Are my feelings of physical weakness and fatigue real?

I've had major depression for almost two years. I am in an intensive therapy program for the second time. This time it's a full time program, five days a week, six hours a day. It's helping and I want to go and I can't because of the fatigue. Is there a difference between feeling weak and actually being weak? My depression is cyclical. I'll have a week or ten days (I never know how long it will last) of very depressed days and then a period of improved mood (not mania). Today I didn't go to therapy because I was afraid I'd collapse on the walk to the car or have an accident due to delayed reaction time or something. I'm always afraid if I go out I won't be strong enough to get home. If I miss too many days my insurance won't cover the cost. My requests for inpatient treatment have been declined. This time it isn't that I don't want to get out of bed. It's that I can't. Do you think my fears are justified? Should I try to push through the fatigue and weakness? Thanks for any insight you can share.

I sometimes wonder too, fatigue could be due to a lot of things. When I'm depressed, I don't take proper care of myself, I don't eat well, or sleep well. I have days where I don't get out of bed all day, and it must have an adverse affect on my energy levels.

No matter how depressed i am, i make sure i don't skip breakfast or lunch, and it kinda helps me a little. And I sleep a lot more too. and these are things you tend to ignore when you're depressed. Understanding how my depression works, and what I do when I'm depressed has helped me a little. and when you're depressed like me, little means a lot.

yes, your feelings of fatigue are very real. however the persistent fatigue is quite worrying. are you low in any vitamins? do you get enough sleep? you might wanna discuss this with your pdoc.

I went to an intensive outpatient therapy program once and attended half-days. I got permission to do this because my medical problems were too severe for me to attend all day.

Maybe this is an option for you? I read your profile - the medical problems you listed look like they would cause fatigue to me.

Yes, those are real feelings. I suffer from sever physical pain in chest, arms, neck and back due to my depression.