A thread for people suffering from depression

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Hi all!

I have suffered from depression for the best part of my life (in my 50's now) and have never really met or talked to other people with the same experience. Most of all I wonder how depression manifested itself in other people.
For me it made me very tired and negative and it just drained me and I lost my real personality. I'd love to hear from other people with experience of depression and what it did to you and how it changed you. How did you feel when during your depression and what was your outlook on life and yourself and other things in life like?
 
I'd reckon many here have suffered/are suffering with depression.

You said made as in past tense. Has your depression lifted? Can you tell us about that i.e. what drugs or therapy etc. you tried and what worked for you?
 
I'd reckon many here have suffered/are suffering with depression.

You said made as in past tense. Has your depression lifted? Can you tell us about that i.e. what drugs or therapy etc. you tried and what worked for you?
It disappeared when I started working out a lot plus a more healthier lifestyle altogether. I can now separate being tired or stressed out from being depressed but I believe many confuse the two.
I always refused drugs but did some therapy not that it made any difference to my life. I just wanna know the mindset of other people during depression.
Have you ever suffered from it and have experience of it yourself?
 
It disappeared when I started working out a lot plus a more healthier lifestyle altogether. I can now separate being tired or stressed out from being depressed but I believe many confuse the two.
I always refused drugs but did some therapy not that it made any difference to my life. I just wanna know the mindset of other people during depression.
Have you ever suffered from it and have experience of it yourself?
I belonged to the "no one gets out of here alive" club for over 15 years. I honestly was so far submerged I couldn't fathom a way out. But I never gave up hope--I had to hang on for my son. Dietary changes made a huge difference coupled with Prozac, both lifting my mood and energy. Then I made a concerted effort to reengage with the world and to heal relationships that had been neglected. I have been free of clinical depression for about four years now. I continue to take Prozac and pay attention to my diet. But if I ever feel down I worry that my depression will return in full force. It is something I am going to be hyper-aware of for the rest of my life. I believe that one day neuroscience will be able to understand depression as a structural brain disorder. And that treatments will become available that will work for all. I lost some of the best years of my life. But am so glad I am alive today. I too keep checks on stress. I try to sleep and eat well. And I think positive thoughts about myself and family while doing my best to stay away from negative ideas and people.
 
I belonged to the "no one gets out of here alive" club for over 15 years. I honestly was so far submerged I couldn't fathom a way out. But I never gave up hope--I had to hang on for my son. Dietary changes made a huge difference coupled with Prozac, both lifting my mood and energy. Then I made a concerted effort to reengage with the world and to heal relationships that had been neglected. I have been free of clinical depression for about four years now. I continue to take Prozac and pay attention to my diet. But if I ever feel down I worry that my depression will return in full force. It is something I am going to be hyper-aware of for the rest of my life. I believe that one day neuroscience will be able to understand depression as a structural brain disorder. And that treatments will become available that will work for all. I lost some of the best years of my life. But am so glad I am alive today. I too keep checks on stress. I try to sleep and eat well. And I think positive thoughts about myself and family while doing my best to stay away from negative ideas and people.
Impressive work on your part and it must have been so hard especially as a mother and all the things that come with that. But I guess you also found a lot of strength from being a mother and having to set yourself aside a bit and live for someone else than just yourself.
I wanna thank you for your honesty but I still wonder exactly how your "no one gets out of here alive" mindset was in detail. I mean if you remember the way you were thinking and seeing things.
I agree with you and feel the same and even though you had it for that long I guess you must have had spells where you felt better only to fall back down into that hole again?
Am I right in that other people dragged you down?
I was studying the dark triad earlier which made me realise I've dealt with a lot of those in my life.
 
