Is it actually possible to overcome depression

[Namechsnged893738e]

Just that, is it possible to ever completely get rid of depression and crippling social anxiety, haven't felt "right" for years and starting to wonder if it's actually possible to get out the pit when you've been in it so long? Has anyone suffered for years but feel in a good place now?
Thanks
Is it? Has anyone done it after years? 1

I've had depression off and on since my late teens. This year I found an amazing counsellor who helped me work through issues I had no idea were sitting there and now I feel the best I ever have as an adult. It is early days yet (I've only just finished my medication this time), but I honestly feel like I've done it this time.

It is so debilitating and hard. I hope you are able to work through it.

Thank you grouchy, that gives me hope x , I've been considering online therapy (I live a bit in the sticks) but I can't even face that, I feel like they will judge or it'll be awkward, even though like rational me is like of course they won't judge, they're therapists!

If you can get yourself to a point where you're able to talk to a counsellor then definitely go for it. I know it's hard to get over that hurdle, and it's not a good idea to do it if you're not ready. I think talking therapy is so important.

Maybe for now there might be some books that will help? Matt Haig has written two wonderful books about depression and anxiety: Reasons to Stay Alive, and Notes on a Nervous Planet. He helped me feel better about things.

Thank you again, I will definitely get them books.
But really thanks so much, just knowing there is a stranger out there who took the time to answer and knows what it's like and is on the recovery road, is a small glimmer of light for me, truely x
it's such a tough slog, just existing feels overwhelming and exhausting at times., So I've got to take the small victories even if it's something as simple as a boon recommendation and cling onto it, thank you!

Yes. I’ve suffered from mental health problems for 20 years, since I was about 11, including some quite serious periods where I was hospitalised for months. I’ve made several attempts on my life. Depression and other issues prevented me working for years. I’ve been at the bottom bottom with no view out of the fog. I was on heavy medication for more than a decade.
Now I wouldn’t say I have any mental illness. I have some wobbles under stress but day to day I get on just fine and I’m pretty happy with life. I take no medication (bar the occasional Valium for an anxiety attack, a couple of times a year)
There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel if you keep looking for it. Self care is so important, even that stuff we sniff at - exercise, eating right, sleeping sensibly - honestly it all helps. You’ll get there

Thank you istherain, similarish kind of history to what you posted, so it's really positive to hear your fairly happy with life now
Agree about self are and I've been terrible at it for so long I took myself on a walk tonight for first time in far too long, so small steps.
Thank you both x

Hi op,
I suffered from terrible suicidal depression for years and was very very ill, I never believed that there was any way back from that very dark place. But here I am now unrecognisable as a person, I still have some physical challenges but my mental health is much much better. The "cure" for me came in the form of good support from a psychiatrist, community psychiatric nurse, a course of counselling and the right drugs. I had a psychiatrist who was always convinced that there would be a drug that would work for me and she was right, it took almost two and a half years to find that drug but I can remember clearly the day that I woke up and for the first time didn't have the darkest thoughts possible, it was a wonderful.

Please believe there is hope, you can recover and fill your life with things that give you joy, if something isn't working for you right now please try something different, there is a combination of therapies out there that will definitely work for you.

I think there are examples on both sides, ie recovery and non-recovery. Chronic depression is very hard to change whereas an episode of depression is more positive in terms of recovery. I work with both types and know how debilitating chronic depression is, people struggle for many years and have to find a way of managing life with that condition

Yes, it really is.
15 years of chronic depression here, hospitalised twice after suicide attempts. I never thought I’d see a time where I was ‘normal’.
I have down days now, but they’re linked to events; relationships, work etc. It’s not that overwhelming background of despair, it’s just a reaction to an upsetting situation - is normal.
I couldn’t tell you ‘this one amazing thing cured me’, because that’s not how it happened. It was a gradual taking control of my life. I see the point of living now, which completely eluded me for years, I spent so long in the mindset of ‘I’m going to die at some point why does it matter when’.
But it really can change and you can be well again, and when that happens you treasure it more than people who’ve never experienced this.
I’m not being very articulate, please feel free to dm me if you want to x

Thank you all for giving me hope, it made me a bit weepy that someone would care enough to post to me. Thank you all for the stories about how it can get better. It's giving me a bit of hope that I can too, I'm really trying to focus on self care last couple of days, I washed my hair, went for a walk, tried to eat better, rather then just binfinf on crap, going to try and work up courage to go back to thr doctors and ask for help again, although always feel like a burden asking, like I should somehow have this under control by now... Idk.

I spent so long in the mindset of ‘I’m going to die at some point why does it matter when’.
This really struck a chord with me, as that's basically been my mindset for ages, again its really great to hear others who've been down here and made it out.

I'm not very good at writing but just thank you all, I was probably at my lowest I've been in years when I posted this originally and really saw no point going forward and I'm still here and feeling a tiny bit positive about the future and making steps last two days like diet, washing myself and clothes , walking so really from the bottom of my heart thank you

yes, I'd say so.

I was frequently depressed from my teens to my early thirties. (And anxious, intermittently).

Eventually, with a combination of things, I am pretty much over it. I have ups and downs, but never that blanket hopelessness anymore.

What largely helped, briefly: Identifying depressive thinking styles/thought traps; meditation/mindfulness; exercise (hate it, need it!); diet, attention to vitamins, iron. I do spend a fair amount of time doing self care, now.

