Amen.

Double Amen! Here is an article about depression

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexisnedd/things-nobody-tells-you-about-being-depressed?s

Other than the suicide aspect, your quality of life will be so much better if you can just find a good professional to talk to about this. He can help you sort out your problems.

Sometimes our problems are so immense that our minds cannot sort out or process all the emotion and we cannot think with clarity---we become confused. It is sort of not being able to see "the forest for the trees." Someone from a distance can sometimes give us the guidance to help us.

Meds may or may not be needed, but please don't just sit in the house in emotional despair day after day. That just makes things worse. Once the depression becomes crystallized, it is very difficult to treat.

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Thank you for bring this subject on the table. When I quit my job I lost my benefits but my husband supposed to take care of me with his insurance. But due to his arrest now I do not have any coverage and I tried to applied to Obama care but is to expensive for me right now and unfortunately I do not have a job yet. I said this because I been diagnosed and treat for depression and anxiety with medicines, now this situation with my husband is aggravatingly my condition and I find myself crying out of my lungs every day.

I tried to find some happiness in my beautiful niece who I am baby sit twice a week but not even that is giving a smile. I am not happy and the sadness is getting over me slowly.

I pray twenty four seven and I know God is holding me but even though I feel like ..... Blah. I do not sound to Christian but I am be honest.

Sorry!

Befranco

Rew,

I agree! Especially with what people are going through with RSO, etc., if you need help, go get it. I helped a friend of mine out and would not leave her alone because of the depression she was going through. It was bad and I showed up at her house, I would call her every day more than once a day. I wanted her to know that I was here for her. If you can't afford someone, at least talk it out with a friend and if you don't have a friend like that, come here and talk. We are all here for each other. But if you can get to see someone, that is the number 1 choice!

Befranco, you need to get a friend to speak to. I don't know how God gave me the strength to help my friend while I was going through everything with my son going through the court stuff and going to jail, but he gave me the strength to be strong for her. Try to stay strong and if you need to pm me, please feel free to do so. We can't let these people destroy us!

HB

Befranco,

Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean you can't be depressed. It is a chemical imbalance...try to google natural remedies and come here to get support as often as you need. This group helped me tremendously when hubby was arrested, during the trial process and now as he is serving his Sentense.

See if your church has counciling sessions at a discount or free for members, as they will also help you through....

Befranco, I don't know where you are, but many states have a Department of Mental Health that will assist you in getting some evaluation free and then assist you in working the pharmaceutical companies to obtain grants from them to get your meds at free or reduced cost. I'm not saying it's regular counseling, but it's at least some. I would urge you to do some research or you can message me with more info on your location and I'll be happy to help you if I can.

Thought, Sam66, Heartbroken and Rew thank you for your support and sorry but I could not resisted to said how I feel about this subject. I know is not about just me and all of us are having issues and sadness in our heart. I am very scare and I feel very alone!
I am glad to have all of you now part of my family.

Thanks!
Befranco

Befranco, try googling free or reduced prescriptions...throw in "depression meds" in your search. Also, try your local county assistance or regional assistance office or crisis intervention at your local hospital. Lots of municipalities offer resources for free or low cost mental health meds and so do the drug companies. The resources are often out there but most people don't know what's available

A couple of the most widely prescribe antidepressants, SSRIs, are on the Wal Mart four dollar list also.

In fact, I just downloaded the list and Celexa (citalopram) and Prozac are both on the list. You can buy a 30 day supply of the generic brand for four dollars or a 90 day supply for ten dollars.

rewdiazepam

Mental illness is such a poorly understood topic. I have several friends who posted on Facebook about how "selfish" and "cowardly" Robin Williams' suicide is. It is that kind of thinking that keeps us from effectively treating these conditions. We think of ourselves as weak if we need help.

Befranco, my recommendation would be to call your doctors office and ask if they have any suggestions. My doctor's office was a great source of information for me when I was uninsured. My doctor made sure I was on a very inexpensive prescription and researched options for low cost talk therapy for me. Community health centers usually have sliding scale fees based on your income and often include mental health care or have separate behavioral health centers that can help. If they don't have the information, they should at least be able to point you in the right direction.

Just having a backup plan set up is a huge asset in fighting depression. In the depths of it, it is so easy to go without because of lack of money, effort, time, etc. I know I put off treatment for a long time because I was afraid to ask for help. Even after successful treatment, when my symptoms returned years later, I didn't have a plan in place for if I needed help. It made it harder to get the treatment I needed. That is why I really recommend coordinating through your primary care doctor (and if you don't have one, get one. It is so important!). Having a primary care doctor help coordinate your care can really help take some of the burden away from you. Every little bit helps.

MeanReds,

You said, "Mental illness is such a poorly understood topic. I have several friends who posted on Facebook about how "selfish" and "cowardly" Robin Williams' suicide is. It is that kind of thinking that keeps us from effectively treating these conditions. We think of ourselves as weak if we need help."

Unfortunately, that is the kind of ignorance that is pervasive in this country today. You will notice these uneducated opinions all over the Internet as you read some of the comments people write in response to a story or news event.

This ignorance is also the reason our prisons are full and that the sex offender registry has over a three quarters of a million names on it. I call it "willful ignorance" as even though many of these people are uninformed, they have no incentive to even want to educate themselves on these matters.

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I even read that Shepard Smith (from Fox News) had to issue an apology for saying that Williams was a coward.

I even read today that Williams even had the beginning stages of Parkinson's disease. This may have been the tipping point for him... We never know fully what people are going through, until we have been through it ourselves.

Rew,

I know that my son suffers depression and when he gets out of prison, I am planning to do everything it takes to get him mental help. The problem with today is that they don't have enough people to deal with the mental illnesses that we have today and if you find someone, it is cash and very expensive. Its really ashame. My cousin just committed suicide about 6 or 8 weeks ago and I can tell you that my own brother thought it was a weak thing. I think someone is so bad off with depression that there is a point where they don't feel like anything they do will help except to end their lives. Its very sad. I can say that exercise helps a lot and talking with someone. Like I posted earlier, my best friend dealt with depression and I tried to understand why she would feel the way she did and just could not understand, BUT, I never left her side. I read in a post about Robin Williams that it can take just one person to help a person with severe depression. I am glad that I was there to help my best friend. Soooo, talk about it if you feel depressed. It helps and that is why I love this place because I can vent to you all. We are all in this injustice system and we need each other.

This is obviously a very important topic for me. I have struggled with depression since I hit puberty. Often people, even those who have struggled in their own way with depression, do not fully understand what it can do to a person.

I did not understand how devastating depression can be until I started to experience the physical effects that can come with it and with anxiety. That was my tipping point. Until then, I don't think I ever really understood why someone would attempt suicide even though I had struggled with depression for years. I am sure I still do not understand the effect it can have. I make it a point to try not to judge anyone else's struggle. You never know what someone is going through.

Just know that if you are struggling, you are not alone and that with the right treatment, things can improve. Everyone says "it gets better" but what they really mean is "even if things in your life do not get better, the way you cope can get better."