How can I find my old pictures?

[ChrisP]

Ok, so after lots of thinking, I think I have realised that maybe I'm struggling to cope, possibly depressed? Both my parents either have been on or are on anti depressants, so it's "common" in my family

 

For the last few years, perhaps 4/5, I have thought maybe I suffer from SAD or mild depression, but then this winter, with starting Uni etc, I was always busy and never had time to feel down (I know that sounds stupid but it's how it happened). But now I am back, I have felt very bad, as I have done previous winters and sometimes summers, and am unsure what the best thing to do is. (The final realisation for me was waking up this morning, revising, and literally crying non stop for about 2 hours for no specific reason )

 

I know I could go to the doctors, but I'm worried that they might suggest talking to someone, and anyone who knows me will know that, although I could "talk" about anything on a forum, put me in a room with someone I don't know, and I'm almost silent!

 

It's kinda got to the point now where I can't focus on things properly, and not sleeping at night, and then sleeping through my alarm and being too tired during the day etc. I could quite easily forgot a meal cos I'm working, and only remember hours later

 

Sorry for the rant, but I don't really know what to do, and thought that you Omleteers are full of good advice

[..lay a little egg for me]

Sorry to hear you are feeling down Chris.

 

Although you say you find it difficult to talk to strangers, you might well find it different when you are visiting a professional counsellor. It is often easier to talk to strangers than to friends. I certainly found that when I went through some difficulties a couple of years back. Counsellors are very good at getting you chatting and it is not daunting at all. I discovered quite a few "issues" that I hadn't been aware of and although it did not cure the phobic problem I went for, it did help me realise how various things in my life were affecting me and helped clear the air.

 

I really think you should visit the doctor and at least chat it over with him/her. You don't have to go to counselling if you don't want and simply chatting with the doc will help you to unburden yourself.

 

My second thought is that, if you are not sleeping properly it will make everything seem even worse, so if I were you, I would try to see what could be done to help your sleeping. I expect you know the kind of thing...going to bed in good time, soothing bath, hot drink, lavender oil on pillow, warm bed, maybe some light reading, perhaps listening to a relaxing tape.

 

Maybe one of those full spectrum light bulbs would help if you do have SAD?

 

Another thought...can you talk it over with your personal tutor at Uni?

 

Last, keep coming on the Omlet forum to get cheered up!

 

[[[Hugs]]]

[Happy chickens!]

Sorry to hear you feeling so low. have no experience so can't really help except to say if you are on here asking for advice, you already know in your heart that you need help, so why not try the doctors? is there a nice sympathetic one you can talk to? From the little i have read, depression is more like an illness, it is not your fault and can be very debilitating, but there is a lot that can be done these days.

 

hugs and hope you can get the help you need.

[quickcluck]

Hi Chris,

 

What a pickle you find yourself in. The most healthy thing is that you have realised that you are not 100%, sometimes thats the hardest thing. Even better that you can see that it's occured before.

 

I think if you can you should visit your GP. as said before should they offer counselling even a silent person should give it a go as it can be a revelation! Should they offer medication, of course it's up to you whether you take it, but to get as far as going to your GP it's worth listening to their advice and give it a go... Remember that there is always light at the end of the tunnel and you WILL feel better after a few weeks of taking anything.

 

You deserve to feel better than you do and to have a better quality of life.

 

I've suffer from depression of some sort for too many years now, and although I take medication for it I can honestly say it's the best thing i've ever done! I am also a massive advocate of counselling, but do understand that it's not for everyone.

 

Be brave make that appointment today and know that you can feel better

[chickencam]

This is a difficult time of year especially if you are still adjusting to life away from home. It sounds like you need some support. The fact that you have realised that you have a problem is a great start. I would suggest that you contact someone in the pastoral care team at your university. You will not be alone in this, and they will have help availabke and recomendations of other help available. Don't feel awkward, they will have seen this before, go to see them whilst you are feeling motivated to do so.

 

As someone who suffers with similar issues from time to time, I wish you all the best and it will get better.

[majorbloodnock]

I fully understand what you mean about possibly having to "talk" with someone you don't know, and how airing things face to face is very different from behind the anonymity of the Internet.

