Can you help depression? Felling very upset and angry!!!

[AnnaInManchester]

I am feeling very depressed today as I have been for about 2 years. Nothing really triggers it, I just have very happy days and then get so depressed I contemplate suicide on a daily basis.

My mum today told me to snap out of it, and when I said I cannot help feeling depressed, it just happens, she said that I can help it. But can you really help feeling this way? I know if I had my way, I would never feel this way but as it happens I do!

You sound a bit like me...cognitive behavioural therapy might help. It teaches you ways to change the way you think, so when you start having negative thoughts you kind of `stand back' from them and can stop them (I find once I've had one then a whole load more crowd in and I feel lower and lower IYSWIM.). The idea is that you will inevitably still go through low patches at times but they should be less awful and not last as long.

It might be worth asking your GP about it, but AFAIK it's not available on the NHS in many (if any) areas. I paid to go private, £40 a session (I only had 2 sessions).

HTH.

i dont think you can help feeling depressed as depression is a illness where there is a salt imblance in the brain, are you on anti depressants?? i am on anti depressants and have been on and off them since i was 14, nothing triggers it somedays are worse than others but i have found my antd d's helpfull. sorry to here your feeling like this and i dont think your mum is being vert helpfull but i find if you havent experienced it depression is difficult to understand im here for you if you need to talk.

No, you can't help it. It's nothing you have done, it's nothing you are doing. Clinical depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain, and you can't just "snap out of it". My advice would be to see the GP, tell him how you've been feeling, and get some help for it. Take no notice of your mother, depression is very difficult for someone who has never experienced it to understand.

Please get some help, it might take some time but you can feel better.

Sorry, should have said sorry you're feeling down today (was rushing as need to get back to baby).

I expect that you did not choose to feel depressed, but there are many things that people can do to help themselves recover from depression. What this may be depends on the individual, the cause of the depression and a million other things. Having been depressed and also witnessed depression I understand both sides. It is easy to feel helpless and that being depressed is something you cannot help, control or change. But it is also frustrating to see someone you love in a bad way and not see them taking steps that seem obvious to you and which perhaps you have suggested time and time again.

I do not know you or your situation but if you have not already, perhaps you would like to arrange a visit to a doctor or qualified person to discuss conselling / ad's or whatever the feel is most likely to help you. At least you can then say to your mum that you are seeking treatment and ask for her to support you during this difficult time. If you have already sought help, perhaps you could remind your mum of this and ask for her support. Good luck.

im afraid my doctor will laugh at me or something or even think im strange for being so down about nothing in particular.

I'm not too sure about anti-depressants at the mo, as im suspecting pregnancy - taking my test tomorrow. god, imagine a baby with a mum like me, poor thing.

thanks for all your replies by the way

sorry to post again, but has anyone ever been to depression groups? im afraid they'll all be nasty there and i might not want to go back.

oh.....and also I feel so paranoid when im out as if the world and it's son is staring at me and laughing and because of that, i sometimes dont like to go out.

your doctor is a trained professional. It is his / her job to help you. Not to judge you, laugh at you or belittle you in any way. If you are pregnant (even if you are not), you do not have to live this way, help is available. It may be hard to ask for it, but I assure you it is no harder than living like this.

Your GP will have seen this many times before, and will understand that you don't actually have to have anything to be depressed about in order to have depression. He won't laugh at you, either - he will understand. Please don't be put off seeing him for help.

Paranoia is sometimes a symptom of depression too, Anna.

im sure they wouldnt be nasty to you as they will all be there for the same reason and maybe your g.p could suggest something, he/she wouldnt laugh at you or think your stupid they deal with it everyday and are used to it.

health vistors are also great at pointing you in the right direction. i was also afraid to go to a group because i thought they would make me feel even worse so my health visitor see's me once a week and i am coping better.

i feel very low sometimes with the depression i felt depressed when i was pregnant too

Of course your GP won't laugh. The whole point of depression is that it is 'irrational'. Cognitive behavioural therapy, fish oils and exercise are all proven to help, and all are compatible with pregnancy. Actually, so are anti-depressants, particularly if you are thinking about suicide. YOu really do need to see your GP.
You can't help being depressed, but you can do things to help yourself recover.

no its not your fault. its not just like having a bad day and feeling down. its not like being dumped maybe and getting over it in time...it can be something thats with you for years, on and off, that you have no control over. you could have a perfect life and still be depressed. telling you to snap out of it is less than helpful. there are things you can do to try and help yourself yes but some people are even too far down the line to do that and thats not their fault. no one chooses to feel suicidal.

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