'First Aid' for sudden depression (Full Version)

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SockForPurpose -> 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 7:58:32 AM)

I'm a regular here but I don't want to post under my usual nick. Some will understand, I hope.

I need to know: what do people do when they've suddenly been hit by depression? What, if anything, will help to nudge you out of it?

Thanks for all replies.



mnottertail -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 8:01:27 AM)

1. It is normal to fall into a funk time to time.
2. is there a root cause, or is it a non-specific depression.
3. talk to your doctor.
4. is there something you have been meaning to do, some new thing, or some old thing that you just haven't gotten around to?
Get Up off your ass and do it!!!!! Throw yourself into it.




freedomdwarf1 -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 8:06:25 AM)

There are two ways to do it -

1) The old fashioned way: Get a grip with yourself and pull yourself up out of the doldrums and face the problems head-on and fix them. This is what most people did a few years ago before it became popular to go see a shrink or take loads of 'feel-good' pills.

3) Go to your doctor: make an appointment and take his advice. That will probably mean therapy and pills that'll cost you a mortgage. The bottom line is.... it's still up to you to fix your own problems.

Personally, I'd go the first route. It's cheaper and you'll feel much better when you come out the other side.



satanscharmer -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 8:22:17 AM)

The biggest thing that usually helps me is finishing tasks and projects I put off, one small project at a time - usually gives me a sense of accomplishment. Lack of motivation and energy usually accompany depression, so it's very difficult but you have to push through it.

Other things include taking care of myself, pampering, talking to someone (anyone), doing things that normally give me joy. I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I just mope on the couch until I get desperate for a change - I don't recommend that.

If it's persistent, reoccurring, or is accompanied by thoughts of suicide then definitely contact your doctor. Doctors are really great when it comes to depression.

If you feel that you have no one to talk to, or want to talk to a stranger, my inbox is always open. I'm also on FL with the same nic.



ThatDizzyChick -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 8:31:29 AM)

I do housework, but I like doing housework, so I guess you should do some task you like.



angelikaJ -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 8:33:52 AM)

Is there a life circumstance or stressor that is likely to be a contributing factor?

Is it new?

If the answer is yes and it is not new, then counseling might help... because if it is something you could have handled on your own you would have.
Sometimes counseling helps because it is just good to get it odd your chest and sometimes it helps because you don't have the knowledge or the tools.

If it is new then give yourself some time.
Do not try to manage it via self-medication with alcohol.
Seek out the support and company of friends.



IF it just happened out of the blue, then make an appt with your primary care Dr.
Depression symptoms can be caused by physical things and once those have been ruled out then it might be time for medication.
"Mental illness" including depression, is a physical illness.

Medication plus therapy usually work better than either alone and regular exercise can help.



WickedsDesire -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 8:38:58 AM)

Cooeee come hither clone and I shall show you the ways of the hefty antique mace - i myself find the knobkerrie, favoured by the Zulus, to be of more beauty

what is depression is better question



FelineRanger -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 9:01:33 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: SockForPurpose

I'm a regular here but I don't want to post under my usual nick. Some will understand, I hope.

I need to know: what do people do when they've suddenly been hit by depression? What, if anything, will help to nudge you out of it?

Thanks for all replies.


As someone who deals with depression on a daily basis, I do not understand the necessity for creating a sock just to ask this question. I am perfectly aware that not everyone in this forum wants to hear every last detail of my life, good or bad. But, if I have something to say something about my life that is relevant to the topic, I say it as myself. The short version of this is that concealing yourself isn't helping your depression.

As for the depression itself, the other advice given here is good and should be given serious consideration. If your sudden depression can be traced to a specific trigger, I would suggest you find a way to confront it. If it's a relationship going or gone sour, remove that person from your life. If it's your job, take vacation time and start looking elsewhere.

Hope that helps.



LadyPact -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 9:10:53 AM)

OP, you don't have to answer these questions if you don't want to. At least answer them on your side of the screen so people can try to help.

Since you said it's all of a sudden, I'm going to assume that you haven't had any major life changes. No loss of jobs, relationships, grieving about death of family members/close friends, or any of the things that are about situational depression.

Have you ever had problems with depression before? If it's recurring, you may be more in the clinical depression mode.

Are you female, where do you live, and how much sunlight do you get each day? If you are female, live a good distance from the equator, and are not getting a lot of vitamin D through skin absorption, that could be your problem. There's been a lot of research in this area in the last few years. If you look through this section, there are some amazing links about it.

Exercise. Yep. Hate to say it but it can be true. Are you moving less? (I know. Vicious cycle because people who are depressed tend to move less, which feeds the depression, which makes them move less.)

Diet. Is what you are eating filled with vitamin rich foods? If it's not, are you taking supplements?

Social. Believe it or not, our friends, family, and fun stimulate "good time" reactions in the brain. Are you keeping contact with people who are 'positive'? Are you going to girl's night out or the poker game with the guys each week? When co-workers say they are getting together, do you go?

When was your last physical? Can't eliminate it.



Cell -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 9:19:19 AM)

I'm not going to fuck around with namby pamby stuff here. Go get on medication. Make an appointment instead of fucking around on here. Get off the internet now and go get the persctiption and don't get back on the here until you're on the stuff.



WickedsDesire -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 12:13:41 PM)

i pay attention dear fake *cell*

you have no substance anywhere and offer nothoing



Spiritedsub2 -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 1:45:41 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Cell

I'm not going to fuck around with namby pamby stuff here. Go get on medication. Make an appointment instead of fucking around on here. Get off the internet now and go get the persctiption and don't get back on the here until you're on the stuff.


Antidepressants aren't the answer for everyone. OP obviously knows that option and is looking for other ideas. I would try exercise, avoiding alcohol (a depressant), eating clean, getting out into nature every day, and I personally would spend as much time with animals as I could.

