Depression hell - seeking support

It seems like you should consider going back to your doctor. A dosage of 20mg might be too low for effective treatment. Have you explored therapy, CBT, or meditation as additional coping strategies? These methods have been helpful for me in managing depression. Do you have friends and family who can provide support during this time? I hope you find the resources you need to feel better.

Making appt today, can't cope. Tried therapy before, no help. Partner's supportive, hard on him. Mum has issues but listens over phone. No dad around. Daughter's not easy, hurts me, triggers bad stuff. Thanks.

Hey there, I hope things go well at your doctor's appointment. Maybe trying something different could help.

If teh long-term outlook dooesn't look good and therapy hasn't worked so far,
maybe accepting it as it is might be the way to move forward. Living with it can sometimes mean finding what works for you.

Proper medication or a combination of low-dose meds might make a difference, especially if sleep is affected too. A sleep aid could help there.

Setting goals can also be helpful-aiming for a manageable pain level on a 1-to-10 scale where 4 to 5 feels good for some people.

If you haven't tried it before, maybe ask your doctor or physiotherapist about a chronic pain course or wellbeing program. It covers everything and could be really beneficial.

For the job thing,
viewing it as an extra option might take off some pressure. If applying means less stress even if there's a chance of refusal, there's no real downside in trying.
Applying for something like Personal Independence Payment (PIP) seems worth considering.

Thank you for your advice. It feels like mental health issues are deeply ingrained in my life. While I do have good days occasionally, the bad ones are incredibly draining and leave me completely shut down for several days, especially when stress is involved. I don't feel well enough to work as much as I would like. I've applied for Personal Independence Payment twice over the years, but both times I received zero points, which was very discouraging. I will keep you updated; I have an appointment with my doctor today. It was tempting to stay at home all day and avoid the world, but I know I need to seek help.

Yeh, keep us in the loop and hope your appointment goes well. Don't frget to try for that pip-wording's super important there. Remember, understanding the criteria is key: majority of time rule, which means like if u have 4 bad days over a span of 3 counts as unable to meet it. Mabe think about reaching out to Welfare Rights or Cab or Fightback4justice if that makes sense. If not, honestly, it's totally understandable too.

yeh so i'm rly tired of all ths prompting and motv stuff. it's like, rly hard when u have sever depression evvrywhere and nothin's gonna change for a long time. jst need to make sure all th criteria are met 4 pip. dealing wit the depssion n everything else on top is rlly tough though.

Thanks so much for the tips! I just saw my GP who was super helpful, but unfortunately when it comes to sleep issues, she's pretty limited and can't prescribe sleeping pills because of addiction concerns. Instead, she switchd me over to Sertraline at a middle dose, which is nice since I don't have to taper off Escitalopram-I can go straight onto the new one. I also brought up my suspicions about having atism since I definitely have a lot of traits like needing alone time adn dealing with social anxiety. So now I've got to fill out some paperwork and see her again next Friday to talk more about getting a referral. If I decide to apply for PIP again, I think I'll need help from CAB or welfare rights services. Thanks again for all your knowledge!

hi u say addiction rly mean past stuff or ur scared of getting addicted? if u rnt used and under gp review, u probably aint addicted

just saying bc lack of sleep afxcts everything else lol. everyone's diff tho

my gp was like enough is enuf & prescribed sleep meds. i take 1 or 2 or none sometimes & am not addicted.

helps with other stuff too:/ glad my gp did this for me

u r so right, lack of sleep is rlly a big deal. my gp just said she can't prescribe sleeping meds cuz they might b addictive lol. ur doc strict abt it too? can i ask what brand u take & does it woork? no hangover effect the next day?

Tried other meds, now on Trazadone early evening. Starting with low dose and increasing slowly. Know it's too much if side effects kick in. Trazadone

I think I've never experienced a hangover myself, but everyone is different, right? And my doctor did mention that Trazodone isn't very addictive.

Thanks! I'm happy you found something that works for you, Shep.

ask for ur b12,folate,d & iron levels. idk tbh, but these r def importat. if u lack them it can give u anxiety,depression,memory loss&even psychosis&suicidal tendencies. check out sally pacholok's doc on yt to see how often ppl get misdiagnosed worldwide.

Thanks for the reply! Honestly, I've had so many blood tests over the years-it's like they're second natture to me at this point. A while back in my twenties, I was super B12 deficient, but thankfully it's all stable now. Plus, I have an underactive thyroid and take levothyroxine-looks like that'll be a forever thing for me.

I think unfortunately, a lot of people are told they're not vitamin B12 deficient because of worldwide flaws in the serum low range test. From personal experience, I had around 30 symptoms and was told that I wasn't actually deficient. Once we got diagnosed, it turns out it's for life-not just until the level is normal again. Both of us have permanent nerve damage in our spines, SACD, hearing loss, and vision problems due to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment