I am very confused about my situation........

[moomoo1967]

I was diagnosed with depression back in Dec11 and the doc diagnosed AD's, I have been on them since then. She said for me to go back in six months(after I saw her again in April) then if I was feeling better I can come off the AD's.
How on earth if you are AD's do you know if you are feeling better ?

Admittedly today is a bad day, had a long tiring week, worked an extra day but haven't been sleeping well.
She was hoping that the AD's would help me get back into a better sleep pattern but that doesn't seem to have been the case.
I have tried Talking Therapy but I only went to 3 sessions as I didn't think it was helping. Feeling really low today and don't know what to do to make it all better. I tell DD who is 12 that mummy isn't well and go and hide in my room which obviously isn't fair on her, at least she is old enough to go out with her mates or they come back to ours.

I would go to the GP,and tell her the stuff you have posted on here.Write down what is on here if necessary,so you have something to refer to if you get stuck for what to say when you are actually at the GPs.

thats a good idea thank you

I have tried Talking Therapy but I only went to 3 sessions as I didn't think it was helping

This type of counselling didn't do anything for me either, moomoo. I had CBT though which really helped (even ten years later I can use the tools it taught me).

I think the fact that you are wanting to hide away means the ADs aren't working for you. By 'working' I would expect them to be giving you the boost you need to crawl out of the pit and function on a day to day level.

As for the sleeping, I had sleeping tablets for a while too. Perhaps not ideal but things always seem better when you are sleeping well and the middle of the night is a horrible place when you're depressed and lying awake.

Admittedly today is a bad day, had a long tiring week, worked an extra day but haven't been sleeping well

Finally, I think it's positive that you have admitted today is a bad day and you are able to identify the reasons why you feel worse. Tell yourself "today is a bad day, tomorrow may be better".

Thank you they are both good answers, I think I need to make another appointment.

I too went to the GP and was given "Talk therapy" instead of meds as I didn't want them back then. Did me no good whatsoever. I had 3 sessions too and never saw the same person. I had to go over the whole thing again with each one and by the time I had done that time was up. THe last one I saw basically said their other psychologist was off on the sick and that she was so stressed at being snowed under... Then she went on to say "Well, I think you are doing great don't you? So how about you see how you feel in a couple of months and if you are still struggling give us a call?"... Part of my problem is that I can not assert myself properly in RL and have trouble talking to people... So of course when she said basically she thought I was OK and didn't need to see them again I was like "OK" n even when I felt no better weeks later I was unable to call them back to make another appt. It took all my nerve to attend the original appts. It was a complete waste of time for me. I know what my problems are anyway and don't need to talk about it endlessly. I need someone to help me.

I hope you get the help you NEED. I want CBT but the waiting list in our area is 2 years apparantly... Not sure if that is strictly true but it's long unless you can pay and I can't.

In the meantime, there are quite a lot of online CBT resources and some good books available. You could use some of these to practice and learn some of the techniques while you wait for therapy.

As for your daughter, it's good to hear that she is still enjoying herself with her friends, she'll be fine I'm sure.

Sorry - that was all ME ME ME as usual.
What I should say to try and be helpful is if you are going to your GP maybe you could ask about the availablity of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in your area. Maybe the part of the country you live in has some availaibility? Good luck :)

I know what my problems are anyway and don't need to talk about it endlessly. I need someone to help me

That's a really good point, Tamashii. I didn't need to talk endlessly about the problems, I needed strategies to deal with them which CBT provided.

(And I didn't read your post as ME ME ME, I think it's useful to know that other people haven't found talking therapy helpful either. )

thanks again, the GP never even mentioned therapy I did it off my own back as I got so many face to face sessions. A friend has actually said that the mental health waiting list in my town is a nightmare.
What is the difference between CBT and Talking Therapy ?

Have a look at the Mind website, moomoo..

www.mind.org.uk/help/medical_and_alternative_care/making_sense_of_cognitive_behaviour_therapy#what

There's a lot of information on there about CBT and it even links to something called MoodGYM where it says you can learn cognitive behaviour therapy skills
for preventing and coping with depression.

(Never tried this but could be worth a try.)

I think there is some "homework" involved in CBT but it seems to be worth it in the end as it is the only thing that appears to work in the long term. I would like to give it a try myself but I am struggling to commit to anything. Hope you get some help soon.

What is the difference between CBT and Talking Therapy ?

There isnt a difference, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a form of talking therapy which is just the name given to any form of talking treatment of mental illness. It can be very useful in managing illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

There are other forms, one of which is psychodynamic therapy, looking at what we think and feel, especially in the context of our relationships. I wouldnt have thought this is what you had because it would never work in 3 sessions. Here it is not a case of simply talking about your problems, but building up a relationship with your therapist initially whio can help you think about your emotions.