How do you deal with depression?

[Premonition]

goto church
and like mentioned before the gym
see a doc
There is also different things like anxiety vs depression or both or neither. I had to get put on ativan because when i get stressed i really get pissed off not to mention it helps fight claustrophobia (something i developed getting to many ct and mri scans done).

If anger is the issue and you cant relax or find your self getting worked up for no reason that you might wanna see a doc and ask about it. Its very good for calming nurvs. Not to mention it will help you sleep probably (but getting up can be rough as you have that dazed effect from it).

First thing would probably try and determine what makes you feel depressed? Is it the world in general? If it is try changing your routine and doing stuff like the gym. Woot has been selling 30 gig zunes from 80-99 bucks. get some tunes and go work out.

Just some ideas.

[Minerva]

We need to differentiate between clinical depression and someone having a bad day / week.

That is VERY important indeed. I would recomend talking about it with your family and visiting a psicologist.

Some people feel depressed and they don't know why. There is always a cause, but not always easy to identify and most of the times it has nothing to do with recent events (say, last week something happened to me). Sometimes your family and friends want to help and they don't know how. Sometimes you know that's something wrong with you but you can't seem to find a logical explanation. When our back hurts we go to the doctor, when we break a leg we go to the doctor...when our soul hurts there is help as well. Our mind is very complex and it is unbelievable how it can affect our life.

If that makes any sense to you.

P.S. Ah.. and avoid alcohol. It has depressive effects.

[Storm_Shadow]

A lot of depth in here, and I have yet to see much in the way of misinformation. Take this as proof that you are not alone in your situation, Deadly. Things to keep in mind:

1) People who are depressed are the least likely to notice
2) It is NOT something that you can 'snap' out of
3) Talking about it with loved ones is important
4) Physical activity and healthy living can play a big role in recovery
5) There is absolutely no shame in seeking out all professional avenues to address it. NONE! The only people who get hurt over you holding back from this is is yourself..... AND everyone you have contact with on a regular basis.

Don't wait. We're pulling for you, lad.

[Minerva]

A lot of depth in here, and I have yet to see much in the way of misinformation. Take this as proof that you are not alone in your situation, Deadly. Things to keep in mind:

1) People who are depressed are the least likely to notice
2) It is NOT something that you can 'snap' out of
3) Talking about it with loved ones is important
4) Physical activity and healthy living can play a big role in recovery
5) There is absolutely no shame in seeking out all professional avenues to address it. NONE! The only people who get hurt over you holding back from this is is yourself..... AND everyone you have contact with on a regular basis.

Don't wait. We're pulling for you, lad.

100% agreed

[TheSilentAssassin]

A lot of depth in here, and I have yet to see much in the way of misinformation. Take this as proof that you are not alone in your situation, Deadly. Things to keep in mind:

1) People who are depressed are the least likely to notice
2) It is NOT something that you can 'snap' out of
3) Talking about it with loved ones is important
4) Physical activity and healthy living can play a big role in recovery
5) There is absolutely no shame in seeking out all professional avenues to address it. NONE! The only people who get hurt over you holding back from this is is yourself..... AND everyone you have contact with on a regular basis.

Don't wait. We're pulling for you, lad.

100% agreed

Working out really helps. Helps you relax and sleep better at night too.

[unorignal]

Chemical dependency ftw?

[BenKenobi]

Try church and physical activity. I don't go to church every weekend but I try. And if I had a bad week I definitely go. Even if you're not a Christian or a Catholic, or something else I definitely believe it would help ya.

As said before exercise is great thing for this.

Talk about it with friends/family

Alone time is always good though remember, I'm kind of a loner myself. I like being alone. But I'm not depressed.

[ViTO]

I am somewhat surprised over the many people here, which have struggled with this issue.

Not to sound ignorant but between the wife, 4 kids, 2 dogs, house and work... I dont even get time to be depressed.

That in itself is actually pretty depressing.
I'm probably a ticking time bomb.

I am enlighten over the entire situation and find this thread most interesting.

[Tuck]

Action is your ticket to better mental health. The one thing most depressed folks have in common is that they tend to sit around and do little or nothing. They watch meaningless TV; lay in bed and stare at the ceiling; avoid friends and relatives. Keep yourself busy and you will have less time to sit around and think about how depressed you feel.

As Twink said, you also need to consider if this is just a temporary case of the blues (which happens to ALL of us) or actually clinical depression. The former will pass in a few days, most likely. The latter could last a lifetime if you let it.

If you do believe your depression is clinical, then you need help, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Counseling, psychotherapy and medications all have great potential to help.

Either way, good luck. And realize that just by making this post, you have begun your journey to recovery.

[BigTwinky]

So deadly, its been a few days since the initial post? has any of the above helped, changed your outlook, made you think, convinced you to take action?

[PainTrain]

Prescription Drugs and Video games.


Edit: They're mine, I'm no Rush Limbaugh.

The video games are obviously an escape from the world, it's not the best thing to do either.