 

However, we all tend to find the unknown produces more worries than the known, and you currently can't resolve one unknown (find out what's wrong) without facing up to another (you might have to talk to someone). Therefore, I'd strongly recommend you do get yourself to the doctors', since you can't fix what you don't know.

 

That said, there are a number of things you can do to deal with the scarier aspects of this. Firstly is to recognise that you don't have to do what the doctor suggests. You're still in control. Therefore, it's worth sitting down beforehand with a pen and paper and writing down what you actually want to achieve by seeing the doctor, so you can remain in control. And whilst you've got that piece of paper, it'd be worthwhile scribbling down anything else you think might be relevant to the doctor's visit (symptoms, timings, feelings, current medication etc.) so you can refer to it instead of worrying about remembering everything during the consultation. In short, get yourself prepared.

 

Secondly, break it all down into manageable chunks. The doctor's meeting is one nice well defined chunk in itself. If the doctor recommends other next steps, each of those is a chunk in itself too, and you can always choose either not to take those steps or to delay them until you feel comfortable with them. And with each of those steps, even if you decide to take them, you can still choose to stop after each; it's one of those trains where you can get off at any point you wish.

 

Thirdly, there's nothing to stop you taking someone with you to help. If doc's a bit to quick to reach for the prescription pad, a friend may well be useful in questioning it even if you're a bit too wrapped up in being the centre of attention to do so yourself.

 

Finally, ease up a bit on yourself. It's not stupid to be feeling this way; it's simply a problem you're facing at the moment, and we all need a bit of help at some point. It's OK to be human, so go take the first step, find out what's out of kilter, then pick and choose from the advice you're given about how to resolve it.

 

Good luck

[C&T]

Sorry you are feeling down at the moment.

 

Other people who have already posted have given some great advice, and sound a lot more qualified then I am to help in any way.

 

The only thing I mention, and this is from a close friends experience so I cannot talk at first hand, is that she took up exercise.

 

It doesn't suit everyone, and it maybe you already participate in different sports. But my friend took up a couple of exercise classes - and the box fit one for her seemed to help. She found it therapeutic, to throw punches and work up a sweat. She now also goes running - so if things start to build up or she feels things are getting out of control, she goes out whatever the weather and pounds the pavements for half an hour or so.

 

And then of course the physical exercise helps her sleep better at night - and so it helped get her out of that downhill spiral.

 

It's not a solution by itself, and like others I would encourage you to try the doctors and see what they suggest.

[patsylabrador]

I too am utterly unqualified to give this kind of advice, but I agree with C&T, that doing something new could help. I think that if your present situation feels wrong then you must change something. It can be something small or a rethink, should you study through distance learning, the OU for example.

A fresh outlook might help. This comes from someone who has no understanding of how it feels to be deeply depressed so forgive me if I'm totally off the mark!

I think your signature should become a little mantra you should remember when you feel bad.

[Chickendoodle]

I agree with all of the posts here.

 

As you are waking up depressed and have no specific reason that is making you depressed I really think you should see your doctor. Depression can be a chemical imbalance in the brain that just needs the right treatment to correct it.

 

I too am totally unqualified but have been around a while! When I lost my parents I went through a time of around 2 years when I felt that I was just going through the motions and that life was pretty pointless. That seems different from what you are suffering from as all the way through it I recognised that it was grief and that it would eventually pass.

 

I hope that you have a sympathetic doctor - I have a brilliant doctor but he does have rather a brisk manner and I would not feel comfortable talking to him about my feelings.

 

I can understand why you are reluctant to seek help as the appointments at the surgery are quite short and how do you start the conversation? That said, please take the plunge - doctors must be trained to ask the right questions after all!

[Leicester_H]

Hi

 

So sorry to hear you're having problems.

 

Your university will have a lot of support mechanisms which will be geared to people exactly like you - depression amongst our medical students is surprisingly common. There is a correspondence between intelligence and depression.

 

Our's is here http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/counselling

 

PLEASE look at what your Uni offers - it will all be completely confidential - its what they're there for - enquiring it doesn't commit you to anything.

 

Do you have a personal tutor at Uni - you should do ? They will be on your side and should be able to advise you where to get the help/advice you need at this time.

