Depression - Page 8

Beeyotch · August 21st, 2007, 07:50 PM

Congrats on your decision Venus. (Is that weird to say, congrats on getting counseling...? If so, sorry...) Anyway, I hope you find a therapist that's a good fit with you, and will be helpful for you. You sound like you have informed, realistic expectations, so good luck!

Mabel · August 21st, 2007, 08:07 PM

I hope you are doing better, Honey.

Honey · August 21st, 2007, 08:29 PM

A bit Mabel, thanks

Your polar bear makes me smile

VenusInFauxFurs · August 22nd, 2007, 01:54 PM

I think I might just take the $200 for therapy and go and buy myself some damn fine shoes. Surely, that has to help. Retail therapy. God, I just feel so freaking disillusioned with everything.

Ha! I guess it's obvious that Venus is having a craptastical day AGAIN!!! grrr

AliceInWonderland · August 22nd, 2007, 02:19 PM

yeah mine was $150.00

and of course stupid insurance doesn't cover SHIT!

VenusInFauxFurs · August 22nd, 2007, 02:24 PM

Yeah my insurance wants to send me to a guy who is a baptist pastor as well as a therapist.. I can only imagine...fucketyfuckit!!! I should just start another fricken LJ about my woes...and kvetch there. Might be more helpful.

signed,

Venus in seriously disillusioned and discouraged furs.

Gen X EJC · August 22nd, 2007, 09:55 PM

Venus - that is frustrating. I have a hard time believing a Baptist pastor would be a good neutral therapist!!

Way sucky. Maybe we should arrange a kvetch chat for all us depressoids!!

Honey · August 22nd, 2007, 11:55 PM

$200 a session??? Surely not?

Beeyotch · August 23rd, 2007, 12:17 AM

Oh, yes Honey. And even more if the doctor is fancier/has a good reputation.
You know our health care system here sucks donkey balls.

Honey · August 23rd, 2007, 01:11 AM

I am shocked! I thought mind was a lot at £35 a pop

Honey · August 24th, 2007, 10:40 PM

I been self harming today

I don't think there is much hope for someone like me anymore

Gen X EJC · August 24th, 2007, 11:16 PM

Honey!!! Don't self harm, that's such a horrible road to go down. If you don't appreciate your whole body it's hard to appreciate your brain and to want to get better as a whole person. Hmm if you want to chat I think I'll hop in there, I am SOOOO in need of my computer fixes after being offline for two days.

McJag · August 24th, 2007, 11:42 PM

Honey, I just saw an interesting TV show on giving & they took 7 people-just ordinary people-gave them a test first & found they felt at peace with themselves not much. Then they sent all 7 out to do volunteer work with the homeless or children-reading ,etc. Then they re tested and ALL of the were far more at peace & had gotten much more out than they put in! This is a cheap simple alternative,surely! Just call up & volunteer -just try it, Honey! You have so much to offer and you are only half way through your life!!

hellkitty · August 25th, 2007, 12:56 AM

Hi. Isn't it nice to know you're not alone in your mopiness? Kidding aside, I think it's brave of you guys to lay it out there, so kudos.

I'd pretty much figured out I was a depressive since 6th grade. Had all the tendencies/ traits such as being introverted and extremely sensitive. At a certain point in my life I'd learned to embrace it. I give it a different name, I call it my melancholy streak. We the depression-prone are a more sensitive and creative bunch than those perpetually glass half-full types. Fuck them.

Therapist fees are a bitch, during a span of 3 months last year I spent a total of $1500 on psychotherapy sessions. The thought of that depressed me further and finally I had to break away. Have you ladies ever sought out therapists with sliding fees? They are out there.

Psychiatrists are hit or miss. You'd be better off being managed by them if you rely on psychotropic meds. Otherwise I think most people do just as well through intense therapy alone. But of course insurance would rather put you on meds (cheaper) and not pay for the more expensive therapeutic option.

For those of you on psychotropic meds, please heed this piece of advice. Be extra good with your dental health regimen, because a very real and common side effect of anti-depression meds is dry mouth. Why is it serious? Because dry mouth leads to proliferation of yeast bacteria in your mouth, which in turn causes gum infections and possible loss of teeth. New studies confirm this and I'd seen it with a co-worker of mine who lost her entire upper teeth due to long-term psychotropic meds usage. So, please don't use mouthwash containg alcohol since alcohol further dries the mouth. Very important.

I think it's great to have this thread for people to commiserate. Not only that but it is a fascinating subject, brain chemistry that is. I'm currently studying to become a NP with a subspecialty in psychiatry and there are tons of research about depression, my favorite psych topic. There have been much supportive evidence about the use of fish oil to treat depression. Have any one of you ladies tried this? I've been on fish oil capsules (4 per day) for about 2 years now and I do have to say that it has helped me. I'm not on any psychotropic meds. My deepest, blackest moods are not as deep or black as they used to be. The following link is a laymen's summary of a study done in 2002 about fish oil and depression, for those of you interested.

Fish Oil Eases Depression

Oh, and yes volunteering is definitely a must. Try volunteering at your local zoo if you want something fun. It did wonders for me. Or how about a baby cuddler at the local hospital? I work part-time as a pediatric/ neonatal RN and we love it when volunteer baby cuddlers come to help us out with our screaming or lonely babies needing to be held.

Hang in there. Things can only go up, as cheesy as it sounds. If nothing else, there's always retail therapy, right VenusInFauxFurs? I used it as last resort 3 days ago when I went slightly nutty and spent $800 on Marc Jacobs sale items. Now I'm depressed AND feeling guilty. Shit.

t13nif · August 25th, 2007, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honey

I been self harming today

I don't think there is much hope for someone like me anymore

Honey there IS hope. I remember telling a nurse that i was afraid i was untreatable and that there was something seriously wrong with me. I had been to so many counsellors, groups, taken so many medications and nothing had ever changed. I truly thought it was not possible to help me and that made me more depressed than ever. I had a long history of cutting, alcoholism, risk-taking. I am here to tell you, there is HOPE. It is such a combination of things, finding the right medication, finding the right doctor, the right therapist. Associating with the right people. Being lucky enough to have someone that loves you unconditionally--and although i know my family loves me, for me that was the love of my best friend, the most accepting and unjudgemental soul. Don't get me wrong, i still have bouts of depression, but my meds are adjusted and i try to use some of the strategies i have learned. The hardest part for me was everyone telling me that i need to love myself, i needed better self-esteem but no one ever told me HOW to love myself, HOW to improve my self-esteem. For me, i just started by choosing to treat myself better and 'do the right thing' even if it was counterintuitive to my self-destructive urges. Slowly, those decisions and choices will add up and one day you will realize that you have some self-esteem.

Hang in there Honey, i know it can be a sad and lonely place but you have people all over the world who care about you via this internet board

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