Dealing with depression

Hannah Cox16 said:I decided to do a complete "system overhaul" on myself. Once I realized I was physically healthy, I felt this massive wave of gratitude. I started taking half a pill of Zoloft every evening, and things really began to turn around. It’s honestly fascinating how complicated we humans can be; I sat with my therapist for two hours and opened up more than I ever have before. We shouldn't hold onto any prejudices about this stuff. Every fear has a root cause; you just have to understand it. Trying to navigate that without professional help isn't easy at all, even though, in reality, the path forward is quite straightforward once you start. I have to love myself, I have to be happy with who I am, and I have to prioritize my own well-being. I've truly embraced life again. I'm treating myself in every way possible—eating whatever I want, sleeping whenever I need to, and even treated myself to some shopping trips for new sandals and a bag. I've even caught myself humming tunes around the house! My husband just watches me, looking completely bewildered. I even booked a solo week at a beach resort to recharge. Life is actually quite beautiful, isn't it?

How exactly do they test those hormone levels and get the thyroid results? I might be phrasing the question poorly, but I truly don't have a clue how the process works...

Hey everyone, just jumping in here with the rest of you dealing with depression. I’ve had three surgeries in the last three years—living in America, life isn't "bad" per se, but everything just feels so incredibly monotonous... nothing really brings me joy or makes me feel fulfilled lately. Maybe that’s where this depression is coming from. After my kidney surgery, I started having these massive panic attacks about dying, and even though I’ve mostly pulled myself together, that fear still creeps up on me sometimes. Sleep is another thing—whenever I actually have free time, my brain just won't shut off, looping through everything that's happened to me. I have zero motivation for anything, but I did set up an appointment with a psychologist to see what they think. Honestly, I feel like you can mostly help yourself, but sometimes I wonder how exactly that works. I'm really hesitant about starting meds because I don't want to be dependent on them—especially since I'm already on daily stuff for my kidneys and my heart. My aunt suggested some herbal teas to help with mood and sleep to just detox the system, so I might try that first since it's more natural. I'll probably mention it to the doctor if they suggest any prescriptions.

Let me explain, analogpuma0—they check thyroid levels through bloodwork, and if needed, they do a scan. In my case, my thyroid hormones are totally fine and my bloodwork looks great, yet I still feel completely drained. It's weird; I'm not sure what else could be affecting how I feel.

restlesssurfer said:I laid it all out for my doctor. Told her everything I'm feeling, everything that's going on... everything. But she didn't even hint at seeing a psychiatrist once. 🤔

Of course I’ll go. I want to get back to functioning normally as soon as possible. But if she tries to push pills on me? I'll probably pass.

Exactly! Reject them! Let me tell you a story from my own experience. I was in a catastrophic state last October (read: suicidal). On top of all that, there were issues at home. I was 17. I didn't really have anyone by my side except for those meds I was forced to take. I decided I wasn't going to take them, because they aren't a solution to problems, especially not long-term ones. Even though it was hard at first, I looked inward. I explored all the positive things hidden inside me and how to bring them to the surface. I acted as my own psychiatrist, and an excellent one at that—which shows in how I feel today. I have a psychiatrist who is a lovely person; she's great to talk to and very attentive... but we don't discuss "problems"... we talk about daily life... because, honestly, there aren't any real problems. We, the depressed, just create them ourselves. Once you realize that and start working on yourself, you see improvement even without drugs. My psychiatrist was genuinely surprised when she saw how much I had changed without any "substances," as she put it. She even made this funny face with raised eyebrows 😁 Besides, she has other patients that I know personally... they are on all sorts of antidepressants and medications, and nothing helps them. She even admitted herself that sometimes it can be incredibly difficult dealing with certain individuals. Why don't antidepressants help them? Because they don't actually want to be helped. Conclusion: antidepressants have absolutely no effect... it's all in your head 😉 or it could be your thyroid and some other glands that can lead to depression, but then it's no longer a mental issue and specialists handle that 😉

gentlebison82 said:I couldn't agree more. Most doctors just hand out prescriptions like candy because it’s the path of least resistance. They write a script and tell you to see them again in a month! My understanding is that getting actual therapy through insurance is a nightmare, but private practice is an option. That’s where you can really unload; those specialists actually know how to peel back the layers and get to the heart of things. It's definitely worth a shot...

