[bjarred1992]

I've been feeling like this for several years now, at first it was easy to cope with, but over the last few months it's progressively gotten worse. I'm so apathetic and indecisive towards everything, that I don't even know what I truly enjoy anymore. I never go out and do anything, besides work and school, but just because I have to. Before I started to feel like this I was already socially awkward, but now it's to the point were I can go days without saying a word to anyone. Of course with all of this, my self-esteem has plummeted to a point were it's now virtually non existent.

Possible trigger:

Though I would NEVER do it, I sometimes think about suicide, it's just nice sometimes to remind yourself that there's a way out.

So anyways, I started seeing a psychiatrist a few weeks ago, to seek help for my ADHD. He prescribed Vyvanse and I thought that because I'd be more focused and motivated, it'd improve my mood. Well it hasn't, in fact, it doesn't seem to be doing anything at all. I'm going back next week to increase my dose, but I also want to bring up all of this. The problem is, I don't know how and to be honest I find it embarrassing as hell. It's easy to talk about it online, because you don't know who I am, but having to open up to a stranger (I've only had one session with the guy so far) face to face, again, it's embarrassing.

Can anyone just give me some help or tips for this?

Thanks.

[catnip123]

Show your pdoc what you wrote here. That is a very good description of feeling depressed I hope that your pdoc will prescribe something that will help you feel better

I agree with catnip123 ... If you can't bring
yourself to utter it aloud, then print out what
you've written here (or even write it out by
hand on a piece of paper - writing is a powerful
tool for us struggling with mental health issues)
and mail or hand deliver it to your P-Doc.

I'm also going to provide you with a link on a
condition known as Dysthymia - it could be what's
been going on all this time and now that you've
fallen into an even deeper funk, you could possibly
have what's known as "Double Depression".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysthymia

I encourage you to not act on the "S" word ... I'm so
glad I didn't succeed, and it did take time, but things
have gotten better and live is worth living and YOU
DO MATTER!

This was written by our own DocJohn for World
Suicide Prevention Day ...

Suicidal? What Van Gogh?s Life Can Teach You | World of Psychology

If all you read are the last two paragraphs, please just
read the last two paragraphs ... The last two paragraphs
SAY IT ALL !!!

I'll close with the following and am sending many
encouraging thoughts your way:

Please don't do it! ... If you do there will be a hole in
this Universe where you're supposed to be and that
will be a very sad thing!

,
Pfrog!

You could take an online quiz that asks some of the common questions about mood, sleep, and appetite, and take the results to your psychiatrist. If you told him that you were feeling depressed, he generally would ask you these questions anyway, so it will let him see what symptoms you have.

Here's a link to the Depression Quiz on this website. There are lots of others on the internet.

Dealing with your depression symptoms should help your ADHD symptoms, too. Depression often causes ADD symptoms even in people who don't have a diagnosis of ADHD. I was dealing with that a few months ago myself.

(Not saying that your ADHD diagnosis isnt' valid - just that not addressing your depression could make it more difficult to treat the ADHD.)

Hugs.

[francisR]

Ifhi Bjarred

telling all of this to a psychiatrist is deeply personal stuff and a lot of people find it very difficult to talk about it. So perhaps if you were to write it all out on the computer print it out and then hand it to him that would be a way around it. Hopefully, increasing the dosage will give you the help you need. But a lot of medications to take a couple of weeks to work in.

However, the vast majority of psychiatrists only do diagnosing and medicating and monitoring and do not do therapy so you would not get skills from them to manage symptoms. CBT has been adapted for all known conditions and you could Google a CBT therapist for your area. Then there is mindfulness and the therapy. I use which is acceptance and commitment therapy.
With regard to self-esteem. We really good at most things are not so good at a few which simply makes you just as good as anyone else on the planet.
I understand about socializing. So perhaps you would like to consider googling Nami the American Association for the mentally ill and you could phone them and find out what services they provide in your area. Very often they run depression support groups and peer to peer support groups providing you with the opportunity also to make new friends. Fellow sufferers. I believe make the best friends and socializing with them is easier.
I used to have a lot of social anxiety, but found that as I got more of a grip on this socializing became easier.

Keeping the mind busy doing things takes the focus away from feeling bad. And setting small goals that are easy to achieve builds confidence that things are coming under control. I hope and pray everything does get better for you soon. Take care. God bless and best wishes from your friend Francis

[vital]

Originally Posted by bjarred1992

Can anyone just give me some help or tips for this?

Thanks.

Hi bjarred, I've got some super tips about this. Try these notes and see if they help you understand what's going on in your head:

http://egg.bu.edu/~youssef/SNAP_CLUB...0164151576.pdf

You'll find something to do in those notes that sounds a bit crazy but it has worked for quite a few people.

Here's what I think is the best general plan, starting with checking for common medical problems if your doc hasn't already:

http://forums.psychcentral.com/4262681-post105.html

- vital

One of my favorite commercials ever -

[JohnCrow]

Originally Posted by jo_thorne

One of my favorite commercials ever -

Holy cow, it's Crabman, from My Name is Earl

I miss that show. It was uplifting, with a very positive message with no religious undertones

I liked being able to laugh and have a positive feeling at the end. Earl was a terrible person at the beginning but, as he grew and completed his list of contrition, the other people on the show became better people, a rising tide floating all boats

Back to the topic, I know it is hard to even admit depression. We are all subject to the "other people have it worse, maybe I am just bringing it on myself"

We need to stop seeing mental illness as a character flaw, a weakness in the person and for what it is, a chemical imbalance that can and should be corrected

If you were suffering from scurvy, would you say "I guess other people have worse teeth and joint pains, I had best not admit this or eat a mess o' oranges"

I am facetious at times but always honest

We all need to stop wishing for a better day and getting the help, no matter how hard it can be

(Caveat: I feel like my most recent low may have ended earlier today so I am feeling not too bad. Hope it lasts)

[Tauren]

Once you start talking about it it gets easier.

[bjarred1992]

Originally Posted by catnip123

Show your pdoc what you wrote here. That is a very good description of feeling depressed I hope that your pdoc will prescribe something that will help you feel better

I think that's what I'll do, thanks.

[bjarred1992]

Something very important that I forgot to mention, is that my depression comes and goes. Some days I'll feel great (well not great, but okay) and others I'll feel miserable. It usually comes in waves that are a few days in between, but sometimes it can happen within just a few hours.