Swampcraft, funny you should mention mood-stabilizers, that is what I am switching too. I have been on AD for 15 years, & should have been on them on HS. What is ECT? Shock therapy? My mother had that 500+ times in the 50's & 60's & my dad said it fried her brain. I have considered it though, only as a last resort. I am hoping the mood stabilizer helps.

Swamp, unfortunately, my psychiatrist is OVERLY conservative & said he has never & will never use it on his patients. I guess I will have to find a different psych, which is a shame, because I really like him. I am at the end of my rope, but will give the MS a few more days to work. Im on the starting dose, then will increase after 2 weeks. Hope springs eternal, huh?

BTW, I also have acute anxiety, & panic attacks. That was the reason he switched me to MS.

G:
you have a lot more hope in you than you think you do. Nurture that hope. Shop for another shrink or talk to your M.D. because they can prescribe too.
I confess that I have lain in bed considering how to put things in order and how I could actually do myself in without too much discomfort or leaving a mess for loved ones. The truth is you are important to you - so step into that batting cage and swing away! Find the right doctor. Find the right medication (or combination of meds) I had quite a search myself after lifelong depression.
Give yourself a swift kick. This is a beautiful world . . . have you seen and done everything that you had wanted?
Life isn't made from a cookie cutter - some people make great families, some make great movies and some climb mountains. Have you ever seen the cliffs of Mohr in late autumn? Have you been to the Louvres? You make your life what you want.
Allison

Gordo:
Is that user name what you you think of yourself?
I used to weigh nearly 300 pounds but I got angry enough at life t do something and had gastric bypass surgery.
Also, you mention having trouble with your sons . . . Gordie I have to tell you that I spent nearly 22 years of MY life just in the attempt to become a mother. I don't want to be cruel but you owe it to yourself and to your sons not to be so selfish that you don't continue to seek help. Help is out there! But you have to WANT to be helped.
Get out there and don't give up until you find the answers and the treatments and medications that will put you on a level playing field with people who seem to be having good and enjoyable lives.
You've made it this far - - - I think that you can save yourself by realizing the helping hands that are out there waiting for you to want help.

I had suffered a deepening depression for several years and my moods were a family problem. One of my friends suggested I use a technological solution based on brain optimisation which he had come upon on the internet. I wanted to try it as I had everything to lose and nothing to gain if I did nothing.
The techniques was developed by Brainstates inc. I had my work done by levelStates in the UK.
It uses a none invasive , no drugs method, based on an acoustic system to reset locked in brain behaviour to more balanced responses by feeding back brain activity in the form of signal conditioned tones into the ears through bud ear phoned.
My wife now has got the man see originally loved back and it probably saved my life. It is not a medical treatment but it worked for me.

Some support group site are not happy that I should wish to inform sufferers directly to help them by outlining success.
We can be positive as success it available.

From what I know, I wouldn't recommend ECT. Look into TMS or transcranial magnetic stimulation instead. It has almost no side effects, and it won't destroy your cognitive function/memory like ECT does. In fact, TMS may even improve cognitive function from what I've heard.

However, it is nearly impossible to get insurance companies to cover ECT and TMS. I've wanted to get ECT when I was 16 and I've tried to get TMS recently, but my insurance wouldn't help pay for it. :( It is probably more difficult to get insurance companies to pay for TMS because they like to consider it "experimental," so they don't have to cover it.

You need to give your antidepressants a chance. They don't work immediately. It sometimes takes time to notice effects.

vincero, really? I assume you belong to this site because you yourself have struggled with depression. I don't quite get what you mean by my moniker, it is partially my last name & 4 for the number of sons I have. You are being awfully judgmental calling me selfish. You yourself admitted to considering suicide, so how can you judge me? Esp. saying Im being selfish & "keep seeking help". How do you know I am NOT seeking help?? You don't even know me. Before posting such a judgmental comment, you may want to get to know the person & their circumstances a little better, just sayin.

also vincero, the whole point of this site is to vent to each other & seek support, not be told that we are selfish. We are all in the same boat here. If you've somehow conquered your depression, good for you! But that doesn't give you the right to condescend to others on here.

Swampcraft, I get that he/she is angry, Ive read some of her other posts. This is NOT, however, the place for condescension, or telling someone they are selfish. Telling that to a depressed person only makes them feel worse, which is not the purpose (or shouldn't be). I must respectfully disagree with you on your everything is selfish opinion. Am I being selfish when I pray for someone else? Am I selfish for giving money to the poor or donating to the food bank? It depends on an individuals state of heart & mind & their intentions WHILE doing things for others. She isn't trying to keep me alive, I am doing that myself with God's help. If this vincero person has nothing constructive/nice to say, then she needs to keep her fingers off the keyboard.