Depression and Other Similar Ailments Support Group

Greetings!

I believe we had a thread of similar nature in the past which got buried.

It has come to my attention that we have a great number of people going through various forms of depression, anxiety, and mental disorders who could probably use support.

Please feel free to discuss your struggles, triumphs, and successful coping strategies here.

The aim of this thread is for people to make connections with others who may or may not be going through similar struggles, creating unity which can help us all heal.


Things to remember:
We are not doctors! While many of us can offer suggestions, we cannot diagnose. If you are concerned, please consult a therapist or doctor- that person can help determine what will help you cope the most.
Be respectful! It goes without saying that this is a touchy subject. Please post with respect to the people you are addressing, including people who may not be responding.
Contact a hotline IMMEDIATELY if you are having serious harmful thoughts! These are FREE hotlines with professionals who can show you an alternative which you may not have considered.

Hotlines for anyone in need:
For Australia
For America
For the United Kingdom


Feel free to message the GCC moderators if there is anything you think I should add or change to these guidelines, and happy posting!

Here are some websites that help you find hotlines when you need them

For Australia
For America
For the United Kingdom

You might want to add these to the first post.

Awesome! Thanks.

kind of cliche to say this, but I genuinely think I'm depressed. Anyone who talks to me is probably shocked since I hide it from everyone, but for the past year I've felt pretty crappy, but this past month or so I have had a near constant horrible feeling, and more than once I've felt physically sick from it and I have thrown up from it.

I just really wish this would go away. I can't sleep consistently any more, I'm constantly tired, I'm incredibly forgetful except for trivial things and I constantly doubt my memory. I've looked at symptoms and I'd probably relate myself to bi-polar disorder, since I do sometimes have highs where I'm distracted by random things.

This sounds really weird, but I just feel this like... flame inside my chest. As if I'm physically being burnt inside my chest, like being sick but so much worse. I can't escape it and it's just such a disgusting feeling to be almost harbouring this thing inside me. I just can't seem to get a moment away from it, even on my "high" moments it still pops in every couple of minutes and ruins my fun.

What exactly can I do about this. Therapy is expensive and I'm probably too young to be prescribed drugs which I really don't want anyway, because I've heard nothing but ♥♥♥♥ about the side effects changing people. I've genuinely considered self-harm before, though I've never allowed myself to do it since I try to keep logical and I know there's nothing behind it, it's just a distracting and it's only going to cause more hurt for people around me.

I just wish I could get away. What the hell can I even do about this. Even writing this now I'm having to fight back vomit because I just tried to sleep and felt so bad that I couldn't lie still.

Keith, I suffer from things very similar to what you are going through. For me, I decided not to care about anything. Be myself and find someone to talk to about anything. I looked for someone I could rely on... someone to be a good friend. Once I did that, my depression lessened. I severely suffer from depression to the point that I have attempted suicide on at least 8 occasions. I am more than happy to listen to anything and help get out of depression. I am almost out of depression. I will help you and anybody else who needs it.

If you need to talk to me for anything specific, you may PM me.


A lot of the pain comes from stress which tends to come with depression.

Originally Posted by Keith

Anyone who talks to me is probably shocked since I hide it from everyone

Yes, you do. :< I'm glad you posted, though.

First of all: don't hide it. If you don't talk about it and don't try to fix it, it won't ever go away. If you show symptoms - and you most certainly do - then it is a serious condition and needs to be fixed. Seek treatment. Seek help. Don't diminish the problem. Talk to your family about it. I'm pretty certain your mum could help you or find you help - given where she works - and when it comes to health, finances are no excuses. Never.

Further: do you know why you feel bad? Do you think there is a reason? If there's a psychological reason, because depression could be caused by many, many things and if you could find out why you feel that way, it could be easier to solve. Is it because of family issues? Is it because of friends? Is it because you hold yourself to impossibly high standards? Is it because your girlfriend is miles away? Try to find the reason; if you can't, it might as well be a chemical reason that you can't fix on your own whilst some drugs could do wonders.

Third: You should totally call those free hotlines. They could offer more professional advice.

