Depression Support Group

Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.

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miller23 01/08/2012

Hi guys hope you are all well. getting out of the negitive mindset that i am in is going to be very difficult how do i motivate myself to get out of it. relistically when your out of the depression / negtive thinking how hard do you need to keep at it to keep your mind postive so you dont slip into them old patterns again. im sick of all the thoughts that im getting its no good for me and the people around me i just feel like my mind is pushing them away all the time. Least i have made the decission i do not want to be in this situation now. Have you guys manage to maintain a healthy balance in your lufe without anti depressants. Also what are you thoughts and feeling on anti depressants.

deleted_user 01/08/2012

I've been off meds for seven years. I was doing fantastically well (with proper exercise, diet, rest, etc) until I was blindsided by my ex's affairs.

That was the catalyst for a two year hiatus into the circle of treachery :P

I struggle every day.
I fail allll the time.
I slip in and out of patterns.

But I wake up every morning to fight another day.

Who knows if I'll eventually be better or worse off than I am now, but I have seen that it is possible to live well without medication. And I hope to get back there!

It's different for everyone... I hope you manage to find what works best for you :)

mbowden98 01/08/2012

I think anti-depressants saved my life, but I'm also happy to say that I recently weaned myself off of them. Like Ephemerally said, it can still be a struggle every day, but you have to tell yourself that you can do it. I've also really learned that I have to feel the negative feelings and not push them down. The sooner I let myself feel badly, the sooner I feel better. Fighting/repressing them makes it worse for me. Exercise is also huge for me. If I have to, I will go back on meds, but I'm hoping I can manage without them.

deleted_user 01/08/2012

I went for about four years without meds. I pretty much went "cold turkey." I was doing really well. Then some things happened. First my mother died and I thought I had pretty much finished grieving her loss. I also went back to working rotating shifts at work. I work days one week and nights the next. They are long 12 hour shifts.

So after about a year of working under these conditions I found myself suffering again. I went about six months until it got so bad that I finally " lost it." I won't go into detail but I was having some very disturbing thoughts and was having no luck controlling them. It finally got to the point where I was either going get help or "end it." I ended up in the hospital again after years of doing fine. Short story, I needed to be back on meds and I had to get some therapy. I ended up in the hospital one more time and through that visit with intensive treatment and some refining of my meds I made it out with good results so far. That was three years ago. Now I am doing well with more good days than bad. I have a great doctor. I no longer go to therapy but will go back if need be.So like mbowden antidepressants saved my life.

deleted_user 01/08/2012

I should probably add something.... meds do wonderful things for some folks. I was started on meds at 14 years old, and for twelve years I lived a virtual revolving door of clinical trials and guessing games.

Each med presented a whole new set of problems for me and I became so worn down from it.....and in many cases felt crazier than I was before!

But this is my own experience :)

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