To ask what actually helped when you were suffering from depression?

[iamelectrogirl]

Hi, quite a self explanatory title really.
Just wondering if there was anything that really made a difference to you when you were suffering from depression.
I'm really really struggling right now and I can't easily take Anti-Depressants due to pregnancy/ breastfeeding plans. I'd really like to hear if anything helped from anybody with any experience

(Chose this forum due to high traffic but can delete/move)

Agree agree agree about eating properly, omegas, homeopathy if it works for you (whatever anyone else says

Also give up all spirits and smoking.

When I had postnatal depression (mercifully short thank goodness!) I found distraction helped so I baked a lot and took up ironing Telling dh helped. But also saying he just had to know and not do anything and if it got worse I would go to the doctor. It also helped to acknowledge it to myself and know that it would pass.

Depression without cause is harder because you don't know when it will end. I give it a time limit and limit on severity and if either of those are breached it's a trip to the GP.

When the black dog approaches things that help ward it off for me include: time to myself, having a project to work on, mindfulness exercises, yoga, gentle outdoor exercise. Setting small goals so I can fake it through.

Standinginline, re the book you recommend, can you remember who wrote it? Sounds interesting but there are two books on amazon with the same title. Thanks.

Oh OP if you feel suicidal, please don't mess around deciding what to try. I don't know if you are, or if you are worried you might be but if you are gEt ADs and a therapist ASAP! You need someone to take an interest in you when you are so down, so a therapist of whatever kind will be worth it just to get you over the hump. You rely on them to help you they rely on you to talk to them, or just show up. Don't spend too long deciding which kind or weighing up the cost if the NHS can't give you someone immediately, you can do that once you are feeling better and can decide more clearly what type of therapy or ADs or sport or etcetcetc might suit you better. Good luck!

I think the key to understanding what helps is knowing what makes it WORSE. For me, understanding that If I feel low I get into a pattern of staying in, withdrawing effectively, when I am not at work makes it worse. If I find myself doing too much of that my social contact levels drop, that feeds the negative cognitions and so on.
So I know then I have to up my game a little. Make contact with friends, get out more, plan things to do, get some dates in my diary for future activities. This helps me a lot.
I admit though I don't have full blown depression, more menopause related low mood, but it can get pretty bad if I don't watch it.

Anti depressants-Sertraline, but also the change in my thinking that meant I took that decision to go and ask for them. And that, of course-the change in thought patterns is what can be so hard to do when you are depressed.
Now, off the pills, day to day, to stave off depression:
Music
A slightly mindless physical activity which keeps you busy but mentally sort of in time out. Mine is crochet at the moment.

Yes agree with pp, if you're feeling suicidal don't fuck about, get yourself to the GP straight away.

sunshine, moderate exercise that helps you be more centered/mindful such as yoga or scenic walks.
be gentle with yourself, give time some time to process and heal.

I think the single most important thing is to sleep well so you can wake up with a clear head and face the day.
You could take a sleep supplement such as valerian or passionflower to help with sleep problems.

I could never bring myself to getting into the medication cycle so I saw a naturopath and found 2 extremely potent remedies: L-theanine (sometimes sold as suntheanine & Ashwangandha ( an ayurvedic remedy)
They both act as mood stabilisers & are hormone balancing.
Really worth looking into. They quickly help take the edge off ( no more panic attacks, restful sleep, increased energy & positive outlook)
HTH!

chinamoon Her idea was for all her patients to do some kind of project near the end of their therapy to remind themselves of how far they've progressed - a metalworker made a butterfly (like the blue nhs mental health logo), another lady planted lots of colourful flowers in her garden... I can't remember the other examples she gave.

I decided I'd like to do a scrapbook and she thought it was a great idea. She said it was up to me to decide what was in it, but suggested a few before & after pages for therapy - goals/goals met, worries, how I felt about myself, ways I can help myself.

