What helps "Feeling Low", depression, anxiety, panic attacks other than medication?

[MummyToSteven]

Recent postings have suggested that ADs are suggested too freely on MN. So I thought it may be a good idea to have a thread to redress the balance.

views anyone?

Good thread MTS.

Lots of fresh air, especially if the sun is shining. A good long walk can really improve my mood.

regular excercise has been proven to improve mood and working out at the gym has helped me in the past, but just a short, daily walk can help too.good diet, plenty of foods rich in tryptophan, which helps the brain release serotonin.lack of deep sleep causes depression too, so early bedtime with a proper bedtime routine can help you sleep better and therefore improve your mood.

Perhaps we should also address why ad's are discussed so freely, is it because it REALLY IS the only solution any of us have been offered and therefore we have no experience of much else (this is the point I was originally trying to make). I personally think coming back to the original question it really is dependant on the individual and their depression. I strongly believe that if depression is as a consequence of a situation encountered in life then ad's are only a short term fix not a long term solution as these problems have to be dealt with to. I have experience of hypnotherapy and depression which has had good results also have used Rescue Remedy when I'm feeling a bit anxious. The key here is that every incidence of depression is unique to the individual due to many factors therefore their treatment should be individually tailored to, unfortunately this is often not the case. xx

psychotherapy or counselling? I know not everyone can afford to get immediate help, but other MNers have mentioned previously that it is possible to get counselling on the NHS. IME this is a much more productive way of dealing with depression, and can sometimes be used alongside ads - thereby helping to allieviate some of the shorter term pain (with the ads) and dealing with the long term issues through the counselling.

I'm a bit biased though as am training to be a counsellor and have weekly sessions myself!

my perspective in discussing ADs "freely"

1. Personally I have found ADs extremely helpful. If they work for people (and I accept that they don't work for everyone) then they can make a big difference to how they feel within a couple of months. Therefore I feel that they are well worth considering by people who feel desperate/suicidal.

2. Some anxiety disorders are not helped by counselling (eg. OCD). They are helped by ADs and or CBT. In today's NHS, CBT waiting lists are literally years long. If you are feeling desperate and that your life/career/relationship are under threat due to your symptoms, it isn't feasible to carry on struggling for 12 months plus.

3. Sometimes depression/anxiety disorders are too severe to be dealt with without the assistance of medication. Sometimes you need a chemical lift to your mood to be able to "help yourself" and "look after yourself". only a GP (or ideally psychiatrist) can assess whether someone is suffering mild or severe depression and how likely and how desirable it is that they can get better without the aid of ADs.

4. I think it is important to reduce the stigma of mental health issues/taking ADs. there are lots of myths surrounding ADs - that they turn you into a zombie/change your personality etc. the right medication should not have drastic side effects

5. If ADs have bad side effects for people, there may well be a prescribing issue; i.e. that people are receiving the wrong medication NOT that they should necessarily be prescribed much less.

6. making life changes/recovering from negative parenting experiences is very difficult to do if you feel worthless/can't eat/sleep etc/are washing your hands 50 times a day and living in fear. sometimes you need something to break the cycle.

mykidsmum - I am quite interested as to your experiences with hypnotherapy and depression, and wondered if you could explain a little more. i had always understood that hypnotherapy was contradindicated for depression - presumably due to the risk of flashbacks to unpleasant life experiences?

i would have felt that hynotherapy would be particularly risky for those with PTSD type symptoms (abuse/life endangering incidents)

to help anxiety and help to stop a panic attack, try this
breathe in for a count of 7
breathe out for a count of 11
this mimics the natural breathing of a relaxed person, and can help you to relax

CHOCOLATE!!!! (no honest!!)

My dh suffers from panic attacks following a long period of depression. He went on AD's for a year (came off 3 years ago) but I feel he needs to go back on them as he's started having panic attacks again now which is making him depressed. This morning, he couldn't get up to go to work as he was awake for most of the night.

He wont go back on AD's as says it's not the answer but doesn't do anything else to try and make a difference...his idea of relaxing is to shoot people on his bloody silly PC games. I say, he should go swimming or go to the gym or yoga classes.

He did have 4 sessions of hypnotherapy to help with his panic attacks 3 years ago and they helped him to realise what it was that was making him so depressed (from his past) - he swears by hypnotherapy.

this is interesting stuff about hypnotherapy.

could you get your DH to go back to hynotherapy then, if he isn't willing to look at ADs/going back to the GP?

What helps me? Kids fast asleep in bed at 6pm, a huge bar of chocolate and a bottle of wine, oh and throw in a tube of pringles while we are at it. Seriously - I too find getting out for some fresh air really helps me and early nights. One early night doesn't help,sometimes makes me worse, need to have two or three in a run. Nothing like tiredness to make you feel pants.

We'e talked about it mts, but we are skint so the cost is a problem. We've agreed that he's going to do a relaxtion course at home in the evenings, we are all going to try and be more positive and less stressy (me, mainly) and see how he is after 6 weeks. If he is still having panic attacks then he'll go back to the docs.

Exercise

Contact with others - a phone call to a friend, not even to moan particularly, can lift my mood hugely. Think it reminds me there is life outside my own stressed-out world (am a single parent so sometimes get v. low through lack of prespective, loneliness etc.).

