Thats me right now as well. I love nothing right now. I cant watch TV hardly or play the games i like, nothing! Sucks

I also like playing games (DDO online game) and I can't even stand to be me in a virtual life.

JP

I never thought of depression having phases, but this makes perfect sense! This prompted me to look for a definition of the stages and I found this page: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/7-stages-of-depression.html.

I really like this definition of depression: "It is a problem of chronic brain overload. The key is to understand that the brain, just like all the other organs in the body, has a limited processing capacity, and if you constantly exceed it, disease will ensue."

May sound silly, but this concept is a revelation to me. If there are stages -- at least for some of us -- then there is a way to measure progress; even when things are bleak, we can see that we're moving through it and not just stagnating.

What other stages have you noticed are part of a depressive episode for you?

I may have stages but I am not aware of them. Seems it hits like a train, all at once.

I definetly have stages; I start out with just the blues. But as hubby complains about his job and how he hates his job, and child #2 call and complains about his job, and child #1, who is bipolar complains about his life, the sinking feelings start and I can't stop them. I am surrounded daily by people who hate where they are in their life. As a mom I;ve always been the fixer. But now that my children are grown I feel incapable of fixing anything. I get angry about their complaining all the time, but remain silent and hold it in until I think I will explode, (Second phase for me is anger, but I never tell anyone) Phase 3 is tears, sleeping and hopelessness. Phase 4 is uncontroalbe crying (which drives my hubby nuts)and sleeping so that I don't have to listen to them complain. If I can catch it quick enough and get away from them for a few days I can controll myself. So maybe if you can get out of your rountine for a few days it may jolt you system back into the comfort zone.

FIGHT IT!

control your thoughts...distract yourself....beat it back...you have the power!

What Daisy said. It never feels like you do have that power but we all do. And yes, sometimes you're going to crash but there are steps that can be taken to ensure it's not a huge or long lasting one.

I hope you feel better soon.

I am lurking on here today because I am right where you are. My biggest trigger is work and things at work are not good at the moment. I feel it start to come on gradually but once I get this far there is usually no stopping it. My last major depressive episode lasted a little over four months. I am scared.

My biggest trigger is when I have problems with my Family. Mine are kind of similar to yours...I have this Daughter who abuses the crap out of me and until recently, when she abandoned me at my lowest point, I was being victimized by her so much I thought I would lose it. Prior to her abandoning me my Mother pulled some psychotic crap on me , and that's when I got VERY bad with the panic attacks and anxiety. Each day, now, is different for me....one day I'm ok, the next I may cry the entire day. I'm a mess. The fear is sometimes too much to bear and it's gonna kill me because I've already had 8 heart attacks.