depression

[Connemmara]

does anybody get away from it . I have nearly forgotten how to laugh and if Ido I feel guilty

[sleepy1j]

exercise is very good .if u can .sorry im sure some others could help u more on here .hope your better soon .

[truce]

stop laughing then. guilt is the worse thing ever. rather stay in your house with the curtains closed and think dark thoughts.

hope this helps

[Schutzengel]

Well that was very unkind, and no help at all to someone suffering from depression.

[jennyjen02]

Totally agree with what Schutz just said. I can't say I've been through depression, but I must say that it's so easy just to say "how can you get depressed? Just watch a funny film!" or whatever, and it can't be anything like that.

Have you tried talking to your doctor?

[ACtheTROLL]

con - you need to make some decisions - not easy if the black dog is there

honestly - you are never going to be free ...
there will however be good and bad times ... you have to learn to enjoy the good ... and survive the bad - preferably without happy pills - they won't make you happy - they'll just stop you being you.

do you walk, fish, have a dog, repetitive exercise like walking can focus you so you can let your mind go elsewhere
a dog will rely on you to get out and walk - you HAVE to do it every day - you won't look or feel out of place ... and you'll have someone who thinks more of you that possibly you do at times.

I worked with bi-polar for ages some years ago - talking isn't much use ... but you should do it anyway, because the odd occasion it is any good it's all worthwhile...

without knowing you obviously assessment is impossible - so you need to see your doctor ... and get your referred to someone who can.... don't take the pills ... insist - feel bad later ... but don't be fobbed off.

there will always be tw@ts like truce ... the way they act is how they deal with their demons. you need to sort out how to deal with yours - hopefully in a better way.

[padanarm]

Everyone has moods when they can feel really good or really bad. People can control their moods. Depression is different.

Recognise that depression is an illness but it's part of who you are. Take control of your ilness. You can find out what type of depression you have and whether you can identify triggers. If you can do that you'll then be able to find appropriate treatment, with professional help.

Look at the information from Depression Alliance and MIND. It might help to know that you're not the only one to have felt like that.

What makes you laugh?

[Mctavish]

You will get away from it eventually and then you will find that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I have been there so know how you feel.You will have good days and bad days but try to keep smiling and let people help you.

[saxy_jag]

Padanarm's absolutely right - if this is a depression that's gone on for more than a couple of weeks, then you need to seek help or it will just become worse.

It's very hard, I know, to pull yourself out of the rut you're in when you don't know how and you don't see the point anyway. It seems so easy to other people, and when you're up and running again you wonder what you ever found so difficult about it - until the next time.

Do not feel guilty about having a laugh. It's very good for you - I believe it triggers the release of certain, healthy hormones in the body. It's certainly much better for you than drugs or alcohol, which some people resort to.

Go on - switch over the BBC3 or GOLD for the evening and enjoy yourself!

[wolf63]

I suffer from Bipolar disorder which includes long, long periods of Clinical Depression. This has affected me all my adult life (I am 45).

I think that anti-depressants CAN help, they lift your mood and help you do things that can speed your recovery. I find that doing my regular voluntary work and looking after my two cats helps keep me occupied.

It could be that something has happened in your life that has triggered this episode of depression.

The worse bit of the illness is the reaction that you get from people who do not understand how awful you feel. When I am depressed my brain just seems to shut down and even the most mundane task becomes impossible.

With or without medication it will end, you will slowly feel less ill and one day you will actually realise that you are feeling good.

Talking about how you feel to a friend or family member may help. Speak to a friend who can make you laugh.

I hope it is not too long before you get some sunshine back into your life.

Susan

[babybombo]

Like everyone has said, things will change and they will get better but you need to help yourself.

Believe me, the longer you leave it the worse it will get and the harder it'll be to get out of!

In answer to your question, I'm not going to lie to you, because I know that when I was depressed, the last thing I wanted was people preaching to me about how good life is and how amazing it'll be when you get better.
The truth is that you'll always carry a little bit of it with you but like ACtheTroll said, therell be bad times but there'll be good times that outshine them a million times over.

You need to get help for this, because the hardest thing to realise with depression is you can't help yourself, it's impossible to get over this on your own. Even if you just make the first step, talk to your family or a friend, anyone you can trust.
Then just take it step by step from there as slowly as you want.

[Connemmara]

thanks to you all for taking the time with your answers. Would you believe whilst I suffer from depression my friends think I am the funniest person alive. Honest to God. and I know when I start in company I can come up with the biggest howlers and real life stories and turn them into funny stories. But then the great comics of TV suffered a lot of depression didn't they - Tony Hancock to name one. But I do have a little dog and he gets me out. Again thanks to one and all.