how does it start?depression that is

[beansontoast]

just wondering ,because i always feel as though it could be just around the corner for me.

i feel like i am walking a very narrow path and if i dont look after myself i could veer off it.

could things like anxiety and being overly sensitive be little warning signals ?

I'm sure an experienced mumsnetter will be here soon to advise you. I will be watching with interest as I often feel the same way. When do you go over the line from feeling low to depression - is that what you mean Beansontoast?

not always easy draw a line between feeling low/depression and Clinical Depression.

the screening questions docs ask tend to focus on how you've been feeling for the last 3 weeks or more

i think that key signs tend to be:-
1)a change in appetite (up or down)
2)feelings of guilty/worthlessness
3)feelings of hopelessness
4)not enjoying things that you normally enjoy

over a period of 3 weeks or more

will post a bit more in a bit

yeah...thats it

ohh,im just realising how hard it is to talk about!

crossed there

if you are concerned, best to speak to your GP/HV - whichever you feel most comfortable with as obviously noone on here has the skills etc to diagnose anyone else!

there are little things you can do that can help - generally reducing stress, exercise, eating well and regularly, get a bit of a break etc.

also worth going to doc anyway in case symptoms could have a physical cause like anaemia/underactive thyroid

Did your Health Visitor do the Ediburgh Scale Post Natal Depression questionnaire on you? Not sure if this is relevent as don't know if you've had a baby in recent years. Anyway, the questions on that are of a similar ilk to what MTS is saying. Perhaps your HV could be your first port of call? Mine has helped me immensely. I feel that just talking to her and acknowledging my feelings stopped me from going over the edge.

Another key sign (I was clinically depressed through my teens, and dw is on ADs at present) is just not having the emotional energy to make every-day decisions, like, what shall I cook for tea tonight? Obviously, we all have days like that, but when it stretches into several days...(and certainly into weeks, as MtS says).

The best thing to do is bew open about how you are feeling - which is exactly what you've done here It really helps. And if you have any RL friends who can help out in practical ways, that makes a big difference too. We've got a RL friend who is clinically depressed at the moment, and dw made her a freezable meal today (just as other friends did for us before dw's ADs kicked-in)

Does that help at all?

thanks for that

back to my books now
x

Beansontoast I missed lots of warning signs when I was despressed, not PND, it was before I had ds, and I had a lot of anxiety.

Some of the things were...

Sensitivity to noise (loud music etc)
Sensitivity to heat (it was very hot weather at the time)
Not wanting to go far from home or in unfamiliar surroundings
Anxious about stuff that wouldn;t normally be anxious about - little things
Feeling like I couldn;t switch off
Feeling like I couldn't get everything done in the time I had to do it
Loss of concentration & inability to relax (eg unable to sit & read a book or lie in the bath)

Then came the more classic symptoms as mentioned, plus I had sever anxiety (didn;t want to be alone etc).

This happened over a period of several weeks.

Don't be scared to ask for help.

Message withdrawn

thank you all so much for sharing your knowledge and experiences,

dior- i have tried to answer your question but i keep re writing it as i cant seem to say what i mean..and i am not used to talking about it .

i feel a bit like you and vicdubya and have some feelings of worthlessness on and off.namely that im not good enough for my son or profession .
sometimes though i feel positively bouyant and it is hard to reconcile those feelings with the gloomier ones.none of it feels stable .thats the overarching feeling,unstability.

thanks again x

Hi - I think when you have early 'warning signs' like this its a good opportunity to start to put in place some things to give yourself a bit of help.

So things like making sure that you get at least one early night a week/ looking at your diet/ trying to get some exercise even if its just a quick walk each day/spending time with people who make you feel good etc etc etc

Basically just being kind to yourself.
Kizziex

Mine was PND, so it came on very, very suddenly rather than having early 'warning signs', but vicdubya's list pretty much sums it up.

thanks kizzie and expat,

kizzie that is exactly what i do..sometimes it works better than others.

im off now x

bot - I've found that taking 2 vitamin B tablets in the morning makes a HUFE difference to my moods. I had pnd,was on tablets for year,starting taking vitamin b when I came off them. I'm been going thru a period of stress at the moment and at times am walking close to the edge that's why I'm taking vit B again. You could try it?
I was either really high or really low plus loads of other stuff before I got diagnosed. The sooner you get it sorted the sooner your feel well again It's very hard to face up to I know. Be brave