at things like mathematics but I would have loved to learn art from an early age. When I first started getting depressed, I started taking art classes and it helped a lot. Maybe it won't be something to pursue as a career, but painting, drawing, or just anything in which you're creating can be very therapeutic.

Since you say your interest comes back if you feel less depressed, I think you just have to give your mind an outlet for creative stuff.

Try checking your area (especially local colleges) to see if they have model drawing nights. No pressure, just go in with a pad of cheap newsprint paper, some charcoal, and start drawing! The entrance fees are typically just the tip for the model but it varies.

 

[Woorloog]

Since you say your interest comes back if you feel less depressed, I think you just have to give your mind an outlet for creative stuff.

Try checking your area (especially local colleges) to see if they have model drawing nights. No pressure, just go in with a pad of cheap newsprint paper, some charcoal, and start drawing! The entrance fees are typically just the tip for the model but it varies.

Meant that my interest in sciences and that stuff is stronger when i feel less depressed (i've noted that i seemingly bounce beetween feeling very depressed to feeling-almost-good).
Creative outlet... eh, don't know. I can't figure out what i was thinking when i wrote that, and it was just a few hours ago (disturbing, though not particularly unusual).

As for drawing nights or such, don't think we have them here. Well, i guess there could be something but not sure i really care to join one. Not sure what i want. EDIT I mean, i think i know what i want but it isn't necessarily what i really want. I think i know myself but i know that i'm wrong at times. Does that make any sense?


One other thing. I've noticed that i'm kinda goal-oriented (ignoring that Depressed!Me doesn't give a shit about anything), which is not a good thing since if i feel that i can't achive that goal, i kinda stop doing anything about it.
Not sure when that manifested itself first.
I'm pretty sure psych-classes had something about this, related to motivation or some such. Can't remember. Wonder if this was something in personality or if it was wrong kind of thinking or what.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

Man I have been in a weird funk since Saturday, I don't know what it is.
Don't feel like going anywhere or doing anything and everything just feels meh.

 

[Omegasquash]

Goddamn memories that trigger things.

 

[BigEvilTurtle]

I'm a complete fucking moron who does things knowing I have huge potential to get hurt. I fucking hate myself and I can't let myself be happy.

 

[Bagels]

Do chemical imbalances cause depression or does depression, itself with another root cause, cause chemical imbalances? Hmm. Mental perception has been proven to have very real physical effects on the body - the whole body of research on placebos that has been blowing up lately, for example - and as the brain itself is a physical component of the body I do not see why the conscious thoughts of a person could not conceivably affect the chemical balance of the brain in a sort of self-harming feedback loop.

I never bought the idea that "real" depression is that caused by a chemical imbalance, as opposed to the negative feelings coming from having a hard knock life that we colloquially call "depression" and thusly give comparatively less sympathy to, and maybe that is part of the reason why. Perhaps they are one and the same.

I think it has to go both ways - the strong genetic component points to SOME kind of biological underpinning. This can be overt - the depression is "generated" internally, largely independent of outside influences - or more subtle - are some of our brains just better equipped to deal with stressors? Depression is sometimes divided into endogenous ("internally generated") vs, exogenous (coming from outside influences), which is a very black and white way to look at a complex continuum.

I think I've encountered the opposite of what you suggest - if you're depressed because of awful things that have happened to you, that's accepted. But when I came down with depression, and people would ask, "about what?" (which is stupid, but whatever), and all I could say was, "that's just the way I am" (recent events aside, I live a pretty charmed life), no one was ever satisfied. Like my brain should be magically fixed because I had a loving family. Sorry. Not so lucky there.

I think the really interesting question is whether exogenous and endogenous depression (let's say in their purest forms) are even the same disease. This is the whole issue with the DSM - are the diagnostic labels too broad? Or do we artificially divide things into subtypes that are actually the same things? If the former, is this why the treatments aren't more successful? Are drugs really only effective for certain types of depression? My hunch is yes, but I don't actually know.

