Depression

[Abigail]

Did they have a bad experience with them? I'm not advocating this but you could always not tell your parents (what I've done). Have you tried counselling or anything? If you visit the doctor you may be surprised- they may have something else you could try; I've heard that sometimes they try and put you on anti depressants straight off, but I've never had that experience, they've always sent me to speak to someone before they tried meds.

Whatever you do, good luck and I'm here if need be.

It depends on your age, how long you've had depression and how bad it is as to what course of treatment is recommended. The Department of Health guidelines don't allow under 18's to be prescribed anti-depressants without trying counselling first and even then unless it is absolutely necessary.

If its something new (i.e. you haven't had depression before and it's developed over a few months) and isn't severe (google PRQ9 form) they usually go for counselling first. You don't have to have counselling, you can opt for medication. For long term depression medication is usually offered along with counselling.

I'm supposed to be having counselling as well but I'm resisting at the moment. I know I should go, it's free and there's no waiting list but I find it oppressive. I've had counselling before and it did more harm than good.

I'm having lots of dreams at the moment and acting them out. It's back to literally jumping out of bed because there's spiders crawling all over me (like last night) or stroking the imaginary cat on the bed whilst in a lucid trance like state. And I'm dreaming about the same two people every night. Separate dreams and different dreams each time but the same two people for the last week. I find them comforting though so I don't want them to stop. Just the cat and the spider ones need to stop before I start sleepwalking again I'm not stressed so I don't know what's causing it.

[DaVeyWaVey]

Did they have a bad experience with them? I'm not advocating this but you could always not tell your parents (what I've done). Have you tried counselling or anything? If you visit the doctor you may be surprised- they may have something else you could try; I've heard that sometimes they try and put you on anti depressants straight off, but I've never had that experience, they've always sent me to speak to someone before they tried meds.

Whatever you do, good luck and I'm here if need be.

My nan and auntie were put on them and then they were slowly taken off the pills when they were feeling better, but my mum said they were on them for a while..it just makes me wonder if it runs in the family or something? because i don't understand why i'm feeling like this. I haven't been to the doctors at all and I've not tried counselling. There really isn't much to say, I don't think. If i ever went to the doctors, I don't think I'd tell my parents. I hate keeping secrets, but it would only worry them.

[Tori]

I'm supposed to be having counselling as well but I'm resisting at the moment. I know I should go, it's free and there's no waiting list but I find it oppressive. I've had counselling before and it did more harm than good.

I'm having lots of dreams at the moment and acting them out. It's back to literally jumping out of bed because there's spiders crawling all over me (like last night) or stroking the imaginary cat on the bed whilst in a lucid trance like state. And I'm dreaming about the same two people every night. Separate dreams and different dreams each time but the same two people for the last week. I find them comforting though so I don't want them to stop. Just the cat and the spider ones need to stop before I start sleepwalking again I'm not stressed so I don't know what's causing it.

Re: counselling; every counsellor is different- not saying you have to go but remember that- I've had some awful ones and some brilliant ones too.

About the dreams, it may be citalopram causing them; I think it's in the side effects. If they're a problem I'd ask to change, but I suspect it's the meds more than anything else.

[Tori]

My nan and auntie were put on them and then they were slowly taken off the pills when they were feeling better, but my mum said they were on them for a while..it just makes me wonder if it runs in the family or something? because i don't understand why i'm feeling like this. I haven't been to the doctors at all and I've not tried counselling. There really isn't much to say, I don't think. If i ever went to the doctors, I don't think I'd tell my parents. I hate keeping secrets, but it would only worry them.

I think currently there is research being done about whether it is genetic, I know for bipolar there has been some research to prove this.

Good luck with whatever you decide

[Abigail]

My nan and auntie were put on them and then they were slowly taken off the pills when they were feeling better, but my mum said they were on them for a while..it just makes me wonder if it runs in the family or something? because i don't understand why i'm feeling like this. I haven't been to the doctors at all and I've not tried counselling. There really isn't much to say, I don't think. If i ever went to the doctors, I don't think I'd tell my parents. I hate keeping secrets, but it would only worry them.

If it helps Davey, I'll tell you my situation.

