Okay, what kicks depression in the bollocks?

[ABitWrong]

There must be something.

antidepressants (imhe)

antidepressants
counselling
rest
time

all of the above [IMVHO]

sory your having trouble

For me a combination of ADs, CBT, space of my own, a generally understanding DH, more exercise and probably less refined sugar. And a realisation that it's oK to feel awful ( which bizarrely can help me feel better).

Dunno... I think you need something to remind your brain how to function 'normally' and, ime that is either medicine or counselling or both. If it is just a minor depressive episode then it can blow over when the stressful thing resolves but I think if you have major clinical depression, it is not that simple. Serious depression needs proper treatment just like any other illness, it won't just go away by itself no matter how much you want it to. Sorry.

Time as well. ADs for me have given me breathing space and taken away suicidal thoughts. But then I have needed time to fully start getting better.

Drugs
Talking
and Time

Proper sleep, and exercise, and balanced eating help.
And if there's a situational element, you've got to change the situation somehow, else the drugs are merely a sticking plaster.

Exercise
Good food
Keeping busy
Doing something for other people
Cleanliness and order

Actually, I think Trinity has a good point... time is quite important. However you manage to shift it, it takes time. Quite a lot of time. So patience and faith that it WILL get better is also needed.

I wish there were a magic solution.

See, Idris said the same.

Lots of exercise and time to yourself in pleasant surroundings.
No sugar, caffeine or alcohol.
Need to help your body make its own endorphins.

time, pills, tlc, talking/ sometimes therapy.

if long term, then may be good to stay on pills for longer than you expect. Just stopping them can make it come back and sometimes worse.

I am long time prozac person, and canhonestly say it's imporved my quality of life immeasurably.

ABit... I know you don't like to take drugs and I know they are not the only solution but, honestly, when it becomes a matter of surviving, I think it is worth considering. You don't have to be on them forever, but they can help control the bad thoughts and impulses that can take over.

medication
exercise
purposeful activities
getting out for a walk
friendship
CBT
counselling
self belief that you can overcome - a positive mental attitude
don't punish self to recover

work for some,but not all

I hated going on prozac. Loathed myself for being so weak, i had to take it.

In doing so, i struggled for about 5 yrs trying to 'fix myself' and effectively lost those yrs to being housebound, suicidal and with no regard for myself. I functioned. I went out at weekends, but stayed in bed alot. This was aged 19-25 ish. I eventually had a breakdown, and made myself take them, and stay on them, as i kept coming off them.

Lack of awareness back then, and a succession of gp's due to me moving a few times didn't help.

if you had a cardiac problem you'd take beta blocker.and no one would berate that choice of medication to alleviate an illness. so if you have depression i don't see that taking a prescribed AD medication is a weakness

ADs scare me so much

Thank you everybody

What is it that scares you about them do you think? I don't exactly like the fact I need them to help keep me all right, but they do help so much really.

Have to say I agree ADs can really help.

10 yrs ago I suffered a nervous breakdown at work and clinical depression following the death of a parent.

I became suicidal.

Thankfully my GP put me on to a great therapist who explained that ADs can help readjust the chemical balance in your brain and, together with counselling, help you get better.

I was on prozac for about a year, and had lots of counselling.

I have never looked back. Today I am happily married with 2 lovely dc and running a very successful business with my dh.

Please do consider using them if need be - as someone else said, ignore the stigma and use medication to help your brain, as you would any other part of your body.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

I am scared they won't work.

I am scared they will work and I will become dependent on them.

I am scared that I will take the lot. Or start drinking again because I am on a self-destruct programme so much of the time and anything that does me harm is so so tempting. In a really warped, crap kindof way.

I OD'd once. It was so easy. I don't want any pills at all.

you cant od on anti depressants
please go to the doctor and say this to him
ask ofr help and then take the anti depressants

it will only take a few weeks and you wont feel like you feel now

you wont want to od, you will want to live

I am scared of having any pills about, because I might go and buy ones that I can OD on. This probably sounds really stupid but if I obey certain rules I can keep more or less safe. Having any pills about creates a dangerous situation and opens up possibilities. I am not stable.

Exercise and lots of fruit/veg.

Trinity - you CAN od on ADs. A friend's husband killed himself with them.

ok sorry I get what you mean

you need more than anti depressants IMO

can you contact your mental health team?

you need to ask for help

they can get you cbt or counselling to help you with these thoughts and change your rules in your head a little so you can take the ads and start to heal

hang in there, please get some help