depression

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Nelz;1247262 wrote: You have no idea how with you on this I am. My wife takes enough drugs to keep Walgreen in business forever. Ive been doing a small amount of research on the topic..and would LOVE it, if she would be open minded about it.

To this point, its pretty much me talking about things Ive heard, and from what I gather, doing the "in one ear, and out the other"


I feel very encouraged by these posts stating that it can be treated without meds. And its also nice to hear of other people with the same issues.

So, I guess Ill just keep doing my nerdy internet searching, and read some first hand stories as well.

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It's funny though how much I have grown in my own beliefs of what I can accomplish on my own. I have trouble faulting people for holding these strong beliefs because honestly if someone would have told me 2 years ago that I could be completely happy and live a rewarding and fulfilling life without drinking alcohol I would have told them they are completely crazy! There was no way I would have believed it and I would have fought the idea..and did for 2o years when someone would say I drink too much. Now I live by conceive, believe, acheive. Nothing is out of my realm of possibility.

non-drug approaches

The trouble is that people have been persuaded that if they are depressed it's because there is a certified chemical imbalance that must be treated with drugs, that they have a defined biological condition. I don't think that's been proven. It seems there's a lack of knowledge about how anti-depressants work. I am with Chillgirl, take them when you are feeling extremely depressed as a six-month treatment and wean off. They have a place but for sure, other things really help. Psychotherapy is enormously useful. But the most important thing for feeling better can't be bought at a drug store: self love and acceptance.

What I never understood until I reached 50 is that sadness/depression is normal. All of us must deal with some discomfort/challenges in life ... if I became uncomfortable, I thought I was "ill" immediately. Had no tolerance for any unhappiness/discomfort. Took countless anti-depressants, without an effect. Some real hard work is required for us to become serene and content. Look at all your stressors/contributors to anxiety and chip away at eliminating/rethinking them.

What I never understood until I reached 50 is that sadness/depression is normal. All of us must deal with some discomfort/challenges in life ... if I became uncomfortable, I thought I was "ill" immediately. Had no tolerance for any unhappiness/discomfort. Took countless anti-depressants, without an effect. Some real hard work is required for us to become serene and content. Look at all your stressors/contributors to anxiety and chip away at eliminating/rethinking them.

We must remember the long-history truisms of self-discipline too.

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janka;1247417 wrote: What I never understood until I reached 50 is that sadness/depression is normal. All of us must deal with some discomfort/challenges in life ... if I became uncomfortable, I thought I was "ill" immediately. Had no tolerance for any unhappiness/discomfort. Took countless anti-depressants, without an effect. Some real hard work is required for us to become serene and content. Look at all your stressors/contributors to anxiety and chip away at eliminating/rethinking them.

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Janka,

You are spot on!! I have been going through somewhat of a funk recently. I realized as I was thinking about it that in the past, I used alcohol to "pep" me up and make me happy and laugh. While that worked in the long ago past, we all know that alcohol consumption is just another drug to allow us to avoid dealing with what is completely normal in life.

Do not misunderstand. I agree there are people who are truly depressed for physiological reasons and the anti-Ds are definitely in order for them.

I am just talking about occasional depression, anxiety, life issues that are uncomfortable, etc. I am finding it extremely difficult to deal with these things sober. Because I haven't ever done so.

Rather than dwell on the negative, though, I remind myself daily that I must relish the opportunity to handle these things without any medicinal crutches. I have a chance to grow up.

Cindi

We all must go thru funks, that's actually "normal," as we are all imperfect/our circumstances are imperfect by definition at some points. I know something about medications personally and working as Chief Administrator of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Nervous Disorders and Stroke at a premier medical school doing biomedical research. Pharmaceuticals are not necessarily the answer ... take forever to figure out often times, way over-rated sometimes too. So read about Abe Lincoln, huge failure prior to becoming President, and Winston Churchill who said pragmatically thru the war: "When you're going through hell, just keep going!" Do you realize that new medications come on the market all the time to treat depression? You must test them for 6-8 weeks, can have bad side effects? No pill can solve situational problems.

So ... I've learned after 1/2 a century 5 things to remember in daily life:

1) Keep ur body in order, don't pollute it
2) Manage, yes mange, your emotions ... even accept/deal with the bad ones, hardships will come up
3) Avoid isolation ... extend yourself/truths to others
4) Do something good for someone else without getting found out
5) Accept imperfection and discontent ... change (even for the good)/discomfort is inevitable

Made my kid's memorize these rules too ... pax

I've read the Depression Cure and found it to be a fantastic way to incorporate overall good healthy habits with the side effect of having a positive impact on our brain. I've incorporated most into my daily routine and have found a tremendous difference in how I feel, how I am able to deal with problems, and how I now can let things bounce off of me that used to really bother me. I'd highly recommend the book. Thanks Chill for starting this thread.

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janka;1247421 wrote: All of us must deal with some discomfort/challenges in life ... if I became uncomfortable, I thought I was "ill" immediately. Had no tolerance for any unhappiness/discomfort.

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Thanks guys for your great contribution.

Janka - you make an important point, our emotions are there or a reason and if we feel deeply unhappy it's because something needs to change. I wonder however if depression becomes habitual? Once we accept that we are depressed there is a danger we use that label and almost continue subconsciously to create that depression to live up to how we think we should be feeling.

What's also fascinating is that I'm severely down at the moment and when I wake up in the morning all the overwhelming blackness descends on me again as soon as I wake up. However while I'm asleep I'm perfectly happy, I know because there is that sense just as I wake up that I want to stay in sleep/dream mode because I like it there. So what does that tell us? That we are not depressed while we are sleeping therefore it's impossible that it's a fixed state of mind at any one time! Obviously it also tells me I don't like what I'm having to cope with at the moment but then that's why I have to make changes.

Cinders - I agree that before I would have dealt with this anxiety by drinking and having conquered that battle that's why I'm determined to take this on head on to.

Allswell - thanks for the book recommendation, I will check it out. Thinking about this even more I should have seen the signs coming before I was literally run over by a freight train. What I want to learn is how to see these signals before I get to this stage so that in future I can take action early and avoid this horrible sensation.