I belonged to the "no one gets out of here alive" club for over 15 years. I honestly was so far submerged I couldn't fathom a way out. But I never gave up hope--I had to hang on for my son. Dietary changes made a huge difference coupled with Prozac, both lifting my mood and energy. Then I made a concerted effort to reengage with the world and to heal relationships that had been neglected. I have been free of clinical depression for about four years now. I continue to take Prozac and pay attention to my diet. But if I ever feel down I worry that my depression will return in full force. It is something I am going to be hyper-aware of for the rest of my life. I believe that one day neuroscience will be able to understand depression as a structural brain disorder. And that treatments will become available that will work for all. I lost some of the best years of my life. But am so glad I am alive today. I too keep checks on stress. I try to sleep and eat well. And I think positive thoughts about myself and family while doing my best to stay away from negative ideas and people.
I followed you and CG over the years as a anon poster and both of you have suffered the same ordeal then it seems and do you think that is why you were at each others throats, that it played a part?
You guys should have supported each other and you fat shamed her a lot and she had a go at you for being stupid and so on. Knowing now you both suffered with mental issues makes the whole thing so sad looking back cause something tells me you both lived with similar problems and ended up bashing each other.
 
I followed you and CG over the years as a anon poster and both of you have suffered the same ordeal then it seems and do you think that is why you were at each others throats, that it played a part?
You guys should have supported each other and you fat shamed her a lot and she had a go at you for being stupid and so on. Knowing now you both suffered with mental issues makes the whole thing so sad looking back cause something tells me you both lived with similar problems and ended up bashing each other.

I can only speak for myself. I don't believe mental illness caused me to spar with CG and others. I am opinionated and self-aware. And I hate irrational thinking. I've had CG on ignore for a while now. I just don't read her posts--if she even posts here anymore. I don't regret those times. I exercised my brain--she challenged me to defend myself and my ideas at every turn. I do however regret being cruel. I am a softie by nature. I don't think CG and I would ever be friends. We are very different. Mental illness didn't cause the conflict--clashing personalities did.
 
Without a doubt, a good diet works for me. That's not to say that I don't eat rubbish sometimes but when I do, it brings home how food affects my mood. This thread is good idea. All the best to those who have suffered, are suffering, will suffer with the blight of mental illness.
 
I had a breakdown due to depression/anxiety when I hit puberty at 11. I was hospitalised for several months. After that I fought depression on and off for decades. I have been shrunk for England and have taken all the pills. I am now in my 50s and for the last 10 years I have been battling a serious disabling illness - but here's the thing: I have not been depressed*. Here is what I have learned along the way.

Diet, like realitybites and firstodie say, is everything. I eat nutrient-dense, freshly-cooked/prepared foods that are as far as possible in their natural state (ie not processed) - I had to because of my illness. This made a huge difference to both illness and depression. I also eat zero sugar/very low carb, because...

... I found out I had a massive overgrowth of yeast ('Candida') in the gut, which was a root cause (one of several) of my illness. I learned about yeast and the mycotoxins they produce, which not only wreck a multitude of functions in the body but have an ability to affect brain/mood (including depression).

To kill off the yeast, I not only had to go very low carb but take Nystatin (anti-fungal) for 2.5 years. This was enlightening. You have to start with a tiny dose and ramp up very gradually because the mycotoxins produced when the yeast dies can be more than your liver can cope with and make you very ill. But here's the thing: every time I increased the dose, I got terrible depression* (yes, I know I said I'd been depression-free, but humour me a moment...) It felt like a curtain coming down, very suddenly. It lasted about 5 days, then it would clear. But it would be back each time I increased the dose. This was for me a perfect illustration of how toxins - resulting from what you eat and drink - can cause depression. And it left for good when I finally killed all the yeast off.

I believe people are actually very poorly served by doctors and psychiatrists. Yes, sometimes people are profoundly affected by horrible or overwhelming circumstances, and sometimes there are neurological co-factors like autism/Asperger's/schizophrenia but just as often it's diet/nutrition/toxins/an avalanche of hormones that need correcting. GPs will give you pills to suppress symptoms, psychiatrists will indoctrinate you to believe it's all about your mother (or whatever), but this simply creates a desperate dependency which serves the medical/pharmaceutical industry far more than the patient. In particular, I feel very cynical about the industry that's sprung up around this awful condition, while the people who are suffering are not being given the information that might help them to help themselves.

