Persistent Depression

[Onlyinthrees]

Has anyone else been diagnosed with Persistent Depressive Disorder/ dysthymia/ chronic or treatment resistant depression?
I was diagnosed with it a few years ago by a psychiatrist then bounced back to my GP. Nobody really explained to me what it means. I have looked it up online but all I can find is the same relatively small bit of information repeated over and over.
My gp prescribed me antidepressants but other than that I’ve struggled to get any treatment.
I was in a bad depression a few years ago. Life is now just about bearable but unfortunately that hasn’t improved in a long time. Now I’m exhausted and really worried I’m just stuck like this.
I feel really alone and am finding it really hard day to day.
Anybody got any experience or advice they would like to share?

I would want to understand what’s been tried before. GP shouldn’t fob you off with just pills and there should be some other options. Have you had any talking therapies such as CBT or DIT?
Recurrent depression needs therapy, ideally longer term, to explore what is keeping you in this state and to help you make changes to your life to get out of depressed mode.

I’ve had cbt, but not for depression. It helped in that it got my symptoms from the severe down to moderate range but that has gone up and down since. I find what I learned in cbt just doesn’t help when my mood drops or anxiety goes up.
I have had counselling in the past. Admittedly, I haven’t stuck with it for very long because it seems to make my stress levels go through the roof.
I don’t think it’s a mystery why I have ended up with depression. There’s a family history plus I had quite a traumatic upbringing. I think what probably keeps it going now is stress and very poor coping skills plus I just don’t see the world in a very good light. It’s sort of a chicken and egg thing I think. It just seems an impossible loop to get out of.
The meds are not doing what they should be. I don’t think I should still be so low like this. The last gp appointment he said he wasn’t going to change them because what I was on was “plenty”. They are at quite low doses though. I need to change gp. I just keep putting it off. I can’t even motivate myself to pick up the phone.
The GP and the psychiatrist both told me I would need to look for a reduced rate therapist myself because they don’t refer. I’m struggling to find anything like that in my area though.

Thank you for your response.

Are you in England? If so, have you been through all the options that NHS Talking Therapies can offer? You can self-refer. You could ask them about DIT. It’s a different option to CBT that is good for depression and especially if there are things that have affected you since childhood. If they can’t offer you anything they should refer you on to another mental health team or signpost you to low cost / charitable sector providers.
I work in mental health and I know the system is inadequate but there are options out there.

No, I’m in Ireland so unfortunately it’s a different system, but thanks.
The last time I tried therapy was a few years ago. I recently looked into it again and for some reason it is much harder to access therapy than it was then.
I used to be under the community psychiatric services years ago. When I was discharged to the GP, they said I could be referred back anytime I felt I needed it but since then the criteria for referral have changed and I don’t meet the threshold anymore.
The GP doesn’t know what else to do with me. They don’t really understand what the problem is because I can function, and have no thoughts of self harm etc. But my quality of life is really not good. Literally every minute of every day is a struggle.