Why is depression still a taboo subject. Why are people still so afraid to talk about it. I have suffered from depression for over 20 years and am only now beginning to recover with the help of an excellent g.p He is treating me and not he symptoms I present him with. He listens to me something which I thought people had forgotton how to do. He gave me the courage to stop taking my medication responsibly and with every assistance from him and with the help of my family. I want to scream at everyone to talk about depression. At my worst I tried to commit suicide several times. I wanted to be covered in plaster from head to toe so that people could see that I was ill. The brain is just another part of the body that can become unwell and we need to recognise this. My problem was a simole chemical imbalance but I was led to believe that I was completely insane. My advise to anyone with depression is AVOID phsyciatrists at all costs. They can make the sanest person in the world feel totally insane and blame everything on your childhood and your relationship with your parents. Do not let them near you or anyone you love. Encourage people to talk about the blues to manic depression without feeling like they are wrong. Let us make this an acceptable illness like the flu and help people like me who thought they would never recover or stop taking medication believe that there is light at the end of this often dark and very long tunnel
I am very touched by your words and I feel how wonderful it would be if you could work with depressed people as i think you could really help them. As you said, depression can come from a simple chemical imbalance that can make you feel dreadful, rather than necessarily from some previous life trauma that you are burying. Can also come from circumstances, for example, some women can get very depressed by ''empty nest'' syndrome, when the kids grow up and leave home and they suddenly feel not needed. I do believe though in some situations profeesional intervention from a psychiatrist or psychologist can be helpful - though i take on board that they havent helped you. Thanks for wirting this topic, as i think it gives a lot of insight into depression, and i do hope you continue to do well with the help of your good GP.
My husband has depression and was diagnosed when he was 20 as being clinically depressed. It was caused by the emotional abuse caused by his mother. When he was 22 he went through psychiatrists who were worse than usual. At 24 when I met him he was put on medication which didn't work. At 25 we started working through his issues together and identified that most of it came from his mother. He would talk to her and end up in bed for most of the day and almost suicidal. He was very emotionally dependent on her due to the way she has brainwashed him and it took a good 2 years for us to wean him off the need to ring her 3 times a day, build a distant relationship with her with boundary and it made a huge difference. 5 years on he can now talk to her without sinking into terrible depression but he has had to keep his relationship with her distant as she is just too malicious and damaging emotionally. He still has depression and the wrong food can set him, problems, change in weather etc but he is basically emotionally balanced now and living his life to the full which he could do previously. There are a number of websites that give you details of support groups in your area which are really good but unless you actually know someone with depression it is to easy to think that they should just snap out of it. Deal with it, get on with it and basically its just all in their head. It isn't and its uncontrollable and while they may realise that they are depressed and that they are being irrational they cannot control it as their minds and bodies just change on them.
i to have had Anxiety, through a Chemicl Imbalance due to a Virus, now after some pills for a few months only, am off them now .. I am on Top Of The World .. but i feel very sorry for anyone suffering and not getting the right help, my G.P. is Briiliant
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