you can’t self care your way out of depression

#actuallyautistic

[@murob2347]

I'm so sorry that you have had so much depression. I can completely relate to that, and it makes me very sad to see others who went through it/are going through it, too.

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

Thank you for sharing and bringing awareness to the topic. You’re so right and everything you said. No one is any more or less strong for needing or taking medication for any condition. Physical or mental. It’s a shame that in our society due to internalized ableism and other social pressures I think it’s more common than not the experience you described of feeling as though if we just work hard enough or do more or put more effort in will be able to fix it where is if it was a physical condition it wouldn’t be as much of a fight against recognizing that sometimes external things outside of ourselves, like medication, is needed

[@Rick-S-6063]

Hello! Here's a high five for a new video, for your courage and for your openness about what used to be a very taboo subject! Looking back I can see that I had slipped into a depression which began when I was 17 years old and didn't really lift until I was 21. At the time I didn't realize that I was severely depressed. There was no hope and I had no reason to live. It seemed as if life was what it was and that's all it would ever be. Yet, here I am, 48 years later, and I think what saved me was having to hit rock bottom and telling myself I was going to get myself sorted out. I will say to anyone who is experiencing depression to never give up, that help is available and you are going to triumph over the blahs. Tomorrow can be a better day. Take that first step and the rest will be easier and easier!

[@adamwilder2943]

I myself have had to deal with mild depression, depression nonetheless so I'm able to understand this video

[@CJ.694]

I'm older by almost 2 decades and one think I've noticed in the younger generations...there are more depressed people...I have young nieces and nephews and they were pretty much born with an iPad in their hands. I think SM and the stopping lack of kids going outside and being social with others at a young age...I think that's the issue...it seem young people dont have friends. The ones who think they have friends ...really don't. They have acquaintances. Playgrounds are empty, libraries are empty like ...I do think that's the problem and I do hope that changes. Keep your head up. Meditate. I honestly dont even know how your generation meets people. But keep your head up and find your people...because everyone has their people

[@benjaminthomasdonley]

Yeah I definitely went in and out of depression, depending on if I was in or out of a relationship. And yes I tried some kind of antidepressant back in 2012, and I went through something where I was like sleep walking so I never kept it up... definitely no where near as bad as seeing dead people though! But wow! Are you wearing contacts now? Sorry I wanted to skip a few videos ahead, I'm sure you explained it in one of the first videos you weren't wearing glasses...

[@amyme4066]

If you had asthma you wouldn't feel guilty for needing medication. Mental health issues are no different for many people. Therapy can definitely help if you are a naturally balanced person going through a rough time but for those of us (me included here) who have been this way our whole lives, medication helps us feel more "normal". It corrects the imbalance in the way insulin helps regulate sugar in a diabetic. I'm not saying therapy isn't great because, even with medication, therapy is a massive help but without medication I cant even contemplate therapy. Depression is a mental illness and there are many different levels and types. I have a chemical imbalance, I was born like it and it needs medication to regulate. I will always have to take my meds. Sounds like you're similar and that's great that you've realised it and are on medication that helps

[@brisbreathing]

I get that completely. Despite multiple therapists I felt like nothing helped, and the common denominator was me. I was also undiagnosed autistic for most of that time, so I’m sure that adds to it as well. I feel like starting therapy again would be so different now, because I’m in a place where I can simply just handle everything much more.

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

Hi. If you’re open to sharing would you mind if I asked how you were diagnosed with a chemical in balance. Specifically what type of help professional/what kind of test was done to establish that you had it? I have a relative with clinical depression and we long does it affect it that it was related to hormonal balance but I haven’t been able to find a Doctor Who would test for it.

[@amyme4066]

@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084 that was a statement made by a psychiatrist I was seeing many years ago. He told me there is no test but that some people are born with a different way of processing serotonin etc and that my history (issues from the moment i could talk) it shows i do not process things the way most people do. He was explaining it to my parents (who were opposed to therapy and meds) and it stuck with me as a great explanation. Why do people object to medication for mental health when they don't for other conditions when essentially the meds are there for the same thing...to regulate/fix something the body currently can't. Over the years I have been on several different types of antidepressants and had periods where I took myself off them entirely (that didn't go well). It takes time to find the right medication and each time you switch you have to give it a good few months to see if the one you're trying is the right one for you so you don't complicate things by drug hopping. Currently, I've been on the meds I'm on for nearly ten years. The dose changes up or down depending on how I'm doing and therapy does the rest but I have been told by many of them I will be on them for life and if I ever want to see how I get on without then I have to have weekly appointments to assess how I'm coping. Depression is a difficult thing to treat and there are a LOT of professionals out there who don't fully understand it. If your relative has had long term, ongoing depression which isn't being alleviated with therapy then meds would be the logical next step but therapy is also essential to help once the right meds are found and to assess how the ones prescribed are working. There are some people who have not found any relief no matter what meds or therapy they've tried sadly, the key is to keep trying and be patient with it. I never thought I would have a light at the end of the tunnel until I was started on the current medication and had a lot of very dark moments, especially as a teen/young adult and a lot of doctors push therapy only as a treatment. Therapy alone isn't enough if you have long term, chronic depression. I do hope you find some help for your relative and that they know how much you care for them.