Am I depressed or just stressed/fed up?

[littlemissgrumpy]

Have got a prescription from GP for Citalopram and can't decide whether to take them or not - the side effects & withdrawal symptoms really scare me. I'm not even sure if I am depressed - what do you think? My children are very hard work - I know all kids are difficult but mine are really difficult. They drive me absolutely batty and I am angry all the time. Even little things make me scream and shout. I don't enjoy my life at the moment and I'm wanting my kids to grow up quickly so that all this will be over soon. I'm shouting/angry every day and I feel unable to cope with little problems around the house - we've had a lot of problems and things going wrong, major health scares etc. and I seem to be crying every other day about something or other. I've never felt suicidal but I do start most days just hoping the day will pass quickly so that I can get the kids into bed. I have this feeling of 'what's going to go wrong next?' and I have an overwhelming feeling of 'I can't be bothered' about most things except food and wine! I am pretty miserable most of the time and I don't feel like mysewlf - but is that just stress and not having any fun, rather than actual depression? My GP says I sound borderline burt she didn't really listen to what I was saying... very grateful for any advice.

what about counselling instead?

The GP didn't mention that as an option. I'm not sure - I know what's causing my problems, isn't counselling just to help you figure that out? Or is it more a case of teaching you coping strategies?

I work in the mental health field. There are quite specific symptoms that I would look for before assessing someone as having clinical depression.Such as; early morning wakening, feeling worse in the mornings ( known as diurnal mood variation), sleep/appetite changes, problems with concentration, loss of libido, not enjoying the things you used to, for example.

My view is that anti depressants can help improve someones mood to the extent that they feel more able to tackle the things that made them depressed in the first place.I don't know about your circumstances but I'd see if you could get some practical support with the kids or at least try to take some regular time out for yourself. Good luck

Thanks for your input, staggerlee. I only have 2 of those symptoms - well, 3 if you include early morning waking but that's my son's fault, not mine I think I will try without the meds for a bit longer.

I relate to all the feelings you describe and went on antidepressants. They do help. I started on mine after the birth of my 1st dd as i had post natal depression. Don't wait too long before you decide to take them, they will make life much easier .