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.
I'm 26 and i've suffered with depression since i was 15. I know it's going to be a lifelong thing, something i'm going to have to manage. Which that alone is a depressing thought. I live in Canada, so i'm blessed to have free healthcare, meaning i can see my doctor for free and there are some free mental health workers and psychiatrists. The mental health workers that are free have basic training, have a bunch of cases and tend to be for more short term problems. They have very black and white thinking. Which makes it hard to engage in counseling. The psychiatrists have crazy long wait lists and are very particular about who they see.
My diagnosis went from depression to addition of anxiety then i was told i wasn't depressed (by a psychiatrist) because i still had a job, then i filled out a quiz that said i was bipolar so he diagnosed me with bipolar type 2. No medication combo worked. Did that for about 4 years. After several stays at a psychiatric unit and a suicide attempt, and seeing 3 different psychiatrists, my diagnosis got changed to borderline. Then it got changed to dysthymia with intermittent episodes of major depression with anxiety and complex trauma disorder.
So all i know is depression and anxiety and a bunch of scars of trauma. I was lucky to be able to move in with my aunt last year when i started a two-year college program. And with that, I was able to afford to pay for a private counselor. Which was the best decision. She is great. I've cut out a lot of my toxic family. I still work full time and am a full time student, so to say i'm busy is an understatement. And it worked out really well for the last year and half. I graduate in June and i've crashed. So i'm trying to get on the list to see a psychiatrist to get new medication recommendations, but since i see a private counselor that is considerably harder. I see my counselor twice a month which cost me $200/month, but things are bad, and i really could benefit with more visit, but at $100/visit, it's not plausible. And now i've started to have a bunch of physical symptoms of mental illnesses, my muscles aches, i'm getting constant migraines, so on top of my mental health being poor, i'm sick, and missing work. Which cuts into my budget. So to remedy the physical symptoms i need to do physio and massage, but that's all out of pocket cost, plus my portions of my prescriptions cost me about $100/month. So my mental health, on a typical month cost me close to $600, add missing work to that.
My aunt is great as in she lets me live with her, but she doesn't understand mental illness. If i need to take a day to myself, because i'm overwhelmed from worked 80 hours and being in class for 28 hours/ bi weekly and spending probably 20 hours biweekly on homework, she doesn't understand why i need a day. So my life is falling apart, and i can't afford to put it back together. And yeah i know it'll pass. But i know another low is on the horizon.
I'm so grateful to live in a country that has free healthcare, don't get me wrong, but i can't afford my life-long mental illnesses.
As mentioned, my diagnosis has changed several times, so i don't put too much stock in what my current diagnosis is because it'll most likely change (seeing as it has changed 4 in time in 6 years), but i am well informed in mental illness in general. But as i said, the system is fractured, and there is a bunch of hoops to jump through and it sucks and that is why a lot of people fall between the cracks. But it is very frustrating.
Sorry to hear that you are going through a rough time. I have a sister, she used to be a happy person but all of a sudden she became sad and she isolates herself. She hid her emotions from us but most of the time I saw her crying by herself. She lost her appetite, could not sleep well and lost a lot of weight. She stopped doing things that she used to enjoy. She had a doctor’s check up and she was diagnosed with anxiety disorder.
It was painful to see one of my sisters going through that kind of loneliness but she refused counselling and medications. I prayed for her and with her. I talk to her whenever I can regularly. I send her messages to uplift her to let her know that she’s not alone. Me and my other sisters are her support group. We encourage one another. We pray together. It’s been a year since she was diagnosed and I can say that she is slowly getting back to her old self. Her support group was a big help. She is now less lonely, she goes to her work, she has pets and she volunteers in our community.
I’m glad that you are receiving free healthcare in Canada. Do you have a support group that you meet in person? It’s beneficial to be surrounded with people who will encourage you in times of difficulty. It will help you to learn from others’ life experiences. Try also to talk to someone you can trust. Make a journal. Find time to relax. Feel free to share your feelings and thoughts here in the forum. I hope this helps. Praying for you for peace and strength to keep you going each day. Keep us posted.