20, 30 and 40?

Morning everyone,
well here we are again in the middle of the night in Bogota and I'm awake and feeling bad. Thank God I am homeward bound tonight and by Saturday evening will be with my wife.
Here is a question. Reading your responses has caused me to look back on my history of depression and I have noticed something. The first, and worst, time I was depressed was over a period of 6 months when I was 19/20 having what was described as a 'nervous breakdown' at Uni. I was put on Meds and after leaving Uni and going back home I was back on my feet after about another half a year.
The next time I was badly depressed I was in Therapy anyway coping with the anxieties about studying that the first bout had caused, and it must have been when I was around 29/30/31 years old. I have no idea how long that bout lasted as I was using a lot of dope to escape my feelings, but again it was a short term kind of a thing - six months to a year.
Here we are again ten years later and I am 41. Is it possible? Is there such a thing as depression that reoccurs regularly over a certain period of time regardless of triggers or life circumstances? Or am I just looking for a convenient hook to hang this hat on?

Yes, there is a recurring depression - you may have clinical depression which is where the "chemicals" and hormones in the brain go haywire and to correct that, you need an antidepressant to levels things out. Otherwise you'll liive with crushing depression the rest of your life.

My friend it's time to see a therapist to see if that's exactly what's going on. I wouldn't doubt that is the problem but I may be wrong. At any rate you still need to see the therapist. You shouldn't have to live like this.

Ive been depressed since I was a small child and I finally got treatment in my 20's. I've been on antidepressants for probably about 40 years. I don't know how i'd make it if I wasn't on antidepressants -- I'd fall into the pits of hell.

i hope you'll talk to your doctor about getting a referral to a good therapist and do it soon. .The sooner you're on an antidressant the better.

God bless and please take care. Hugs, Lee

I've had a major depression almost every year for the past four years when I was 35.