Comments on: Depression Roundtable, Part III: Feeling Better

By: Carol Shaw

Carol Shaw — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:20:33 +0000

Thank you so much for this timely discussion. It helped me to see what course of action I need to take in my life. I can see that some more counseling would be very helpful. I am grateful that so many of been willing to share how the feel and how the cope and of course some of your failures. I know I feel better just knowing so many others suffer the same way I do. I am a huge fan of medication. I have come off to many times and hated the rebound effect I went thru. I will stay on my medication. Just recently started being so anixous and the doc uped the dosage and it has helped so much. Thanks again for bravely sharing a very difficult subject!

By: Apparently Lazy Me

Apparently Lazy Me — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 05:32:38 +0000

Easter tomorrow. I dragged myself to the store. Luckily I delegated being easter bunny to one of the kids a couple years ago, because I haven’t a neuron of creativity or interest. One of the kids suggested fruit loops for breakfast. Sugar cereal usually doesn’t happen here, and that’s colors bright, and no work for me. Thanks to conference I don’t have to dress anyone up in the morning. I’m making less work, but that’s really only acceptable as a phase. I wish I could get further out of this.

By: Sage

Sage — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:33:04 +0000

Thanks for sharing your pain, your insights, your faith.

I have suffered from mild depression over the years, but I don’t think I ever realized that help was possible, or ever quite labeled it was what it was. Reading this series has helped me identify that those crazy thoughts and feelings I sometimes get are an illness and not just how I am. In many ways I’ve found the help I need and tend to suffer less frequent episodes, but sometimes they arrive faster and are more severe, i.e. feelings of despair swoop in and I wish my life would just end from one comment that brings back my sense of inadequacy.

Somehow knowing and labeling this as depression gives me a better sense of control.

It also helps to know I’m not alone. My husband is there for me, but doesn’t tend to say the right things. He just wants me to be happy and when I’m not the pressure to be happy doesn’t help.

I feel like I’ve grown a lot in my ability to recognize false ideas in my thinking, but some old ideas are hard to let go.

Thanks for this therapy session!

By: Depression Roundtable, Part IV: Family Ties : Segullah

Depression Roundtable, Part IV: Family Ties : Segullah — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:13:40 +0000

[...] Segullah’s UP CLOSE series about depression. Parts I, II, and III can be found here, here, and here. If you haven’t already read the series overview, please do so before [...]

By: Lydia

Lydia — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:31:06 +0000

m&m, I really don’t think anyone would hold an honest, caring effort against you, even if it wasn’t exactly what was needed. They’d be grateful to know that someone cared enough to try. There’s no formula–needs are different at different times even for the same person. Also, there’s no harm in asking, “Can I bring by a meal? Would like someone to hang out with? How are you feeling? . . .”

By: anon

anon — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:40:49 +0000

Thank you for sharing. I appreciate all the ideas of what we can do to help ourselves, as well as ideas of what we can do to help those who struggle with this. I often don’t know what to say when someone says, “what can I do?” -especially when I am in the middle of depression. There were great ideas and it helps to hear what worked for you. I can’t even tell you how grateful I am for these posts. Depression can be so isolating and this has been a little therapy group, in a way, for me, because I can talk about it and hear others talk about it too. That is one of the treatments to me – to be able to talk. One suggestion that was given to me (when I feel like I am bottling so much inside and want to talk but don’t know who to talk to) was to write. I often don’t write because I don’t want anyone to see my twisted thoughts, but you can even write and then shred it, or delete it, or whatever. But being able to put an abstract though into concrete words, even when you don’t want an audience, really helps.

By: m&m

m&m — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:36:38 +0000

One question that lingers from this post to me is how people who really want to help can know the difference between those who want support and those who don’t, and all the different ways we each find help helpful.

I think this post captures the complexity and very personal nature of depression and even as one who has suffered from some anxiety and depression issues, I find myself a little worried that my heartfelt attempts to reach out will be the wrong things at the wrong time in the wrong way — simply because everyone is different!

I hope this doesn’t come across wrong, but at some level, I do think those of us who suffer have to help those around us help us. (Which, ironically, can be or feel next to impossible when stuck in that dark place. What to do?)

Any thoughts on that?

By: Julie H

Julie H — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:15:10 +0000

@Kathryn Soper I do recognize that major depression is indeed a very serious illness. I didn’t state my interest very well. Like most with bipolar disorder I have experienced severe depression over a very long periods of time. Most of my serious manic episodes have been preceded by an episode of major depression lasting months, in some cases years. This scenario is quite common for individuals with bipolar disorder. I didn’t mean to minimize it in the least and recognize it can be as serious as mania. Thank you for your kind words.

By: Kathryn Soper

Kathryn Soper — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:55:51 +0000

That’s a good point, Mark. Pregnancies wreak all kinds of havoc, and we’ve got a lot of ‘em. And PPD tends to get worse with successive pregnancies, so it would make sense for there to be a higher rate of more severe PPD in our population.

Julie H., thanks for your comment. I want to point out that major depression is just as serious as bipolar disorder. But yes, psychosis is a level of mental illness with its own set of implications. I have a form of bipolar disorder myself, but thankfully my manic episodes are not as major as my depressive ones. I’ve felt enough manic delusion to be terrified by the very thought of a psychotic episode. My heart goes out to you.

Would love to hear some of your thoughts on the tutorial aspect of mental illness.

By: m2theh

m2theh — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:40:49 +0000

I have noticed when I start to feel better it’s harder for me to remember to take my meds, but if I don’t take them I go downhill very fast.