Help, soo confusing !!!!

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear about your husband's depression and how unsupported he (and you) are feeling following his discharge from hospital.

I'm no expert but these are the things that came to mind which may help.

Treatment for depression is often a combination of medication and therapy. If it is at all possible I would highly recommend finding a local psychologist and getting your husband to weekly sessions to begin with. Your local GP should be able to refer you to someone. You are eligible for up to 10 sessions via medicare per annum. Secondly, if he feels very overcome with anxiety and is upset I would recommend that he ring a support service such as Beyond Blue or even Lifeline. Often just chatting with someone experienced can help alleviate anxiety and reduce upset. There are also some good online tools which he may find useful such as http://www.mindspot.org.au or moodgym.anu.edu.au It may also be worth considering getting your husband to join a support group Beyond Blue or the Black Dog Institute should be able to point you in the right direction for groups within your area.

Feel free to call Beyond Blue yourself for advice and remember to look after yourself as well.

Janna ❤️

Hi @Shaz51, it seems that the medication process hasn't been explained to your husband very well. Or perhaps it's been too much to take in. It takes a while, sometimes 6 - 8 weeks, for someone to get to a therapeutic dosage that starts to make a real difference. Often people are started at low dosages to test their tolerance and check on potential side-effects. Then the dosage is increased and the benefit starts to be seen. These gaps between doctor appointments are probably to see how your husband responds to the medication and to change dosage levels.

@Janna gave some good advice about seeking counselling in addition to the medication. That can be particularly helpful for managing the symptoms of anxiety (breathing techniques etc) and can help to bridge the gaps between medical appointments.

Hi @Shaz51

@Janna and @Former-Member have covered pretty much everything that came to mind for me.

The one thing I would add is to get in contact with a community based organisation to see if there's any community based services you and your husband could benefit from (eg: a community support team)

ARAFMI Australia is a good place to start (as I'm not sure where you are). You can find your local agency here http://www.arafmiaustralia.asn.au/

Hope this helps too!

thank you everyone for your reply , we are also keeping a diary on how he feels each day between meetings , the doctor wants him to have a sleep apnea test done , today we did 2 two hours cleaning jobs , my husband could not concentrate on driving home , fell asleep for a few hours on the floor then mowed 2 lawns , just had dinner and off to bed .

I know it is small but that sounds like some positive moves forward. I do agree with some of the above advice, a therapeutic approach is also important when working towards wellness. I also know that this approach is another expense, so I have linked in some information regarding the medicare rebate scheme.

http://www.psychology.org.au/medicare/fact_sheet

I also encourage you to join a carers organisation, some of these are Carers, mental illness fellowship or grow. which everyone for your state should help you find a support group to feel connected, hopefully less confused and empowered.

Your doing an amazing job.

Good luck

Hello @MIFANTCARER, @coffeegirl, @Former-Member, @Janna, how are you

I was having a look at this thread i did ages ago , I feel things have not changed much but I seem to be coping more

Hello @Former-Member

Hey @Shaz51 🙂