What treatments have you tried for depression? What works for you?

Ok well most start on some kind of medication, i cannot tell you which works best, as everyone reacts differently. I have had so so many bad reactions sadly.

Then talking therapy helps so maybe CBT thats amazing, conselling, family therapy if needed, depends what issue is.

Then increase exercise helped me alttile not always lol

Hi friends, I'm new here and this is my first post, like most of us I don't or I find it difficult to speak of and explain my condition known as depression with others, no matter how close they may be to me, depression is a private and a very lonely place, each individual have there own experience, so there are no set patterns, feelings medications or solutions. Depression is not a choice or an option, it is mostly a chemical imbalance of the physical system. My thoughts sometime are if we are born with a chemical imbalance then we can be born to be depressed. Then again maybe not.

I have dealt with, and a lot of the time not realized I have been depressed,for over 30 years. It has brought me misery, broken homes, financial problems,addictions,bad choices and so much more. I at one time in my life thought depression was a figure of speak for I'm bored or fed up. 

I have been on so much medication, have seen psychiatrists, therapists, etc.

Five years ago I took myself off all prescribed medication, it refused the assistance of the medical people and changed to a holistic approach, I had Reiki treatments and started a course of St John's Wart, I also take walks and I have learned to change my over thinking to positive thoughts, so far it is working, I wish health, balance and happiness to all xx

Good Morning Kay and welcome to the group.

Whilst I commend you for coming off all medication and refusing medical assistance I do think that people who are struggling have to find their own ways to addressing their own issues. 

For me personally, I ignored all the real concerns of my family/friends regarding my mental mind set telling them and more importantly myself that I "wasn't depressed, just low and that I was coping with all the horrendous issues that I was going through"

The turning point for me in this train of thought was when I seriously thought how easy it would be to just walk out in to traffic. No , I couldn't see any way out of the vicious illness; but that thought frightened me so much that I sought help.

No , medication didn't solve my issues/problems but it helped to calm down my frantic mind thus enabling me to focus on "Me" and although I knew the root cause  of my illness [divorce after 30 years being totally controlled by my now ex ,resulting in me being a single parent with a very low income , having no spare cash but having all the bills . I didn't even know who my energy supplier was!! My sister was also diagnosed with Cancer, my dad elderly dad was diagnosed with COPD and I was facing redundancy]

I adopted the little by little, day by day approach and with each box ticked I got through. I thought that I didn't need medication and so stopped it all. I found out the hard way that it doesn't work like that and it really was a case of 2 steps forward, 3 steps back.

There is only one person who can help us that is ourselves. One approach doesn't fit all and but I will advise anyone on here; accept and embrace 100% what is on offer to find out what will work for you.

Along with medication , I too like you Kay discovered "talking" .Opening up via email to a penfriend of 30 years whom I have never met was a life saver. She never judged , only supported. I could tell her exactly how I was feeling etc.

Coming on this group can work in that situation for all those who struggle opening up "face to face" with perhaps someone they  know. I was offered counselling but declined due to the above.

I urge people on here to use this group for their own benefit in the name of self healing. It demonstrates that you are never alone in what you are struggling with or going through. There is always someone on here for you , to offer you support , let you vent your inner most thoughts/emotions and never judge. What right does anyone have to judge others?

Depression is an illness that is out of our control; like you state Kay it is a chemical imbalance . We all have our breaking points but we are all individuals who all have our own limits before we fall.

I too, try to do things for "me" daily . No matter how simple. Anything that will in turn release those 'happy hormones" can only be a bonus.

When I feel those anxious waves rising , i focus on my breathing . I had to learn to love me all over again. Not be over critical of myself. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones , which when you are on a real low can be so hard.

Understand and accept that I would have good and bad days but not to beat myself up on the bad ones.

I had to learn channel my anger  as that meant that my ex was still controlling me. To this day , I  still get angry at myself for believing his lies/deceit and standing by him but then I try to tell myself that at least my conscience is clear and he didn't want/accept that he had mental health issues. He was diagnosed as being "delusional and psychotic". We, as a family tried to get him help but at the end of the day, he didn't accept it choosing to go and live with someone he knew from when he was 14.[ I had been all through high school with him], He had divorced me and married her all within 6 months. He has lost everything he once held so precious , I on the other hand have everything. My wonderful children/grandchildren, beautiful home and now a wonderful partner but I still get angry at times over his treatment towards me; his so called soul mate. I gave up a good career to raise our family and in time started working part time which helped when he was yet again out of work. At one point I had 5 cleaning jobs . His divorce petition stated that "I never did anything for the family and didn't contribute financially "!!

All the plans made for our retirement ;gone. Even now , it still makes me upset to think of what he has missed out on and I shouldn't but I am still owning "his actions."

It is like a bereavement and we all know that grief has no expiry date.

Little by little , day by day. x

Hi everyone,

How are you today? Have you seen this older discussion? 

Treatments for depression tend to depend on the person affect and can include lifestyle changes, talk therapy, medication or a combination of the three.

What treatments have you tried for depression? What has worked for you? Have you ever had any side effects from any treatments? What has been less successful for you?
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Courtney

I have been on many medications for my PTSD low moods depression and anxiety, I have suffered with mental health all my life, I have self harmed as a child by pulling my hair out by the roots ,my eye lashes out to as being bullied at the age of 6 till I left school because of my dad being in a mental hospital for 28yrs ,I was called names ,beaten ,kicked ,pushed off my bike ,had  been pushed in stinging nettles ,punched ,every day of my school yrs ,I have seen my dad in straight jackets, etc and in my day we was locked in behind doors, when visiting,hearing people screaming ,seeing nurses carrying baths of ice ,for sending shock waves to the brain ,seeing woman and men creeping through corridors, women with nappies tied round there legs people with lipstick slared all over there faces, it's not nice I've seen things in asylums that people today wouldnt never want to see and I was only little ,I've been raped as a teenager  ,had 3 broken marriages ,had a life of hell gone through breast cancer,seen my daughter go through skin cancer twice ,had to identify my dads body at 26 yrs of age ,nursed my mum when she was dying of lung cancer ,had a violent relationship was stalked had my life threatened twice ,then had coeliac disease at the age of 49 ,I've been on valium several times ,prozac, had councilling with lights ,hypnotherapy, and now I am suffering with many illnesses on top but now I am married again but happy ,but not being able to do anything for my self ,I have breast cancer, emphysema lymphoedema, hypertension, deaf jin both ears, glaucoma, angina ,osteoporosis arthritis, and migraines ,plus I am a coeliac ,gone through anorexia etc ,and at this moment in time I am resting up with a fractured collarbone and humorous, and yet I still try and stay positive but my mental health is not brilliant I am now taking amytriptylene  2 at night and loads of other meds but it's hard not being the wife I want to be Tigger 

When I was young I was put on every medication you can think of that gave me valium ,12345,but nothing worked then I was given prozac for a long time but now I am on amytryptylyn I was on 1 a night but now I take 2  every night canderstartan 1a night but that does help with my PTSD low moods depression and anxiety, but they wont give me anything else because I have tried lots but this is helping a lot more ,than prozac so I just try and cope as best as I can I still feel depressed but crying does help I try to put things down that bothers me and I write them down and put them in a worry box which I knitted myself he is my worry teddy but with what I have gone through in my life time makes up for my PTSD low moods depression and anxiety, and as long as I can cope with it because there would never be a reason for me to be hospitalised, because seeing my dad in a mental hospital I would never go in because I feel if you go in one of those places you would never come out I know its different now but it still look back at him in one and seeing everything I saw its worrying .Tigger