Did anyone reduce their depression naturally?

[Suziee37]

Tried medication, tried councelling many times and types of treatments. I’m now interested in natural methods. I’ve heard nutrition might play a part. Not gone well today as having a bad day so eaten a lot of junk! Any one experienced in healing themselves from depression

A SAD lamp helped me especially during winter to make sure I was getting some daylight, along with a strict routine and cutting way down on chocolate and sweets.

I have. I cut down massively on alcohol to the point of only drinking occasionally now, and only one or two at the most. I also changed my diet to mostly vegetarian but have the odd meat or fish dish for dinner.

My biggest thing has been my daily walks. I used to love them when I commuted to work but found my depression was really bad when I started working from home 11 years ago. I started doing the commute 'one way' anyway and it's helped.

I'm very mindful of my mood. I know when it's slipping and work on why and what I can do to flip it. I'm also very open with my DH when I feel it slipping so he helps me a lot. He's actually been the reason I was diagnosed in the first place so he's supported me every step of the way and made changes with me.

DH did/does by not drinking alcohol, doing a lot of strenuous exercise, practicing gratitude and taking passionflower, at John's wort (425mg) and vitamin d (high dose).

I've managed to ditch ssris after buying an alpha stim Aid. It sends little electrical impulses to your earlobes (yes really, lots of science behind it).

However in the past I have tried supplements and they made little to no difference. Depression is not a disease to mess about with and if the 'natural approach' doesn't work (which it won't in anything that's not mild) then it's time for the GP. I lost a lot by trying psychodynamic therapy and St. John's wort, 5htp etc.

The alpha stim is a different game though. It works. £500 and available online.

Before I get out of bed I take 5 minutes to think and list 3 weird things that I am grateful for. I do the same just before I go to sleep and often use it to reframe my negative thoughts. This week I have been grateful for the dead slugs that I have found outside my backdoor (1 most mornings).

My DP has cycles of depression spanning 35 years or so. Has always refused any form of 'treatment' (diagnosis as well but that's another thread). His diet is balanced, regular exercise, etc etc. He's all for letting nature take its course. The last cycle took 6-7 years to work through and it nearly killed me. Whilst diet, exercise, routines vitamins etc may do the trick for some people, for others I firmly believe there needs to be more active intervention, be that drugs, counselling or whatever. There is no one way to help everyone - there needs to be a variety of options.

Having tried 'natural' ways to reduce depression, there should be no shame in trying other interventions, if the 'natural' doesn't work.

@DPOtter - I totally agree. Every brain is different and what works for one is no indication it will work for another.

regular shenanigans with a loving partner

Things can help, but I think we need to be careful of telling people they can always DIY it. If moderate to severe, I think these things alongside medication and/or therapy can help.

Actual depression doesn't respond to diy or natural interventions. Feeling a bit low might. Not being very happy might. But depression? A very very very different game.

And all the time you waste on telling yourself positive things or going for a run or taking St. John's wort just papers over the cracks. Until one day you realise youve lost a year or two, lost part of your career, or destroyed relationships just because you read on the internet that St. John wort is 'as good as antidepressants'. It's not. It never will be. Even therapy on its own can either do fuck all or make it a lot worse. Depressed people find it hard to engage with therapy too.

And untreated depression can get a lot worse. You don't even notice it happening but it can, unless there was an underlying reason for it and that underlying reason vanishes. Treat the chemicals in your brain medically first then try therapy when you have done so.

Don't fuck around with the other stuff unless it's just the occasional low mood or very low level depression. And anyone that can get themselves to exercise or say positive things first or last thing is not depressed. Trust me if you had depression you would not be going for a run or thinking about what is good in your life. You would be lucky if you could even get dressed without a major effort.

That's your experience not everyones

@MarriedtoDaveGrohl - I am proof it can work. I was unable to dress or wash or leave the house or work or speak to people for years. I was dosed up to my eyeballs on ADs for decades and every time I came off them it was worse.

