dysthymia

i was diagnosed with this recently . Ive done some reading on it and a lot of things out there also call this mild depression. My question is if its mild how come im having such a rough time dealing with it? Some days are so horrible i sit and cry multiple times. When i have a mild cold i can handle it just fine. Im not saying i dont have this. Im pretty sure i do after looking at the symptoms. Suicidal thoughts are always blazing thru my brain and i have to crush them,but some days its easier than others. Any outside stress can make me hide from the world even worse than i already do. Just seeing mild makes me feel weak and it reinforces a whole lot of negatives i feel. If anyone read my post in the relationships forum,since that happened ive been feeling terrible and more and more stuff just keeps piling. I feel like im drowning in it. Im taking lexapro and seeing a therapist about twice a month. Its starting to feel like a waste of time tho. It would be easier to just stop going and deal with it on my own i think. What if this is as good as it gets? (yeah yeah its from a movie,but its a good question anyway)

Depression is depression, whether it's mild, moderate or severe it affects us none the less.... Everyone deals with it differently, and are able to cope with it better.

Is there anything you can do no when you get like this to help you feel better?

Coping methods and so forth?

Are you talking to anyone about your depression, or your thoughts of SH?

It's seems sometimes that you are making so much of an effort to feel better and you may feel that nothing is working, but that is the depression talking.

Have you purchased any self help books on depression? Reading it online, and reading a book that is designed to help someone is different.

I have yet to read a self help book on depression but i've read them on abuse/ptsd and anxiety and they have helped me.

Maybe it can help you?

<font color=red>~</font color=red><font color=blue>S</font color=blue><font color=green>u</font color=green><font color=blue>n</font color=blue><font color=green>d</font color=green><font color=blue>a</font color=blue><font color=green>n</font color=green><font color=blue>c</font color=blue><font color=green>e</font color=green><font color=red>~</font color=red>

<font color=blue>"Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business."</font color=blue>

<font color=black>Norman Vincent Peale</font color=black>

I cant afford to buy any books,which stinks cause i love reading. It will be more annoying when there is a Robert Jordan or Terry Goodkind book out that i havent read. Maybe is there self help books online i can search for? I have all the time in the world to do so if its free.

I havent found too many things that make me feel better when i get like this. The only thing i have to try to do is remember with time it will lighten and ill be ok. I havent learned any coping methods yet,but ive only been to my t twice now so thats probably something i can look forward to.

Im talking to my t about the depression but its very hard to discuss with other people. I dont want to worry my girlfriend over this as it seems like its a never ending cycle,what a mess. What does SH mean?

I too have this "dis-ease" along with its attendant anxiety. I take xanax 5 times a day and try to NEVER miss a dose. The first 3 months I saw my T twice a week and am down to once a week. I think I have missed only once of calling him between appointments - he ALWAYS call back and reassures me. I admit, sometimes I have called and not left a message - just wanted to hear his voice on the phone and know that I could leave a message and he would call back. I, too, have had the wish to die for as long as I can remember - back when I was only a child (I am 57 now so that is a long time to wish for death. Now, I actually have some days that are interesting enough that I want to hang around to see what will happen next. They key to T is a good person, to trust the person implicitly and to hold absolutely nothing back - no matter how hard it is to talk about. I hope you can get insurance so you can go more often and develop that trust. One thing I know - I could quit my T today and ten years from now call and he would STILL call back. Once he takes you on as a patient you are always welcome back. He has taught me to meditate, has helped me to laugh at myself, and has me sitting up on a mountaintop, looking down at what I am doing, and remarking, "Look how interesting this person is down there! I wonder why she is doing that?" and then I can evaluate my behavior - my mindset - and perhaps change how I view the triggers to my depression. Good luck! We are all with you on this. (and thoughs of suicide are always important to talk about. Your T needs to know how you are feeling in order to help you.

The vision of your goodness will sustain me through the cold
Take my hand now to remember when you find yourself alone
You are never alone… (John Denver)
Mars

Well that is good that you have a therapist and are able to talk to her about this. Perhaps she can give you some phamplets or something on depression?

You can do searches online for books, depending where you life, there's chapters.ca, barns&nobel.com , and amazon.com
You can do a search for those and other sites. Or you can just do a search for books on depression in your brouwser sometimes different website will have a book list.

SH means self harm. You said that you have had suicidal thoughts, That should be talked about as well.

I'd be happy to give you a list as well, not all books are expensive, some are affordable.

Take care.

<font color=red>~</font color=red><font color=blue>S</font color=blue><font color=green>u</font color=green><font color=blue>n</font color=blue><font color=green>d</font color=green><font color=blue>a</font color=blue><font color=green>n</font color=green><font color=blue>c</font color=blue><font color=green>e</font color=green><font color=red>~</font color=red>

<font color=blue>"Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business."</font color=blue>

<font color=black>Norman Vincent Peale</font color=black>

<div class="foot">(Edited by sundance on 08/27/04 08:36 AM.)</div>

Hi Shaymus --

Reading your name makes me feel sad, bec. I had a dog I raised from a puppy who was 2, named Shamus, that I had to place in a home when I got too depressed to care for my animals.

Cut and paste this link http://www.mentalhelp.org/psyhelp/
for a very good book, called Psychological Self-Help, that is free online, with lots of excellent cognitive self-help suggestions.

It doesn't minimize the difficulty of self-help, like many positive thinking books that suggest repeating an affirmation is going to change my life. I've done it -- for long periods of time, regularly -- and that stuff doesn't work for me. Not for severe depression.

Psychological Self-Help is the book that got me moving enough so that I have good days now. Sometimes even a few in a row.

I feel much better today. Last night i had a talk with my girlfriend on how i feel horrible talking to her about when i feel really depressed and how i worry that im just making her life harder and more stressful and that got cleared up. Then i went online and a friend sent me a long email and i replied and that made me feel better too. Then i went into chat and it was a good time. Im sure we all acted like dewpuffs but hey when your really down in the dumps thats a good thing if it can happen. Now today i wake up and i got a book to read thanks to Wants2Fly. Im just happy that i got out of this,i was worrying i dont usually have that many days in a row of being that bad. Im just gonna hold onto this good feeling and keep it for as long as possible.

So glad you like the book and are feeling better.