Does anyone know of a good site for depression?

[Mskanga]

I would appreciate it . Thanks!

[kejoda]

I don't Kanga but {{{HUGS}}}

[JasonLyons]

are you depressed

[browneyes]

Are you looking for information on depression or an online support group?

[glo]

Kanga...my darn laptop is down right now...running Nortons...I have quite a few sites I will send you!!!
HUGS!!!

[Mskanga]

Thanks, any help I can get I would appreciate. And to answer your question Jason , the answer is yes.

[JasonLyons]

hang in there ;)

[faith]

Hi Mskanga, I hope someone can give you site information. Please get an appointment with your family doctor. They should be able to help and answer any questions. Someone close to me had some problems and was prescribed Zoloft. It has made a world of difference and is not habit forming like some drugs. Good luck.

[Frogdad]

Depression is something everyone suffers at one time or another. It might not always be intense but everyone experiences it. Faith is correct there are several meds out that will help with the symptoms. However, meds are only a bandaid. Counseling is the only cure. What I mean is that something deep inside you is causing the problem and without someone else to help bring this to the surface you may never know what it is. I would encourage you to find someone quailified to handle this. I know several people in the Memphis area but that doesn't help you much. Hang ih there.

May the sun rise into your darkness.

[Mskanga]

That is exactly the way I'm headed frogdad, I need someone who will help me sort things out and make sense of it, right now I can't think straight, can't see straight , all I know is that I feel very much alone. I have already placed a call to my doctor, maybe he can point me in the right direction.

[holycow]

Boy you and me both Mskanga. I was thinking the same thing this morning and then your post was the first one that I see.

I did go to my Dr. and all I said was I was feeling blue....and she just hands me a perscription for an antidepressant. It really upset me that she didn't even consider ANY other options just went right for the pills.
So I hope you have a Dr. that you can trust and who can point you in the right direction. Take care of your self.
My thoughts will be with you.

Lisa
Holycow

[Frogdad]

Some web- sites:
www.mental-health-matters.com/
www.ivillagehealth.com/boards/ (you might have to join ivillage to use this one) looke under Psy toward the bottom of the page
www.prozac.com/ take the test in the bottom right corner to get a gauge on how depressed you are

I hope these will get you started.

If you need someone to talk to email me, mike_p_evans@hotmail.com. I know what you're going through.

[Dan Murphy]

Just offering both of you, Olga and Lisa, my best wishes for an improved state of mind. {Hugs}, along with a prayer for you guys.

Dan

[Frogdad]

http://www.prozac.com/ sorry the test is in the bottom left corner.

[luvmydogs]

Hi Mskanga,
I want to send you some {hugs}, and just a little bit of info that I hope will bring you some comfort. I have been where you are now in a very major way. My depression started nearly 12 years ago with just some "blue" feelings. After being too "ashamed" to seek treatment, and hiding these feelings from my family and friends for over nine agonizing years (denial, fear, stigma, etc...), I finally made a suicide plan, and intended on carrying out when my husband and son went out of state to visit relatives. Well, I swear it was some sort of Divine Intervention, but several days before they were to go I used a brand new kind of soap and broke out in this awful rash. Went to the Dr. (sure, go for a rash but not suicidal thoughts?), and ended up breaking down and telling him EVERYTHING. He spent over an hour talking to me (I'm sure his other appointments were real appreciative!), and we came up with a treatment plan which included both medication (Zoloft), and counseling. To make an already- too- long story short, when the meds started kicking in, and I was finally able to discuss all these terrifying feelings with the therapist, it was as though someone had opened the drapes to a dark room in which I had been living for nine years! That was over two years ago, and today I love my life! I no longer am in therapy or on meds, but am monitored by my Dr. I am not telling you this to scare you--there are many differents levels of/reasons for depression--a good Dr. can help you figure out why you feel the way you do. I never should have let it go for as long as I did, and a (perhaps) mild case of the blues escalated into what could have been a very tragic situation. I am so proud of you for realizing how VITAL your mental health is! I no longer take mine for granted, and encourage anyone who has even the slightest depressive syptoms to see their Dr. or call a Mental Health agency/hotline. My Dr. saved my life--and my son still has his mother.:D I wish you all the best!

[helenabear]

I have nothing to add, but {{{hugs}}} to you both, Kanga & Lisa.