I titrated incredibly slowly off Citalopram and onto Prozac which made me less sleepy then very slowly off Prozac, while making getting better my only and full time job,. It took six months to even begin to feel anything - I had anhedonia so cared about absolutely nothing at all. I really do know what crippling long term depression is and I also know that the only thing that actively cured it, rather than masking it, which is what ADs did, was my year of focusing on making myself well and staying well.

It still takes hours every day. I can't work full time. But managing any chronic illness is time consuming. I'd rather live as I do now than in the fug of ADs. And I'd rather be on ADs than suffer serious depression again. If it ever stopped working, I'd use them. But in all my adult life - from age 14-56 I've never had such a long period of feeling stable as I have since I healed myself. Four years so far with a few dips but never for more than a few days and by applying all the things I did first time round, I felt well again. It's hard and it might not work for everyone. But it is possible.

@MarriedtoDaveGrohl could you link to the stim machine you have?

L tyrosine and Rhodiola Rosea are very good for cognitive functioning, depression and anxiety.

I would also agree that exercise helps.

Very similar to @mirandatempest

CBT with a therapist you connect with. You must commit to the process. It works

Yoga and Pilates. Start with beginner classes is a must. Also walking in nature.

Healthy eating. If you can give yourself one goal a day. Can be the same goals most days. Is, one glass of wine only. One junk item a day only. Set yourself up to succeed by having in the house the alternative items so you can eat a healthy treat instead (I count fruit as a healthy treat)

Meditation - I use the Calm app.

Get enough sleep. Read up in sleep hygiene. Do not take your mobile to bed. Do not get us to use it if you wake in the night. Otherwise if you wake, meditate

@BloomedAgain here you go. www.currentbody.com/collections/alpha-stim?utm_marin=mkwid_sbszGC1cC-dm_slid__productid__ptaid_kwd-298656818827&gclid=CjwKCAjwn9v7BRBqEiwAbq1Ey3ZgA4bliaXOCN1nf1uLg8232U3zWtGSIBdiC3cnmqFAZI0l6FZ-kRoCrwQQAvD_BwE

@monkeyonthetable i understand what you are saying completely. I came off ssris - they weren't working any more and I have not crashed back down. I bought my alpha stim when I started getting close and it worked.

But once upon a time they saved me - my only regret is having counselling (Because he didn't tell me what it was) and not going to my gp, and not wanting to see it or 'take pills' till it was too late.

So they worked several times and I was off and on them. No fug though so perhaps your dose was too high? The natural remedies (and yes that includes rhodiola which ive found the least effective) were mildly effective if I really tried hard to see that - but not for long. No match for actual depression and I tried very hard with them.

But equally your depression is still there. You still can't function. All you have done is remove anything remotely stressful from your life. And it will help. Your neural pathways will change - but it's still there.

@Macncheeseballs that's obviously not everyones experience. But to watch people trying to get out of clinical depression by taking herbs is like watching a car crash. Let's be very clear this is a medical condition. We don't try and wish our cancer away.

If you want to be happier yoga is good. Nature is good. Diet is important.

If you have clinical depression unless it is very mild those things will either not help or simply be outside your scope of possibilities. Telling people with depression to get outside more or eat more veges is actually a pretty PA shit thing to say. Why not just go the whole hog and tell them they are imagining things?

Here's some recent data from Nice re the alpha stim. Pretty positive given they literally never say anything is completely effective or works www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib193/chapter/Clinical-and-technical-evidence

Oh and another promising treatment I completely forgot about! Hallucinogenics. Mushrooms or lsd. Also ketamine though more difficult as it's administered intravenously. I think you really need a therapeutic babysitter though. It's not like you can just do a load of them one weekend and be cured.

@MarriedtoDaveGrohl - it's genuinely not there in the same way. For example, I used to have continuous really loud negative intrusive thoughts, shouting at me that I was useless and worthless and constantly telling me off. They've completely stopped. They were there for decades. It was exhausting trying to battle them. Gone. Totally. Like they wandered off to dement someone else.

And I no longer sleep 16-20 hours a day. It's down to 8 hours a day.
I can wake up, decide to do something and do it. I used to stand catatonically in the kitchen after DC went to school, like a computer frozen on the spinning wheel, for hours at a time. Haven't done that in four years. So many severely debilitating symptoms have vanished. I still have lower energy and poorer concentration than I'd like.

