I'm Sad

[Knightfall]

Blacksilver,

Doesn't work for everybody. Some people can be helped without resorting to anti-depressants. Others can't. You need to tailor treatment to the individual. Believe me, when you've been on disability for two years you need anti-depressants.

Some people are put on medication because it's cheaper than the alternative. A sad fact of life. Insurance companies tend to be penny wise but pound foolish.

Where your SO and your friends are concerned, I hope they all have long, productive, happy lives. And continue to be a friend.

You have it exactly right, mythus. It all depends on the situation. I know for a fact that my medication saved my life, because my affliction isn't just about "chronic depression". There have been other symptoms of a much larger issue, which I will sum up as "sometimes I hear and see things that aren't there". (Rarely the second one.)

Part of the treatment is making sure that I don't spend too much time isolated at home, alone, as that is one of the key factors that has lead to the condition. It's not schizophrenia, but it has affected my life in ways I can't even describe. As long as I keep my mind occupied and don't isolate myself then I am better.

Part of the problem is that I have a scattered mind that is always turned on "high gear". I find it next to impossible to relax on "pure air", which is really annoying because I use to be able to. Sounds, in particular, always seem to invade my thoughts regardless of whether or not it is traffic or the annoying buzz of insects. I lose train of thought very easily when in "high gear". My medication allows my mind to shift down into medium and not feel so stressed and over-emotional.

Anyway, we shouldn't let our differences of opinion start an arguement, which is where I was afraid the conversation was going before I posted this. I agree that medications aren't the be all and end all of how to help the mind, but they important to a lot of people. The most important "fact" is to find the right balance between therapy, medication, and self-healing.

For me, writing and talking about it and spending time with friends and family is my form of self-healing, but I won't give up mt medication. Maybe someday I won't need it, but only if the doctor/therapist and my family agree that is okay.

KF72

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

In the hopes of raising your spirits, my wife's favorite clean joke:

Two eggs, a piece of bacon, a sausage patty, and six silver-dollar pancakes walk into a bar. They proceed up to the barman, and one of the eggs waves him over. "Bartender," he says, "a glass of your finest ale for me and my friends."

The bartender looks over the gathered crowd and says, "I'm sorry; we don't serve breakfast here."

Best wishes, Knightfall!

 

[mythusmage]

KF72

Ouch. Muy sympatico re 'extras'.

Funny thing, I sometimes have trouble concentrating. It's better now, but before I found it easy to put things off. And I am in the habit of spacing things.

Unfortunately I don't know any good clean jokes, but if you email I can send you a good dirty one. (no profanity).

 

[Steve Jung]

You have my condolences, Robert.

 

[Rel]

My heartfelt condolences to you and your family, Robert.

I've had to deal with the loss of a very close friend for the last couple of years. I still think about him every single day but most of the thoughts are happy thoughts. I miss him but I am glad to still feel his impact on my life.

I'm not a doctor and I won't pretend that I know anything about trying to cure medical depression. But I will say that when I'm down, what helps me most (even though it is something I don't usually feel like doing) is helping others. If I spend part of my day doing something to help somebody else then even if I still feel rotten at the end of it, I know that somebody else feels a little less rotten because of something I did. And the truth is that I almost never feel bad at the end of a day like that.

Take that for what it's worth and I wish you strength in what you are having to contend with. Peace brother.

 

[BlackSilver]

Blacksilver,

Doesn't work for everybody. Some people can be helped without resorting to anti-depressants. Others can't. You need to tailor treatment to the individual. Believe me, when you've been on disability for two years you need anti-depressants.

Some people are put on medication because it's cheaper than the alternative. A sad fact of life. Insurance companies tend to be penny wise but pound foolish.

Where your SO and your friends are concerned, I hope they all have long, productive, happy lives. And continue to be a friend.

Couple of things I wish to point out.

I went from dreaming rich to living on the street at thirteen. I have lived out of garbage cans, the backs of restaurants, etc. In the snow and rain, when I thought I could endure no more, I survived (barely). I have like everyone felt a little down, but never truly depressed. My GF started taking anti depressants because that is what the doctor’s told her she needed to do, when she got off of them I saw the depression sweep over her, and bury her. I understand it, and had we had the money at the time I would have bought her the pills, so we went down the path of working at getting through. She came out of it with a better understanding of herself and what the pills did to her.

This last year I was beat up pretty bad, more then a dozen individual broken bones, and a couple days in a coma. I have no insurance and live paycheck to pay check (so to speak). My Doctor's informed me that I would need anti depressants to get through and gave me a prescription, which I promptly tore up.

Yes, the times were tough, but I have endured and made it through because of my friends, because of my understanding of how to combat depression. I am very sympathetic to those with the disease, and understand it a great deal better then your response seems to indicate (I mean no offense by these statements, I am just stating my POV).

I do not see the pills as a crutch, but as a new façade. It might help you for a time, but it is not the cure, and being on those pills alters your body’s ability to combat the depression. Depression is a disease and all diseases have cures you just have to be willing to find them.

Robert, I hope that you are doing well. It is my view that a lot of EN World has a very narrow view on personal subject matter and can be quite aggressive (if not hostile) towards people seeking help. My suggestion is to seek guidance and not use the drugs to hide the real problems in your life. Best of luck.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Robert, I'm so sorry for your loss. You've got positive thoughts coming from me. I've been there, and I know it's not a pretty place to be when everything looks negative. I can tell you that things can and will get better, if you just take things day by day or even hour by hour if it gets really bad. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but sometimes it's around a bend and you just need to keep moving forward until you can see it. If you want to talk or vent some more, drop me a line at rjmiller-at-gmail-dot-com

Rich

 

[mythusmage]

Blacksilver,

People differ. You hear about how a quarter of the population is supposed to be suffering from depression. True as far as it goes, but the great majority of those people are really a little down. Diagnosing clinical depression is hard. Many who should not be so diagnosed are. Some who should be so diagnosed are not.

From what you say you and your SO should not have been prescribed anti-depressants. For one thing, they can have serious side effects. And in some cases there are interactions with other drugs. In my case Paxil heightened the anxiety side effect many have with caffeine. You don't really need it, don't take it.

But, not everybody is as fortunate as you. Me for one. Robert for another. And Robert's been hit with a bad situation. The kind of thing that could lead to suicidal ideations (thoughts of killing yourself) without help. The plain, simple fact of the matter is, without support from friends and family, and anti-depressant medication, in his time of need Robert would die. And it would be at his own hand.

3 years on disability. You don't spend 3 years on disability unless you have a serious problem. Not everybody can do it on their own. Those who can, more power to them. But there is nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it. Robert needs that help, and I think it shows great courage that he is getting it.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Mythusmage & Blacksilver, can you guys take the argument to email or out of this thread, please? You've both stated your opinions, and obviously don't agree. Arguing about it here isn't helping anyone, especially Knightfall. Thanks.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Robert my friend, sorry for not responding to this, as quick as I should. But you have my unconditional support and good thoughts, heading your way.

Stay strong my friend, stay friend, and let's see if we have an arguement about Dungeon and Dragons Movie #6?

Carl