Phew.
That's all for once.
I love you. <3

Originally Posted by Keith

kind of cliche to say this, but I genuinely think I'm depressed. Anyone who talks to me is probably shocked since I hide it from everyone, but for the past year I've felt pretty crappy, but this past month or so I have had a near constant horrible feeling, and more than once I've felt physically sick from it and I have thrown up from it.

I just really wish this would go away. I can't sleep consistently any more, I'm constantly tired, I'm incredibly forgetful except for trivial things and I constantly doubt my memory. I've looked at symptoms and I'd probably relate myself to bi-polar disorder, since I do sometimes have highs where I'm distracted by random things.

Eh, maybe. Depression doesn't mean you can't ever feel happy; it just means that your "base" mood is depressed and, as a consequence of that, it's also much harder to be happy.

Bipolar disorder means that you'll be spending roughly similar amounts of time full-to-bursting with energy and completely drained.

This sounds really weird, but I just feel this like... flame inside my chest. As if I'm physically being burnt inside my chest, like being sick but so much worse. I can't escape it and it's just such a disgusting feeling to be almost harbouring this thing inside me. I just can't seem to get a moment away from it, even on my "high" moments it still pops in every couple of minutes and ruins my fun.

Interestin', I had roughly the opposite feeling: A yawning pit in my gut. Still, the cropping up all the time fits depression to a 'T', much less so Bipolar.

What exactly can I do about this. Therapy is expensive and I'm probably too young to be prescribed drugs which I really don't want anyway, because I've heard nothing but ♥♥♥♥ about the side effects changing people. I've genuinely considered self-harm before, though I've never allowed myself to do it since I try to keep logical and I know there's nothing behind it, it's just a distracting and it's only going to cause more hurt for people around me.

Drugs. Seriously. I'm on anti-depressants right now, and they literally saved my life.

The way society treats drugs for mental disorders is abominable. They don't change who you are, they aren't the weak way out, etc. They're no different from drugs for cancer. Yet no one ever says "That cancer is part of who you are, so you shouldn't treat it!", despite it being as much truly you as any mental disease.

As for self-harm: that's similar to me. I did some small cutting with a knife, but never more than scratches (it's surprising how much it hurts), but I also thought the whole while how stupid it was.

I just wish I could get away. What the hell can I even do about this. Even writing this now I'm having to fight back vomit because I just tried to sleep and felt so bad that I couldn't lie still.

Yep. It's hard to talk about, isn't it? Every mention just makes it worse; like you've got it on a leash and with every statement it lunges forward. Even now I find the best way to destroy my mood is to talk about this stuff.

That said, I'm glad you have. It's not easy, and in the short term you'll feel awful, but if you never talk about it then you'll never get treatment, and while depression sometimes vanishes by itself it's not something anyone should have to live with.

I've got a semi-canned speech that I like to give now, but the fact that I've used it before doesn't mean it isn't true, or that I didn't find it very helpful to myself:

You have worth. Real, true, value. No matter how stupid it seems for me to say that, no matter how corny and fake, it's true. You were forged in the heart of a star, did you know that? Everything that exists, save Hydrogen, was fused together in the core of a star, most of which then exploded and scattered them to the edge of the universe. What's more, you were then woven together over billions of years. Every step adding complexity and trying out new ideas.

And, in all the universe, you are unique. There will never be another you. Even a clone wouldn't have the same experiences, thoughts, and memories. You are literally irreplaceable, and that gives you value, even if you feel nothing else does.

We are all bits of the universe made sentient. We are bits thrown from the heart of a star that can, unlike our parent, look back and observe that. Think about how amazing that is. The very fact that we can stand here on this rock and talk to each other is the closest thing to a miracle I can conceive of.


But we star-children weren't woven perfectly. We have flaws. One of them is a tendency towards depression. Our wonderful, amazing, brains turn on themselves and try to corrupt our emotions. This is not a sign of weakness, or stupidity, or anything other than a disorder that is not your fault. Fortunately, there is treatment. Go see a doctor about this, they'll recommend people you can see for therapy and drugs you can take to help.

What's more, while those drugs aren't perfect, they are far better than most people think. Odds are the first ones you try won't be quite the right fit, most people have to try several different ones, and that's not pleasant, since they do have side effects. Still, you really have to ask yourself if they're not worth it, to be rid of your depression. You honestly don't realize just how much it distorts things until it's gone. You know, on one level, that things aren't as bad as they seem, but trust me when I say that they're so much better than you can probably even conceive of at this point.

