lifetime depression

I have suffered from depression for 15years and I am now only getting the help that I need.  I find talking to people who are on my wave length helps a lot and being around positive people, not negative people who just put you down.  In my opinion medication can only work to a point.  You need to talk to people you have things in common with that can understand how you feel on a daily basis.

Hi I suffer from life long depression and have done since the age of about 10.   I was very depressed and struggled for a long time (no one ever picked it up) until the age of 19 when I had a breakdown and was in hospital.   This was rubbish and so was the treatment.   Not one of my family came to see me (to be fair they did live around 200 miles away),  and when my mother shouted and yelled at me on the phone I realised I was on my own in life and had no choice but to sort myself out.

I drifted from job to job and bedsit to bedsit in London,  coping with quite severe depression and without any treatment,    until my mid 20's without friends or anyone special in my life.   Then in my mid 20's decided to go for group counselling and it was the first time I had ever been listen to in my life or validated.   I learnt so much there.   A couple of years later I reached crisis point and realised I could either kill myself or try and learn to be happier.   I chose the latter,  keeping the suicide option open as it was my comfort blanket.   I thought about what I wanted and started learning how to get it.  The first one was friends so I started studying other people,  especially popular ones and I slowly learnt and made some casual friends,  which led on to good friends eventually.   In my late 20's my life exploded - I went to Uni,  made a group of friends,  bought my first property,  got 2 kittens,  went abroad for the first time and discovered one of my passions - playing darts.   

Since then my depression has been mainly mild with a few bad flare ups and I have on occasion resorted to meds and counselling.   I had a terrible time in my last job and this brought it all back again,  but fortunately I have private pensions (over 60 now) so don't have to work again thank goodness.   I am on meds now and have been continuously for the last 6 years or so.  

I am mainly pleased that I didn't take the suicide option as I would have missed some interesting and good times.  

I hope you can find the strength to turn your life round love.  I really do.  x

Hi

I was diagnosed at aged 13 and am 20 years old now. I was only noted to be ill when suicide attempts and self harming was found out by my parents, I've been on various medications that go through phases of working, you first need to able to say when your struggling. You'll go through spells of ups and downs and roller coaster moods, the sooner you learn to trust a person and talk the easier it wasn't until I was 18 that I started talking and that's when I started to feel better. Medications only aid the rest of the treatment is on you to accept the help from counsellors, psychiatrists who ever your seeing, I still have my really rough days, but I learnt methods of helping myself. I'm now able to say to my family look today I'm having a bad day and they now know how to handle me on those days and how to help. I also had bulimia and anorexia, so I'm not sure on your situation, but understand people are trying to help, sometimes may feel like they're being horrible or not understanding but really they're trying to make you question your thought process to make you see. It does get easier. I've been told I'll be on meds the rest my life and I'm okay with that cause I know that It's my treatment. You'll learn ways that work for you.

I have suffered with depression since my teens, it was undiagnosed for many years, during which I self medicated wtih illegal drugs and alcohol.  I pulled my life back on its feet which needed a great deal of strength and support from my parents.  Now I am married with children, I am still on anti depressants and I have regular psychotherapy.  its helping, and i am about to try and come off Venlafaxine (again).  I have no  idea how it will turn out

You replied to my post about that - thank you