To try and beat depression without medication?

[Dumbledormer]

Just that really. Anyone that’s done it? What worked for you?

I can't see anyone suggesting depression is 'easy' to beat.

It's also entirely possibly to be profoundly depressed purely because of your environmental circumstances.

Try it but don't feel like a failure if it doesn't work. That's my advice. Implement some changes, give yourself a time frame, and if you feel better, great. But if not, then please don't feel ashamed to seek help.

my dd has with a strict routine of 4 days weights exercise, every now and then she goes on holiday or misses a session - but at first it was very strict and she pretty much sticks to it

@Dumbledormer Have you done any assessment? This is the NHS test https://assets.nhs.uk/tools/self-assessments/index.mob.html?variant=42

If you have mild depression, yes you can try other options first.

• Does your employer have an Employee Assistance Programme? If so they may be able to get you quick access to CBT.

• Counselling may help. Again you may be able to get this via work or, given the NHS waiting times, privately. Look for BACP https://www.bacp.co.uk/

• NHS has two helpful links https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/cope-with-depression/ and https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/your-mind-plan-quiz/

• Mind also has useful info https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/depression/self-care/

I have ongoing mild depression, I have taken anti-depressants twice in my life. I also have done online CBT ( long story but wrong time for me), counselling/talking therapy which helped, I also use a mindfulness/meditation app https://www.feelinggood.app/ and a CBT book (American) plus some of the links I have suggested. A journal can also help to clear thoughts.

I know there can be a fear of AD, but if they are right for you it’s the right solution. Trying other options first is also fine. There is now a lot more online support which means you can try to see if anything helps knowing you can always ask for AD as a fallback.

HTH.

I think it depends if it’s clinical depression or effects of issues. For me 3 years of therapy with a bloody good psychologist.

I don't take any full time medication, I'm bipolar and so have regular bouts of depression and mania. I took anti psychotics and they were AWFUL. I've got long term damage caused from them so now I try to manage my episodes with exercise, mindfulness, therapy and the odd duvet day. If I am especially bad, I get a short term script from my gp for sleeping pills but that's maybe 2-3 weeks in the entire year in total. It works for me. It's not perfect but between my sport hobbies, holding myself accountable and forcing one foot in front of the other, being kind to myself, I get by for the vast majority of the time and for the most part I love my life, even if some days I lose sight of that.

There's situational depression and there's
(?hormonal) depression regardless of any situation - positive or negative.

I don't think you can beat the latter without medication of some sort. While the former doesn't really need medication but a change of the situation that's causing or triggering the illness, medication is like a bandaid in that case or some type of placebo effect. You can beat that without medication.

As well as good self care, what helped me was reconnecting with something I used to be passionate about.

When I was in the midst of depression it was so difficult to remember anything positive like that, but I had a vague recollection of really loving colouring in as a child, so…I bought myself the biggest box of coloured pencils I could find and committed to spending 5 minutes doing something creative every day.

Slowly but surely, I started to feel a tiny bit of that joy I used to have as a child come back to me and recovery started from there. It’s now almost a decade later and I’m still depression free and creating shitty art that makes me feel good 😊

Please don’t try my husband did this and put us all through literal hell he has bpd and it was absolutely exhausting!!! And scary! Nothing he said made sense during a “episode”.

If you don’t have immediate family kids partner? You have to work with others instead of remotley etc and your alone a fair bit then I’d say try it if yours is mild depression then by all means try! But absolutely take it far more seriously if people are close and around you a lot and have to tell you your behaviour is not ok! Take heed and do something drastic! Medication!

Anti depressant Medication, Venlafaxine in particular, saved my life. The chemicals in my brain are not right without long term medication.

Totally doable. Time, reflection, being honest with the way you live your life, sorting out shit relationships, firming up your boundaries and taking stock of every thing basically.

Exercise optional. Can give you a bit of an immediate life but long term look within, journaling can be helpful. Being in nature etc.

I assumed you couldn't. CBT only helps a bit. Can you address the core issues, of what makes someone depressed? I doubt it.

Of course you can. For mild to moderate depression anyway.

Daft analogy.

exercise helps massively

I tried for about 20 years. I was adamant I didn't want to take pills. I spent 20 years having bad spells of depression and feelings of suicide. I finally gave in and it is life changing. I will never go off them if I have a choice in it.

BPD is a serious personality and mental health disorder.

This is not the same as depression or feelings of hopelessness.

If you're serious about not taking meds you have to be very strict on exercise, mindfulness, meditation, no alcohol and finding ways to trigger your own serotonin and dopamine levels.

I found exercise and talking therapy has helped massively.

It may also be worth watching the new panorama documentary on antidepressants on BBC.

Give me a break. You obviously don't have experience with real depression if you think it's that easy. I spent 20 years trying naturally, but I already had a great life with good relationships and I exercised frequently. Medication was the only thing that helped save my life and your comment is like so many others that dismisses those who can't get better without intervention.

I was going to mention the Panorama documentary about anti depressants and a possible placebo effect. I haven’t watched it myself yet.

Don't make the mistake of thinking your experience with depression is the only legitimate reaction. I think anti depressants can be amazing at the right time. But they aren't always the only way.

I had unmedicated PND, not because I didn’t want treatment, but because it was so bloody hard to access in the depths of covid with a newborn and toddler.

Things I did were:

• regular exercise and generally sticking to a routine
• being outside as much as possible
• giving up sugar (apart from in fruit sometimes)

It was a bloody awful time but it is possible.

The same. I didn't choose not take them. I was missed in the system and got through it 😔

I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience with depression and that you found medication worked for you. But as a PP said, not everyone is the same and people experience mental health issues in a myriad of different ways. It’s a very complex subject, with a huge number of possible causes and every case is different.
People are giving the OP some good advice here. Nobody is saying it’s going to be easy to stick to that advice. One of the hardest things in the world is trying to look after yourself when you’re in the throws of depression. Whatever anyone finds that works for them, be it medication or not, is a positive thing.