How to get through depression

[Goingtobeawesome]

Trying to avoids ADs as I have bad reactions to them as well as being in a fog and getting fat.

I walk every day with my dog.

I'm up and down and it's getting me down as when I am down I am just so sad and emotionally have bad thoughts want to have dh leave, etc

Any ideas or support greatfully welcomed. Thank you.

Hi OP. Could it be that you haven't found the correct AD that works for you? Have you been to see your GP? What did they advise?

Are you on the pill? When I came off the pill it was like emerging from a dark cloud - more effective and long lasting than anything else I tried.

I have been on three types before for PND but what I'm going through now I've only seen an OOH doctor. After a month my GP took me off them, I agreed, but now I'm worse and I really can't deal with it emotionally to go back on them for the reason why I'm depressed in the first place.

I've not been on the pill for about twenty years.

I take Angus castus and star flower for emotional help and breast pain.

CBT is what works for me.

I've never been able to afford to go to a CBT therapist and I couldn't wait 12 months on the NHS waiting list, so I found a CBT self help book and haven't looked back, seriously best thing I've ever read.

There are quite a few out there, but the one I found was the first one ever written 'Feeling Good The New Mood Therapy' by Dr David Burns...his writing style is very warm and engaging, I found the book really enjoyable to read and the exercises very easy to do. I have a notebook to do the exercises in and photocopy the depression checklists to see what level my depression is at and if I am improving.

He has written quite a few books since and my other favourite is 'When Panic Attacks', because it has some of the newer techniques has has developed...'Acceptance Paradox' is a newer one, it's brilliant, very funny and the one I use the most, gives very rapid relief from depression.

I find I need to do the exercises at least every other day to keep my mood going down hill, but doesn't take long so no problem, in fact I really enjoy the exercises and it's great to have uplift in mood & be laughing again!

David Burns has a TED talk and quite a few interviews on YouTube, plus his website feelinggood.com which has interesting podcasts and blog posts.

should say 'keep my mood from going down hill'....not 'keep my mood going down hill'! Lol

Does it matter what the cause of the depression is as to what the treatment needs to be?

I'm having EMDR at the moment and it is working brilliantly when talking never has before, so it's making me wonder if tablets will even help. I'm really confused full stop and shattered.

I don't think so, depression is caused by negative thoughts we tell ourselves IMO
Interestingly from what I've read, and my own experience, depression from trauma..so something bad happening to you/someone else treating you badly is still often from negative thoughts about that thing that happened. For me, someone treated me very badly, I became very depressed...at first I thought there was nothing I could do to feel better, because they had 'caused'my depression, not my thoughts. But then I discovered I was telling myself I had been abused by this person because I was 'defective'...so kind of blaming myself for the bad treatment. When I dealt with those thoughts through CBT, my depression lifted.

Depression can be caused by health problems too, under active Thyroid...I used to suffer for a while with Hashimotos Thyroid, and went from over active Thyroid (caused anxiety & paranoia) to under active (feeling very down, unmotivated).

Also people who have Bipolar disorder apparently can benefit from CBT but probably also need medication.
Some people think all depression is just a 'chemical imbalance' that needs drugs to treat, I used to think that too (though have never taken any ADs), but after lots of reading don't personally believe that.
But I'm no expert!...can only go by what has worked for me.

The EMDR is for abuse as a child. I've had one several times and I suspect I had depression as a child/teenager too.

This time I have depression as a direct result of a trauma inflicted on me by a loved one.

I have to nip out now so apologies, but I'll reread your posts when I get back and answer properly. Thank you very much for talking to me and being so helpful and kind.

I've had PND....not one.