Depression (the disease, not the economy) - Page 2

DrPhil · #1 02-02-2009, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I don't know that I would want people on GC knowing what combos of meds I take, but maybe that's just me.

It's not just you.

This thread reads more like a PM convo between HotDamn and libramunoz.

libramunoz · #2 02-02-2009, 10:03 PM

I think that it's something that people may have but just don't want to admit to having or discussing. Depression isn't something that is easy to talk about because of the things that it can lead you to or lead you into doing.
It's like talking about drug addiction or alcoholism, it's the pink elephant in the room, but people don't want to admit that it's there.

DrPhil · #3 02-02-2009, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by libramunoz

I think that it's something that people may have but just don't want to admit to having or discussing. Depression isn't something that is easy to talk about because of the things that it can lead you to or lead you into doing.
It's like talking about drug addiction or alcoholism, it's the pink elephant in the room, but people don't want to admit that it's there.

Time and place.

KSUViolet06 · #4 02-02-2009, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by libramunoz

It's like talking about drug addiction or alcoholism, it's the pink elephant in the room, but people don't want to admit that it's there.

I didn't say it was the elephant in the room. I'm in a grad program that's related to mental health, so I certainly don't think that. I just wouldn't want my exact combo of meds on a message board.

HotDamnImAPhiMu · #5 02-02-2009, 10:23 PM

We talk about specific meds on the birth control thread. Why is this any different?

I don't need to be ashamed that I have depression or that I take medication to control it. Having depression doesn't make me a weaker person or mean that I don't have strong character. It's not my fault I got depression and I refuse to feel guilty for having it.

We talk about our sex lives and share stories from college on here. Why is it not okay to talk about a disease that affects many, many college students?

I'm not ashamed to have depression and I don't want to act like I am. I think it's important to talk about depression so kids in college (well, anyone) don't feel worthless and despondent about getting help. It's okay to have depression. It's okay to get help. Getting help can make the difference between life and death for some people.

I don't know. If you're that irritated to read what I wrote about depression or medication names, this thread probably isn't for you.

KSUViolet06 · #6 02-02-2009, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HotDamnImAPhiMu

We talk about specific meds on the birth control thread. Why is this any different?

I don't need to be ashamed that I have depression or that I take medication to control it. Having depression doesn't make me a weaker person or mean that I don't have strong character. It's not my fault I got depression and I refuse to feel guilty for having it.

Um, when did I say any of THIS?

DrPhil · #7 02-02-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Um, when did I say any of THIS?

You didn't.

Sometimes people are used to fighting battles that they assume there's one when there isn't.

awkward1 · #8 02-02-2009, 10:31 PM

I had to take Wellbutrin. It made my hands shake like crazy! It is very distressing and impossible to hide. It is a well documented side effect of that particular medicine but I thought that it was supposed to resolve itself after you had been on the med for a while.

Depression is tough because you don't know that you are getting it, you just know when you finally have it. It creeps up on you so to speak. I believe that you have to keep in mind always that it is a chemical imbalance in the brain and not just a mental breakdown, and it can be treated with the right meds. good luck to you..

libramunoz · #9 02-03-2009, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I didn't say it was the elephant in the room. I'm in a grad program that's related to mental health, so I certainly don't think that. I just wouldn't want my exact combo of meds on a message board.

I think if a person is comfortable with it, then fine. Sometimes it's good because it may be a medication that a person hasn't tried or even heard of before and it's something that they can talk with their doctor about. I know that's how I learned of some of the medications for my hypothyroidism by when I talked with some of my friends and my sister.

libramunoz · #10 02-03-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

KSU and I weren't saying not to talk to anyone and seek help.

I'm sure you chose a particular time and place to talk to your friends and sister. I'm also sure you didn't talk to them via a message board. That's what we're saying.

And I realize and know that KSU and you weren't saying not to seek help or talk to anyone.

However, I didn't chose a particular time and place to talk with my friends and sister. Hey they just happened to come up in discussion. In fact, with my friends and co-workers, it was at dinner in the cafe where I was working.

But that's how life works, it isn't necessarily a "time and place" sometimes, things just come up and you deal with them as they come.

For a perfect example, one day, I had a job interview. That morning, my dog decided to run around the farm. Problem was that the cows were out and he is a cow dog. They are known for rounding up the herd, but no body asked his butt to do so. Anyways, he ended up getting kicked by the bull. Now this fool knows that he's 14 and that this is a young bull. But hey, he wanted to be a fool and impress the younger dog and let the bull know who was in charge. Anyways, when this happened, I had to scramble, get him in the car, and rush him to the vet. And again, I still had to get to my job interview. I was able to make it there and back and still kept the dog in tact.
My point is that, this is life, you learn how to deal with things, not necessarily at certain "times and places." You have to learn how to just deal. And if on a message board, it's able to help someone in learning how to deal with an issue, then go for it.

HotDamnImAPhiMu · #11 02-03-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by libramunoz

That morning, my dog decided to run around the farm. Problem was that the cows were out and he is a cow dog. They are known for rounding up the herd, but no body asked his butt to do so. Anyways, he ended up getting kicked by the bull. Now this fool knows that he's 14 and that this is a young bull. But hey, he wanted to be a fool and impress the younger dog and let the bull know who was in charge.

