Those of you who suffer from depression, please could I have some advice?

[electra]

I haven't been around here for a while but I wanted to get some advice as MN is very good for this kind of thing.

I've just been diagnosed with severe depression. I have been depressed before but never this badly and the doctor thinks I urgently require SSRIs. I'm a little worried I will need them for a very long time, the side effects etc. My dad has been on ADs since he was 19 and I don't want to sign myself up to a life time of them but at the same time I'm not really even able to look after my children right now.

Any input gratefully received...

Hi electra,
Ive been on ssri's on and off (but mainly on) since i was 19 (now 32) and think they are very useful. I would say that if you feel like you are not able to look after your children, then what is the harm in taking them? I know they have enabled me to have a productive job and live a normal life - without them i cant function properly.

I'm on Seroxat (paroxetine hydrochloride) at the mo but wouldnt recommend them purely because many people have horrible side effects when they stop taking them. No side effects going onto them mind you!

In my experience CBT is only useful in milder cases of depression as it requires you to actually do homework, which i personally was incapable of doing as i was preoccupied with thoughts of doing away with myself.

Dont be scared of ADs - they have better ones now than seroxat, ask for one that has fewer side effects and is easier to stop. If it helps you to enjoy life again it's worth it.

Lots of love, hope you get the help you need xxx

By the way - identifying with 'The Bell Jar' is a big warning sign for me - i remember reading it and thinking 'YES - that's me' at my worst - why not try the ADs? You know what happened to Sylvia Plath...

Stephen Fry's autobiog 'Moab is my washpot' also rang lots of bells for me, but its a far more positive book. I loved it.

I realise that there is a place for discussing not taking antidepressants, but I don't think this is the thread. I know that is a really antagonistic thing to say, but giving the impression that anything is better than taking them does imply there is something wrong with you if you do.
Electra - it doesn't sound as if your GP is rushing into anything. If you truly feel you can't look after your children then there is obviously a big problem. I do not see the courage in battling with severe depression (not the same thing as a bad week, or month, or even couple of months obviously) without help, who the hell does that help?
I know these are the rantings of the converted, but having spent 15 years avoiding med.s and now seen how different my life is with them... I'm in a position to rant! It is precisely because I lived my whole childhood with a father who has finally allowed there may be a problem, and started taking prozac at the age of 75 and is like a whole new loving version of himself, that I would say I wouldn't let my children experience me like that.

Enough already - somebody will no doubt disagree!