How to deal with chronic depression???
 

First off, no one's going to kick you off for making crappy threads, unless you're a spambot, which you obviously aren't. You might, however, get flamed, but meh; you can just ignore the flamers. ;)

Second, it sounds like you may need a therapist, or at least some kind of Depression support group. Friends and family can only help so much.

If the medication you are taking isn't working the way it is supposed to, then you need to talk to your psychiatrist about possibly trying alternative means. Out of curiosity, what are you taking?

There are multiple neurotransmitters that can affect mood and not having enough of any of those chemicals can cause depression but since most depression is cause by low serotonin levels most antidepressants work with serotonin. Chances are that you are taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) but you could try a dopamine or norepenepherine reuptake inhibitor. Another option would be to try a tricyclic which aren't really all that common anymore because they can cause some problems but they are extremely effective. Even if you find the right med it can be really hard to find the correct dosage as your dosage isn't determined by the severity of your depression or your size, it is determined by your liver's metabolic rate so be patient and hopefully you and your doctor can find something that works for you.

Also remember that while the meds work on the chemical problem in most cases they do not treat the underlying cause (what is responsible for the imbalance in the first place) so it is important to see a therapist in addition to taking meds.

get new friends.
i'm not even kidding - that makes a huge diffrence. failing that, a kitten works well too.

Menus is right; pets can be -very- theraputic. :) *wants a kitty*

really? i wish there were more people liek you around - i usually have a week to get homes for kittens before they're put to death. (i like to use death instead of sleep because it's far more persuasive )

but seriously demon slayer, get new friends.

New friends really can help a lot, you need a support structure, you don't need bunches of new friends, just a couple that you can go to for help.

Hey thanks for the advise it seems really helpful and Tam Li Hua the medication im taking is WellButirn..

Sex.
________

Yes, dependiing upon other people to make life worth living is the only answer. Fuck autonomy - it's all about who your friends are!

Writing my thoughts down really helped me, particularly keeping a journal or book of your private thoughts when your in the thick of the heavy emotion of sadness, loneliness or just general anger or hatred...then when you have passed the episode, look back on the entry and you might get an idea of what might of set it off and analyze how you might be able to make your reactions or feelings different the next time it comes around...when I was going through the stage of being thrown out of home because I was excommunicated from the church, and then one of my closest friends hanged themselves from a tree, I really found keeping a journal helped keep things in perspective when it was hard to.

Um weel I used to have a journal but lost it when I moved so now I don't have anything to write my thoughts in and I asked my mom if she would buy me one but she wont' so now what can I do????

Um well I used to have a journal but lost it when I moved so now I don't have anything to write my thoughts in and I asked my mom if she would buy me one but she wont' so now what can I do????

Go out and buy one?

You're complaining that you need a journal to write when you obviously have access to a computer?

Hello?!

Wordpad.

Writing stuff down is better than using a computer.

Define "better".

I'd say a written journal is only better if you're a romantic poseur who want to create a journal more as an objet d'art than anything functional. I suppose if you want to pose with hair disheveled and head hung low over a spiral bound notebook stained with your tears and coffee rings then a notebook is fine but after you hit 500 pages or so you start to wish you had a search and replace option if you want to search by subject. Plus, if you ever write anything worth publishing you won't have to retype it. People who write in spiral journals are the ones who flatter themselves with the idea that someone will preserve them after they stick their head in the oven.

A written journal is better because it saves you from the distraction of the Internet.
I also find that using the computer for everything gets to be a strain on the eyes.

I am coming to realise that my state is not just sadness because I miss
Malice, Jack and Steppenwolf.

It might be depression.

When I wake up in the morning, and before I even think of them, I feel a drabness. I can't explain it.

But, I do miss them so so much.

I posted this link here before the big update but it's one of the posts which was lost. So, here it is again.

This is the link to download The Anxiety & Depression Workbook for Dummies.pdf

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U0A3AL5P

I have dealt with depression for years. I found that sometimes you just need yourself to get through it. I found that as people were there for me I began to rely on them to feel good and when I was on meds I began to rely on them to feel good. When I was in therapy I started to feel rely on my therapist too. I don't know if you are like how I was, but I got to the point that I had to start only relying on me to try to sort it out and feel better. And sometimes be don't know why we feel this way. We just do. And you know what? It is ok to be depressed for no reason, it doesn't mean your depression isn't as real as someone who has a 'reason' to be. It is a long hard crazy confusing journey through the black hole of depression, believe me, I know. But you can do it. *hugs*

Proper sleep, balanced diet, peak fitness level, wisdom (through self exploration, reading, chatting with people, erm? living? haha), etc.

A healthy sex life is defiantly important to having a sound mind, body, and spirit.

My god, if I weren't already married...

You've got us! consider us your family and the ones that annoy/flame you are the evil older brother/sister that you've got to put up with. No one goes down with out a fight you know? and have fun doing it... I do understand your position, but from here words wouldn't do much but just keep a clear mind and consider all your problems pointless even if they keep resurfacing just try not to give a damn and find a hobby... this forum works well so just read on and post.