As a final note, we're here. Again, trite and cliche, but I do mean it. There are lots of people here who have been, or are going, through what you are, and if you need someone to talk to we're more than happy to listen and give advice.

My work manager has seriously suggested, multiple times, that I see someone about my moods. Later last week and earlier this week I went through the most awful slump, cried a whole bunch, felt terrible about myself and it showed so much at work, everyone kept asking me what was wrong and I didn't KNOW but I just felt terrible about everything. Yesterday, within around TEN MINUTES, I completely turned around and was fine and I've been mostly okay since then, except for an hour or so last night when I got horribly upset again and cried all the way home.

I'm confused and I don't really know what's going on, and it all sucks, and if anyone has any input I would appreciate it (and if not, I'd appreciate forgetting you ever read this because I don't really like to talk about it!).

I'm already putting up with what I'm fairly sure is OCD although I've never had that diagnosed, and that is CONSTANTLY getting worse, but I don't really have the money to see anyone about it and I don't think I'd be able to talk about it anyway but boy I wish that would go away.

I just wanted to leave my experiences about depression here. About a year ago I got help for depression and the drugs worked for awhile, but eventually the depression always came back. No doubt for some the drugs work well, but for others like me I suppose I get immune to the drugs.

I'm still unhappy, but the fact that I talked to others and admitted to myself that I was depressed made it better. Now I pretend that I'm happy every day and do what I think I'd do if I was happy. Occasionally that gives me brief instances of happiness, but it always slips down to the baseline of depression after awhile. I'll never be happy, but I suppose if everyone else thinks I'm happy and everyone else thinks that I've led a good life that's all that really matters because I don't recognize the life I'm living as good or bad, successful or unsuccessful, I just am. That is not to say I have no ambition, I do, I want to make others happy, to have something I don't and will never have. That is the reason I chose the life path I have committed to. Solely to make people happy.

I am able to talk to others, but am unable to feel accepted. I am able to make people laugh and feel something, but unable to care about or have others care about me. If a facade of happiness with occasional glimpses of the real thing is all I can have I'll take it.

Anonymous

For some time now I've been feeling pretty down. I'm fairly sure I'm not depressed because I have experienced depression before and this doesn't feel like the same thing. I guess I just wanted to tell somebody about it and get it off my chest.

Some months ago I undertook a big change in my life (not a positive one) and since then I feel as though my life has no direction and no purpose. It's as though I'm suddenly wandering aimlessly without meaning, and the sensation is so disturbing. My entire life, through all the crap I have been through, I have had one thing to sustain me: the absolute certainty that I will survive. I'm too defiant to let anything best me. But that sense of certainty, that defiance has just vanished since this change and without it I feel totally lost. I have no clue what to do. I'm not suicidal, I don't [i]want[i] to die, but sometimes I wish more than anything that I just wasn't alive anymore (I don't know how there's a difference between the two, there just is). I wish I could just fade into nothingness or fall into a coma and not wake up for twenty years. I even find myself wishing that the car I'm in crashes just so the problem is taken care of for me. I do occasionally have thoughts of ending my life, but I don't think it's something I'll ever carry out as I'm too afraid to do anything like that. But I have self-harmed before and I'm worried that I'll do so again in the future.

I guess I just don't know what to do with myself anymore. I have considered calling a helpline but I don't think that's something I'll do either. I'd be too ashamed and too embarrassed to talk about it to anyone.

I can feel the start of depression coming.

Depression is a scary time for me because when I have been depressed in the past, I have attempted suicide. If you can do anything to help out, that would be nice.

Hey peeps!
I'd like to have contact with someone diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
( Or well, self-diagnosis works too! Just anyone who battles big bad anxiety daily waah. )

I am starting to mess myself up again and I feel very lonely and abnormal sometimes.

Thanks!

I don't even know if I'll post this but whatever I just need to get it out.


I've been feeling like ♥♥♥♥ lately. I don't think it's depression; I can still enjoy things, I don't always feel like this, and it's nothing unbearable. It's probably just some temporary teen angst. I've just had this horrible guilt hanging over me the past few months, resulting from me ♥♥♥♥ing up me and my families lives.

