Would you say this is depression or something else

[Blueskyyellowsun]

And does anyone feel/get the same?

48, one primary age Dc, work part time

I just can’t be bothered to do anything today, but also feel bored/frustrated at the same time. I have periods of this and then days where I become more motivated-always able to remain motivated about/for my Dd-I plan many things for her, v invested in her education, health, life etc-I give everything
I can barely be bothered to wash my hair, using far too much dry shampoo at the moment

The days I feel better/more motivated, it only extends to taking Ddog out, working, Dd,…not myself
I keep the house very tidy, keep on top of work, ddog. dd, school…I manage to be functioning and getting it all done, but I don’t take care of myself

It’s tricky to explain this, does anyone have similar?

Could be depression, perimenopause, hypothyroidism or low vitamin B or D, and that's just off the top of my head. But, definitely important to get to the GP for some tests rather than just trying to put up with it or battle on through. Hope you feel better soon

Thank you

I’m like this a lot and I have persistent depressive disorder so constant mild to moderate depression.

So sorry 😔 do you take anything, what helps?

I’m on a couple of antidepressants. I used to be on a lot more but it came with a lot of side effects that were very hard to cope with and I was only a little better so not worth it.
Unfortunately, it is largely treatment resistant so the meds just get me off the floor.
I have always been this way though.
You should definitely see your GP. It does sound like something is amiss and it is probably something treatable for you.
If it is depression, the sooner the better for getting it treated. There’s been some interesting recent research on this and I have certainly found it to be true. Good luck 🤞
I know I’m probably going to get my throat jumped down by some posters for this but it has been suggested to me (including by my GP) that what I experience (since it is long term, not typical of depression and doesn’t respond well to ADs etc) might actually be what’s known as autistic burnout.
If nothing else fits and it’s very persistent, maybe something else to consider.

Sounds similar to me. I almost started a thread myself recently but found it hard to describe accurately. I'm not sure if it's depression or burnout.

I'm following because this sounds a lot like me. It started with perimenopause, and might also be mild depression or autistic burnout or hypothyroidism (which I have and is medicated) or possibly the impact of trauma. I have no idea but you are not alone.

Thank you all, I wondered about some kind of exhaustion/burnout

When you say you work part time - how many hours?

Not many really but i’m pretty much flat out doing everything else

I think this is also probably a common thing with mothers. Our energy and resources goes into the dc, we get into the habit of it and it becomes a negative spiral that’s really hard to break.
When my mood was very bad after I had my only dc 7 years ago, I kept trying to force myself out of it by resolving to do things like sort my hair or go for a walk or eat some fruit or veg etc, but it just didn’t work. After a few days it fell by the wayside again. So, instead I started to plan to do something nice for myself each day instead. Just something small. That actually improved my mood much more and when my mood went up, I just automatically started to do some of the necessary self care stuff without thinking about it.

Perimenopause

Start with getting blood works to eliminate low iron etc. Then consider perimenopause/depression.

How many? Because there’s a lot of hours in a week and you have one school aged child so I’m struggling to see why you’re flat out?

Is that really appropriate? Op has come on to say she thinks she's depressed and that's your response? Some people 🙄

because it could be in part that’s she’s bored with actually not enough going on in her life - that it’s making her feel sluggish and down

ok?!

A key question to ask if it's depression is "Do I have a lack of interest or pleasure in doing things?"
Do a PHQ9 depression measure online.

Would it be worth trying some CBT on the nhs?

I wonder if the clue is in your user name @Blueskyyellowsun
We're just coming out of one of the most depressing winters I can remember and they are always depressing.
When did you last get some solid sunshine and any chance you can get some anytime soon? Even if not, the forecast is much better for this week for much of the UK which might help.

Can you pinpoint when it started ? Are you a single parent because you don’t mention a DH or partner ? I often feel like this but I have hypothyroidism and was a single parent for many years to my DD. I was like you, I put a lot into her and she is now thriving in her early twenties but I struggle to put the same enthusiasm into myself. I definitely suffer from low mood but I think I just feel defeated by things beyond my control such as having to single parent for years whilst working full time and failing to meet a decent partner after my divorce, struggles in the job market and having to support other family members but no one supporting me. I think I am just burnt out from doing everything. You are not alone.

Same place op, was laughing at myself trying to figure out how I’d explain it to the gp, but in my case it would be I think I need an antidepressant and hrt, but I haven’t tried exercise or fresh air as I’m too exhausted and I’m not eating great and I’m living on screens and I’ve given up everything that made me happy- seeing friends, reading, running, good walks and myself and dh are in a really bad place so maybe I don’t need medication maybe I need to work on all that and ignore the news and the bad weather but … oh hold on, can you give me the medication?

How is your diet? I have depression and anxiety and I was at my absolute worst when I was underweight and not eating right. Since I’ve made a conscious effort to eat keep my weight up a little and also found out I was mildly anaemic and dealt with that my mental health had been much more manageable. It’s obviously not a magic cure and I know it can be a bit of a chicken and egg situation but it has helped me massively . As has using a sads lamp over the winter.

Definitely speak to your gp about it too. As pp’s have mentioned there’s can be quite a few health issues that can cause depression like symptoms so it worth ruling them out and they can speak to you about antidepressants and cbt

I have a child with special needs and do 90% of everything really

I know 😔

Thanks

The frustration aspect of it (like tired but wired) makes me think you’re probably quite burnt out. I’ve been going through this myself recently and ended up signed off work. I’ve started an anti burnout journal I found on Amazon and working my way through that which is really helpful so far. The woman that writes it explains it all better than I ever could but I definitely get that exhausted but frustrated with myself thing.

Also have you spoken to a doctor about it? I ended up getting lots of other stuff ruled out through bloods which put my mind at ease after I spent hours googling what it could be lol