Depression

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

well, i wanted to bring back this old thread so that others this time of year might see it

unfortunately, im still not great, been through a couple of therapists without much happening.

this time of year, and my current work situation is making things tough. as is the flames current slump

im pretty good at putting on a brave face, both in person and in message boards, so if you have read any of my stuff, you may think that things are better, but really theyre not.

i think the next step is back to the doctor and i think ill see what he says about some of the pharmacuetical options that are available...

Stick in there.

[sadora]

I wish you all the best. At least you're going about it the right way by letting it out there. The worst thing you can do is feel that way and not talk to anyone about it. I have never had any personal experience with this so I'm not going to pretend to give some throw away advice but I do wish that everything gets better for you. Good Luck Rico!

[J pold]

All the best going forward rico

Whatever you want in this life is attainable

And you can achieve anything

[Dion]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

well, i wanted to bring back this old thread so that others this time of year might see it

unfortunately, im still not great, been through a couple of therapists without much happening.

this time of year, and my current work situation is making things tough. as is the flames current slump

im pretty good at putting on a brave face, both in person and in message boards, so if you have read any of my stuff, you may think that things are better, but really theyre not.

i think the next step is back to the doctor and i think ill see what he says about some of the pharmacuetical options that are available...

Throw away that brave face and just be human.

It's not a sign of weakness to admit things aren't going well. In fact i think it takes great courage to come on a board like this and show your human side. Our EGO's hate us when we do it

I've been down the road you're traveling. Hit a few bumps along the way including a train wreck or two - in fact i still have my struggles from time to time. It's not always pretty still you gotta dust yourself off and say what else is there that i can do. Above all never give up or admit defeat. Those 2 words should never be in your dictionary.

Judging by your character i think the Flames could learn a thing or too from you.

Send me a PM anytime. I have a good ear

[KTown]

Hang in there, things will get better with time!

Keep plugging away at it and keep your mind occupied with doing productive things

[Resolute 14]

Yeah, it kinda sucks when you just want to flip a switch and change things, but it just doesn't come as fast as you wish, eh?

Even if you go with meds (I'm considering the same for anxiety), I would suggest sticking with a therapist, and hope you can find one you are comfortable with. As was mentioned above, a doctor's solution if meds don't have the right effect might be to change or increase dosage. A therapist might identify an alternate reasons for what is happening.

Good luck man... Dion proves that this thing can be overcome.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

well, i wanted to bring back this old thread so that others this time of year might see it

unfortunately, im still not great, been through a couple of therapists without much happening.

this time of year, and my current work situation is making things tough. as is the flames current slump

im pretty good at putting on a brave face, both in person and in message boards, so if you have read any of my stuff, you may think that things are better, but really theyre not.

i think the next step is back to the doctor and i think ill see what he says about some of the pharmacuetical options that are available...

Hang in there, buddy. There are a ton of great meds out there for depression, and you shouldn't at all feel like you have to live with these symptoms. Depression just isn't something you can turn on and off, but there's medication out there that can help a lot. Be prepared that it may take some time to find the right drug at the right dosage--that's the part that will require patience now. Results aren't immediate, but they really do work.

[Wookie]

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

this time of year, and my current work situation is making things tough. .

This might sound dumb, but if your work situation sucks, why don't you quit and find yourself another job?

Far too many people get stuck in a vicious cycle of bad jobs, which is very unfortunate.

[Traditional_Ale]

I'm sorry I haven't read the whole thread, but someone mentioned exercise as a way of raising your endorphine levels, and I whole-heartedly agree.

Go spend like $700 bucks on a killer Rocky Mountain mountain bike (disc brakes, rock shocks, click-shift, everything) and ride it full time, everywhere.

I can make it from Marda Loop to McKenzie in 50 minutes. And I'm not depressed anymore.

(...well, at least not anywhere near as much...lol...).

Best of luck!

[flylock shox]

I'm sorry to hear things haven't improved much since your first post in this thread Rico.

Here's my take, for what it's worth.

There are really two components to depression: a rational component where you are responding to real troubles and difficulties in your day to day life, and an emotional or biochemical component which is not necessarily connected to any objectively identifiable circumstances. It may be that things in your life actually are pretty bad, and that your emotional state is connected to these real problems. On the other hand, it may be that you're able to identify lots of positives in your life, and that while you know that you've got it pretty good, you still don't feel that way.

Take a step back and look at your life objectively. From that vantage point, how are things going? Is your life really that bad, or do you just feel that it is? If you're able to look at your life and say "Actually, I've got a lot of things going for me, and I'm luckier than a lot of people I know, but I still feel sad all the time" then your depression is not rooted in real tangible problems; it's source is emotional/biochemical.

