Depression

[EazyDuz]

How are you supposed to know when your depression ends?
Ive felt low a lot of the time since the start of this year for various reasons, all of which have passed now.
I started taking Prozac around April this year, until recently i decided to stop taking it to see how i feel 'naturally' rather than with the aid of meds. A week after coming off them, i felt good, 2 weeks later, still felt good, 3+ weeks later and i felt like shit again. Went to the docs and restarted Prozac.
My main issue right now is this eye allergy/problem i have in which the eyelid goes swollen, red and itchy. Sounds silly but the constant irritating feeling of it there makes me feel down a lot of the time, which is affecting my job (in sales, cant sell when feeling shit). Doctors dont seem to offer much in terms of whats causing it.

Anyway, could do with some advice on what to do from here, just continue Prozac endlessly? Doesnt seem to do any harm
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To shreds you say? Tss tss tss

[Joenitro]

If prozac is working for you then keep taking it until your GP says otherwise. Funny he hasn't prescribed something for your eye problem. Speak to him about it.

Don't think there is anything more anyone without a degree in medicine can say on the subject.

Hope it works out for you.

[tbourner]

You been to any therapies like CBT?
Do you get any exercise (believe me I know how hard it is to do THAT!).

There's no real end date for depression, it's a bummer, it ends when you stop being depressed, for me it was about 6 months, the wife was 2 years, some people it's 10 years or more.
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Trev, now a biker?
Looking for first big bike.

[TUG]

If i miss my meds for a week or longer then I go all fucked up again, don't stop taking your medication, I take Sertraline and it helps me pretty well but it sure isn't a fix in the slightest.

Drop me a PM if you want to know more about Sertraline or owt else like.
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Haz ER-5, innit!

[WannaBeDude]

MTFU depression is all in the mind.
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Jogging on, destination living.

[smegballs]

Forgive the stupid question, but how do you know if you have depression? Is it quick onset or something that could ramp up so slowly that you never really notice the change as such?

[tbourner]

It can be slow or fast, some people have a massive panic attack and then it develops from that, some just get gradually lower until friends etc start realising something is wrong, probably different depending on the type of person you are.
It is all in the mind but that doesn't make it any easier, Psychosis is all the mind and you wouldn't tell people with that to MTFU and stop hallucinating .
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Trev, now a biker?
Looking for first big bike.

[WannaBeDude]

People tell me to MTFU, and i get phycosis, although tbf i,m not sure the people telling me are actually there.
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Jogging on, destination living.

[TUG]

[Kradmelder]

I really dont get it. what is there to get depressed about? An eye irritation?

Like you are not starving in bangaldesh, or Niger. You are in Britain, food everyday, with a welfare system.

So just make that mind shift. You are priveliged. Your life is better than 99% of the world. You wont be murdered tomorrow or starve to death or die because you cant afford a doctor.

WTF? so many men have been in far worse than you and they soldiered on.

Fark the pills. Tell yourself to be thankful for where you are each day
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[Kickstart]

[smegballs]

I sort of think first world problems when I hear about depression. Although of course to the individuals it is a very real problem from their point of view.

I've noticed with myself that when I'm all "civilised" at uni I do have little apathetic episodes now and again where I just want to get out and explore. I'm a lot happier out travelling, even though my physical existence is a lot rougher, the whole living day to day, getting out and seeing the world is a lot more mentally workable. Working doing physical work is also quite satisfying. No wonder hard exercise is known to benefit depression cases.

edit: Maybe something to do with the human brain still wired up for prehistory? Out solving physical problems such as "where do I sleep", "where can I get some food" is what we are designed for. To be sitting about relatively inactive not so much.

[Kradmelder]

[Kickstart]

[smegballs]

[Kradmelder]

[tbourner]

It's not really like that Krad, it's more like a disease, would be a bit harsh to tell someone with cancer to snap out of it! OK so that's a rubbish analogy but like the psychosis I mentioned it's not something you choose, it's not even related to the level of crap you're dealing with, it could take a whole heap of crap to cause someone to get depressed, whereas the next person could get it cos their goldfish died, it's not quantifiable.
You're thinking of it like an emotion, like feeling a bit sad, like telling them a joke and taking them out for a meal will make them feel better, it doesn't, it's a permanent condition that is NOT just a feeling, you can't just switch it off by thinking nice thoughts.

I don't know how else to explain it, you've never had it so it's nearly impossible to explain how it feels.
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Trev, now a biker?
Looking for first big bike.

[Kickstart]

[Kradmelder]

[Kradmelder]

[Kickstart]

[Kradmelder]

[tbourner]

[Kickstart]

[Kradmelder]