>>pretty sure I am depressed but was never diagnosed.

You may be ... probably are. However .. until you get diagnosed, you can't get the 'best' treatment .. which comes from the medical profession.

Talk to a doctor .. get a good physical exam, evaluation, and diagnosis. THEN you can get on a treatment plan that will help you.

I can't. I don't have health insurance. I did, however, get three free sessions with a therapist through my job. She said I do seem depressed but she was licensed to prescribe medication.

Look for sliding-scale services in your area. You can talk to somebody who can assess your symptoms and who IS licensed to prescribe medication.

I can identify with everything you mentioned, but the thing is, everybody's depression is different. There are so many different things in our lives, in our personalites, in our chemical makeup...I don't think you could find two people with identical symptoms if you tried!

If you can find the sliding-scale places, they'll only charge you based on what you make. It's usually very reasonable...I've heard of some cities charging much more than others, but I think as a general rule you're going to pay something very resaonable.

I think it's awesome that you're so aware of what's going on, that takes some people years and years...but I really think you'll find the best help, like WV mentioned, by getting a professional opinion.

And in the meantime, we're all here for ya :) Big hugs and I hope you can feel better very soon :)

I've noticed that depression causes one to think about everything more. It was so long ago when I wasn't depressed, but from what little I can remember I didn't ponder about everything to the extent I do now. At 11 when the depression started, I thought about everything so much more. However, I believe that almost 7 years of thinking like this has helped me mature a lot more than others my age. But, all of this thinking is not a good thing. Constantly analying our lives so much (mostly the flaws in it) only contributes to feeling more depressed. I believe trying to do something that distracts you from thinking so much would help. Do something you enjoy. Get a good laugh. I've noticed that whenever I do laugh at something it helps stop me a little from thinking as critically. Just do something fun. It'll probably contribute to a less depressed mood.

From what I've just read, it sounds like not being around people may contribute to your depression. Not very long after your boyfriend left you started to feel depressed again. If being alone is causing depression, surround yourself with people. Go see your parents or just go someplace where you'll be surrounded by people.

As for my symptoms, I have a lot, and they're all really bad. Just go to a website that lists depression symptoms, and I have all of them. I wouldn't say that my appetite is affected much by it, though.

But, I think you should see a doctor, get diagnosed, and get treatment for it. I'm sure you wouldn't want this to be persistant, and treatment works for most people. That would probably be the best thing to do at this point. I'm wishing you luck.

I have been diagnosed with depression.I'm a single mum and I am in this situation because I had an accident at work and injured my back followed by a car accident a few months later and have been unable to work since. I live in Australia so the diagnosis and treatment options are different. I am seeing a therapist once a fortnight and they want me to take medication. I DO NOT want to take it. I have done my research and the side effects of the drug are often WAY WORSE than the benefits so I think should be a very last resort.. At the moment I get by facing one day at a time. I think the longer I can cope this way the stronger I become. The drugs won't give me back my career, create more money to pay bills or fix my physical problems. There are things you can do to help yourself feel better. Exercise is a great way to boost your mood. My doctor told me that some supplements, like fish oil, can help. Try and take one day at a time. If you look to far into the future it can make things look unattainable. Take a little time out for yourself each day to do something you enjoy.

Actually, the side effects of antidepressants, for the most part, aren't all that bad. I have tried a variety and several different ones, and most of them didn't cause me any trouble. I have had side effects on a few, though. Lithium was a nightmare, but after you stop taking them the side effects usually go away within a few days. Experimenting with antidepressants, finding a few bad apples, and then finding one that works is better than feeling this way.

Thanks everyone. But what are your symptoms like?

*Whats yours like?*

hmmmmmmm... mine are big and round and fluffy............... oh wait.. wrong question..... Everyone has different symptoms I would think.

Mine at my worst, makes me feel like I am in a big black hole with the demons at my side.. No matter how many people throw me a life line, I can not reach it.. Does that make any sense?

Okay, actual symptoms...

(keep in mind there's a clusterfuck going on in my head which includes phobia/ED, OCD, panic/anxiety and SH in addition to depression. So...how all that influences things, I couldn't tell ya).

Don't want to get out of bed
Don't want to keep up with basic personal hygiene (have to force myself to shower, wash face, brush teeth, stuff like that)
Little to no interest in stuff I used to LOVE (that's coming back a bit though :)
Not caring that I'm killing myself (slowly, through starvation)
Feeling as though I'm nothing, like nobody should be even marginally kind or decent toward me, like I don't matter, like I deserve all my "head crap," that I deserve to die, that I am disgusting, ugly, stupid, an airhead, more ugly, a disappointment to myself and others, an just generally a bad person.

Is that more what you were looking for? I hope so. And these all come and go, I'm not like that all the time.

Depression looks differently on different people.

Mine is....Exhaustion, Inablility to force myself to do the simplest things (like shower), I eat WAAAAY too much, I cry easily, I'm moody, I can't see or accept love, I sleep all the time, life seems like a chore, I over-think everything.

yep..exactly what they said.. Some of us have more or less of these feelings almost daily..

i have had depression since i was a child i first started medication wen i was 17 (im 21 now) i have experienced a lot of differtent symptoms like eating all the time trying to fill that emptiness or not eating becuz i feel disgusted with myself, tired all the time or used to it was couldnt sleep hardly at all i couldnt sleep more than 4hrs id have to force myslef i feel worthless i absolutly hate myself at times i have lost contol of my emotions the past couple yrs i have bad anger problems very irritable i have foud a medication that helps me wen i take it everyday i can tell the difference wen i forget ive learned a way to help keep sanity is to have someone u can open up to who can help u clear ur head and remind u of the good qualities not jus all the bad and to help u find ways to manage or change how u think and cope also ur environment as an impact keeping postive things in ur life and changing the negative things its still a lot of work and u may backslide jus remember even on ur darkest days jus dont give up and u will see brighter days hope this helps

Wow summerwind you have just described me as well as i could have described myself so i dont have to bother, lol....x

See, for me, I really don't feel that worthless as a person. I know I am not the best looking girl or the smartest but I don't beat myself up. It's my perception of life that is distorted. Life is almost blurry at times. And I don't look forward things. I feel as if I could enjoy life but I don't because of my current state. I worry if I will feel like this forever and I constantly think to myself 'It's been 3 weeks now that I felt like this, etc.'

I feel pain in my chest, just a heavy sadness feeling at all times. I go to sleep easily but wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep. I have lost my appetite and have to force myself to eat in order to not feel weak or to stop my stomach from growling. I'll feel all right one moment then five minutes later will feel over whelmed with sadness for no reason. It hurts because it scares me, it's not a problem that can be solved like usually things. I just want it to go away and feel 'normal' again.

It doesn't really affect my activities. Matter of fact I am the opposite of just laying in bed doing nothing. I can't STAND to do nothing. Because that's when I start thinking all of these depressing thoughts and when I realize that I am thinking about it I get mad at myself and sometimes will have an actual panic attack.

Also, for some reason, at night I am usually all right. Nights are the best time for me. I don't understand it. I am not completely normal but def a lot better than I feel during the day or in the morning.