I actually manage to get that covered by my insurance. In fact, one referral covers multiple therapy sessions. My primary care doctor didn't hesitate at all when I first brought it up; she sent me straight to a psychiatrist. Though, that lady—just like you mentioned—basically just writes a prescription and tells you to come back next month. I didn't take them, obviously. But I have a different psychiatrist now who treats patients like actual human beings rather than just "another number on the list." Honestly, though, I don't even need therapy anymore... I only go so my mom can say I'm doing something productive 😁 (I live in a small suburb, but I drive into Chicago for my appointments)

analogpuma0 said:I DECIDED TO STOP TAKING MY MEDS BECAUSE I FELT LIKE A YEAR AND A HALF HAD BEEN QUITE ENOUGH, AND HONESTLY, I WAS FEELING SO GOOD—ESPECIALLY ONCE I REALIZED I COULD FUNCTION WITHOUT HELEX... THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM... WELL, THAT'S COMPLICATED. THE ONLY REAL ISSUE I'M FACING NOW IS THE ANXIETY I FEEL AROUND MY BOYFRIEND, WHO DOESN'T KNOW A SINGLE THING ABOUT MY PAST... WE HAVEN'T BEEN TOGETHER VERY LONG, AND I'M UNCERTAIN IF I SHOULD OPEN UP TO HIM... HE'S A REASONABLE MAN AND ALL THAT, BUT THIS ISN'T EXACTLY A SMALL MATTER... I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO GIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY SOME THOUGHT... IT FEELS BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVE, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE... BUT IF THERE IS ONE THING I'M CERTAIN OF, IT'S THAT NEXT TIME, WALKING AWAY FROM THESE PILLS WON'T BE NEARLY AS EASY AS IT WAS THIS TIME.

Why wouldn't you go to therapy? There's no shame in it if it's weighing on you. It'll be easier once you come clean to your boyfriend—having that extra support helps. 👍 Don't let yourself feel embarrassed; my partner knows everything about me 🙂 but just be careful that once he knows, you don't start acting out toward him (shouting, being irritable, etc.) or constantly using depression as an excuse. That isn't the way to handle it. Plenty of people deal with various struggles, and he would likely struggle too if roles were reversed, plus you don't want to become "spoiled" by it. That happens quite often with people dealing with depression when they realize others are aware; they start leaning on it constantly, which isn't the path to actual recovery. Just stay mindful of that. 😉

analogpuma0 said:And my Zoloft 🙂 really does work... and this time, I don't think I'll be in any rush to stop my treatment; I'll take it for as long as it takes. I was on it for a year and a half before some life stressors hit—right after I finished my course—and everything started sliding back into place... 😢 whether I'm just imagining things or not, I suspect it's likely, but I restarted my medication immediately, and things seem relatively okay now. 🙂

Honestly, I think it's just the placebo effect. Try this instead: eat a Hershey bar every day and just tell yourself it's your Prozac 😁 I'm not kidding, I'm being serious. You've posted about mental health a few times before, asking why the mind is so complicated and all that. Well, it is complicated. And this is the simplest way to trick it 👍

Hannah Cox16 said:Here is my take on a solution😛First off, life is far too short to dwell on these things. Second, hold a little "family meeting" at home and be honest with everyone about how you're feeling; tell them you're going to seek professional help and ask them to give you some space while you work through this. Third, go to your primary care physician and ask for a full panel of bloodwork, urine tests, hormone checks, thyroid levels—the whole nine yards. Once you confirm that everything is physically fine, you can move to the next step. Fourth, go see a psychiatrist and lay it all out just like you did here on the forum. And just so you know, someone else's advice on a forum like this was actually the catalyst that led me to follow this exact sequence. The result? Everything is better than okay! There really is no excuse for being lazy toward your own well-being!👍

signed, sealed, delivered!

Hannah Cox16 said:I decided to do a complete "system overhaul" on myself. Once I realized I was physically healthy, I felt this massive wave of gratitude. I started taking half a pill of Zoloft every evening, and things really began to turn around. It’s honestly fascinating how complicated we humans can be; I sat with my therapist for two hours and opened up more than I ever have before. We shouldn't hold onto any prejudices about this stuff. Every fear has a root cause; you just have to understand it. Trying to navigate that without professional help isn't easy at all, even though, in reality, the path forward is quite straightforward once you start. I have to love myself, I have to be happy with who I am, and I have to prioritize my own well-being. I've truly embraced life again. I'm treating myself in every way possible—eating whatever I want, sleeping whenever I need to, and even treated myself to some shopping trips for new sandals and a bag. I've even caught myself humming tunes around the house! My husband just watches me, looking completely bewildered. I even booked a solo week at a beach resort to recharge. Life is actually quite beautiful, isn't it?