Koala the recent Catalyst (2 part special) on the ABC is an excellent place to start - I'm sure it's still up on ABC IView.
There is also a specialist clinic (or group of doctors??) in Sydney that focus on treating a variety of mental health issues through diet and improving the gut. I'm sure you'd find them if you googled. I know a friend of a friend's sister went to them after years of sever depression and manic episodes and has been able to come of her meds having changed her diet and thereby her bio-chemistry.
Sorry my info isn't too specific, but there's a lot of research being done on this at the mo, so if you dig I'm sure you will come up with lots of info.
I read heaps about it around a year ago, so If I come across some of the stuff I found then I'll get back to you.

ADs (prozac mainly) but cutting back over time as I felt comfortable. Yoga helped a bit but not fundamentally. Therapy was key to coming through. In a weird way, becoming a lone parent (the cause) became the cure as I had to just keep putting one foot in front of the other for DS. Passage of time helped as I started to figure out how to manage through it all. The sea change was moving to the US for a couple of years though. I have an amazing family who were nothing but wonderful and supportive but over time their love and safety net was stopping my recovery. Moving DS and I for a couple of years adventure (fixed term contract) saved me as it forced me out of my safe hideaway. A form of shock treatment really and definitely not recommended for others without a lot of therapeutic support.
I look back now and don't recognise the person that depression made me but I do have a healthy fear of its return and watch my mental health very very carefully.

i am 6 months pregnant and have crippling depression at the moment, i am having counselling but my emotions are completely out of control. i have an appointment with my GP this week and will be asking for Setraline which i have been told by many proffessionals is ok to take with pregnancy and during breast feeding.

i really wanted to manage without A/D's and have had a good go at other coping strategies but nothing is really helping. it's got to the point now where i have self harmed for the first time in years, i am being horrible to my children and am starting to feel they are better off without me. i can't consider suicide because of the baby but have had serious thoughts of leaving my lovely family because i feel they would do better without me around. it's a very dark place to be.

i'm not trying to hijack your thread but just wanted to share my experience and say that some A/D's are ok in pregnancy, if you feel suicidal or in despair please see you GP and get help; there is no need to suffer this much, there is help available (also clinging to this hope). xx

An Overview

People haven't talked about music yet.

Whilst in the grip of awful anxiety/restlessness, I found I couldn't engage with music I would normally engage with. The only music I could tolerate (and thus be a bit relaxed by) was early Leonard Cohen - the stuff with about two chords and lots of repetition. I feel very grateful to him.

I suppose my contribution then is to say that your wonky brain-wiring may mean that music you expect to be relaxing isn't but you can explore till you find stuff that suits your temporary wiring.

When it was really bad (unable to get out of bed or leave the house): Hypnotherapy

When it was moderate: CBT, getting up & going to bed at the same day every day, no alcohol ever, enough sleep, omega oils, eating decent meals at least three times a day, avoiding stressful situations & people as much as possible.

Finally, exercise. That is something I was only able to face when I was feeling quite well though, as it can be hard to get started. Once you are used to it though, definitely the best way of keeping depression at bay. Running has been the absolute best exercise for me (I am not a naturally sporty person either & surprised myself when I started to enjoy it!)

I also read a book recently called "Depression - the curse of the strong" which I found really helpful. I have read many self-help books in the past, but that one really helped me to think about the lifestyle I had before & how to change my life in future so that I have less pressure on myself.

I also think that staying away from Facebook helps! It seemed to make me feel a lot worse if I was already feeling down.

Good luck OP.

I think that if you are really depressed and suicidal then don't delay - go to the GP and take ADs if you are offered them. They saved my life.

Tell your GP your pregnancy plans and they will give you appropriate ADs.
Then once you start to pick up you can explore other options.
ADs can kick in straight away but take several weeks to work fully so don't give up if there's no immediate improvement.

Personally I'm very biased towards medication but then I suffer from Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder with Psychosis and can't function normally without high dose ADs and Anti Psychotics. The ADs I take are 300mg Venlafaxine MR daily and are very good.

Hi Op, sorry to hear you are struggling. I havent read all the posts, so apologies if i repeat/contradict other posters. This is just what works, and has seemed to work in the past for me, its still work in progress though, and some things that work sometimes dont work others so this is by no means a one size fits all solution.

