Life Long Battle
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Life Long Battle
| Thu, 03-11-2004 - 9:22am |
I have battled depression for over twenty years now, having success with medication some of the time. I would like to connect with others who have been fighting the same war. My doctor tells me I have chronic difficult to treat depression. Sometimes I can go 2 years and the meds work great, and even if life sucks I am okay. Other times my medication can be changed 2 or 3 times in less than 2 years. I struggle with family members / friends who still don't get it - depression. They think I haven't done everything I can to fix myself or I need a new doctor. They can't seem to understand that my brain doesn't work right, and short of a brain transplant that isn't going to go away. Too bad they don't have a virtual depression simulator that other people could experience just so they could realize that we don't wish to feel this way. Anyway, what do you do to help yourself. I still struggle with the concept that I have some control over this. Let me know. Thanks, Linda

Welcome to our community Linda.
Linda,
I copied and pasted what you wrote in your post because that part really jumped out at me and I can really relate to that part of your post, My sister just told me the other night that therapy isnt helping me and my therapist isnt doing her job, well therapy has helped me and she is doing a great job with me.
Alot of people seem to think that we need to be "fixed" and I hate that word I really do there is nothing to "fix" they dont get it that all of our brains are different we process and handel things alot differently thatn people who do not suffer from depression.
Just last night my therapist told me that my brain is different than my sisters brain that I handel things so opposite of her that I am just more sensative to the world than she is and that is why things effect me so strongly.
My point is this and I am sorry that it took me so long to get to it ......
Your family has to understand that this is something that you will most likely battle for the rest of your life, just like all of us will probably fight this forever also, they need to become educated on this disease it is not something that we can just snap out of or that can be fixed, they need to read articles web sites ect......
As for what I do to help myself I write alot I do yoga listen to classical music because it relaxes me and I read those are the things that help me and ya sometimes it is hard to do any of those things but I do because I know in the long run it will help me.
I wish you the best of luck and keep fighting.
Erin