Good luck!

I got over it with medication. I've been off it for 3 years. Without medication I wasn't able to escape it for years.

Some people are unlucky enough to be prone to depression, as I am. It took a while to find the right treatment for me - there were times when, like you, achieving that goal seemed impossible - but I got there in the end. So please take heart - although I do know how hard it is to allow an optimistic thought to slide on under the wire! Stick with it - there will be a treatment for you.

I never thought it was and went through long periods of “existing” where life was terrifying, exhausting and so very dark. I would get better with meds but eventually become unwell again. It was only when I finally made the decision to devote time and energy into getting better that I did.

I had lots of counselling which was challenging and awful at times but ultimately helped me to unlock and release some pain. I definitely felt worse before I felt better but I feel the most settled I have felt for years now. I also made life changes and try to accept myself as “good enough”. I hope you get there OP.

OP it’s worrh looking at your circumstances to see if there’s a root cause. Eg my mental health suffered massively when I was in a high paid high stress job and I felt I was failing at being a mother especially as my childhood sucked. My rubbish childhood has made me prone to massively over think and I’m incredibly anxious and like to think of the worst possible things.

Since taking a break from work, this has really reduced massively and I don’t catastrophise and nor do I jump at everything. At my worst my heart would go mad as I was constantly on edge waiting for something to attack me be it a wasp or a person in the street (!)

Grab life with both your hands, look around,appreciate, interact with others, have space to process your own thoughts and above all remember that this life can end in the next second so cherish it! Fill yourself with positivity and positivity will follow you, I guarantee it. Forget the past it's gone, stop fretting about the future it's not here yet but your present is so just live it to the best of your abilities and God willing you will get through this difficult time.

I've had depression and anxiety to one degree or another since age 12. I don't think it ever really goes away, but it gets easier to cope with, especially when you know that you've been through worse and survived it. The first major episode really was the most difficult, because I genuinely believed it would never end. At my worst I didn't even want to get better because I didn't think I deserved it, so even the little self-care steps were beyond me.

I saw a private counsellor for 6 years, starting in my twenties. It really helped. The counselling I had as a teenager was worse than useless, so it really does depend on finding the right person. Part of it was accepting that yes, some things are going to make me anxious, because by that point the anxiety about being anxious was just compounding things.

I like to say that I still have bad days (and weeks, to be fair), but it's okay, because I used to have bad years.

It is really hard to be positive when you are suffering from depression. The illness itself turns everything grey so you can’t see the joy in anything, which is why you need help to get through it.

Yes.... life can be good again. See your Gp.

I think it is.

You may find reading about the recovery model interesting.

I was probably depressed for nearly 20 years, then I found some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy self help books and the exercises in them have been amazing, when I do them regularly (weekly) I enjoy being alive and feel great, my scores on depression score sheets show I am not depressed....If I don't do the exercises weekly then I slip gradually back into depression.

So my answer is you CAN overcome depression and feel fantastic, but it doesn't just happen with a magic wand or a magic pill and one use of CBT doesn't make you feel better FOREVER ... for me, I have to work on my thoughts that bring me down with regular weekly CBT work....it's not hard though, I find the CBT exercises very enjoyable, can be tough to start them if I'm feeling really low, but the relief I feel is so amazing that towards the end I'm really enjoying them.

Following with real interest.

@GourmetGold which books have you found particularly useful?

In the grip of my depression I had to forcibly cling to a row of seats at Holborn tube station, on the platform because the compulsion to throw myself under the train was so strong. The same day I voluntarily entered a psychiatric hospital and spent two weeks there.

I honestly couldn't make head nor tail of it. During my time there I knew I needed to be somewhere safe but equally didn't feel like the hospital was the best place. I did everything I asked but it was incredibly scary, my family was worried sick, I was trying to hold down a job (who were great) and I just couldn't see through the fug.

My turning point was a few months after leaving the hospital. I was having counselling but kept seeing a different person. No continuity. The final straw was seeing yet again someone who nothing of my background, didn't even have my notes and just said "Tell me all about yourself". I thought, nah, fuck this for a game of soldiers, I'll do a better job myself. I had already stopped the anti d's as I believed I'd had a bad reaction- hence the erratic, suicidal behaviour.

I would NEVER say it would work for anyone else but here's what I did and what I've done since-

1. I have depression, I don't deny it's existence. I accept it's a part of me and may always be there.
2. If I feel "depressed" I always attempt to attribute my feeling "down" to anything else. As in, not automatically defaulting to "It's because I have depression". I think, well, (for example) I'm worried about that bill/DS/DH/upcoming project at work etc etc and that's why I'm feeling "down".
3. If I absolutely can't attribute it to anything else, I will acknowledge that and give it it's legs. If it's a workday I will power through and if it's a weekend I will chill, duvet, sad songs, wallow, sigh constantly and subtly let DH know to just let me get on with it. BUT, and here's the bit that really works for me, I will tell my depression that "you can have today, but you're not having my tomorrow"

Might sound weird to some but, it has stood me in good stead the last thirteen years.

Haaris123 - you clearly have not the remotest idea what the illness of depression is about. I hope that you never have to suffer a true depressive illness.

Fill yourself with positivity - Jesus wept woman. What planet are you on?