My mum has depression, one of my sisters does. My mum have three brothers and four sisters. Two of her sisters have attempted suicide multiple times (one severe clinical depression, the other post natal), the other two sisters have had depression in the past. One of her brothers has depression. Out of nine kids (one is dead so eight really) six have mental health problems. My nana (mum's mum) is just a complete psycho. I haven't seen her for three years; she has delusions, manic phases, phases of extreme nastiness, she says things then a few minutes later denies she said it. She has a serious mental illness (my guess is schizophrenia) but refuses to let the doctor examine her. She chased the doctor out of the house with a carving knife. I have about 30 cousins so I don't know all the details but one family, children of the severe clinical depression and attempted suicide, one daughter has depression and self harms, the other has an eating disorder.

I believe that something makes people predisposed to depression. Some families are relatively mental illness free whereas others suffer quite badly. You can treat mental illness and recover from it but it can't be cured. Some people may disagree with me but I'm speaking from experience; I've on my fifth bout in seven years. There's not many roads I haven't gone down but I can tell you that medication has helped me enormously. There comes a point where you can't take it any more and you have two options. I made the right choice this time but five years ago I didn't.

If you do want someone to talk to away from SB and your friends, your university should have a counsellor. It's free and you don't need a referral from the doctor. If you ever find yourself in a really dark spot one day and you don't have anyone to talk to, go see them or ring Samaritans. The Samaritans are brilliant, they don't force you to talk about what's you your mind until you're ready. You can talk about the weather if you like.

[Abigail]

I feel so conflicted and insecure right now I'm dreaming about one person constantly, every dream I have every night he's there. I think I should go see him but that would open an emotional can of worms. I have nobody else though and he hasn't replied to any of my emails over the past year. Sure he's busy and he might have changed his email address but perhaps I shouldn't go. I'm not his concern any more. On the other hand, he's still the only person who knows what I'm thinking without me saying it and who knows me better than anyone.

The second confliction is one that I still haven't told my doctor about. I know I really need to because I need to stop but I don't want to admit it. I don't particularly like lying to him but its so engrained I can't help it.

Oh what to do.

[freckleface]

I'm feeling okay at the moment.
Snow has made me feel happy, it's just so beautiful to look at

and my new iPod has let me get so distracted that I have been distracted from my problems, and I haven't let myself have time to think about it.

only problem is my sleeping, I'm doing so much during the day to keep my mind busy that I'm exhausted when I go to bed but I'm not sleeping. And when I do, i keep getting these really wierd dreams that are freaking me out, and i can't even remember what they're about, which scares me even more. My mum woke me up one night because I was screaming really loudly in my sleep.

and also, one of my friend's (a guy, who i am really close to) has started claiming he has an eatign disorder. At first he started to make fun of me, by at lunch sayign "Oh, i'm not eating because I ate at lunch, i ate it in some lesson none of you are in" or rifling through my bag and demanding i eat my lunch so loudly the whole table hears and gets involved.

Now he's not eating and boasting about it going "omg i weighed myself AGAIN last night for the 4th time adn i dropped a pound. But then I had an apple and felt sooo fat." or "no, i'm not eating, I don't want to, you can't make me, that's what Georgie always says"

its making me feel realy upset because he's poking fun at me and we were really good friends (at one point, I nearly asked him out) and he's one of my closest frineds and he knows everythign about me, but he's met this new girl and this has all happened since he's started going out with her. She doesn't like me, and makes fun of me too.
But i feel like he's going to tell my secrets to everyone.

It makes me feel really horiible with him taking the mickey out of me, especially as I was slowly starting to come around out of it. But now, his comments are hurting me adn I can see that slowly I'm sinking back in, which will just give him (and his girlfriend) more ammunition...

[Perdita]

Don't let this so-called friend drag you down again, you have come so far. I would avoid him and his girlfriend, they are not friends if they are making fun of you. You are worth better than that

[freckleface]

thank you, I'll try. It's hard though because I've known him for years and his mum and my mum are friend's too. he also texts me and speaks to me on fb and msn all the time, then when i tired to speak to him about it, he turned it round making me feel like it was my fault

[Perdita]

Can you just be polite to him on fb and msn but not have much to do with him otherwise? The less you have to do with him, the less he can turn things round to make you look bad