Hopefully we'll know someday soon, as genetic testing become more comprehensive and cheaper (and thus more widely used). Unfortunately, it will probably always be a goddamn mess. I think I started way over on the endogenous side of things, but enough time being depressed for no reason and you'll start generating reasons. I had genetic testing done a few years ago and it was more interesting than useful (it's amazing how much cheaper it is now!). I sort of wonder if lab tests and genetic screens, assuming they got better than they are now, would give a different answer now (okay, so my genes should be the same - I have worked with a decent amount of radioactivity, though...) that my depression has blossomed into the beautiful daffodil it is today.

 

[SniperHunter]

man my anxiety has been rising recently...probably cause I stopped exercising due to work. I feel so anxious for no reason at all lol. need to start working out daily

 

[Bagels]

 

[Collete]

I'm a complete fucking moron who does things knowing I have huge potential to get hurt. I fucking hate myself and I can't let myself be happy.

What happened?

 

[Wilsongt]

What's wrong?
Anything you just want to vent about?

I gotta go hygiene, but I'll probably be back to respond before I collapse to bed.

Late night, not being able to sleep, over active brain. Scumbag brain!

 

[Bagels]

 

[Jimothy]

So this girl that I was kind of seeing just admitted she completely led me on and found someone else to be with. I feel like I've just been run over by a truck. For the first time in a long time I made myself emotionallly available to another person, which is a huge deal for me. I really have no idea what to do with myself right now. I dont know if I can ever recover from this. I haven't slept or eaten in about 36 hours. Im decimated.

 

[Iph]

So this girl that I was kind of seeing just admitted she completely led me on and found someone else to be with. I feel like I've just been run over by a truck. For the first time in a long time I made myself emotionallly available to another person, which is a huge deal for me. I really have no idea what to do with myself right now. I dont know if I can ever recover from this. I haven't slept or eaten in about 36 hours. Im decimated.

That's really unfortunate. You're not going to forget it or feel better right away, but don't let it turn you bitter or colour your view on all other potentials. You just met the wrong kind of person. Get out of the house and keep busy if you can. Maybe go grab breakfast somewhere cheap and good, read the paper and have a good cup of coffee? It's hard to say "work on yourself and be positive" in this situation, but even if you just take baby steps towards that you'll attract the right kind of girl to you, instead of someone so shallow, petty and vain.

I'm sorry that it hurts but try to look at it as a learning experience. Don't devalue yourself and look for the warning signs of someone who doesn't truly value you either.

 

[butzopower]

So this girl that I was kind of seeing just admitted she completely led me on and found someone else to be with. I feel like I've just been run over by a truck. For the first time in a long time I made myself emotionallly available to another person, which is a huge deal for me. I really have no idea what to do with myself right now. I dont know if I can ever recover from this. I haven't slept or eaten in about 36 hours. Im decimated.

I know this sounds shitty, but at least you got to hear it from her. She could have just not told you and dropped of the face of the earth.

I can't say I totally understand how you feel, but I recently messed some stuff after getting emotionally involved with someone after 3 years of not being emotional anyone. I've been smoking a lot more to calm down, and saw a therapist. Drink a beer and get sleep. Staying awake won't solve shit.

I'm sorry dude, hopefully you can get some takeaway from it and learned some stuff about you.

 

[Curtisaur]

I joined OK Cupid and messaged someone. It's weird for me but maybe I need to do something out of character to break the mold and break the slump.

I saw this in my therapist's office today and thought maybe some people here would like it here as well. Sorry the artist's name is cut off; that happened when it was copied to me. Her name is Judy Horacek, though.

 

[Curtisaur]

All this help I'm getting and all the good things going for me right now and I still can't do anything but stress and get all worked up anxiety-wise. I don't fucking know anything.

 

[Iph]

All this help I'm getting and all the good things going for me right now and I still can't do anything but stress and get all worked up anxiety-wise. I don't fucking know anything.

Nothing wrong with that so I wouldn't beat yourself up over it. It can become a self-perpetuating cycle. Stress and anxiety will happen. It's hard but try to focus less on the fact that you have it and more on ways to give it an outlet. Exercise, creative hobbies, cooking, or outdoor recreation are a few good ones that a lot of people find some calm in.

