Moving forward

[Safari Dan]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum but wanted to try something different in order to combat my depression, I was diagnosed 4 years ago in nursing school, my girlfriend at the time couldn't deal with me at my lowest so left, then i dropped out of school due to dropping of marks and inability to get out of bed, that was my lowest point and I have been struggling to return myself to a state of happiness. I see a therapist and am on medication but I still find myself struggling daily with my mood, I think I may have hit a plateau. I'm 24 and my parents have decided that home is not a place for my depression to get better and told me i'm moving out at the end of the month. I have been quite discouraged as of late, if anyone has advice I would love to hear it. I just want to be happy again

[uni]

Hello Safari Dan, and welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing some of your story. In reading it I'm reminded how I was depressed while at university in my twenties, and feeling that I was being robbed of my life. So I understand somewhat.

It sounds like you're already doing a couple of good things for yourself by way of therapy and medication. I'm wondering whether it might be time to re-visited the type and dosage of meds. Sometimes that gets the ball rolling again. And as mundane as it sounds, a thorough physical is sometimes revealing, as the body and mind are so interconnected.

Since your parents have said you must move out, does this mean you have a place to go? Will you have anybody else around?

"I just want to be happy again." You can totally be happy again. So many of us here on the forum, and "out there" in the world, have felt as you are feeling now. It truly does pass. The thing is, it never seems to pass as quickly as we would like, so our patience gets tested. You aren't alone in this, even though it may feel that way right now. This forum can be a great help. It has seen me through many a dark day. You can -- I'm inclined to say *will* -- get past this plateau.

Please post any time. Ask and answer questions, vent, share thoughts and emotions, as an when you care to. Replies may not be immediate, but you'll get them. And if you have any information or support to give others, it's always appreciated. We truly are all in this mood stuff together.

[AJ]

I haven't got anything to add to Uni's post, except to add my welcome to you Safari Dan.

[catman]

Welcome to the forum, Safari Dan. It sounds like you've been on a tough ride since your diagnosis. I'm also curious in the questions Uni asked. The one thing I can add that sometimes helps me is thinking of my emotional pain in similar terms as my physical pain. I had a split up with my boyfriend about 2 and half months ago, and the emotional pain was the worst I've ever felt. On the day before our break up, we went on a long hike through bushes and trees of all sorts, receiving multiple gashes along the way. After the heartbreak, I would see the gashes and think, if my physical wounds hurt this much, of course my emotional ones would too. The gash healed as a scar, and how fitting that was. Though I'm still in contact with this person (which can be an issue in its own with my anxiety), I still feel the hurt from him. As for depression, it's almost harder not having had something "bad" happen. What I mean is everything can be completely fine in your life, but you still feel depressed. And that sucks so much, believe me I know. However, like Uni mentioned, you will get past this, BUT the length of time (or healing) it takes can be painstakingly long. I also agree that your medication might be making you worse at this point by keeping you on a low level. Sorry, my brain is a bit scattered today and I'm not sure if this is making much sense. Even if it doesn't, it's nice to hear from you!