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Can you be depressed without the lethargy?

81 replies

Arion · 17/03/2016 09:33

I'm really struggling at the moment, I was referred for counselling as my anxiety was getting worse. At the introductory session, talking things through opened up unresolved depressive episodes x 2. Had 1st proper session last week, anxiety score has gone right down, depression score has gone up. I don't have the feeling of trying to fight my way through mud like previous times. All the sad has been coming out this week, I'm not sleeping, I can't eat, I am holding onto control and functioning by the tips of my fingers, but I feel really clear headed. I usually bottle everything up and cover it with a layer of food, I don't know what to do with all this emotion. I'm scared it's going to break me, I'm scared of spiralling down into the depression of before, I'm scared of being stopped from ending things if it starts to get bad, and having to go through it again.
I have 2 lovely children and they are what are holding me here, I can't let them see me go down, I don't want to hurt them. I can't see what others see in me though. I've comfort ate from primary school, this is my normal, to feel that the world would be better if I wasn't here, to be waiting for everyone to see me how I do, and hate me. This is what I bury, this is what I cover with food. All this is welling up though and I keep feeling so sad. I've tried talking to friends (which I've never done in the past) but I'm hurting them and worrying them by hurting so much.
I'm on a very low dose of Amytriptaline for anxiety, (10mg) but I've just had 2 months supply to see me through the counselling. On Tuesday I was checking how much you would need to OD, I have enough, but all the information says that this is a really easy drug to OD on, and high risk of death, it's kind of a better be certain than a cry for help type.
I feel really clear headed though, I'm researching this and working out the options with about as much emotion as sorting out a meal plan, or a to-do list. I just want this to end, I'm so tired of not living, of burying everything and just existing. I just want to stop.

OP posts:
Marchate · 22/04/2016 14:53

It's good that they don't close the book, so to speak, after your last session. Less worrying if you know you can go back

Arion · 23/04/2016 10:16

Yes, it's a kind of a safety blanket and I do feel more secure knowing its there.

Well, life is weird here! Yesterday when I woke up and felt that I was 'enough' I felt a bit tearful, but in a good way. Today, my libido has come back, (it's been AWOL) for at least the last 2 months!) but I then worried DH by crying afterwards! Not proper full on crying, just this over flow, almost leaking of tears! I didn't feel sad, I felt really good, the difference between how I feel at this present moment and how I've been feeling for a long time is so different, and I just felt this overwhelming rush of emotion but not really sadness, even though they were tears? I assume it's just a release of some sort and to just go with the flow?

OP posts:
Marchate · 23/04/2016 14:02

I expect your emotions are very confused

Arion · 23/04/2016 16:09

I guess so. I'm just trying to be gentle with myself and feel things as they come, I guess that's all I can really, bottling it up didn't work. I've got really good, trustworthy friends, who have trusted me with their problems, I need to be more open with the people I trust, but that is going to take some practice. The last couple of sessions have shown me that, although feeling the emotions is hard, it's not too hard, it's not overwhelming, I can manage with it. I know that if it all creeps up and starts to get overwhelming I can refer back, and I can ask for Chris again, so I don't have to start again with someone new.

I'm a lot stronger than I've given myself credit for in the past, I'm a totally different person to who I was 19 years ago, more experience, my family, my friends, where I'm living, it's all totally different. I got through that 6 months with no medication, no counselling till it had nearly passed. With the PND with DD I got help, medication and counselling, and it was shorter and more maneagable. This time the low points have been shorter still, really intense and horrible to go through, but each time I'm getting more help and finding more support and understanding more what works for me.

Depression has a script doesn't it? All these voices crying out for help in the mental health section and the experiences people have shared over depression awareness week. That those close to us would be better if we weren't here, you hear it over and over, and it's so not true, the impact of it would last a lifetime.

At the moment, on this day, I am enough. I'm not perfect by a long shot, but that's ok. I'm trying my best, and I am ok, flaws and all.

OP posts:
Arion · 08/05/2016 22:05

So, back again.

The week and a half after session 5 were emotional and amazing. I kept having bouts of feeling sad, I'd cry a bit and then it felt better. Sometimes the tears seemed to come from quite near the surface (like my eyes leaking), sometimes they came from about my solar plexus answers almost painful. But even the really painful ones only lasted about 10 minutes max and were handle able. I kept getting my enough feeling on and off, which has been amazing. And I felt lighter, better after the tears so was just going with it.

So, last session was on Tuesday, just gone. Chris could see the change in me before he even looked at the scores and he was really pleased for me. Stuff with my Dad had been going through my head all over the weekend and I really wanted to talk about that to try and lighten the emotions of that load. It was tough talking about it, after if done Chris asked how I felt from talking about it, and what I wanted to get out of raising it. I said that everything else I'd talked about had been easier afterwards, lighter and I thought that would be the same. We talked a little bit about emotions but he didn't take me back into the feelings of when it happened, like with previous things.

Then he talked about how I could report it to the police, now or six months down the line if I wanted to. Then he talked about DD and if I thought she was at risk, was she ever alone with dad, were either of them ever alone with dad. He asked how I felt about what he was saying, which was really scary. He said about the duty of care, and his responsibility, which I know he went through in the first session, I just never expected it to apply to me, and my family. He said not to hit the panic button, that he didn't think there was a risk. I think he was also I corned with this coming out in the last session, as he pulled up my notes from the start to talk through how I was then, and how different I was feeling now. He also said Ivan self-refer back if I need more help, and he's put on my notes he's happy to see me again if that's what I want. I can't refer back for 3 months though. He said that if I need help before then to go to the doctors as I did around Easter.

I felt OK on Tuesday, I told DH what Chris had said, I went dancing, I felt OK. Then Tuesday night I couldn't sleep and Wednesday I was really on the edge of tears at breakfast club, but then we got busy so that helped. I went in to hell in nursery in the afternoon and just burst into tears upstairs, I just couldn't stop crying. I had to say I couldn't help. Got mopped up a bit by people at work. Then Thursday I had a really strong anxiety response, kept having to go to the toilet, felt sick, had to lie down in the afternoon. I felt really bad as I was supposed to be doing something with a friend and she just had to sit there whilst I zoomed off to the toilet, she told me to try and have some sleep in the end and left. Friday I felt a bit tearful again but a bit more under control. Had lunch with DH and then a couple of friends came round.

I just feel like the rug has been pulled out from underneath me. I was always convinced I'd had a bit of a crappy time, but it was small things, they'd just added up and I'd been over sensitive and I was frustrated that I'd over reacted and was still affected. But I was never abused, I was never touched, I was never raped. But then Chris said about a report to the police, so the subtext is, that I was abused. I'm just really struggling to get my head round that. To have that spelled out to me. I've kind of had two conflicting thoughts in my head, in that if DH tried anything like that with DD, he'd be out of the door so fast. But with me, it was 'just' a kiss, 'just' a few comments, 'just' the way he looked at me sometimes. And he was drunk, and wouldn't even remember.

OP posts:
Marchate · 11/05/2016 23:41

I guess a 'good' counselling session doesn't necessarily bring instant happiness. Maybe more questions than answers?

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