 

[Femmeworth]

Saw my psychiatrist today. Planning to get off buspirone for my anxiety issues and try pregabalin. Anyone here have experience with it? It was my idea, since it isn't approved for the treatment of GAD in the US but is in Europe.

 

[jb1234]

Saw my psychiatrist today. Planning to get off buspirone for my anxiety issues and try pregabalin. Anyone here have experience with it? It was my idea, since it isn't approved for the treatment of GAD in the US but is in Europe.

Yeah, I've used it, although not for anxiety. I had to stop taking it because of the side effects, especially weight gain (40 pounds).

 

[Bagels]

Your crude depicitions and implication of hash smoking essentially constitute a declaration of war upon my very soul and are in direct violation of the sacred code of doodlers.

You leave me no choice.



That's a really nice cartoon Curtisaur. Thanks for posting it.

Oh and Smiley and MikeDip, no. I trust the true nature of my art capabilities is contained in the above. But the actual artist says "thanks! . Probably took her about 5 minutes. I barely even want to ask. She can art pretty good when the mood strikes.

I'm nowhere near that tall. If you want this to get real, well it just got real, MR FALCON!

 

[ClassyPenguin]

Do chemical imbalances cause depression or does depression, itself with another root cause, cause chemical imbalances? Hmm. Mental perception has been proven to have very real physical effects on the body - the whole body of research on placebos that has been blowing up lately, for example - and as the brain itself is a physical component of the body I do not see why the conscious thoughts of a person could not conceivably affect the chemical balance of the brain in a sort of self-harming feedback loop.

I never bought the idea that "real" depression is that caused by a chemical imbalance, as opposed to the negative feelings coming from having a hard knock life that we colloquially call "depression" and thusly give comparatively less sympathy to, and maybe that is part of the reason why. Perhaps they are one and the same.

Lecture on anti-depressants and definitions and stuff about depression and the brain

Also, the lecture I posted last page.

 

[Femmeworth]

Yeah, I've used it, although not for anxiety. I had to stop taking it because of the side effects, especially weight gain (40 pounds).

Shit. :\

 

[Ashes]

Good morning everyone. What a lovely sunny day outside.

 

[jb1234]

Shit. :\

Yeah, it has some potentially nasty side effects. It can also wreck your dick but then, what drug doesn't these days? Still, you might be one of the lucky ones. Just keep an eye on it. Also, if you go off it cold-turkey, you'll suffer big time so don't do that.

 

[RionaaM]

Good morning everyone. What a lovely sunny day outside.

Second half of Autumn here, and it's really cold and dark today...

 

[Flo]

Shit. :\

I recently switched antidepressants and told the psychiatrist that if they would make me gain weight, I would stop instantly. We looked at the list of possible side effects together and weight gain was indeed a possibility. Another one on the list was weight loss though. He couldn't give me any guarantees on what would happen. I started using them and felt pretty sick during the first week, I couldn't eat anything. Eventually that got better, but I still eat less than I did before.

My point is, side effects are different for everyone, and you'll never know if you get them until you try the medication.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

You can counteract weight gain with diet and exercise, though. I've experienced quite the wight gain but I haven't adjusted to that with diet. Something which makes living at home not the best thing. I would have to say, sleeping regularly does affect weight, so if you're like me and it's a problem, well, that's another thing to have to worry about.

 

[Verbal Intercourse]

What the hell is this lack of sleep about? Another day I watch the sun rise. I don't feel depressed. I feel more myself, except for the complete inability to sleep. Rest always ends in night sweats. This is the shittiest superpower ever. I LIKE SLEEP. FUCK YOU, HYPOTHALAMUS.

 

[Woorloog]

What the hell is this lack of sleep about? Another day I watch the sun rise. I don't feel depressed. I feel more myself, except for the complete inability to sleep. Rest always ends in night sweats. This is the shittiest superpower ever. I LIKE SLEEP. FUCK YOU, HYPOTHALAMUS.

Trade?
I hate sleeping, specifically dreaming, which is too common for me.
EDIT wait, you still need sleep, right? Bah, that's no good for me. I'd prefer not needing to sleep.

