This is my first post....I'm not quite sure what I expect to gain from this thread, other than listening, understanding ears. I've been suffering from depression for a few years...I'm not sure how many, as I was in denial for a long time. I think one of the hardest things for me is being able to talk about how I'm feeling. Which is why I've come here.

Over the past few years, I have closed myself off from many friends. Social activities have become so exhausting that the easiest escape for me was to close my circle. I now find myself somewhat panicking, as I have no one to talk about how I'm feeling to.

My family has never been very close and I cannot talk to any of them about this. I try to talk to my live-in boyfriend, but he doesn't seem to understand. He is a wonderful man, but as typical males do, he doesn't want to sit and talk, he just wants to offer a solution and move on. His solutions don't help much when he has never experienced depression, in himself or anyone close to him. He doesn't seem to understand that it's not a quick fix.

My best friend is a good person to talk to, but she has many of her own issues going on at the moment. I guess I feel guilty trying to talk with her as her issues are major, life changing ones, and don't want to dump my issues on her plate, too.

Other than that, I have no one else to talk to. So this is why I have joined here. I look forward to meeting you all and helping each other through this.