Dear all,

Please help me with you advice. Every year I begin an inevitable descent into depression. I have not been formally diagnosed as I have I have not sought medical attention for this.
My mother seems as a a different person when she takes medication for her own depression and a friend of mine becomes extremely subdued when she takes her own, and for these and other factors I do not want to seek medical attention if I can, however, year upon year I become worse. I can look ahead and, from experience, consign months of my life to despair.
My mood is unstable and no sooner than I have crawled out of one pit, some small event puts me into another. I am a postgraduate student studying a course that is something it did not profess to be, and I loathe it. I'm sorry, I realise that I'm going on a little now. I wanted to help others here, but I do not know what I can say to cheer anyone up.

Please help. Sometimes when things go wrong I feel the urge to tear at my skin. I do not want to harm myself and I want to live, and I want to feel better so I can enjoy life. I will quit typing now. Thanks.

A