Posted by bluesfan on December 29, 2003, at 13:26:33
In reply to Re: Depression question, posted by nicky847 on December 29, 2003, at 13:06:22
Hearing your side of things helps me more than you know. It gives me some hope that I might eventually get better. I have to keep telling myself that this is more like a disease than a mental illness. I definitely realize that I took life for granted before when I felt good. I can definitely sympathize with people that have gone through this, and I hope I can give support to people in the future like you are giving me. Thanks again!
> It IS genetic...my mom and dad both have had anxiety/depression at different points in their
> life...
>
> also..you are not going crazy...most therapists will tell you "crazy" people dont know they are crazy..nor do they care..they are people who have lost contact with reality..chances are you are so focused on the reality of your symptoms that you are about as far from the clinical definition of crazy as you can get..people with anxiety disorders are too much in contact with reality..
>
> and you are right about the fatigue bringing it on...i know for me sometimes it feels like all of this just started one day..but then when i think about it i had been pushing myself really really hard for a while before i finally sought out help..
>
> You are going to feel better by spring/summer...that i can pretty much guarantee..
> > I will give that a try. I just want the thoughts to go away and I can deal with the rest of it. I have felt fatigue for a long time, so I'm pretty used to that. That may have been a good sign that this depression thing has been coming on for awhile. I found out over Christmas that my brother is on Zoloft, my sister is on Wellbutrin, and my niece is on Lexapro. This is something I never knew before.......it actually helps me know that this may be something that is genetic and not just me going crazy. I just hope to be better by spring and summer so I can enjoy life more when the weather is nice!
> >
> > > Rapid eye movement therapy seems to help people b/c it simulates REM sleep..it also helps you confront your scary thoughts...what my therapist did was tell me to think one of my scary thoughts..which in itself is scary but with the therapist there i felt safe in doing so...he then told me to follow his finger with my eyes..and moved it at a rapid (but not blinding speed) to the far left and far right corners of my field of vision...he did this for about 30 seconds...then told me to take a deep breath and close my eyes...we repeated this 3 or 4 times..im not sure how or why it works..but my scary thoughts seemed to lose some of their impact after that..like my body had already processed these thoughts and recognized that they are harmless..
> > >
> > > I have been on lexapro for 4 1/2 weeks now...I am encouraged by the fact that my recovery seems to be going more or less the same as it did on celexa...i get frustrated that im not all the way better...but when i think about the progress i have made, it makes me feel good...from reading what you have written to me you are well on your way to recovery as well..
> > >
> > > an important thing to note is that when you are starting on an A/D..you will have many points where you feel like you are cured...and it makes it very frustrating when a few days later you dont feel like that anymore...remember that regardless of how you feel on a given day..every day you are one day closer to recovery....celexa really helped me..and i am confident lexapro will do the same..but do not expect a magic switch to be pulled..recovery is very very gradual and the number one thing i can advise to you is patience, patience, and more patience....i know its hard, but the cold hard facts are that it can take a couple months on the meds to feel better..so you have the choice to get frustrated and scared when you feel youre not progressing fast enough...or to have faith in the med and in yourself..let the lex do its thing..and recuperate without putting alot of extra pressure on yourself...believe me when you come out the other side it feels like you have a new lease on life..and you will come out the other side..
> > >
> > >
> > > > I would just like to add in my support....have been on Lex since Feb., currently at20mg.
> > > >
> > > > First 2 months for me were terrible, but I'm glad I stuck it out, doing so much better now.
> > > >
> > > > 2nd week was the worst for me w/se's, then at wk 5 I felt a whole lot worse, increased depression and anxiety attacks. Did not actually start to fell *better* until wk 9.
> > > >
> > > > Please try not to get discouraged, tracking how you feel may help take your mind off, and frequent breaks (I went to bathroom, or stockroom to *get some air*) also helped a lot. Try not to focus on the negatives, keep thinking positive thoughts, drink lots of water!
> > > >
> > > > Also come back here OFTEN for support, it helped me so much to read posts here when I felt bad.
> > > >
> > > > We're all pulling for you!~~~8|8
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
poster:bluesfan
thread:294271
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031225/msgs/294337.html