First, three meals a day with 5 or more portions of fruit and veg. This is on top of anything you comfort eat with, and/or even if you REALLY dont feel like it. Dont mask your feelings by not eating at all/not eating properly. This leads to more problems down the line. Also add to this with fish oils and multivitamins.

Look after yourself, bath or shower and clean clothes/pjamas, even if you are simply spending the day in bed. And dont be hard on yourself about doing that once or twice. Sometimes we need to indulge the do nothing feeling for a day or two to get it out of your system, but any longer than that and i would suggest getting doctors appointment.

Arrange a meet up with a friend, something you can really look forward to, whatever your thing is; cinema, pub, meal, take away, chat. I know it takes a lot to do this, and you will feel like canceling, but try to push through and do it. It can clear the air for a bit, and stop you becoming reculsive and loosing more self esteem.

Meditate, i havent really been very good about doing this, but in recent bouts of deeression when i was lying in bed doing nothing i stated just trying to block out thoughts and the world, and it seemed to help. I need to stat putting time aside to do this regularly.

Some people find excersice helps, i really dont, but it might be worth a try for you.

NHS stress course was good, maybe see if there are a few round you and book in, deals more with anxiety though, but a bit about dperession.

Try to make some lists if you feel up to it, things like recipes you want to try, books you want to read, adventures you want to have etc. It can seem blank at first but if you try and focus on things you might have though in the past, things that used to make you excited and then think about how this might be different now, and the person you want to be and life you want to have in the future it can help to distract your mind for a while.

Watch easily followable tv shows like cop dramas, soaps and documentaries, that way if your mind wanders you dont have to give up on them. I tried watching films when i was ill and just wouldnt follow them and end up turning them off and sitting there doing nothing, but things like soaps and dramas that were very easy to follow served as a good distraction, same with books and magazines, sometimes you need the light and fluffy to bring you out of your depression.

Last one, a controvtial one, i used 5htp capsuals and they REALLY helped me. But it hasnt been clinically tested, and some people think it may be unsafe (although there is no proof of thi). For me its a last resort, but it does work. If you do use it start off at a low dose and work up. You can get it in holland and barrett or off the internet.

All of this is hard to do whilst working and with kids, in order to get better sometimes it is neccessary to sign off sick for a bit, take time off and ask for help.

Sorry for rushed post, and spelling mistakes.

Hope some of this helps.

artemisia Just giving up wheat could be the answer to your emotional issues (it works for dh) I know it sounds weird but maybe try it to see how you go. `Obviously drinking spirits and smoking won't help you either.

Antidepressants - I took them through one pregnancy and bf 2 children too.
Self help books.
Poetry.
Family and friends.

When my depression was at it's absolutely worst I was just about coping on a daily basis (well, big style struggling but not suicidal) but the few days before my periods I'd be suicidal. GP recommended Evening Primrose Oil on top of my ADs which helped a lot. But I've no idea if that's safe in pregnancy.

ppeatfruit i appreciate the suggestion but i have severe depression, i am in no doubt of that. i have suffered from it in the past, i am likely to suffer from it again, usually i can manage well enough but the added hormonal fluctuations of pregnancy alongside a phenominal amount of practical and emotional stress is what is is pushing me over the edge.

Although i understand that diet and physical health are major factors in emotional well being i don't think giving up wheat will be enough to stop me wanting to self harm or abandon my family to protect them from me.

Yoga.

Keeping busy (but not run off feet)
Playing with DNs

surfsup1 I saw that gut health show too - very interesting.
ppeatfruit I also felt better cutting out wheat

Citalopram is the only thing that has ever helped me. That and my pets.

I took citalopram while pregnant and breastfeeding too but I did have to stay in hospital for three days after giving birth so the baby could be monitored.

Exercise had no effect on me beyond a temporary lift in mood for a few minutes. Up until I read this thread I always just assumed that the exercise helping thing was nonsense.