What now?

Hi everyone,
This is my first post here (after my intro one)

I guess I'm feeling a little hopeless right now. a bit less than a year ago I started taking citalopram (30mg) after a really rough time. I am currently seeing a psychologist (just once a month). Anyways, things were better over the summer but now things are bad again and I just don't really know what to do.
I have struggled with depression and anxiety since I was a kid and but I knew I wasn't trying very hard to overcome it (I know, thats super flawed thinking) But now I am trying. taking meds, talking to people, trying to be more open with friends, taking B-12 and vit D and things are still bad.
I am worried I'm going back into the place I was before I started seeking help and its scaring me.

I guess I just want to ask: what now?

Also I just moved to Norway from Canada and I don't have a doctor yet but hopefully soon.


p.s. I only really have one friend who I can really talk about this stuff with and I think its too much to ask of one person so I am going to try to engage here more in an attempt to have more people to share with and learn from and care about.

Welcome I'm sorry you're struggling so much I hope this place will be somewhat helpful to you..

Hi wool&plaid: Well... at the risk of taking too simplistic a view of this... I would like to suggest that at least part of the key here may simply be the fact that you moved from Canada to Norway. Somewhere, years ago, I recall reading a list of life events that are known to cause upheaval in a person's life. One of them was making a major move. I would think moving from Canada to Norway would qualify, even if it is a move you very much wanted to make.

You wrote you've struggled with anxiety & depression since you were a kid. You're in a (presumably) new & unfamiliar place. You only have one friend with whom you feel (rightfully I believe) you can't talk about this stuff. And on top of that you don't have a doctor yet. You are seeing a psychologist. But only once a month. This is all, from my perspective, what is often referred to these days as a "perfect storm".

You wrote you're talking with people. I presume these are casual conversations though since you mentioned you only have one friend. You're taking med's & B-12 & vitamin D. My personal opinion is that while med's can definitely help, they're not a cure-all. I'm not on med's anymore. But when I was, I still had to work every day to keep myself up. They may have kept me from sinking too low. But they were never a "cure", so to speak. They never made the sun shine when it was cloudy. And while taking dietary supplements may be a good thing to do overall, they're not going to make a challenging situation workable either.

So what to do? Well... the cold hard reality is... I don't know. My perspective would be that coming to an understanding & acceptance of the fact you're in a situation that would be challenging for anyone, not just you, is an important first step. Perhaps figuring out a way to see your psychologist, or another mental health therapist, more frequently might be worthwhile. Beyond that, I think you're going to have take a hard look at your circumstances there in Norway, see if you can figure out what aspects of it are troublesome for you, & then figure out what you can do about as many of them as possible. (This is where seeing a therapist more frequently might be helpful.)

The reality is you can only deal with things as they are now. You're struggling, you're worried (which in itself is only likely to make matters worse), & you're feeling a bit hopeless. You can get in to see a doctor as soon as possible & consider making changes to your current med's. That's probably important & it may help. But beyond that, my opinion would be you have take a hard look at your current situation & figure out what you can do to make it work better for you. From my perspective, there are no secret remedies you haven't heard of. Just potentially difficult decisions to be made & implemented. I wish you well...

I agree, the move from Norway to Canada will be a huge factor (even if not the only one), any large life change can trigger symptoms from a preexisting mental health problem, and people can struggle even if they had no issues.

That doesn't mean it's here to stay.

You left your support network behind, but can build a new one.
Until then, we're here for each other and you can share and make friends here.

If you want to share more specific things, you can private message any of the community liaison team (see the designation under their username on posts) or anyone else you feel comfortable with.

I hope you get the support you're looking for here and the medical supervision too.

Remember, this most likely is at least in part a reaction to a major life event, so can improve as you adjust and settle in.

Good luck and the very warmest wishes and hugs.

I also believe that the big move might be affecting your mood. Also, does the cold, dark winter weather impact you? I was feeling quite good this summer and autumn, then winter hit and I find myself battling depression again.