I'm in this bad situation right now that I don't know how to get out of and it's extremely stressful. The worst part is, I know it's all my goddamn fault, I know that the only reason I'm in this situation is because I lied to everyone I love. It's because I'm a lazy mooching prick who can't do anything for himself because I'm scared of failing. I just don't know how to deal with this.

I just wanna go to sleep for a while and wake up and everything be better but it ♥♥♥♥ing won't.

Sorry if I sound like a whiny ♥♥♥♥♥ who just wants attention, because I probably am.

Pacem: With the usual caveats about online diagnoses, that does sound quite a bit like clinical depression.

Go see a doctor, or psychologist, or someone who can give you a more certain diagnosis.

That said, it doesn't matter whose "fault" any of that is. No one should have to feel like that, day after day. So go get help. Talk to someone. Find an advisor who can help you get your life back on track. It may be hard, but I suspect it'll end up being easier than you think.

I've been feeling much happier since leaving my old job and getting a new one that I'm enjoying a lot more. Guess that had something to do with my bouts of moodiness.

That being said, my (self-diagnosed) OCD is still causing constant stress and anxiety, and I intend to see someone about working on that soon.

So uh…

Spoiler:  

I just want to ask: Has anyone here or someone you know ever been professionally hypnotised before for any mental reasons - and if so, was it effective? Cause I might be starting sessions of it soon since other types of therapy aren't working for me.

Or is anyone here taking antipsychotics and is coping well? I just started taking them recently and I'm not really feeling too good (I'm currently taking them as a precaution).

I'm not sure if it's a smart idea to post about my personal mental disorder in public. So.



Just asking, cause I… feel alone with this, and slightly terrified. Just send me a pm if it's a little personal thanks <3

I'd be careful with hypnosis. I'm no expert, but I do know that hypnotized "memory recovery" is a terrible idea that does far, far more harm than good.

Does it work for resolving other issues? No idea. May I ask who suggested you do it and what their credentials are? If they're properly accredited then it may well be a good idea.

Originally Posted by John

I'd be careful with hypnosis. I'm no expert, but I do know that hypnotized "memory recovery" is a terrible idea that does far, far more harm than good.

Yeah I am aware that it does have it's pros and cons. But I'm willing to give it a try to see if it works in some way.
It's not for memory recovery in my case though.

Does it work for resolving other issues? No idea. May I ask who suggested you do it and what their credentials are? If they're properly accredited then it may well be a good idea.

Both my therapist and psychiatrist - who have been in the job for more than 10 years suggested it to me since they've both tried other types of therapy, but they haven't been working well. So they're willing to see how I react to it and if it causes some sort of breakthrough in my ongoing treatment.

Hey EL. I'll jump on the spoiler-trend.

Spoiler:  

Actually I've been on stuff like that too (like Zyprexa and Abilify) and I can't say they really did anything for my mood. I don't really see why one should take antipsychotics for solely a depressed mood, unless of course I'm misinformed about your symptoms.
My experience with them wasn't so great, but I can't tell in your case, since it differs from person to person and you probably are not taking one of the two I just named.

I could always PM you, if that is okay. I'm not that keen on discussing this kinda stuff in public either.

Still I think that you might wanna wait a bit and see if the meds are helping. Feel them out. Good luck.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

So uh…

Spoiler:  

I just want to ask: Has anyone here or someone you know ever been professionally hypnotised before for any mental reasons - and if so, was it effective? Cause I might be starting sessions of it soon since other types of therapy aren't working for me.

Or is anyone here taking antipsychotics and is coping well? I just started taking them recently and I'm not really feeling too good (I'm currently taking them as a precaution).

I'm not sure if it's a smart idea to post about my personal mental disorder in public. So.



Just asking, cause I… feel alone with this, and slightly terrified. Just send me a pm if it's a little personal thanks <3

My mother gets hypnotised regularly in her current therapy schedule.
And it's actually helping her a lot!
It helped her with getting a lot of closure on past event. Meeting and comforting herself as a child and such.

I haven't tried it myself, but from what I hear - I really recommend it!

Hope all goes well for you and I'm just a PM/IM away if you want to talk. ♥