 

[Verbal Intercourse]

Yes, unfortunately, still need my Zzz's. The sweats are what kills me, and makes sleep ironically tiring.
You only get bad sleep? Is it nightmares?

 

[Woorloog]

Yes, unfortunately, still need my Zzz's. The sweats are what kills me, and makes sleep ironically tiring.
You only get bad sleep? Is it nightmares?

Well not bad sleep, don't remember when i last had a dream i'd classify as a nightmare.
But i see lucid/vivid dreams very often, and i never, ever like them. I notice things in them that are very unsettling, unpleasant. I hate how real they feel, but yet they're not.

Also, dreaming kinda "skips" time, always a few hours closer to the next unremarkable, depressed day.

 

[Daingurse]

Sigh, missed my transportation for my therapy appointment today. I thought someone could answer the door and tell them to give me 5 minutes, but apparently that was asking for too much. I can't really blame anyone but myself, so that's exactly what I'm doing. I checked my cellphone this morning only to find many missed text-messages for a paid survey opportunity. But of course since under normal circumstances I don't have anyone to call or anyone who calls me, so my iPhone must have been dead the past few days. Which just makes me angry at myself for a missed opportunity and at myself for my lack of social life in-general. It wasn't much money but it could have been my summer entertainment. Now here I am, typing away still angry, still feeling guilty about missing therapy.

Just trying to suppress my self-harm urges right now. I see a pair of dull scissors and I honestly just want to go to town on my arms like I used to. Think I'm just going to smoke some weed, I really hate how much of crutch this has become, but I doubt I'll be thinking about slashing my arms when I'm high.

 

[ThisWreckage]

I haven't been happy since the onset of puberty. I am now 29 years old. For years, I've been rotting on the vine. I am not a stupid person so I am fully aware that some people never find happiness in any capacity. It worries me that I may be one of those very people. After a while, it became evident to me that I either have to deal with the hand I've been dealt or I fold and kill myself.

 

[User 100115]

Hey guys, I have something to share with you all.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=558612#post57887774

Amazing story, and an amazing video comes with it. The video WILL produce feels, so use caution. Basically, one of our members here lost his sister to depression, and he made a video about it to try and help others.

The video:
http://youtu.be/O17aK8tkp9U

 

[Iph]

I'll just leave this here.

 

[many places]

What is everyone's opinion on medication? Specifically for OCD, anxiety, and depression.

For a little back story, I started taking prozac when I was around the age of 14. When I was 18 and just had graduated high school in 2010, I stopped taking my meds completely. Just dropped them without weening myself off. Ever since then I think my illnesses have gotten ten times worse. The reason I stopped taking them was because I didn't think I needed them anymore and because I was embarrassed of my mental problems and didn't want people at college to think I was crazy and whatnot. Stupid I know and I deeply regret dropping them.

You might be thinking, "well why the fuck don't you start taking meds again?" The answer is because I'm stupid and scared. This past 3 years I've tried so hard to get over my illnesses by myself by trying to new ways of thinking or by trying to fight it in my head. This obviously has not worked and won't ever work. It is just another one of my irrational delusions.

I hate how everyday I'm stuck inside my head worrying and arguing with myself about completely irrational shit that should not matter whatsoever. It has taken it's toll on me physically and especially mentally and I am so fed up with it. Also, just for clarification, I've been struggling with mental illness since I was about 7 years old. I'm now 21 and it is worse than ever.

Can anyone reccommend meds that help? I might get back on prozac but that didn't even fully help. Although I would take it in a heartbeat compared to the crap I'm dealing with now.

 

[Iph]

What is everyone's opinion on medication? Specifically for OCD, anxiety, and depression.

For a little back story, I started taking prozac when I was around the age of 14. When I was 18 and just had graduated high school in 2010, I stopped taking my meds completely. Just dropped them without weening myself off. Ever since then I think my illnesses have gotten ten times worse. The reason I stopped taking them was because I didn't think I needed them anymore and because I was embarrassed of my mental problems and didn't want people at college to think I was crazy and whatnot. Stupid I know and I deeply regret dropping them.