Suppose I decided to start treating myself better too. I cleared out things in my life that I didn't truly need, which naturally lowered my stress levels. No meds... nothing. I took an honest look inside myself to see what was actually fueling my depression. I identified the issues within my own behavior and changed them. I truly believe that this is "the thing" that will keep me standing for the rest of my life. "The thing" being my own willpower. ^^

analogpuma0 said:Hey... I'm truly glad to hear you're feeling better. And you know, the fact that you're only taking half a pill right now—which is exactly what I did after being on a full dose for six months—suggests that maybe your situation wasn't quite as dire as it felt at the time. It's amazing how much these medications can change things. I assume you aren't feeling overly drowsy from them, and I sincerely hope you haven't dealt with any nasty side effects at the start... I'm just really happy for you! 🙂

🙂 The pills don't work miracles; we do, along with how we approach this whole "illness." We shouldn't credit the medication for any progress we make. They just trigger the brain chemistry that we are capable of producing ourselves—it's just that when you're depressed, you lack the drive to do it. We need to work on our willpower to get moving on our own, and then everything becomes much 😉

edit: I definitely dealt with drowsiness from antidepressants. I would sleep through entire days, whereas without them, I was active. Just another reason against them!

rowdytinker20 said:Hey everyone, just jumping in here with the rest of you dealing with depression. I’ve had three surgeries in the last three years—living in America, life isn't "bad" per se, but everything just feels so incredibly monotonous... nothing really brings me joy or makes me feel fulfilled lately. Maybe that’s where this depression is coming from. After my kidney surgery, I started having these massive panic attacks about dying, and even though I’ve mostly pulled myself together, that fear still creeps up on me sometimes. Sleep is another thing—whenever I actually have free time, my brain just won't shut off, looping through everything that's happened to me. I have zero motivation for anything, but I did set up an appointment with a psychologist to see what they think. Honestly, I feel like you can mostly help yourself, but sometimes I wonder how exactly that works. I'm really hesitant about starting meds because I don't want to be dependent on them—especially since I'm already on daily stuff for my kidneys and my heart. My aunt suggested some herbal teas to help with mood and sleep to just detox the system, so I might try that first since it's more natural. I'll probably mention it to the doctor if they suggest any prescriptions.

Let me explain, analogpuma0—they check thyroid levels through bloodwork, and if needed, they do a scan. In my case, my thyroid hormones are totally fine and my bloodwork looks great, yet I still feel completely drained. It's weird; I'm not sure what else could be affecting how I feel.

You haven't even tried it yet to see if it works, though it probably will. If it doesn't, then you can start thinking about antidepressants, although they don't always do much. You really need to work on yourself; you'll feel a hundred times better when you can attribute your progress to YOURSELF rather than just some pills.🙂

analogpuma0 said:How exactly do they test those hormone levels and get the thyroid results? I might be phrasing the question poorly, but I truly don't have a clue how the process works...

You need a referral; without one, you aren't getting anywhere. Once you have it, you head to a clinic for blood work, and the results usually come back in a week or two. Then you just take them to your doctor, they tell you what's going on, and that's that.🙂

Elizabeth Hayes43 said:You haven't even tried it yet to see if it works, though it probably will. If it doesn't, then you can start thinking about antidepressants, although they don't always do much. You really need to work on yourself; you'll feel a hundred times better when you can attribute your progress to YOURSELF rather than just some pills.🙂

Antidepressants aren't even an option for me since I'm already on meds for my thyroid and heart—they don't play nice together. But you're spot on about one thing: at the end of the day, you've gotta be your own best friend and doctor, not rely on a prescription to fix everything.

rowdytinker20 said:Antidepressants aren't even an option for me since I'm already on meds for my thyroid and heart—they don't play nice together. But you're spot on about one thing: at the end of the day, you've gotta be your own best friend and doctor, not rely on a prescription to fix everything.

Look, any psychiatrist worth their salt is going to ask you what else you're on before they prescribe anything. They need to know which sedative won't mess with your other stuff. There are plenty of really mild sedatives out there that aren't hard to get off of, or they might just prescribe an antidepressant instead. Or a combo of both.

Elizabeth Hayes43 said:Why wouldn't you go to therapy? There's no shame in it if it's weighing on you. It'll be easier once you come clean to your boyfriend—having that extra support helps. 👍 Don't let yourself feel embarrassed; my partner knows everything about me 🙂 but just be careful that once he knows, you don't start acting out toward him (shouting, being irritable, etc.) or constantly using depression as an excuse. That isn't the way to handle it. Plenty of people deal with various struggles, and he would likely struggle too if roles were reversed, plus you don't want to become "spoiled" by it. That happens quite often with people dealing with depression when they realize others are aware; they start leaning on it constantly, which isn't the path to actual recovery. Just stay mindful of that. 😉

Look... I did tell him everything during that one night, and honestly, it hasn't really come up in our conversations since then. In the beginning, he was very attentive whenever I even hinted at something, but since I've been feeling better and better—and I haven't really wanted to bring it up myself—well... I suppose I still get nervous or listless sometimes. But I don't really want to tell him. And truthfully, I have to admit that people do become "spoiled," and I'll confess that I've used it as an excuse a few times myself... though, I guess even in those little lies, there's always a grain of truth to them.

