Can someone really overcome the depths of depression?

[Sporkle99]

I have a very close immediate family member who has reached rock bottom. Lots of trauma. Lots of drug use. Serious depression. They harmed themselves and said that they didn't know if today was going to be their last or not. I am extremely worried about them but equally I don't know what I can do to help.

I'm worried about the rate of male suicide and it feels like there's just no help out there.

Can anyone offer any reassurance at all that someone can get over 10+ years of on and off severe depression once they've hit rock bottom?

I'm beside myself with anxiety. I don't know what to do. Can anyone advise or help?

I think you need to give a bit more information OP, what, if any treatment has this person had already? I personally have suffered from severe depression on and off since I was 23. I tried talking to my GP, but I don't think I really got across how desperate I was, I then took someone with me who lived with me and knew what life was really like, at which point the GP took me a lot more seriously. I was put on anti depressants, and over a period of time things got better, so I came off them. Things then went downhill again, so I went back to GP and got put back on them. This kept going round and round in a vicious circle, until eventually the GP decided that I had an imbalance which meant that I need to be permanently on them, and this has really worked for me. However, to give any proper support, as I said, we would need to know more about what has happened so far.

As someone who lost thier dad last year to suicide. The one thing I wish I'd forced rather than encouraged. Was for a him to talk to a therapist. He was thrown all the anti depressants under the sun, he stockpiled these and eventually overdosed on them. He was the happiest man I know and the last 8 months of his life he was a different person. I kick myself daily that I didn't drive him to the doctors, sit him down and make him talk. Men have almost been conditioned to be the 'man', they find it hard to open up. I feel this is why the suicide rates in men is through the roof. That's the only advice I can give, obviously do the nice things together and take him out or watch his fave films, be present. But the key thing is therapy

Yes. Been there. Useless: conventional therapy. Mostly useless in the long run: medication (such a trap). Actually useful: EMDR. Lots of attention to sleep, outdoor exercise, and nutrition. Vit D. Omega 3s, and magnesium glycinate and/or magnesium threonate.

He's desperate for EMDR but it isn't offered on the NHS in our area and he can't afford private. He's tried talking therapy with multiple practitioners but it leaves him feeling pissed off and misunderstood. He's tried multiple different anti depressants but they either make him feel unwell or suicidal. He's tried them long term and they've never worked. Just feels so hopeless. He's such a wonderful person but he is in a bad bad way.

Well I've been sectioned, been on multiple medications and had ECT but I've been fit and well for more than twenty years and have needed not so much as an anti depressant in all that time so I'd say that it is possible. I was expected to need medication for life though but weaned myself off with psychiatrist support mainly because whilst I didn't have side effects I felt very flat when taking medication.

I'm not sure if you ever can permanently because people will have good and bad periods. Depression tends to lengthen (and heighten) the bad spells?

That said my rock bottom, whilst coming close to suicide on a few occasions, was never I don't think as severe as many other people suffer (never prescribed drugs for example).

I know it sounds stupid, but I never felt better or more confident than when practicing meditation (transcendental meditation to be precise). Did it for a couple of years, felt great. For some reason I can't seem to re-engage with it now, but at the time it transformed my outlook.

Not very helpful advice, sorry OP, my heart goes out to you and your family member.

Yes OP - I went from
deep depression in early 2005 to gradual stabilisation and finally was very happy in life by early 2010. I didn't recover by medical treatment. The way I got over it was GENUINELY believing life in future would get better