Depression- what have you been told?

I've been on meds for about 10 years now and was told that it is very likely something I'll be on for the rest of my life. I think it is great that you have been able to conquer this. Good for you. Did they just slowly wean you off of your medication or what???? I'd love to be off of it but I know how much I rely on it. But yes I think dieting and exercise would really help. When I first got depressed I was average weight and now I'm way over weight and need to do something about it. But what I find is the meds make me so tired I don't have the energy to exercise. Again congrats on your success.

I had a experiance with depression avter I had a child. It was horrible and They told me I have had this most of my life but I only thought it was normal because I hid my feelings and was very add in school, but in the 1950,s nobody knew much about it and I was smart enough to get to high school but I was up or down and a clown to everyone. I made people laugh. I had dark moments like in a closet alone, or a dark hole.I had a baby at 15 and the father treated me badly,but her im 56 years old on zolft and making it better than my past.

Congratulations on your success .You have done well. my depression has been with me for the past 15yrs and in that time i have used so many treatements even walking but nothing has helped in the long term not the past five years have become so difficult i have even tried to end my life the pain just becomes so unbearable and i just want it to end . the y have now put it down to post traumatic stress disorder from what happened to me earlier on but the medication and even trying to keep myself active still hasn`t taken away the sadness and pain .medication only works for a short while and infacts just hides the symptoms it doesn`t get rid of them .I am not over weight and i am active most days

Exercising is great when you suffer with depression. It releases endorphins which make you happy. My husband has been on different psych medications for about 8 years and has finally found one that is good for him. He is going to counselling also which helps him overcome the things that were holding him back in his recovery. He has been told though he has to stay on the meds for the rest of his life. He is a depressive agressive and being medicated is a lot easier to live with.

I was diagnosed with depression a couple of years ago i stared taking one medication after another , nothing seemed to be helping so i decided to get out of medication and it wasn't fun the side effects were horrible but now i feel much better even though i do have to loose weight and it is not going to be easy to excersise because i have fibromialgia but i am decided that i am not going back to medications and i am going to make it , thanks for sharing your story.

A diagnosis of depression, in one of its many faces can be such a relief too!! I have also overcome depression. I take a combo of 3 meds because I have depression, ocd, and am bipolar. I am thankful every day that I have a diagnosis, great meds a dr. I adore a couple websites I post at and have found wonderful caring support at... Wanderlaugh, good for you that you are med free, if I read correctly. I know I will be taking meds the rest of my life as I have a chemical imbalance. Look forward to getting to know others here!1 lovemy cats

I feel depression happens when person is depressed, very sad for long periods of time and person's active life is affected as person's work, life, personal and professional commitnments suffer and peson becomes a nerve wreck. i think depression can happen to any person at any age and mostly people who are very sentimental and shy and are less social seem to be more affected. i am also interested in this topic as i myself have had phases when i was depressed, had mood swings which affected my normal life. but initally with medication and then with proper diet and drinking lot of fluids and doing exercises, yoga and meditation and deep breathing exercises and chanting prayers has been very helpful. As exercises and aerobics improves our physical condition and chanting prayers and meditation calms and relaxes us mentally. Besides i feel if we are totally positive and have a sense of humour and ability to laugh at ourselves and keep ourselves busy in life then you can esily overcome depression as it is only a mental condition and nothing more.

i was on anti-depressants for some time .now i stopped it as it was a mild depression.i have started excercising as my doctor advised me.

you're right, many people are not told what to do after such a devastating diagnosis. But i think there's a time when one feels he or she has enough courage to back on one's feet and head toward reconstruction. I really do thing this is a condition that needs a lot of self-inititative to beat or even manage. It takes a lot of determination, whether it means paying attention to your diet, exercising or even accepting that you depression - and staying on course with meds.

Just the other day i saw mankind go down! I just heard that you need a medical proof that your medicaly ill. I suffer from depression and crohns. Bad combo. Im not so sure i will get my next paycheck from the state. How can you really deal with depression besides getting really fit?

I really need to get help with my depression to. but im just to scared and emberassed. *sigh*

depression can come from many parts,family,friends or not having any... it is hard for one to get on by himself...It depends of each one's psichic fragility...I always say one has to ask for professional help

In some people depression is caused by a chemical imbalance int he brain which is inborn. All the diet, excercise and vitamins in the world cannot cure it. In other people the chemical imbalance was triggered by some other event, or poor general health, and can be reversed by taking medication short term, and/or improving one's health. But it is a mistake to believe that everyone can be "cured" this way. Beating depression is not a case of mind over matter. In many people the only way to correct the chemical imbalance is the correct medication. No one should feel guilty or weak for depending on medication. There are many of us for whom it's the only viable long term solution.

According to WANDERLAUGH, epression is a physical condition with mental side effects. But I beg to disagree, depression is a more serious "after-effect" of deep psychological problems that need urgent solution. In this situation, a patient used different defense mechanism to unconciuosly hide in order for them to temporarily forget such terrific condition. Both scientific medication and proper communication in the family or friends also give long-term solution. If one is a religious person, spirituality boost faith to unseen force of this world base on our beliefs.

I was diagnosed with depression in 1999. I really did fight hard. I was on antidepressants and went to counseling sessions weekly. It took 5 years, but I did recover completely. I do still have days that I feel down, but I do know that I can overcome depression with the right help...and I am not afraid to seek help when I need it. I find that the one-on-one counseling seems to help best.

Been there... got out of it.! Yes, I got out of my depression. Despite so many medicines or doctors advices, I think the only solution to your depression is YOU, YOURSELF! If you have the desire to get out of your depression and to fight it, you'll get out it. You can choose your own solution. It could be doing your work and choosing hobbies of your choice to keep yourself entertained. I dont mean here keeping yourself busy.. No. I mean is keeping yourself entertained, meeting people, talking to them, sometimes partying, literally throwing bad thoughts out. And meanwhile finding solutions to your problems and securing your and your families future in the process.

congratulations you did it..im glad that you overcome it...although i havent yet experienced that kind of illness..i have been reading all about depressions in books and here on my lot also..and i think what you did was more effective...depression in only in your mind..if you keep yourself busy and exercise it will help you a lot..

well gud description.. I really liked it and i too agree with you

im sorry but depression is a mental condition with physical side effects not the other way around, i have suffered with it for years but learnt to deal with it my own way i also have another conditionwhich actually causes me to be depressed and taking anti depresants affects it so i cant really win that way, i only take prescribed pain killers nowadays ive come ot the conclusion anti depresants do not work for me and iwas told also by a phyciatrist that in order for anti depresants to work you have to also help yourself and due to my other condition which cant be treated by prescribed medicines to an extent im in a dilema. but lifes to short to go worrying about whats wrong with you just get on with it, youve been dealt the cards you have to live with it. different things work for different people i have my own way to deal with my problems it may not be the best solution but its been the most effective for me, it took several years to get to this conclusion so i have thought it through.

hi wanderlaugh, its true that depression or any sort of feeling should be worked out personally apart from taking tablets or advice from outside. Each one should try to beat it out only with positive reinforcement in their own minds. Whatever advice one keeps listening to is of no use unless it is put in to action. Unlike other problems mental problems are best solved when one works from within. Beating depression is one such kind. Congratualtions on the amount of effort that you have put to beat it. It would be really encouraging for others too. Keep it up. God bless you with a strong and a healthy mind.