Feeling Blue for 2 Weeks.

Hi@DahliaDreams

Sorry to hear that you lost both your parents. I hope your depression lifts If not you might need to have your medication dosage changed. Sometimes the medications stop working. Depends how long you have been on them. Seeing a therapist again will probably be beneficial.

Hi @Misty7

thanks for your condolences. I think I have come to terms with my parents passing, it took a long while though. It was a stressful time, but they both had good innings.

I'm not taking medication anymore - I haven't done so for over 10 - 12 years. Sometimes I think I should try antidepressants again, as they probably have a lot of new ones to try by now. I doubt any of them would be a miracle cure though. Who knows, right? I discussed it briefly with the psychologist I saw earlier this year, but she didn't say much... she probably didn't want to offer an opinion on that kind of thing - I've noticed some of them don't, or else they are told it's out of their scope of practice or whatever to discuss medication.

I am open to it. I would probably have to get a referral to a new psychiatrist, since my previous one has retired.

How are you doing today?

Hi@DahliaDreams

I'm good I think I have less bodily pain today. Yeah it might be good to see a new psychiatrist if your depression symptoms don't go away or you feel they are getting worse. I saw one through Dokotela.My old and new psychologist both spoke about antidepressants just couldn't prescribe them. A GP has less knowledge about which ones would be a good fit according to symptoms, life experiences, stressors and personality.

Hi @Misty7

I'm happy to hear that you have less body pain. Thanks for the information about Dokotela. I hadn't heard of them, so I looked them up - they seem like a useful service, it's good to know that I could get a psychiatrist appointment bulk-billed, if needed.

I had some tragic news earlier in the week with a friend's daughter dying suddenly in her early 30's. My friend has some support - but she is still in shock, I think. It's terrible. I want to support her as best I can, but with my own depressive symptoms, it's pretty hard going.

I never heard back from the local low-cost psych clinic, so I guess I am still on their waiting list.

What are you up to today?

Hi @DahliaDreams, perhaps your parents were of that generation where mental health was stigmatised and never discussed, maybe because people with a "mental illness" were institutionalised back then. That WWII/post WWII generation had a "you just have to get on with things" attitude because they had to.

Childhood ways of approaching life can certainly continue into adulthood, especially subconsciously. But with good talk therapy and mindfulness practices, neuroplasticity allows the brain to use an adult viewpoint and life experience to adjust our attitudes and help our subconscious recognise we are now safe in the present moment.

Speaking of the present moment, I think the barrage of news nowadays that is deliberately sensationalised to generate clicks has a major negative influence on some people. Our brains have evolved to prioritise attention to possible threats, and things that are good often go unrecognised. News detox is a good practice - most world events will never impact your daily life, and if it's important enough you will hear about it anyway.

Hi @DahliaDreams

Glad to know that you found Dokotela useful. You are lucky I had to pay for mine.Sorry to hear that your friends daughter has passed unexpectedly, not a nice thing to go through. If you find it too hard you might want to pick and choose how much you involve yourself without risking your own mental health.

I am not too bad today maybe a bit tired. I am usually quite fatigued from the Cptsd. I hope your depression lifts soon. Just want to mention when I saw the psychiatrist they made a report and also made recommendations for the type of treatments incase the first one didn't work. Not just medication but to also get an accurate diagnosis. A psychologist can diagnose but a psychiatrist has a bit more insight.

(Sorry, I think I missed subsequent posts on the second page so my earlier reply reads out-of-sequence).

Sometimes, the missing "ingredients" in life are feeling you have worthwhile meaning and purpose.

There is a saying that I like that personally guides me: “The purpose of life is to discover your gifts. The meaning of life is to give them away.” I've found using my life experience to help others is extremely fulfilling.

Re the discussion of antidepressants, by all means discuss it with your trusted prescriber.

This is a project auspiced by Adelaide University. It's viewpoint may not be well known in medical circles (or may be disputed by some) but I think it's important to consider all aspects.

• https://notbrokenproject.com.au

For completeness, a related approach on deprescribing from the University of Queensland :

• https://www.racgp.org.au/clinical-resources/clinical-guidelines/guidelines-by-topic/view-all-guidelines-by-topic/preventive-health/release-resources

@DahliaDreams @Misty7

Hi @Radder

I actually had heard of the Not Broken project and agree with a lot of what they are putting forward. I think that in our society people are being over-medicated in general. It's been a gradual process where more and more medications become available, and more and more people seem willing to try them in the hope of what I call a "miracle cure". It's a very seductive notion that somehow popping a pill will fix an issue. A lot of us don't understand that we also have to do some work, change some of our life habits and accept some pain.

Of course, it's very complex and you need to look at each individual on a case-by-case basis.

When I first had a mental health crisis, medication was very helpful to me. When I decided I wanted to ween myself off the meds, my psychiatrist was very supportive. Years later, when I was prescribed antidepressants by a GP, they said, "you'll probably need to take these for the rest of your life". I thought to myself: "I'll be the one to decide that!" I weened myself off them after a year or so. The detox was very unpleasant. I haven't taken antidepressants for about 12 years, I think.

I also agree with you about staying away from the news. Journalism has hit rock bottom in this country.

What are you up to today?

Hi @Misty7

sorry to hear that you are feeling tired with CPTSD. I think rest is so important when we need it. Yesterday I fell asleep in the middle of the day and afterwards I was in a very slow, dreamy state. It was kind of nice. I realised I must need the rest.

I'm feeling a bit guilty about my friend who lost her daughter. I initially said I would go with her to the funeral home but then I had to tell her that I couldn't go due to feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. She was very understanding on the phone, but I feel that she will probably withdraw from me now. If she does withdraw, it's probably for the best all around, but still.... I do feel like I let her down. My old self would have pushed to do everything I can for her, at the expense of my own mental health. But I don't want to be like that anymore.

Underneath everything, I am feeling a sense of clarity. I may lose a few people from my life along the way, but I can accept it.

How are you doing?

Hi @DahliaDreams you sound very insightful, I agree with your observations.

Re not attending the funeral, I think it’s often best to reach out to the bereaved a few weeks after the intensity of the funeral when everyone else has gone back to their normal lives and the bereaved is feeling alone and unable to get on with theirs.