[Mskanga]

Thanks again everybody, I know all too well what Zoloft can do because dh has been on it for 3 years now , my problem starts with the totally disfunctional family dh comes from and their way of thinking, this passed on to him and he sees no problem with what he's doing to me. I don't know, maybe I'm just going through a very down time now but I feel like I don't want to fight in this war anymore, I physically can not stand it and I feel emotionally drained.

[Beauty]

Olga sending you huge hugs! I've been there and am still there to a point but not nearly as badly as I have been. My depression even brought on panic attacks which almost ruined my life. My doctor handed me a rx for antidepressent too and sadly I was too young at the time to know any better so I have now been on the for 8 years and they do help!! They help tremendously but now I have gotten the information that I wish I had gotten before I started the Paxil. I have a better understanding about what is going on in my body with the panic/depression...and I can talk to myself when these attacks are going on. Now the problem is getting off the Paxil which have awful side effects when trying to get off. Please email me if you ever ever need to talk disney@cox-internet.com believe me I've been there! But please don't start taking anything if you can possibly help it, and if you do look into the possible side effects or withdrawels when you need to get off.

You can look at www.paxilprogress.org too....good luck!

[Toby'sFriend]

I hope you feel better soon MsKanga.

If you don't feel comfortable with just a prescription, ask your Dr. for a referral to a good counsellor or support group.

[DocRafiki]

Don't be afraid of meds, but don't dare let anyone give you meds without appropriate counseling. You're obviously reacting to something that needs to change, and the meds aren't going to make them change or make you accept the things that are going on (nor should they).

Unless it's required by your insurance, you shouldn't need a referral to see most psychiatrists or cousnelors. Sounds like you need to look for someone who concentrates in family/marriage therapy. If you have a med school nearby, that is an easy place to start looking.

If, for some reason, you don't get counseling for a couple of months, National Depression Awareness is in October (not sure if it's a week or month). Lots of mental health facilities will have free screenings and meetings with psychiatrists/counselors/etc.

Take care. You're definitely not alone.

[DocRafiki]

Mental Health Services Locator for PA (http://www.mentalhealth.org/databases/MHDR.asp?D1=PA&Type=MDR)

There are several listings for DMDA (Depressive and Manic Depressive Association). This is an excellent national organization with local chapters. It looks like some local chapters are better organized than others, but some offer newsletters, free group counseling (meant as a supplement to, not substitute for, individual treatment), informational meetings, etc.

Good luck.

[Simba's Mom]

If you want to talk to someone who's got experience with Effexor, feel free to PM me or Email me. I've been on it for over 2 years. Had a major depressive episode 2 years ago, ended up in the hospital. But you're way ahead of me-you recognize your problem. When my doctor first said "depression", I thought he must be a quack!

[Dodie]

You'll find a lot of good info about depression at:

Information on Depression (http://www.prozac.com/DiseaseInformation/Depression.jsp)

[cherylp3]

I just wanted to say I know how you feel as well.
The one thing I can say is prayer helps, again it doesn't solve the problem but my faith has helped me keep myself from getting in a funk.

Cheryl

[SuiteDisney]

(((hugs))), Olga. The best place to start is with your family doctor. He should be able to point you in the right direction.

Originally posted by Frogdad
However, meds are only a bandaid. Counseling is the only cure. What I mean is that something deep inside you is causing the problem and without someone else to help bring this to the surface you may never know what it is.

Not always, Frogdad. I suffer from chronic depression. The first time it happened I had extensive counseling and dealt with being molested as a child. I continued the counseling for as long as I needed. It was a joint decision by my therapist and myself to stop.

But then I was hit with depression again a few years later and it was incapacitating. I also started therapy again but not for long because there was no underlying cause. The psychiatrist and psychologist came to the conclusion that my depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, there have already been two really bad bouts, and without medication it will happen again and get worse. So I've been on Prozac for over 8 years and will be on it or something similar forever.

So, in my case medication is needed. And depression runs in my family, my uncle was manic depressive. Depression is not always an emotional problem, sometimes it's physical. Even on Prozac, the winters and less sunshine still take a toll on me.

[newmousecateer]

I can't contribute any info to the great info others have given you here, but I do want to send

{{{{HUGS}}}}

and I hope you can find the help you are seeking and things get much brighter in your life.

[A kid at heart]

Olga try speaking to your Dr and ask if he can recommend a therapist to go speak to. It really does help.