You should feel no obligation to reveal anything to your friends. Take comfort in telling a close family member or another person you know will not pass judgement on you. Start off slow in revealing if you fear negative responses.
Don't feel guilty for not telling anyone. Would you tell everyone right away if you had a wart? Probably not. Just wait until you are comfortable talking about it and revealing it. Get with your doctor first, a doctor you trust.
:)
Thread
Posts in chronological order
i want to be open. I lied for the best part of 2 years
its time for honesty whether they take it or not
its time for honesty whether they take it or not
Ok sounds like you are ready. Good luck!!
:)
:)
its just putting into words which is the tricky part;)
I know what its like BigC - I've suffered depression myself, have family and friends who have also had it. And yes, its difficult to know who to tell about it as you are afraid people will think you are "crazy" - most people aren't really aware what causes depression. Like when you tell them you have it they say "Oh you seem to be so happy all the time!"
If I may give some advice to help you - firstly find yourself some good treating physicians to help you. When I was initially diagnosed, I was landed with both a GP and psychiatrist who had the attitude "take two pills and see you never". Medication alone is NOT going to fix the problem - DO NOT let anyone convince you of that. Be careful if you are prescribed any medication for your condition - search on the web what the side effects are - the first lot of medication I got was addictive, and I would never have taken it had I known and I did ask the doctor but he said it wasn't. The second lot of medication I was on was a Seratonin Re-uptake Inhibitor (SRI) and whilst they can help, if you are on them for a long space of time, say 12 months or so, they can cause problems with your nerve endings - I ended up with an occasional facial tick as the result of it.
Get yourself a good therapist - I know there may be a groan there as there is a stigma attached - but it took me 3 goes to finally find a psychiatrist who had the right attitude and who really helped me work through it - he actually said to me that therapy was like a broom sweeping out all the dirt that had happened in my life. And you really need a third person professional to help you sort through the crap and get your life on track.
Do some research for alternative therapies - look through your local library, book stores or the net for what sort of treatments there are for depression - I found out that a lack of vitamin B actually effects the seratonin levels so I take that every day and it works. Also, St Johns Wort is a natural alternative to treating depression instead of normal medication. Meditation also helps. EXERCISE!! I know its hard to motiviate yourself to do that even if your not depressed, but again exercise really does help.
Most of all Big C, have some belief in yourself that you can get through this. Don't feel ashamed or lesser a human being because you have this condition. Its a medical condition just like any other like asthma, diabetes or epilepsy - but its just not as obvious. Reach out when you need that support and don't be afraid of rejection. Sometimes, you may be surprised how understanding people can be. I hope this has helped you. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here for you!
If I may give some advice to help you - firstly find yourself some good treating physicians to help you. When I was initially diagnosed, I was landed with both a GP and psychiatrist who had the attitude "take two pills and see you never". Medication alone is NOT going to fix the problem - DO NOT let anyone convince you of that. Be careful if you are prescribed any medication for your condition - search on the web what the side effects are - the first lot of medication I got was addictive, and I would never have taken it had I known and I did ask the doctor but he said it wasn't. The second lot of medication I was on was a Seratonin Re-uptake Inhibitor (SRI) and whilst they can help, if you are on them for a long space of time, say 12 months or so, they can cause problems with your nerve endings - I ended up with an occasional facial tick as the result of it.
Get yourself a good therapist - I know there may be a groan there as there is a stigma attached - but it took me 3 goes to finally find a psychiatrist who had the right attitude and who really helped me work through it - he actually said to me that therapy was like a broom sweeping out all the dirt that had happened in my life. And you really need a third person professional to help you sort through the crap and get your life on track.
Do some research for alternative therapies - look through your local library, book stores or the net for what sort of treatments there are for depression - I found out that a lack of vitamin B actually effects the seratonin levels so I take that every day and it works. Also, St Johns Wort is a natural alternative to treating depression instead of normal medication. Meditation also helps. EXERCISE!! I know its hard to motiviate yourself to do that even if your not depressed, but again exercise really does help.