 

H

 

PS - I have assumed that you are at Uni - sorry if this is incorrect.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Recognising something's wrong is a good step along the way. It's really good you've done that.

 

You're not alone in feeling like this, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Neither is crying, or having sleep problems. They sound like classic symptoms of depression to me. You are not to blame. It's an illness, like flu. Feels worse and weirder than flu can sometimes, but it's not your fault.

 

Seeing a doctor is a good idea. They will be able to recommend drugs, or behavioural or cognitive therapies which can be really helpful.

 

Do you feel like you trust/get on with your doctor? If you don't, it may be worth switching GPs so you feel able to trust them.

 

I suffer from depression and full-on crippling depression is not something easy to deal with on your own. You have my empathy.

 

I've tried drugs, light, counselling and exercise, and find a combination of these helps. Exercise definitely helps me with the sleeping issues. The combination varies depending on the depression.

 

Consider the help available, and know in your head that there is a way out even if it may not feel like it in your heart at the moment. Weigh up what is on offer and take the option that is right for you. Please, at least talk to a professional, be it a doctor or a uni counsellor in the first instance.

 

But there IS hope, and there is help.

 

Hugs. x

[Seagazer]

Chris, first of all I'm sending you a big {{{hug}}}. I've had depression in the past and was on medication for a while and I had counselling. I know you say you don't like to talk to strangers but it might be worth a shot. Its surprising what you can end up talking about. I found I had bottled up so many things, it was quite an eye opener.

 

You've had a lot of really good advice on here re the sleep problems, and about exercising.

 

Please do go and see a doctor. I know the doctors at my DD's uni surgery have been brilliant for her various stomach complaints.

 

Above all remember that we are all here for you.

[Alis girls]

As someone who is a depressive I suggest you see GP first and go from there. In the meantime get as much exercise as you can - releases positive seretonins, avoid depressives like alcohol and make time for yourself. You dont have to ahve counselling like you dont have to have anti depressants. The thing is youve recognised there is a problem - well done - lots of hugs

[docsquid]

As someone who is a depressive I suggest you see GP first and go from there. In the meantime get as much exercise as you can - releases positive seretonins, avoid depressives like alcohol and make time for yourself. You dont have to ahve counselling like you dont have to have anti depressants. The thing is youve recognised there is a problem - well done - lots of hugs

 

Agree with all of this. It sounds very like depression. Depression is very common and most people will suffer from it at some point in their lives to some extent.

 

Your GP is the ticket into other forms of help. Don't discount talking - counsellors are extremely skilled at getting people to talk and are fully aware that people may not like talking, or may have difficulty expressing themselves when depressed.

 

Exercise is a great anti-depressant. Lavender oil helps me to sleep (I use a lavender face cream), but not sleeping is a symptom of depression so it may not resolve until depression is treated. I would be very wary of taking sleeping medication even in the very short term. Anti-depressants are more effective than placebo, but you need to take them for a few weeks before they start to work, and in the meantime they can temporarily make you feel worse. As long as you know this, you'll be able to understand what is happening. Your doctor will make a judgement as to whether this medication is needed based on his/her assessment of you. You don't have to take them, but they can be a good way to deal with the problem in the short term with counselling helping to address the longer-term issues of why you tend to get depressed in the first place.

 

Good luck with your GP and there is lots of support on this forum for you.

[Looney]

Hey Chris, I think you're brilliant! There is plenty of sound, practical advice already given from people that I could only repeat, but I think you need to give yourself a huge amount of credit for talking to us about how you're feeling, and for welcoming our thoughts. So many people wouldn't have the courage (or ability) to reach the point you've reached where you've recognised you need to take action of some sort and seek help so that's why I think you're brilliant

 

OH's family has a huge amount of depression in varying forms and severity but the one thing that really seems to help is that no-one is afraid to talk about it openly. There is no fear about admitting when they are feeling down so things are dealt with when they arise rather than being hidden in case people judge/don't understand.

 

Sending you big hugs xxxx

[chickenNutter]

Chris,

 

You are very brave. Firstly admitting to yourself that you are depressed, and secondly chatting to us all about it. I say brave, as so many people out there are depressed or have had depression at some time in their lives, but wont own up to it. I am quite sure that a much greater percentage of omleteers reading or responding to your post have had some sort of depression, than have actually indicated in their posts, honestly, there are lots of us about!

