Can you pull yourself out of depression? And how?

It seems if I'm lightly depressed I can pull up with distraction on my AD meds. Other than that, when I hit bottom, I'm there till it lifts.

Well... I think you're exactly correct. If a person's depression is mild, it is certainly possible to pull oneself up via distraction, meditation, exercise, & a variety of other things. Antidepressants do a credible job of helping with mild depression also I would imagine. But when a person's depression is deep, that's when the going gets tough & none of this stuff is of much help. That doesn't mean one shouldn't try these types of things, if one can muster the energy. But the likelihood that they're going to have a large impact is small.

I've been on Cymbalta (or it's generic equivalent) for well over 2 years now. It was never great at abating my depression. But I felt like it sort-of "kept a floor under me" so that I could only fall so far down before I would gradually begin the slog back up. There was, I felt, some benefit in that. At this point, however, I'm going off of it due to cost considerations. It remains to be seen how I'll do "au natural", as they say.

Same here. If I'm only lightly depressed, I recognize it and go "ok...let's do something about this" However, if it ever inches beyond lightly, I am at its mercy even though I recognize it. I haven't found a way to pull myself out of the darkest hole.

I can't pull myself out of a depression, but I can maintain a functional and mostly normal life. I can distract myself and ensure I don't make any stupid decisions. The depression will leave on its own when it wants to. If it's a low-grade depression then I can usually still have an enjoyable time out here or there.

Me, too. When the depression sinks in there is nothing I can do to make it lift, even if I force myself to do things I enjoy normally, they just feel hollow when I'm depressed. Med changes have been the only thing that affects my depression and they don't always work.

I respond well to medicine for my depression so for those deep dark depressions thats what works for me. That along with forcing good habits on myself but that dosent always happen.

Im working on it now by just letting myself sleep and resting. Im being honest with my Dr and t and taking steps to be safe. Not perfect but doing alright.

I've always figured I had to take action, or slip into the darkness. Of course my AD are doing their job, but not always.

I'm the same. If its just a little depression, then I can distract myself and do some things I like. But when its an all consuming, drowning, kind of depression almost nothing can pull me out of it. I just have to ride it out.

the only way I got out of the last dark deep pit was meds,,saved my life.

i am an extremely depressed person, one of my diagnosis. yesterday i saw my doc and i told her it was so bad and i begged her for different meds, she agreed i needed it too. when it gets soo bad i can't get anything done and i worry i'll be unfunctionable if something important comes up and i just can't do whatever it would be that i had to do. i keep a calender and am obsessed studying the stuff i have to do every day, if i can even get to that.

Depends how bad it is. Med adjustments can help, exercising more, reducing sugars. Someone in my dbsa group mentioned that they set up a rewards system for themselves so if they do what they needed to get done then they can have the reward. They say it gives them something to look forward to.

We have a DBSA group here, and I've been dying to go. It's marked on my calender and everything. I went once but there wasn't a meeting because it's on a 2nd Tuesday or something. I get confused.

I love my DBSA group