Elizabeth Hayes43 said:Honestly, I think it's just the placebo effect. Try this instead: eat a Hershey bar every day and just tell yourself it's your Prozac 😁 I'm not kidding, I'm being serious. You've posted about mental health a few times before, asking why the mind is so complicated and all that. Well, it is complicated. And this is the simplest way to trick it 👍

Well, there might be some placebo effect involved, I suppose, but frankly, I don't really care... all that matters to me is that I’m actually feeling better 🙂 As for the Tic Tacs... hmm... goodness, if I were just a simpler person who didn't overthink everything, maybe I could pull off a self-deception like that. Then again, maybe if I weren't so analytical, I wouldn't have even dealt with depression in the first place...

analogpuma0 said:They really do work wonders... when I was at my absolute lowest two years ago and realized I couldn't pull myself out alone, those pills and just one solid talk with a psychiatrist made a massive difference... they’ve been a huge lifeline for me... as for psychotherapy... I don't feel a pressing need for it right now, though I would love to have another session with a psychologist just because there are things I need to get off my chest... plus, I know how effective that first conversation in my life turned out to be. 🙂

analogpuma0 said:Well, there might be some placebo effect involved, I suppose, but frankly, I don't really care... all that matters to me is that I’m actually feeling better 🙂 As for the Tic Tacs... hmm... goodness, if I were just a simpler person who didn't overthink everything, maybe I could pull off a self-deception like that. Then again, maybe if I weren't so analytical, I wouldn't have even dealt with depression in the first place...

That sounds like a classic placebo effect. It clearly works for you. Honestly, the method doesn't matter as much as the results. The main thing is making progress, and you're obviously doing that.
It would just be ideal if it didn't require medication. 😉 😳 As for tricking myself... that's just my way of doing things. It works.
😉

Elizabeth Hayes43 said:That sounds like a classic placebo effect. It clearly works for you. Honestly, the method doesn't matter as much as the results. The main thing is making progress, and you're obviously doing that.
It would just be ideal if it didn't require medication. 😉 😳 As for tricking myself... that's just my way of doing things. It works.
😉

Perhaps you have a point, or perhaps you don't... but at the end of the day, the important thing is that I feel better 🙂 I just worry about what it's doing to my liver.... it might take a hit eventually.... and to be perfectly honest, I think I'm one of those people where if you handed me a standard pill, say 3M, and told me it was a sleeping aid, I'd probably start feeling drowsy right then and there...... so, I find it's often better for my peace of mind if I simply avoid reading the long list of side effects for these heavy-duty medications 🙂

Hannah Cox16 said:Here is my take on a solution😛First off, life is far too short to dwell on these things. Second, hold a little "family meeting" at home and be honest with everyone about how you're feeling; tell them you're going to seek professional help and ask them to give you some space while you work through this. Third, go to your primary care physician and ask for a full panel of bloodwork, urine tests, hormone checks, thyroid levels—the whole nine yards. Once you confirm that everything is physically fine, you can move to the next step. Fourth, go see a psychiatrist and lay it all out just like you did here on the forum. And just so you know, someone else's advice on a forum like this was actually the catalyst that led me to follow this exact sequence. The result? Everything is better than okay! There really is no excuse for being lazy toward your own well-being!👍

Actually, my family already knows how I feel, and they’ve been incredibly supportive. My mom even suggested that if things don't improve, I should probably see a psychiatrist. I’m constantly getting my blood and urine checked, and I’ve already had my thyroid tested (everything came back normal), mostly because I deal with kidney issues that require monthly checkups. I was actually at the clinic today, and my doctor referred me to a psychiatrist because the medications I'm currently taking can trigger psychological symptoms—in some cases, even psychotic episodes, personality shifts, or severe depression. My nephrologist believes everything I'm experiencing is just a side effect of the medication, and that it should subside once I stop the treatment...
Anyway, I'm going to see the psychiatrist and see what happens. Whether it's a side effect or something else, I need to get this resolved.

So, I’ve been on Zoloft for about nine months now, but lately, I feel like I’m sliding right back into that dark hole I was in before I started the meds. It’s a miserable feeling—just total sludge. I can't help but wonder if I've been making things worse by having a few drinks here and there or smoking weed on the weekends. Has anyone else dealt with this? And honestly, is everyone in this community strictly sober when they're on antidepressants, or am I just being extra cautious?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTuuSpCdoYc

Hopefully, I managed to brighten up your day just a little bit 😂
I realize some people might not be in the mood for laughs given what they're going through, but maybe this will help someone out... 😛