Anyway, that's my experience. Great thread, by the way.
 
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I had a breakdown due to depression/anxiety when I hit puberty at 11. I was hospitalised for several months. After that I fought depression on and off for decades. I have been shrunk for England and have taken all the pills. I am now in my 50s and for the last 10 years I have been battling a serious disabling illness - but here's the thing: I have not been depressed*. Here is what I have learned along the way.

Diet, like realitybites and firstodie say, is everything. I eat nutrient-dense, freshly-cooked/prepared foods that are as far as possible in their natural state (ie not processed) - I had to because of my illness. This made a huge difference to both illness and depression. I also eat zero sugar/very low carb, because...

... I found out I had a massive overgrowth of yeast ('Candida') in the gut, which was a root cause (one of several) of my illness. I learned about yeast and the mycotoxins they produce, which not only wreck a multitude of functions in the body but have an ability to affect brain/mood (including depression).

To kill off the yeast, I not only had to go very low carb but take Nystatin (anti-fungal) for 2.5 years. This was enlightening. You have to start with a tiny dose and ramp up very gradually because the mycotoxins produced when the yeast dies can be more than your liver can cope with and make you very ill. But here's the thing: every time I increased the dose, I got terrible depression* (yes, I know I said I'd been depression-free, but humour me a moment...) It felt like a curtain coming down, very suddenly. It lasted about 5 days, then it would clear. But it would be back each time I increased the dose. This was for me a perfect illustration of how toxins - resulting from what you eat and drink - can cause depression. And it left for good when I finally killed all the yeast off.

I believe people are actually very poorly served by doctors and psychiatrists. Yes, sometimes people are profoundly affected by horrible or overwhelming circumstances, and sometimes there are neurological co-factors like autism/Asperger's/schizophrenia but just as often it's diet/nutrition/toxins/an avalanche of hormones that need correcting. GPs will give you pills, psychiatrists will indoctrinate you to believe it's all about your mother (or whatever), but this simply creates a desperate dependency which serves the medical/pharmaceutical industry far more than the patient. In particular, I feel very cynical about the industry that's sprung up around this awful condition, while the people who are suffering are not being given the information that might help them to help themselves.

Anyway, that's my experience. Great thread, by the way.
Very informative Peppermint. I feel as though you have a lot of knowledge through experience, to be able to help others. And I always seem to be learning something new about you! Keep smiling.
 
Very informative Peppermint. I feel as though you have a lot of knowledge through experience, to be able to help others. And I always seem to be learning something new about you! Keep smiling.
Thanks for those nice words, Firsty. Keep smiling yourself :)
 
Great thread...
Were it not for the fact that it was created by the pathetic loser that is urbanus, probably with the sole intention of gathering personal information about solo members to later mock them.

What a f***ing c*** you are.
 
Great thread...
Were it not for the fact that it was created by the pathetic loser that is urbanus, probably with the sole intention of gathering personal information about solo members to later mock them.

What a f***ing c*** you are.
How do you know? Even if it is Urbanus, I suppose it still gets us talking about an important issue?
 
Interesting piece in today's Telegraph about the link emerging between diet/unfriendly microbes/inflammation and depression. The writer, Rachel Kelly, cured herself of depression with diet. I disagree with her about fatty meat, which I believe to be particularly healthy/helpful (not specifically for depression, but generally), but otherwise this chimes with my own experiences.

This is a Premium article so you can't read it unless you subscribe, so I am cutting and pasting here. If anybody knows how to put this text behind a spoiler to avoid clogging up the thread with such a huge post, please let me know!

How I beat my depression with a Mediterranean diet
Rachel Kelly
27 SEPTEMBER 2018 • 9:31AM



For the past five years my diet has been key in my battle to stay calm and well after a long struggle with anxiety and depression, which in the past has seen me hospitalised.

So the news that a Mediterranean diet cuts the risk of depression, by reducing inflammation in the body, didn’t surprise me. An international study found that people who eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish and plant-based foods reduced their risk of depression by 33 per cent. Which has pretty much been my own recipe for eating for happiness.