I lol'd at this. I could just picture the whole thing in my head. Love it.

Dionysus, I'm so glad you didn't lose your mother! I must've been reading too fast.

Has anyone who has depression (or not) had trouble sleeping? I know it's a common symptom. The doc gave me Ambien (I tried both kinds, the CR and the regular) and OMG did that turn me into a zombie. I slept great, but I was in a fog the entire next day until about 7 pm. I ended up defaulting to Benadryl as a sleep aid - the doc at student health suggested that when I was in college. It works... kind of.

Has anyone else had that experience with Ambien? I know two other people that take it for insomnia and they're totally fine the next day.

HotDamnImAPhiMu · #12 02-02-2009, 10:37 PM

it DOES sneak up on you. You have a few bad days. Then you're having a few bad days every week. Then you're having almost all bad days. And suddenly you realize you can't remember the last time you had a good day.

I'm lucky that I spend a lot of time with my family and they pay close attention to me. It's easier sometimes for someone on the outside to notice the symptoms before you do. My mom pulled me aside and explained all the changes in me she'd been seeing, and once she spelled it out it for me I could see the pattern.

AGDee · #13 02-03-2009, 12:01 AM

Being in my early 40s, my peer group has found that peri-menopause is wreaking havoc on our emotions. Some of them have started taking anti-depressants to help the effects. Dr's are more careful about HRT these days so they are treating symptoms instead if there is any family history of heart disease.

Dionysus: A lot of people find those special lights to be especially effective with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I'm very sorry to hear about your mom. I lost my Mom in September '07. The grief of losing a parent is really difficult. I found it helpful just to wallow in it when I had to. It did ease, after about 6 months but there are still days when it comes flooding back, sometimes over small things that shock me. I was a basket case on election day, for example, because voting and Obama winning were both very important to my mom. I wanted to share with her so badly that day. That grief is to be expected but if it interferes with your ability to function, you probably should seek some help. Bereavement support groups can be really helpful. It will get better, slowly and you'll start to feel like yourself again, but it does take time.

libramunoz · #14 02-03-2009, 03:02 AM

Doc, you said that there is a time and place for talking about the pink elephant in the room. Well, since Hot Damn brought it to the place, I just found that it was the time.
Having depression is a bitch if someone hasn't had it and if you have it or are suffering from it, only you and those that have it know what you're talking about.
When you find yourself having bad days, weeks, months, and eventually years, you begin to experience SERIOUS bouts of insomnia, have SEVERE weight gain/loss, begin to THINK, PLAN, DAYDREAM about suicide, and FEEL completely hopeless, HELL talking about it with ANYONE who is experiencing the same thing as you is the BEGINNING of a break for you!
You don't begin to feel like you are truly in a room filled with people screaming at the top of your lungs, yet you seem, feel, think, and believe that you are invisible. Having been there, right after my Grandfather died, in college, after one of my aunts died, having an uncle die, having my mom in the hospital, having another grandparent die, and losing a job or 2, hell it was amazing that I didn't jump, throw, put the bullet in the gun, etc during those times in my life. THAT'S what DEPRESSION does to you! If you can have someone begin to talk about it, then they tell you what they did to help them, that's how you begin to get the help for yourself that you need.
Yes, sometimes, you need someone to pull you aside and say, "hey (fill in the name) you ain't looking, thinking, acting right. What's wrong?" That may be a person who has been there before and KNOWS what you are going through and can help to guide you along with path of getting yourself help.
I wish that after my Grandfather had died, I would have gotten professional help at that time. My help came from God one dreadful day. Yes, when my thoughts lead my down a crazy ass path. But in the time and place, it's about being able to say, hey this is what happened to me, and before you get there, this is what I think that you should do because it may/might begin to help you.
It's just like when people go to see a psychologist, psychiatrist (?), social worker, therapist, they go unwillingly at first because someone noticed something was wrong with them. They go because someone helped in getting them there.
People might think that I'm embarrassed about what my depression has lead me to think, no I'm not. Because if someone reading this can say, hey, I'm feeling/I've felt that way, and they can see that they can get the help for themselves, then I am all for telling my story.
If you can come to a board and talk about everything else under the sun, then why can't depression be a part of that discussion as well.

HotDamnImAPhiMu · #15 02-03-2009, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by libramunoz

... HELL talking about it with ANYONE who is experiencing the same thing as you is the BEGINNING of a break for you!

...If you can have someone begin to talk about it, then they tell you what they did to help them, that's how you begin to get the help for yourself that you need.

...Because if someone reading this can say, hey, I'm feeling/I've felt that way, and they can see that they can get the help for themselves, then I am all for telling my story.

If you can come to a board and talk about everything else under the sun, then why can't depression be a part of that discussion as well.

Thank you so much for knowing what I was trying to do (and not making me feel like a little girl who doesn't understand about posting TMI on the innernets.)

Seriously, I want to marry you.