Hello and welcome from a fellow depressed clinician. I left my job last September due to some institutional politics...no cushion, no income...I was hospitalized in late Dec for a week. I don't view myself as a failure - I've been at this profession for nearly 20 years. Depression does not discriminate. I certainly don't want to be depressed, but I am. I've beaten it before, but I'm in the throes of it now.

I have been on five different medications with varying degrees of success. Lexapro worked well the first time, then it didn't the second and third times around. Cymbalta worked, and I stopped taking it...med and depression free, or so I thought. Then on to the hospital and mirtazapine (bad med for me), finally on effexor for about the past 4 weeks...jury is still out on this one...

In the meantime, I'm facing similar worries of hopelessness, no energy, no motivation. But, I'm in therapy, participated in pastoral counseling, and am picking myself up with those things. I'm in pursuit of another job as a clinician. For me, it wasn't the work that I was doing, but the conditions under which I was doing that work.

Best to you...