Treatment for depression follows along a similar dichotomy. If your feelings are the result of real life problems, then psychotherapy or life coaching may be useful for you to develop ways to change your life so as to eliminate those problems. If your feelings are not based in real life problems (i.e. there is no rational basis for you to be depressed), then medication can be useful to break out of the depression, and may allow you to bring your feelings in line with your reasoning. Again, be cautious about this. If you decide to medicate, ask for a referral to someone with expertise in the area - medical doctors receive little training in this area when compared with psychiatrists, and their advice is likely to be limited and their first instinct to prescribe the most popular medication available.

Often when people become depressed, although they have a rational understanding that they can escape the depression, they don't feel a sense of hope about the situation. Even a brief stint on medication can reduce negative feelings to the point where you remember what it feels like to be happy again, and once you recapture that you can regain hope for the future, and your entire outlook changes. How long you remain on the meds, well, that will depend.

Take the time to identify the source of your problems: real world problems, or feelings which are not connected to anything in particular. Once you do that, you'll have a better idea of what would benefit you as far as treatment is concerned.

[CaramonLS]

Stick to it man, I went through about 10 different drug combinations while I was depressed, so I know how tough not only the depression, but also the treatment itself can be. Hopefully you'll find something that works. A lot of these meds take 6-8 weeks before they even kick in, and it can be tough in the interm.

It's not always about the meds though - just do the best in the meantime for your life - try eating healthier and exercising (even if you aren't overweight, if you're not doing that stuff already). Sometimes simple lifestyle changes can help speed along the road to recovery.

Good Luck man.

[ricosuave]

thank you all, again.

[ricosuave]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

This might sound dumb, but if your work situation sucks, why don't you quit and find yourself another job?

Far too many people get stuck in a vicious cycle of bad jobs, which is very unfortunate.

The fact is, all I have is a GED and some industry related certification. I have done fairly well for a guy without a diploma, however, I am horrified at the thought of (again) losing what I have accomplished and going through the ranks again, since I had already done what you suggested 6 yrs ago.

I know that it doesnt justify the means, but it makes the whole 'walking away' that much harder - so much time and energy to do it again.

I have seriously put some thought into going back to school

[ricosuave]

I know you've warned me about the work before, Fotze. Believe me, if I could, it would be a big thing, but I can't swing that just yet. Thanks though.

[Eastern Girl]

Originally Posted by Dion

Throw away that brave face and just be human.

It's not a sign of weakness to admit things aren't going well. In fact i think it takes great courage to come on a board like this and show your human side. Our EGO's hate us when we do it

I agree. Far too often, we are told to just put on the brave face, keep it to yourself, etc. What's wrong with being human? Perhaps that is why people are unhappy, we're more or less forced to keep everything bottled up. Let it out Rico!! And good luck!!!

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

The fact is, all I have is a GED and some industry related certification. I have done fairly well for a guy without a diploma, however, I am horrified at the thought of (again) losing what I have accomplished and going through the ranks again, since I had already done what you suggested 6 yrs ago.

I know that it doesnt justify the means, but it makes the whole 'walking away' that much harder - so much time and energy to do it again.

Besides. I think that most of my work stresses stems more from incompetant management and manpower issues as a whole, which I suspect happens almost everywhere.

Problem with it all is, I've got too good of a work ethic, and ethics in general, to simply ride it out - I've been told a couple of times that 'I am too smart for this place' LOL

I have seriously put some thought into going back to school, and I just found out that my department will be offering apprentice trades education soon - maybe I can do all that electrical work I need all by myself!

Yeah, fair enough, I can see where you are coming from. But if your job will always depress you and that won't change in the forseeable future, is it really worth it? Is your quality of life better when you are higher up on this corporate ladder, or are there other ways to achieve a life that is better suited for you?

Food for thought.

[McG]

I see that I am waaay late to this thread.

Rico, you have made me laugh quite a few times on this board...you have a good sense of humour and that is an important thing.

I hope in the time since you posted this thead things are getting better, and you are getting to some place where you can see things getting better.

i don't know what else that i can say that can make a difference. good luck rico.

[ricosuave]

Friends, I just wanted to bump this thread to let you know that along with some therapy, diagnosis and medication, and making a big career change, I feel that I have been able to conquer most of my demons. As it turns out, I recognized that my work was a big part of the problem, and I took Fotze's advice to make a change

All in all, things are better, and I can see that they will get even better yet.

Thanks all, named and unnamed, for the support.

[Prototype]

I know what a difference a career path change can make. Glad to hear you're on the up and up man!