Most of all Big C, have some belief in yourself that you can get through this. Don't feel ashamed or lesser a human being because you have this condition. Its a medical condition just like any other like asthma, diabetes or epilepsy - but its just not as obvious. Reach out when you need that support and don't be afraid of rejection. Sometimes, you may be surprised how understanding people can be. I hope this has helped you. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here for you!
I have bipolar disorder aka manic depression for over 16 years. I have not had problems for over 15 years since being hspitalized 3 times between January to June 1989. I am still on Lithium and Prozac (a seritonin uptake inhibitor). Psychiatric counseling helped me for the first few years after 1989. I no longer see a psychiatrist, but instead am taken care of by my general physician (for the last 3 years?).
I urge you to seek counseling and to consider medication.
I urge you to seek counseling and to consider medication.
i was diagnosed about 4 years ago, mine is a panic kind of disorder as well as the "feeling low" state of mind, i was prescribed citalopram (ssri) and over time they keep me ok (so far) also weve just had the winter here in the uk and it always feels like i just "stumble" thru it,it makes me mentally low, which of course the tablets help with. Anyway my point being, theres no shame nowadays in feeling like this, (although you always feel a kind of "stigma" attached to it) and the percentage of people who feel depressed is qiute high, (just look at the posts in here) and we should all help each other.
martin
martin
ps, well said lisser and rip, and whoever else posted positives, just dont keep it in big c!
awwwww...BigC, ill pray for you! nobody deserves to go through depression! you seem to have put up a good fight during all of these years. just dont give up, my friend! *hugs*
You see... this is one of the reasons why I'm depressed... nobody cares about ME... you probably haven't even noticed 4. post on this topic. :(
awwww...*hugs* im sorry XcessQueen...okay, to anybody else out there who suffers from depression, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! PLEASE BE STRONG!!!!
... thanx ... you're sweet ...
You see... this is one of the reasons why I'm depressed... nobody cares about ME... you probably haven't even noticed 4. post on this topic. :(
We care about you.
Perhaps you might not feel the affection from people who you have never met in person as much from someone who you can actually see face to face, but keep in mind that there's a lot of Queenzoners concerned, and who can also relate to your situation.
I for once have been through a lot of moments of depression (for personal reasons). Medical depression happens mostly when you can't find a reason why you're feeling depressed, and usually leads to the prescription of medication. When you feel depressed for reasons that you know that affect you personally, then the first show is to consult a psychologist, therapist, or counselour.
We care about you.
Perhaps you might not feel the affection from people who you have never met in person as much from someone who you can actually see face to face
When you feel depressed for reasons that you know that affect you personally, then the first show is to consult a psychologist, therapist, or counselour.
1) Thanx.
2) It is not important to me whether I've met you in person or not. Many people think of internet relationship like it's some kind of imaginary world - but I don't. Every word I read on the screen has the same "weight" for me as the words I hear over the phone or the words someone tells me face to face. No difference. I'm comunicating to people right now, not to things.
3) I know what affects me, but I don't want to go to the shrink, because that would NOT solve anything. Problem would still be there. I want to solve the problem, not to learn how to ignore it. (I'll rather come here or to some other web places and just talk to the people who share some same interests as I do.)
I'll tell you a joke which is famous in my country, related to this stuff I wrote about SOLVING instead of IGNORING.
A guy comes to the doctor and asks him for some pills for his big diarrhoea problem. So doctor give him pills. Two days later, doctor suddenly realises that he gave the wrong pills to the guy, a pills for calming and relaxation, against nervousness, instead the one against diarrhoea. And he calls patient to come to his office. A guy comes again, and doctor says to him: "I'm so sorry, I gave you the wrong pills the other day, now I'll give you the right ones". "Oh, you don't have to bother, I'm ok now", a guy replies, totally cool and calmed. "What, your diarrhoea has gone?", asks him a doctor. "No, I still have it, but now I'm just not upset about it any more."
:))
See? I want to stop shitting my pants, and not to learn how to live with shitty pants every day. And I belive that "psychologist, therapist, or counselour" would try to teach me just that - to live with shitty pants. Because it's all they can do - they can't solve my problems.
I want to stop shitting my pants, and not to learn how to live with shitty pants every day.
p.s.
For those who didin't get it - this is a metaphor! :)