HI Everone,

I am a 42 year old female and lately I have been getting some mood swings where I start to get emotional and I end up crying for several hours.

Anyway I am wondering if I am suffering from depression or if it might be perimenopause or if my thyroid medicine needs to be increased (I am hypothyroid).

When I get enough sleep, my mood is much improved. During the times when I get enough sleep, I feel very, very happy, confident, and upbeat. I only feel really low and start worrying about stuff when I don't get enough sleep.

Anyway... when I find myself having these really blue moods, I find myself worrying about things like my parents and also worrying about myself.

My parents are healthy but they are old. My Dad is 83 and my mom is 76. I not only find myself ruminating about taking care of them but I also get sad wondering who will take care of me when they are gone.

I am single and live alone. While I have some friends, a few cousins, and my brother (who happens to live 2,000 miles away), I feel like I have no one that I can really, truly depend on, if I needed help.

I also have been sad lately because my job will be coming to an end in about 6 to 12 months. I am getting interviews, but I just feel like no one is going to want to hire a 42 year old woman when they can hire someone in their 20's.

Anyway... I would appreciate any advice anyone has. Also if there's anyone out there who is in a similar situation as me --- living alone and dealing with aging parents-- how do you cope with it all???

Feeling sad right now,

Peppermint Patty