I still need more down time than most people, to avoid stress. But it's not depression any more. I know exactly what depression feels like and this ain't it. I had low motivation earlier this year but got through it before it took a hold.I even started a thread about it on here, then reading through other people's reports on how they were doing, I felt like a fraud, as they were struggling like I used to whereas my low motivation was streets ahead of can't get out of bed/wash etc. No comparison.

@MarriedtoDaveGrohl what does 'therapeutic babysitter' mean? I'm interested in the hallucogenics route too. Have you seen any of Professor David Nutt's videos about this. He does a lot of tests at Imperial College. If I get ill again, I will apply to one.

Going part time at work has helped mine enormously. Reduced pressure and stress.

For me, doing daily exercise, healthy eating, having a sleep routine and prioritizing self-care have been huge in lifting my depression and increasing confidence. :)

Therapy was the only thing that really did it for me.

But diet and lifestyle also played a big part. So cutting right down on booze and coffee, eating healthily it not restrictively (so plenty fo fruit and veg but still occasional things I enjoyed like a takeaway or a cake here and there), and plenty of exercise (even just starting with regular brisk walks or exercise videos on YouTube-something that gets you a bit out of breath if that is ok for you).

I think not only did they improve me physically, mentally it was helpful for me to feel like I was ‘doing something’ on those days I felt like utter shit or felt like therapy was pointless (sometimes felt that way).

Good luck

Thank you @marriedtodavegrohl I'll have to get that device. I'm fascinated by it

@monkeyonthetable you're 100% right that was most definitely depression (no shit Sherlock) and if that's not there then that's fantastic. Really pleased for you.

Actually I'm the same. It's like the depression has just damaged the part that gets me doing things. Though I do run a company so I suppose it's not completely damaged. I do find the alpha stim enormously helpful too I must say. Not for motivation but definitely for mood.

Re hallucinogenics I know you can could go to the Netherlands to do it too - I think when you're tripping they talk to you and manage it in a certain way. I'm not at all risk averse but wouldn't want to be off my head without someone who knew what they were doing. Plus they are therapists and I'm not sure doing it without that would work.

Ayahuasca is a more heavy duty version of the same thing. Not sure it's better though. TBH I've not found a conclusive way to do it. Other than getting on a trial which isn't happening!

If I could get ket and do it in company (as in someone that has done it too) I would. Takes several sessions but a lot less trippy. Don't think you need a therapist there either!

Diet has made ZERO difference. Not having a total prick in my life has probably been the biggest factor in getting rid of it. At the end of the day if your life is stressful nothing really works and all pills go is help you cope with the shit-ness of it. Which sometimes you need. Prozac gave me an incredible boost. I went from rock bottom to great new career and social life in weeks.

Exercise works but only while I'm doing it and I don't have the motivation. I tried meditation (properly) and it did little. Ultimately you have to do 40+ mins every day for at least a couple of years. Therapy has been a waste of time and money though cbt might be different.

Cutting coffee or booze out makes no difference. In fact not socialising and not drinking makes me miserable AF. I've no desire to give up my social life or drinks with friends. In fact I'll go out every few weeks and get plastered and afterwards it's like a reset. I just feel so much better. I have some boozy holiday friends and always feel great during and after (though I'm tired after 2 weeks of 3-5am nights, apart from our one or two 'early nights of about 1 with only a few drinks). I'd rather feel alive and like I'm living instead of sitting around eating quinoa personally.

@BloomedAgain

Thank you *@marriedtodavegrohl* I'll have to get that device. I'm fascinated by it

I really think they work. Take about a a week. I had mine glued to me which definitely does speed things up. Then I stopped using it and started to feel shit after a few months/weeks so started and was back on form in about a week again.

Top tip though - get rechargeable AAA batteries! My god you go through them!

I'm not sure I'd use it to lift serious depression. If you've got the money it's definitely worth a try (give it 2 weeks though) but I've learn the hard way you don't mess around with 'natural remedies' when it's serious.