I have struggled with depression myself,....

I can offer a couple of good books that helped me.

Feeling Good by David Burns

The Comfort Trap and Excess Baggage by Judith Sills

I have not left any messages lately. But since my last it seems I have gotten worse! I am going to try to see a lawyer on Thursday to see what my options are on getting a separation. I have 4 daughters. Been married twice now. Got really bad depression once my mom died in Nov. 2004. I lock myself in my dungeon (the basement bedroom). I have not slept with husband in over a year. I have had affairs and feel as if I am the worst person in the world for that. The men seem to not want relationships, just sex. My kids love their dad, and I feel they are probably better off with him since I suffer from this up and down craziness. My oldest is from my first marriage and she will stay with me. She suffers from depression also and is very heavy. Well thats it. Don't know why I just said all that, but don't know why I do anything!

I feel for all of you that suffer from this mind boggling disease. There is no help. Just drugs, that can make us suicidal! I think we have just too high of expectations with life, and that is why we get depressed. I'm trying to stop having such high expectations and take one day at a time, but then there are those days that I get into my cave (like today), and sleep all day. Its hard to pull out once I am there!

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been around.........

I will be on later ..

I'm feeling a little better, and I am going back to low carb again.

I hope everyone is fine....

Zfarm........ you are NOT alone!!! We are here to support each other and should NOT let each other forget that quitting is just NOT an option! Things WILL get better. Maybe you should read the books Joez recommends. Read those books, read other ones, get some help....do something. There IS help and things DO get better......and other times you feel like sh** and it feels like it's better to just fall asleep and never wake up....well, those times also happen and also go away.....don't forget that!!

Gina....nice to see you again. I'm so glad you are feeling better!!

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/index.html

I have recently found this link, which explains a link between insulin resistance and depression. Has some good articles. I had never known that there was a link between insulin and seratonin. Any opinions?

joe

Hi, I hope everyone is O.k.

I'm back.......my depression seems to be getting worse.....along with gaining some weight back.

I got through the same "phase" -- and although it may sound pit-pat or trite, I got over depression because I had faith that God loves me. I also did some exercises and "accepted what I felt" so that I would not "add" to the depression.. I mean, depression is like fear. I did not want to furthur be depressed because I knew I was depressed.
There is also a great relaxation site at www.oprah.com where anyone can get some calm in meditation. There is also an ONLINE Bible that you can listen to and THAT one works!!!!!! Hearing the Bible is healing to the spirit..... try it for anything!!! it works!!!!

_________________________________________

HERE >>>> http://bible.gospelcom.net/resources/audio/

thankyou for this encouragement........!!!!!
since July I have been eating many bagels.....also pizza, chinese buffets......"food was my only friend".....
I got even more depressed when I started dating again after losing 25 lbs.

I just ate 3 peanut butter cups, I feel horrible, the paxil makes me feel worse, but If I go off of it, the side effects are worse than I feel now.

it's awful........I should have listened to the people at the paxil site when they told me not to start it. I felt good at first, now I feel awful...

when I go off of it, omg, I get these weird feelings in my head, like shocks, and I just feel irritable. I never felt like that before taking that crap.

I think it is interferring with my focus on this WOE too.

Help....................I just want to feel good again.

Hi Gina,
I hope you are feeling better than this morning.
Can your dr. change your meds to help you feel better? Maybe this would stop the side effects.

Annie

To tell you the truth, I am actually scared to go off of it, because I feel horrible.....the withdrawals are unbearable, .....I feel bad, but I feel worse if I stop taking it. and I never felt this way before taking it.

thankyou for your concern. take care, Gina

Hi-

wondering if anyone here noticed any relationship between their low carb diet (very, very low carb diet in my case) and depression/anxiety. I've been on a very restrictive carb diet for two years and looking back, noticed that's about the time when my anxiety started. I had great results on south beach and I think i was so hesitatn to re-incorpate carbs back into my diet that I just avoided all breads, pastas, crackers, and got lazy about eating veggies. the only carb i had was a granola-based cereal with the occassional fruit. I definitely went too far in the no-carb direction. anyone else have similar experiences?

Thanks,
Brent

Here is my two cents

I am no expert, but I have read that you get a seratonin boost when you eat carbs. The seratonin helps you feel more calm. It seems to me that there are two types of people...1. The people who need that carb boost to feel decently and thus have a hard time staying on a low carb diet and then 2. The people who feel more "stable" on a low carb diet (me included). I feel anxiety prone when I have too much sugar. It probably depends on each individual.

Perhaps it all relates to how fast you brain re-absorbs the seratonin once released. Here is a decent link..

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/index.html

By the way I have never believed in herbal supplements. I always thought they were weird, but St. Johns Wort has made me a different person. It really has helped my depression and releived my anxiety.

I very new here, but can relate to all here. I have been on antidepressants for 11 years. I was on Paxil for probably 9 years. At first it was fine, but as I stayed on it, it made my hands shake and basically quit working. I went to a psycaratrist (oh my, sp, 'shrink') and he got me off of it right away. Now, just bc some have problems with this drug, does not mean it is not a good drug. It works for some, just not others. My dr told me there are tons of drugs that battle depression. I went through many drugs until I found the one I'm on, effexor. It works great for me and I am grateful for it, otherwise I would be in a bad position. All I can say to those with depression, if it is like mine, clinical, you probably can do well with medication. If anything, try it. It might be just what the dr ordered. Trust me, my family are grateful that I'm on it.