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I received a PM from a fellow fishy member saying ,   " after reading my post stating that I suffer with depression he thought he also had the condition,"

He went on to say he had thought about suicide the other week.

So I would like to inform all of you what it is like to suffer from the condition and what help is out there.

Depression is a chemical inbalance in the brain and does effect about 10% of the population at one time or another.

The first signs to look for is when you have no interest in anything and you do not want to go out or talk to people,

Most people that suffer are good actors and we put a brave face on to fool other people,

What you must do are the following,

1.   Go see your doctor as soon as possible, he or she will understand what you are feeling like.

2.  Tablets are very good now days ( look how positive I am ) :) There are many different tablets available so if the 1st ones do not make you feel any better, the doctor will change them to a different type, so do not worry.

3. Try to get out and do some exicise, it will make you feel better.
    I am not very fit now but I spend a lot of time in the garden pottering about and I also take my dog for a walk twice a day.

4. Do not keep your problems to yourself, talk to somebody about them.
   If you can not talk to your family talk to your friends.
   If you think you can not speak to anybody about it, talk to your dog ( if you have one ) my dog is a very good listener. :)

I am very lucky that I have a close knit family and I can talk to my wife or kids and they understand and help.

If at the end of the day you have nobody you want to confide in,   PM me and I will always try to help,

I am not a counsellor so please seek professional help, but I will always be here to do what I can.

Things are never as bad as you might think they are , so  try to look on the bright side if you can,

Remember if you worry about something it will not go away JUST make things seem a lot worse.

Finally I would like to say,

I have been suffering with depression for over 10 years now, but because I take my tablets and talk to my doctor and family about things I feel good most of the time.
I do have the odd black day or hour but it soon passes,

So please seek help IF you think you are the one in ten that suffer with depression.

Great advice Pete, my ex-wife suffered from it terribly. Some may say it was living with me that did it (grrr) but she started on some tablets and very quickly got back to her normal self. It's an awful, awful thing to watch someone you love feeling so utterly helpless and you can't help in any way. Whoever it was that PM'd you, I hope they listen to your advice.

I to suffer from depression and have done since I was 16. (I'm 25 now) I didn't get help for it until I was 22. At times during those years it became quite grim for me. I'm lucky because like Pete, I've people around me who I can talk to and understand the issues that I have. Since I went to the doctors and received some professional advice it has been much easier to get on with my life. Now 90% of the time I am fine.
I can't really add much to what Pete has said, it's all sound advice, just it might also be worth looking at your diet as well. Audio books on an mp3 player makes walking more enjoyable.

Proud of you Gramps xxx

Good advice Pete.

I suffered a period of severe depression after a series of events happened in my life and the first thing is to recognise the symptoms and get help.My family and my doctor were wonderful and i am happy to report that i am now fine.Help is out there,don't be afraid to use it.

Now I obviously do not want to alarm anyone here but I think I must comment on this. There have been quite a few occasions (inc at least 2 locally that I know of) where Doctors have diagnosed depression and it has actually turned out that the patient had a brain tumour.

The symptoms of a brain tumour are very often misdiagnosed as depression.

Quoted from Les Brechin

Now I obviously do not want to alarm anyone here but I think I must comment on this. There have been quite a few occasions (inc at least 2 locally that I know of) where Doctors have diagnosed depression and it has actually turned out that the patient had a brain tumour.

The symptoms of a brain tumour are very often misdiagnosed as depression.

Well it sure is true that ya lern something new everyday! I would never of never thought the 2 wud be connected.

Bi polar disorder (sp) a form of depression? i work with someone that has that so know a bit about it

every one gets depressed more so than others, and people deal with it in different ways

Quoted from Neilo83

Bi polar disorder (sp) a form of depression? i work with someone that has that so know a bit about it

Think bi-polar is the more recent name for manic depression,which is mis-understood as manic depressants can actually be incredibly positive to the point where they feel invincible and at other times incredibly depressed,hence going from one polar extreme to the other.

I was diagnosed with clinical depression but with the help of my doctor and family,overcame it.

As a result,did quite a lot of reading on the subject.My depression was caused by a series of events,one of which was the unexpected split with my ex wife.Funnily enough,this lead to me meeting my curent GF,who at that time was working as an advocate for a mental health charity.She explained there are a lot of myths attached to the illness and it's a lot more prevalent than people think.It can also run in families which i wasn't aware of.

It's not just depression either. Mental illness comes in many forms and can act in equally devastating ways. In the mid-1990's I developed obsessive compulsive disorder. I won't explain what it is as the clue is in the name but for several weeks I thought I was literally going mad; in the end it led to a nervous breakdown.

I recall breaking down in tears in front of my mum who took me to my GP, a wonderful gentleman who I wish was still my doctor. He prescribed me Prozac and referred me to a psychologist and with that and the help of family, friends and great support from my then employer I fought the battle and won.

Although more than a decade has passed since then I am still aware that this thing can come back at anytime. The battle was won but the war is never over. That doesn't mean that you can't keep winning though.

One of my sisters' has OCD.It can ruin lives and as you say,one of the many different forms of mental illness.My GF has many books on the subject and they make interesting reading.

there are many different causes for depression, when i am going through a rough patch there is one piece of advice ive been given that always sticks out in my mind. Im not by any means religous but it was given to me by a priest a few days ago 'Its not how many times you fall over that counts but it is how many times you pick yourself up'. also in these times there is a Winston Churchill quote which inspires me "If you're going through Hell, keep going.". No matter what life throws at you, whether by your own doing or something out of your control you have to keep going and dont give in because nobody remembers those who surrender (Hitler and the French being exceptions). Theres been times in the past few years and right up to now where ive wanted to give in but where there is people around you who will back you to the hilt you wont go far wrong. Meataforically speaking there was a time where someone i know was in a very bad place, both mentally and physically who took a few (alot) more sleeping tablets than what he was meant to and his friend stayed up with him all night to keep him awake, its at that point you know your not alone, your never alone.

Quoted from Wrawby_Mariner

there are many different causes for depression, when i am going through a rough patch there is one piece of advice ive been given that always sticks out in my mind. Im not by any means religous but it was given to me by a priest a few days ago 'Its not how many times you fall over that counts but it is how many times you pick yourself up'. also in these times there is a Winston Churchill quote which inspires me "If you're going through Hell, keep going.". No matter what life throws at you, whether by your own doing or something out of your control you have to keep going and dont give in because nobody remembers those who surrender (Hitler and the French being exceptions). Theres been times in the past few years and right up to now where ive wanted to give in but where there is people around you who will back you to the hilt you wont go far wrong. Meataforically speaking there was a time where someone i know was in a very bad place, both mentally and physically who took a few (alot) more sleeping tablets than what he was meant to and his friend stayed up with him all night to keep him awake, its at that point you know your not alone, your never alone.

Go Wrawby; wise words indeed.

The trick is to teach yourself how to manage your way out of a hole.

As Billy Ocean wisely said; "When the going gets tough, the tough get going"...you just need to work out how to remain level headed in times of crisis and "get going".