[hilliardmom]

Hi,
I'm hoping this will be a place for me to come to for support when no one else seems to understand..

I'm a married, mother of 3 with ADD inattentive type. Was diagnosed 3 years ago when my oldest was diagnosed as well.

I've had 2 serious bouts of depression since then, one of which I am in currently. I guess I'm just looking for someone who understands what depression feels like and how debilitating it can become. I'm suffering tremendous guilt that I cannot take care of my children right now b/c of my mental condition. Also suffering from the stigma of depression and ADD. I'm a complete mess. Yes, I'm in touch with my counselor and my psychiatrist. I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. But it really sucks being IN the tunnel....

[Moreta]

Welcome.

I too have ADD........Bipolar 2.......and......OCD. I've been in the tunnel before, sometimes it last for months, sometimes my moods fluctuate rapidly during the day. Like I'll wake up in a good mood, then by lunch I hate the world, then sometimes by the time I go to bed I'm in a better mood again, or manic.

So you are not alone.

[zellbeelee]

I understand how you feel! Several years ago my second son passed away when he was 11 days old, I was afraid of my older son for quite a few years. I battled with severe depression for a long time. It will get better!!! Just have faith that this too shall pass!!!

[14flowers]

Originally Posted by hilliardmom

Hi,
I'm hoping this will be a place for me to come to for support when no one else seems to understand..

I'm a married, mother of 3 with ADD inattentive type. Was diagnosed 3 years ago when my oldest was diagnosed as well.

I've had 2 serious bouts of depression since then, one of which I am in currently. I guess I'm just looking for someone who understands what depression feels like and how debilitating it can become. I'm suffering tremendous guilt that I cannot take care of my children right now b/c of my mental condition. Also suffering from the stigma of depression and ADD. I'm a complete mess. Yes, I'm in touch with my counselor and my psychiatrist. I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. But it really sucks being IN the tunnel....

Sorry to hear of your depression. Have you tried making yourself think positvely? Someone suggested that to me and I thought "how can I do that when I am depressed?" But, it really does help. It takes a lot of effort (esp when blue) but it may give you some relief. It's like "counting your blessings", instead of focusing on what is negative, think of the positive aspects of your life.
Hope you may find the strength to try it and especially hope you get some positive results!
Take care~

[BlackSheep3]

Yeah, it does really suck being in the tunnel. I was in the tunnel, with no visible light at the end of it, throughout my entire childhood and teen years, but I have been out of the tunnel in the light for almost two decades now! So there is hope and light, and, if you're a person of faith, Hope and Light!

I can say my miraculous healing and total recovery has come through being reconciled to God and maintaining that relationship through reading and prayer. While this may sound like an "individual" experience and "individual" activities, there was more to it. I have been involved in communities, churches, of fellow-believers of like faith, and I have also been very active in AA. You really NEED support from other people no matter what "miracle" God does for you, and the best support comes from others who have struggled with the same issues.

In my case, and probably in anybody's case who struggles with depression, all alcohol had to completely go or I would be dead right now. So I guess you could say I had co-occurring disorders: suicidal depression, alcoholism, and undiagnosed ADHD. But I have been sober twenty years and haven't seriously contemplated suicide since four years into my recovery from alcoholism (yeah, it was a long climb out of the depths of despair, as I had to learn how to live).

I hope we can be good for each other here, and I encourage you to find live humans who have been where you are.

[dausher]

[quote=hilliardmom;1329363]Hi,
I'm hoping this will be a place for me to come to for support when no one else seems to understand..

Well, I am a 63 year old woman who was just diagnosed! Twenty-some years ago I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid, and never got the right medication until about 18 months ago. I thought the thyroid condition was what made me lose my marriage of 38 years, but now I realize it was that, in combination with the ADD. And I asked doctors for years if I could have it and they all pooh-poohed it. Not everyone with ADD has trouble with a work environment... my problems were purely at home... guess that's because all my energy was centered on my job and on going to college, which I did at the same time, and by the time I got home I had no more energy and no more ability to concentrate.

I hope your husband will acompany you to the doctor and will learn
as much as he can about this disorder. Mine wouldn't. He thought it was an excuse to be lazy.l I have had negative chatter inside my head for so many years that I can't stand it. I am currently taking adderall and don't think it is helping.