Drinking/eating too much (chocolate, wine, pringles...) aren't helpful (to me anyway) in the long run - just makes me feel bad and out of control. A nice meal and a glass of wine is lovely though.

exercise! getting fresh air, eating properly, trying to think of as many positive things as possible that happened that day (no matter how small, being kind to yourself and realising that if times are tough you will need extra help and support - you aren't/don't have to be Superwoman. And my personal fave but might not suit everyone: remember that there are people that rely on you and you need to stay strong for them - keep a stiff upper lip, but also know when its time to have a huge cry. Also humour - if you can find something to make you laugh it can really lift your mood.

Realising that a good night's sleep makes almost everything seem lighter in the morning.

Also remember that it is OK to be sad/down/gloomy for a while and most people tend to come out of mild/moderate depression after a few months.

Panic attacks: deep breathing; distraction - eg counting all the red cars you can see or planning what you are going to put in your child's stocking this christmas, realising that it is a physical phenonemenon and you can control it.

MTS , my mother used hypnotherapy for depression, not myself, but I will share what I know with you. My mum is the kind of lady that does everything that she could to avoid tablets, she has suffered from depression for many years which mainly has its routes in low self esteem. She came to a point in life where she had to deal with lots but really couldn't therefore knew she had to take some action. Hypnotherapy considerably helped her, she realised that much of her self esteem issues were routed in childhood, by being aware of this she was able to confront and deal with these issues. I agree that for some hypnotherapy may not be a valid option, however i think it as aforementioned has to be based on individual circumstances, depression is so unique to each individual, no form of treatment should be taken lightly.

I agree with pretty well everything Enid says.

I think also you can train your brain and start to work out the best ways to get yourself out of it, it must be such a personal thing knowing what is best for each individual. I never stay depressed for long and as Enid states humour has an absolutely huge effect on the reason why. I also have a list of lines i say to myself and they just put me in a good mood. One of them quite simply is i don't want to spend my life like this, it's a waste.
Excercise is so so important aswell, it really does work. When you are depressed its hard to drag yourself off anywhere to do anything but once you make the first step and get out there, things start to fall into place.
Environment is also something to be focused on, im a great believer in this one. An untidy messy house will drain your soul slightly, you need to be comfortable in your settings and thrive off the things around you.
Above all you have to start to give yourself a break and not be so critical. I don't focus on how badly other people are doing or what shit people they are. Once i worked out no one in my life was doing that to me i felt better. Blame is a terrible thing for depression you also have to come to terms with the fact your in charge of yourself and no one else can carry you.

whatarelief - I'm doing a counselling course too at the moment, only an introduction, and trying to decide whether to do more, so I'd be really interested in your experiences if you don't mind.

Sorry to hijack.

Just doing something - anything - bake a cake, do the garden, seems to make something in your brain flip over when you are a bit depressed. Wouldn't work for the real thing where you can only sit-or stand- and not move. Anxiety and panic attacks are different. Perhaps try to accept the panic, let it wash over you, give it time to die down. Exercise is very good - but again with real depression you probably can't make yourself do it. Theres a place for ads.

dont have a clue about how to deal with depression..its something ive always had in varying degrees. ive been on ad's but am trying now to do it without. the only time in last two years ive taken them was when i actually felt i was going mad and thought for my own safety and others i should really take them. my mum told me i was having horrible tempers and violent outbursts towards her. the thing that scared me was that i couldnt remember doing this. (this was a few months after having dd) i do think that at times ad's are the only thing that will help but since taking many different ones, on and off for the last 10 years or so i decided i couldnt rely on them forever. i know im probably going to be prone to depression all my life so i have to try and help myself to control it iyswim. as for panic attacks, i think (touch wood) that ive learnt to control them pretty well. i dont get them so often but sometimes when im particluarly stressed i will have them frequently for a few weeks maybe. i try to stop them before they get too bad. as soon as i feel one coming on i stop for a moment, breathe and remind myself that this is a panic attack...nothing more. yes i feel spaced out but its only the attack and nothing is going to hurt me. phoning someone and just talking about any old rubbish really helps too, it makes me feel that life is normal, everything is the same and im not the only person in the world! so far so good.

I can seriously recommend cognitive behaviour therapy. (CBT) I spent years on ADs for depression and anxiety but they only mask the symptoms and do not deal with the underlying problem. Counselling is OK but often involves churning up the past and dwelling on present difficulties rather than providing a practical, postive solution. I can best describe CBT as reprogramming your brain to stop the chain reaction/downward spiral of negative thoughts and behaviour that its so easy to get trapped in.

I got referred to a CBT practitioner by my GP after a breakdown following 5 years of taking ADs. It was the best thing that could have happened. Within a few months I was off the ADs completely and have never looked back.

anything to boost the natural levels of Serotonin in the brain.

Exercise
Chocolate
Sex

all these increase serotonin levels and promote a level of well being and self worth, therefore raising esteem and helping to aid anxiety/mild depression. (apparently)

Don't want to get into the reasons why, but if you look here you'll find (surprisingly) some really good supportive help for those going through the depression and perhaps more importantly, for those living with them.

Exercise, getting out the house, talking to someone, going to sleep, cleaning or anything that gives you something else to concentrate on, bach rescue remedy (godsend), controlling your breathing, determined state of mind

All the above helps me when i'm having panic attacks or feeling down, if I have a major episode which is thankfully very rare, then I just need looking after and lots of sleep.

im now receiving cbt therapy privately and its a godsend.