No, most of us do NOT want our symptoms!

Gentle hugs

Hearing voices is not a common sign of Depression. We had a member who recently complained of that AND OTHER signs/symptoms, and I believe it TURNED OUT it was his medication ... an issue with medication, ... but I don't remember who or the details. Sorry. Suggest you discuss this AT LENGTH with your doctor.

Do I get this right? No hearing voices, no depression (recently) .... and NOT OK with that???? I don't believe I can help you with that kind of problem. Good luck to you.

Its called psychotic depression
http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/major-depression-with-psychotic-features

Thanks for your reply

I have chronic severe depression, and have, a few times, experienced visual and auditory hallucinations--the most terrible and terrifying minutes of my life. I would NEVER want such experiences to recur, ever, wouldn't wish that condition on anyone...That said, I can't understand your problem at all. You are lucky enough to have your depression, and its psychotic features, subside, and you MISS THEM?!?? I can't relate to that at all... If your mental illness is a big part of your identity, you might want to try exploring other, more positive realms and facets of your personality. Sorry, but IMO, no one should ever be defined as their illness, and it's not healthy for anyone to self identify as their illness, either. You are a human being, not a mental disorder or its symptoms. Best of luck to you, and congratulations on overcoming your depression.

I have had depreshion all my life and when I was at my worst I did here voices ....and it scared me ........at the time ............however ......I think if you have been hearing them for a long time and are use to them than it can be kind of lonely with out them but you will sgjust because those voices or your illness does not divine you in ane way .............now I don't feel depressed ..but I am hearing voices ..sometimes so I realy don't know what is happening the voices aren't telling me to do anything ......and they are not there all the time ......they don't frighten me ......but if they changed .....and were telling me what to do I would get my self to my doctor ..asap ..........right now I am just monerting the situation ........if you have no voices ...that is a good thing ......your head is just quiet and you are not use to that ..so you need to do things ...to keep your mind bissey ..........take care ...God bless

Hey sweetie, don't be afraid of making a new identity. Every time our life changes we lose our security and our stability, and get anxious and can't be comfortable. This passes, and the more you let it happen in your life, the easier it gets to cope with, and the more aware of it you become. When it first started happening to me everything just seemed totally wrong. Nowadays I can handle all manner of crazy change. Well: I get aqnxious inside myself, but at least I know that that's what's happening. I know it will pass. I know I need to not react or panic. :D

I guess you will feel a bit like you've lost your best friend. And that's okay. it's okay to grieve for your lost best friend. But you will find a new you, and a new best friend inside yourself. It's not all over. :)

Ah, yes, at my worst (depression so bad I couldn't leave house or even fix my own meals) I did have some hallucinations/voices. It wasn't a regular occurrence, but did happen more than a few times. Personally I was really freaked out about it bc schizophrenia runs in my family and I was about 25 which is a common age for symptoms to begin. I'm fine now, haven't heard voices in years, so I'm pretty sure it was just the depression. I can't say I miss the hallucinations, but I understand depression feeling like your identity. I've been depressed to varying degrees pretty much my entire life. I've never really known what it's like to live without depression, and it might sound strange to others who haven't had chronic lifelong depression, but there's a safety and, oddly, stability in the familiar, even it is depression. I'm technically depression free right now, though I have my ups and downs, and I've had this intense sense of not knowing who I am and that makes me panic. I think though, for the first time in my life, I'm discovering who I really am, because the depression masked and darkened the real me. So it's been interesting, even exciting (though terrifying) to discover who I am without the shadow of depression towering over me. And I'm learning that I am still me, I'm just a freer, healthier, happier version of me. So much has been opened to me that depression had kept shut.

So my advice is, find yourself. Try new hobbies (painting, writing, cooking, pottery, archery) you never had the courage to, or believed you weren't good at. Try different forms of exercise you haven't tried before (running, swimming, hiking, skiing, dancing, whatever). Meet new people, try new things, travel, read different genres of books, or listen to different music. Try to find your core values and goals in life. Don't think about it as losing the old you, but uncovering the real you, all of you, even the parts that depression didn't let you see before. Learn how to love yourself (I recommend the book Self-Compassion by Kristen Neff and any books by Brene Brown). The most helpful thing I've done is I've started journaling. I just write whatever comes into mind, I don't try to edit it at all. And it's amazing how it helps me work through these kinds of emotions. Maybe it could help you. And always remember to take it one day at a time. You are going to have good days and bad days. Mindfulness and learning to accept things has really helped me. Realizing that thoughts and emotions are not me. Depression is not me. I am so much more than that. And so are you.