I do hope that you find some comfort here on these forums. The last few weeks have been pretty bad for me too. I went to an appointment with a psychologist this morning, and though it is a small step in the right direction, it felt pretty good to talk with someone.

As for family not understanding, I think sometimes that they never will, even if they have suffered with depression themselves. My wife has been anxious and depressed for many years; she takes medication to manage the anxiety and mood swings (sounds bipolar I guess), but now that I'm depressed, she has little tolerance or patience for my inability to be "un-depressed". So, I know what you mean about bottling it all up - I do that very well at times...except when depressed acutely, like now, where I can't hide my distress...

Keep coming back to these forums. There are so many supportive people in the world. I've read some threads that are very useful. I do hope that your visits provide you with some assistance today.

I do wish, like many have said to me, that there was something I could write or say to help all of us feel better...but, depression is an illness and it really hurts...sometimes more than other times...so take the relief where you can get it, and hopefully your family will start to understand it, even if its just a little bit.