You might be thinking, "well why the fuck don't you start taking meds again?" The answer is because I'm stupid and scared. This past 3 years I've tried so hard to get over my illnesses by myself by trying to new ways of thinking or by trying to fight it in my head. This obviously has not worked and won't ever work. It is just another one of my irrational delusions.

I hate how everyday I'm stuck inside my head worrying and arguing with myself about completely irrational shit that should not matter whatsoever. It has taken it's toll on me physically and especially mentally and I am so fed up with it. Also, just for clarification, I've been struggling with mental illness since I was about 7 years old. I'm now 21 and it is worse than ever.

Can anyone reccommend meds that help? I might get back on prozac but that didn't even fully help. Although I would take it in a heartbeat compared to the crap I'm dealing with now.

Effexor (venlafaxine), an SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor), is known to be an anti-depressant that many people respond well to that is also used to treat generalized anxiety disorder and OCD. I have a friend who takes it and recommended it to me. It's also a slightly older medication so it's usually much cheaper than the newer brands. Remember though, it takes a while of taking it properly and regularly before you will see full/real effects. Most doctors say a max of 2 months, just to be safe but many people see effects as early as 2 weeks. Also, if it doesn't work for you, don't be afraid to try something else. Everyone has a different brain chemistry, so finding the right one for you might not be the first thing you try out.

It is known to have bad withdrawl effects though, so don't just stop taking it cold turkey. Always discuss any medication changes with your doctor. Sometimes taking medications like this for, say, a year can help jumpstart the brain into making it's own "desired, functional mood" chemicals when used in conjunction with healthy lifestyle choices and a healthy mindset. So try not to panic and look at medication as a life sentence.

 

[Daingurse]

What is everyone's opinion on medication? Specifically for OCD, anxiety, and depression.

For a little back story, I started taking prozac when I was around the age of 14. When I was 18 and just had graduated high school in 2010, I stopped taking my meds completely. Just dropped them without weening myself off. Ever since then I think my illnesses have gotten ten times worse. The reason I stopped taking them was because I didn't think I needed them anymore and because I was embarrassed of my mental problems and didn't want people at college to think I was crazy and whatnot. Stupid I know and I deeply regret dropping them.

You might be thinking, "well why the fuck don't you start taking meds again?" The answer is because I'm stupid and scared. This past 3 years I've tried so hard to get over my illnesses by myself by trying to new ways of thinking or by trying to fight it in my head. This obviously has not worked and won't ever work. It is just another one of my irrational delusions.

I hate how everyday I'm stuck inside my head worrying and arguing with myself about completely irrational shit that should not matter whatsoever. It has taken it's toll on me physically and especially mentally and I am so fed up with it. Also, just for clarification, I've been struggling with mental illness since I was about 7 years old. I'm now 21 and it is worse than ever.

Can anyone reccommend meds that help? I might get back on prozac but that didn't even fully help. Although I would take it in a heartbeat compared to the crap I'm dealing with now.

My meds just keeps my baseline more level, fewer valleys and more peaks so to speak. Being numb, or having flat affect is a problem though, but it's better than crying myself to sleep. Rather have an odd crying spell here and their than what it used to be in the past.

Effexor (venlafaxine), an SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor), is known to be an anti-depressant that many people respond well to. . .

I endorse this. Yep, I've been on all sorts of SSRI's with little effect to increased suicidality, but I've been on venlafaxine for about half a year, I think it helps, I actually can feel it. The withdrawal is no game though, watch out for that.

 

[jb1234]

My meds just keeps my baseline more level, fewer valleys and more peaks so to speak. Being numb, or having flat affect is a problem though, but it's better than crying myself to sleep. Rather have an odd crying spell here and their than what it used to be in the past.

That's my experience with them as well. They're not a cure, just a treatment which can even things out while you try to resolve whatever issues caused the depression in the first place.

 

[Vortex566]

How do people deal with the urges to self-harm? I watched a program once about people who could only cope with depression with self-harm. They did it in a safe way, which would not cause long term side-effects. I find it hard not to self-harm, tried to find ways to suppress the need, but nothing seems to work.