I would also look at whether you are really depressed or something else, like sad. Sometimes we feel bad because something bad happened and whatever you're feeling is valid, not a sign of a problem. I would look for the heart of it, like Ron said.



SockForPurpose -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 3:43:25 PM)

Thank you all for your replies. There are people posting on this thread whose replies I'm not at all surprised to see: I've long recognized those people to be kind. However, to Bill, particularly: having long been a user of these forums I've come to realize that, unfortunately, this is not always a 'safe' place when people are feeling that bit too vulnerable. I've sometimes felt like giving the same advice as Cell to others, in the past, who have looked too vulnerable: 'Get away from here!'

Satanscharmer: A special thank you to you. It was unusually good of you to offer that personal connection.

Everybody: just to be clear, I'm not about to harm myself. It's not that bad. It just took me by surprise when the bolt hit me earlier, that's all.

I've had problems in the past and have been on a low dose of antidepressants for some while. Yes, there are certainly long-term problems that need to be resolved. It's been suggested to me that I see some kind of therapist and I may well do that. There hasn't been any recent trauma of any kind. Just a tiny thing - a 'friend' on Facebook being surprisingly hard. Trivial, really. But I was already low - I guess we all know how that goes.

However, the main reason I posted today was to ask about what methods people used to 'pull themselves up' when they'd suddenly felt 'down'. I began to wonder about tactics that people often seem to half-joke about - 'retail therapy', chocolate, taking baths with lots of candles .... all those things. First aid for the soul, I suppose.

Me, I understand the point about exercise: it's always been my first recourse when feeling low. I use a gym regularly. The endorphins do for me what no antidepressant has ever done. Today, though, I didn't have the heart for it. I put my gym-kit in my bag, gritted my teeth, and marched off towards the gym. It happened to be sunny here, today - and that certainly helped. I didn't get to the gym, though. I walked past it and another mile into the shopping precinct. (Fast pace - feel the muscle!) Something, anything ... 'retail therapy'. That turned into DIY therapy: I bought a few coat-hooks and walked home. I planed a length of wood, drilled holes in the wall, attached the coat-hooks to the wood and fixed it to my wall. God, that whole process felt good.

Doing stuff. *Doing* stuff. I read once that Winston Churchill, a long sufferer of depression, used to - as he put it - 'Run through his black periods'. It does work, so long as those black periods aren't too black.

I probably shouldn't be on my own for too much longer. I'm quite self-sufficient, but I'm not that tough. My mother frets about me. She might be right.

I'm not depressed now. I'm just a bit sad. That's fine - everyone's a bit sad, now and then. I do appreciate your help.

Thank you again, everyone.






DesFIP -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 5:56:28 PM)

If getting some sun helped, then a light box might also

Additionally, you need to take the sunshine vitamin, D III. Usually between 2,000 and 5,000 IUs a day. Some will take 10,000 day and get a two or three minute tanning session every few weeks. Not enough to tan, but sufficient to help you with your Vitamin D levels. We originally developed on the savanna and people living in areas far north or south, or rainy like the Pacific Northwest, are known to have higher rates of depression.

But yes, make a list of things you enjoy, or used to enjoy and do at least one every day
Even if you don't immediately enjoy it, with time you should recover some enjoyment

However, you need first to get a physical. This could be Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder which would respond to a short term use of SSRIs. It could be thyroid related. Or various other physical illnesses.

Please ignore FD's dangerous nonsense. People before the development of modern treatment didn't just pull up their bootstraps and become fine.
All too often they committed suicide. My family tree has at least one in every generation. His comments are as bad as what preachers said in the 20's when insulin was first extracted from animals and given to diabetics. They urged people not to get treatment and just die like God ordained rather than take an 'unnatural' treatment.

And depression is exactly the same as diabetes. It's a physical disease you don't want and can't just think away. It's a symptom of a problem with your brain chemistry.



mechski -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 5:58:45 PM)

Misread the post.

Talk about it with my best friends. I don't isolate. I get out in nature. Take my dog for a walk. I stop the snowball from going downhill as quickly as possible.

And if that doesn't help, there is always valium.




ThatDizzyChick -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 6:07:53 PM)

Fresh air helps to, even taking a walk every day



Cell -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 7:26:51 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WickedsDesire

i pay attention dear fake *cell*

you have no substance anywhere and offer nothoing


You are a fool.




OP, You misunderstand why I told you to get off the damn internet. You being a regular here is unhealthy in of itself. (You know that) Go to your doctor. And get your perscription adjusted. You can go take up exercise or dog walking or sunbaking after............ Don't friging linger around the internet for fuck sake. I had the feeling I was wasting my time when I made that post. Stick around here talking about your depression and I shouldn't have even bothered.



(Umm... No offence to forum regulars* >_<)




satanscharmer -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 7:49:05 PM)

DIY therapy! One of my favorites, especially if it involves power tools. [:)]
Glad you did something today that made you feel good!



Spiritedsub2 -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 8:19:57 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Cell

quote:

ORIGINAL: WickedsDesire

i pay attention dear fake *cell*

you have no substance anywhere and offer nothoing


You are a fool.




OP, You misunderstand why I told you to get off the damn internet. You being a regular here is unhealthy in of itself. (You know that) Go to your doctor. And get your perscription adjusted. You can go take up exercise or dog walking or sunbaking after............ Don't friging linger around the internet for fuck sake. I had the feeling I was wasting my time when I made that post. Stick around here talking about your depression and I shouldn't have even bothered.



(Umm... No offence to forum regulars* >_<)


You do understand that YOU are a forum regular.



Cell -> RE: 'First Aid' for sudden depression (2/18/2016 8:30:09 PM)

[sm=jaw.gif]



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