To ask if I’m mentally unwell or lazy

Find yourself a non-pathologizing therapist to support you. Creating a schedule, introducing activities for fun (even if the thought or felt response isn’t fun right away) and building new or strengthening existing social connections will help.

You don’t say what has happened in your past, but there’s likely something that has deeply impacted you emotionally/psychologically. With what you have shared in your post, you don’t sound happy, fulfilled or ok right now. And you deserve to be all of these things. 💐

I often wonder this and conclude its a bit of both. Ive been challenging myself to put the phone down for a while and do something else. Just a way to slightly lift me, eg read a book. Im so reluctant to change ADs or increase!

I think if you were lazy you would be content with how you are living and not worried about it enough to bring your concerns here.

It might be the antidepressants you are on aren't the right ones for you. I understand there is often some trial and error finding the right one and right dose for each patient.

Is your GP aware of how you are currently feeling and functioning? If not, I think it would be a good idea to have a frank conversation with them so they might adjust your medication or consider other possible physiological reasons for your current condition. Possibly anaemia as a PP suggested. My understanding is that can be caused by a lack of iron in your diet and I'm guessing you might not be looking after yourself in terms of eating healthily given how you are feeling right now.

Personally, I wouldn't raise the possibility that you might be lazy because in my experience some GPs would run with that as the easy option just to get you out of the door. It would also stay on your record and possibly colour future consultations. And before anyone jumps in to say GPs would never do that, there is a reason for introducing Jess's Rule and it was long overdue.

In the meantime, all the posters that have said you should get off your phone are right. I know when you feel the way you do, the phone is an easy distraction but for some reason (I don't know what exactly) constant scrolling, even if it isn't doom scrolling, messes with your head but books, which would be similarly distracting, don't. It can be hard to concentrate on books when you are in this frame of mind but I think you might feel a difference as quickly as within a day or two.

I hope you get some relief from this soon and will be able to get back on track with your course. 💐

When did you last see your doctor OP? Are you currently receiving ongoing treatment?

Are you attending lectures? I got quite depressed at uni as a student. I found i had gathered unhealthy habits like being up all night and sleeping all day. I didnt bother attending many lectures. I was mostly just done with education but didn't want to acknowledge that. Work was a much more stabilising and motivating force for me. Get yourself a job OP and it will provide you with some routine.

Lying around in bed all day and doom scrolling your phone will be destroying your mental health.

Well, are you attending your classes, keeping up with the reading, and getting your assignments in on time?

I would second trying to build
some really small things in your routine. It can be useful to write down how you feel
about doing something beforehand e.g a bath or a shower. Then treat it like an experiment so there is no pressure to ‘enjoy’ it. Just observe it. Then see how you feel after. Generally I find with all things big and small I often feel better after. Writing this down helped me learn that I have a faulty ‘before’ assessment and generally assume things will be more unpleasant and harder than they are.

I have eupd. You need routine, structure and a reason to get up in the morning and out the house. I work part time can't do full time absolutely drains me but I am so much better then when I didn't work and stayed in bed all day.

Get off your phone.

Do you work? I find routine is key for my mental health. I go to the office every day as I prefer to leave my house daily, and come home etc. If you’re not working maybe look into some voluntary work and get some fresh air daily.

Are you working? Set an alarm every weekday for say, 7.00am and get out of bed when the alarm goes off.
Do you have any outside space? Make a coffee/tea as soon as you get downstairs, wrap up warm (maybe invest in a patio heater!) and sit outside in the fresh air with your drink. If not sit in the lounge with the window wide open.
No-one on here can tell you if you are mentally unwell or lazy but either way wasting your days lying in bed are not doing you any favours. Commit to getting out of bed in a morning, get some fresh air and I'm sure it will make you feel better either way.

Thank you. This post is so useful up mr at the moment so I’m placemarking

Do you work?

Agree with this. Assuming you're using your phone for SM, short form bids etc rather than reading a book.

Dopamine addiction. There's a recent book, it doesn't take long for your brain to get back to normal once you put the phone down.

From my minimal understanding of eupd, laying in bed is not laziness it’s a coping mechanism. If this is an ongoing problem it may be time to seek support and advice from your GP.

In the meantime aim for achieving just very small goals throughout the day like brushing teeth and changing clothes or short walk or tiny chore.

I hope this helps.

How long have you been on your current antidepressants?
I wasn't aware that they can become less affective after time, and recently changed mine because they'd stopped being as effective.
I'm now on a new one and feeling much more like myself again.

Hope you start to feel better soon.

Are you getting enough fresh air in your home? Stale air makes people very lethargic.

This sounds like me in my bad times. Winter is especially awful. I have a diagnosis of major depression and ADHD.

Very, very small positive actions can help build a bit of momentum, as -counterintuitively - motivation follows action rather than the other way round. Google the concept of behavioural activation.

My heart goes out to you. X

Sleep disruption, mood changes and anxiety are all symptoms of phone addiction.

Hi @Vibted7777
Is it making you feel unhappy? Am guessing you'd like to change?

It will involve a bit of effort. You may have anaemia or be low in Vit b and Vit d.
If you weren't on your phone and had no tv would you still feel exhausted and want to stay in bed?
Or would you start to feel bored?
If latter it's likely you're addicted to your phone and constant stimulus - ideally you'd put it away, get up, eat something healthy and go for a walk, exercise. Gradually energy and a sense of purpose will start coming back.

Youre only fully going to get to the bottom of what's wrong if you put your phone away and stop scrolling x