How can I live while knowing I'm not going to get better?

Hi Yasmin,

What sort of help would you be happy with when you go to the doctor? My experience of a doctors help for treating depression is prescribing an antidepressant, referring for counselling or both. If this is the help that you are expecting from your doctor then go back again, if you need and want this help then see your doctor again or ask to see another doctor at your GP surgery. Make it clear how you have been feeling and how long you have been feeling like this for, make them take you seriously. Make sure you tell them everything, if you leave important details out then they won't be able to get a full picture and understand the extent of your issues. I found that it helped me to write everything down in a list for the doctor to read, this way I wouldn't leave anything out that I was afraid to say.

You can change your doctor quite easily. But for the sort of help you appear to want phone the Samaritans.

I agree. In the first instance, contact the Samaritans. If you live in the UK, contact your local MIND group. They're very helpful and can offer a range of services, including counselling and drop in centres. Go back to the doctor with a written list as SUnset says, and take a friend or family member with you if possible who won't take no for an answer if they try to brush you off. Mental illness is real, very disabling, but CAN be cured with the right treatments, as most of the people on these forums are proving. Do not give in. Life is wonderful. It's your illness, not you that's telling you that.

Hi yasmin we have all been at our lowest ebb from time to time i know i have but i bought a book caled claire weeks self help for your nerves when i read this book i thought it had been written about me all your answers are there its such an awfull feeling at times you feel you cant cope but let me assure you can and go back to your doctors and ger a second opinion you can do it love

Hi Yasmin,

Only two months ago I felt exactly the same as you. I was sat on the edge of a cliff thinking what was the point, my life is never going to get better, I'm always going to be ill or need medication or never be able to live a normal life. But now i'm off my medication and I have a job and things have changed so much. I feel so much better about things. All it took was for a random job opportunity to come up out of the blue and it helped me turn things round and other areas of my life started to improve from there as I was feeling better.

You have lots of people available to help you. You have people on this forum who either have been or are in the same situation as you, well not situation necessarily, but feeling the same way as you. People are on here even in the middle of the night so you are never alone. As are the Samaritans, they are there 24/7 and have absolutely brilliant training, so don't think that they won't be able to help you which is what I used to think. Even if you don't feel able to talk on the phone then I believe you can have an e-mail discussion with them. You should change your GP if they're not being supportive. You need to find a doctor who will listen and tell them how you feel and that you are suicidal and they should refer you to the mental health services in your area. I have had to go through so many crap doctors before finally finding one that listens. Personally I have found that younger doctors are more supportive. I don't know if money is an issue but there is always private counselling which may cost around £50 per session but they will be able to see you much quicker than NHS, but still get on the NHS waiting list anyway.

People on here care about you, even though everyone are strangers, we all feel your pain and want to do everything we can to help others.

If you ever want to talk then you can private message me, I will always reply. As will a lot of people. We may not be qualified professionals but we have the unfortunate experience of being where you are. I promise you that things will get better. It might not be tomorrow or next week but you never know when something might happen to help you think about things more positively. Maybe try reading some books on the subject too, go to your local library and look at the books, there are so many suggestions to help to cope with your feelings x

Jasmin. You are wrong. People DO care about you. You are on a forum with people who know exactly what you are going through, because most of us have been there ourselves, thinking we are alone, you most certainly are not!! Most of us have been at the point of thinking "Why go on?" This community is here to help & advise If you want us to. Feel free to PM me if you would rather.

Mareta you are so right about Claire Weeks' book - Self Help for your Nerves. I have read many books on this subject but none of them compare with her book.

yes patricia they are and a great help also the anxiety cenrte .com on the internet is very good a lot of problems i know are hormone related both for men and women hope you are feeling better more good days than bad take care