 

I have had serious bouts of depression several times in my life, the first time occuring when I was at uni, so I know just how you feel! It all built up to a head when I and 3 other students who had been working on a project had to present our findings to the rest of our course, with me the nominated spokesperson. Basically I became paralysed with fear, told the room "I just can't do this" and fled the room, leaving a stunned audience! It took that event to make me own up to how bad I was, so you are one step further than I was on the road to recovery already by recognising and admitting it. As an adult I know now that my father was a depressive - if he had talked about it and not tried to hide it, it may have helped me more, and I firmly believe that if more people talked about it, particularly in the workplace, then there would not be so much stigma about it, and we would all seek help before we felt too bad!

 

I am now on a permanent very low dose of anti-depressant that keeps my natural brain chemicals on an even keel, and I have never felt better. However as previous Omleteers have stated, Universities do have really good student support for this sort of thing, and it was my uni counselling service that got me on the first rung of the ladder. I was terrified of my first talking session, and spent most of it in tears, but it didn't matter, the couselling person was fully expecting this and we even ended up laughing about it at the end! It really is much MUCH easier opening up to people you don't know as they are not in anyway judgemental, they don't know anything about you, and cannot make value judgements about you. It became a relief to know I had a session once or twice a week where I was able to unburden myself and cry if I felt like it, without worrying about what someone thought about me. For a few weeks it literally became my lifeline.

 

No doubt your doctor will talk to you about some medical help with tablets also, they may be an option, so don't dismiss them, they are non-addictive, and have been used for decades now, so it is known that there are no lasting effects from using them.

 

Whatever course of treatment you find is best for you stick with it, I promise you will come out of it the other end a much stronger person. The first step - getting help, is always the hardest, but go for it, you can do it, and if you ever need a bit of anonymous moral support, feel free to pm me.

 

I'm not called ChickenNutter for nothing! Recovering from being bonkers and proud of it!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Just wanted to send you some supportive {{{hugs}}} Chris.............and to all you other lovely people too {{{hugs}}}

 

This is a wonderful virtual world to be in

 

Sha x

[Scramble]

I don't really have anything to add to all the great advice that has been said.

Sorry to hear you're feeling low, just wanted to offer you some ((hugs)).xxx

 

This is a wonderful virtual world to be in

Made me 'Awww'

Very true.

[ChrisP]

Thanks for being so supportive and giveing great advice everyone. Makes me well up reading this, because you're all so kind

Depending on revision tomorrow, I think I'm going to try and make an appiontment at the local Drs surgery (first visit at uni, quite a record for me!) and I think I'm going to email my personal tutor at uni as well, even if it's just to let her know how I'm feeling.

Thanks all, I truely love this forum! x

[chickenNutter]

Glad you are feeling positive. Telling your tutor is definitely a must. It will be completely confidential, but she may give you some leeway and keep an eye on how you are doing at exam time or when the pressure of work is building.

 

Good for you, chuck!

[Chunkin]

Sounds like you have a good plan. You have been so brave to be honest about how you feel, so you will see it through no problem.

 

Don't forget to be kind to yourself - make time to eat good food too.

 

Very best wishes from me.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Chris, I can't offer any advice as I have no experience of this but I really hope you find some comfort in these posts and some advice that helps you .

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

I second that, Looney.

[Helly Welly]

I don't know if anyone else has said this but if you are worried about what to say to your GP and tutor, print out your initial post and let them read it. It says everything you need to say and they can take it from there.

 

You're not alone, along with others on here, i've suffered with bouts of depression since DD was born. I too don't want to talk about it, i have nothing to say as i have no idea why i get depressed. That's not to say counselling won't work for you, it's just not for me. The important thing is that you've acknowledged the issue and are prepared to do something about it.

 

We are all here if you need to sound off, good luck xx

[Fizzle Knit]

Dear Chris,

I can only second the excellent advice on here already, and send you big hugs

I was reading an article in the guardian the other day about post-Christmas student depression, you may find it interesting. It's here:-

 

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jan/12/students-depression-exam-stress

 

Take care

xx