Scientists at University College London said the research shows the link between the gut and mental health, and in particular the role of inflammation, is far more significant than we previously thought.

Hooray to that, I say. My own experience is that nutrition can absolutely help with our mental, as well as our physical, health.

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The Mediterranean diet can reduce inflammation in the body
In the absence of studies like the one published by UCL today, I began my own research several years ago. I learnt that the relationship between mental health and inflammation was first discovered in 1887 by psychiatrist Julius Wagner-Jauregg, who noticed the effect of fever on psychoses. Since then, new research continues to find that inflammation in both the body and the brain may be linked to low mood. Equally, one of the answers to depression may be to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet which focuses on good digestive health.


Back then, I wanted to learn more about the effects of inflammation on my mood so I got in touch with Alice Mackintosh, a nutritional therapist who at the time worked for a nutritional clinic on London’s Harley Street. With her help, and advice from other doctors, dietitians and psychiatrists, I began to overhaul my diet and focused on creating a healthy gut by eating anti-inflammatory food.

There’s some evidence from animal studies to suggest that when our guts are inflamed, it can affect our mood. An elevated level of cytokines has been linked with depression, known as the ‘Cytokine Hypothesis’. How then, could I prevent my digestive tract from becoming inflamed?

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Omega-3, found in olives, has been found to help depression CREDIT: GETTY
I learnt that one way to reduce inflammation is to encourage healthy bacteria to flourish in our digestive systems. It's thought that an increase in the levels of unhelpful or ‘bad’ bacteria that emit chemicals can compromise the lining of the intestine, leading to a fairly self-explanatory condition known as increased intestinal permeability, or ‘leaky gut’. This might allow some germs, toxins and small undigested food particles into the blood, leading to inflammation, food intolerance and oxiditive stress. There may also be a link between the bacteria in our digestive systems and anxiety.


To nourish my gut flora, I increased the amount of probiotics and fermented foods I ate. A modest portion of creamy yoghurt so thick it stands up in the bowl suits me well. Women given yoghurt containing probiotics were found to have a calmer response to certain stimuli, according to a 2013 study reported in the health journal Gastroentrology.

Equally as important was avoiding antibiotics unless absolutely needed, as well as alcohol, fatty cuts of meat, gluten, burnt food and processed foods, and to eat more anti-inflammatory omega-3s, herbs, spices, whole-grains and colourful fruit and vegetables rich in antioxidants. In other words the staples of a Mediterranean diet.

Combined evidence from a number of recent studies found that, in general, omega-3s were effective in improving depressive symptoms in both patients diagnosed with depression and patients with un-diagnosed depression. I started with three portions of oily fish per week and a handful of walnuts as a snack, both high in anti-inflammatory omega-3s, that saw my mood lift in a short space of time.

The links between staying calm and a healthy microbiome changed my life and the way I eat. Alice gave me practical tools in the form of meal planners, and we began to develop recipes for my symptoms. Our conversations and experiments led to our book, The Happy Kitchen: Good Mood Food, which published in 2017.

A Mediterranean diet has made me calmer, less anxious and clearer thinking. Food became my medicine and part of my own toolbox to stay well. It’s a prescription I take seriously. And I couldn’t be more pleased that others are now taking the prescription seriously too.

My Ten Golden Rules for Good Mood Food
  1. Eat mostly plants

  2. Use herbs and spices, especially turmeric and saffron

  3. Sprinkle seeds and nuts on everything from soups to salads

  4. Eat for your gut, the second brain

  5. Fats are my friend, especially the omega 3s in oily fish

  6. Make sure a quarter of your plate is protein, and vary fish and meat with beans, lentils or seeds

  7. Avoid aspartame and additives

  8. Keep an eye on your blood sugar levels by limiting high sugar foods

  9. Vary your diet

  10. Relax and enjoy your meals!
The Happy Kitchen by Rachel Kelly is published by Short Books Ltd (RRP £14.99). Order yours now for £12.99 + £1.99 shipping at books.telegraph.co.uk
 
It is. There are little telltale signatures in his writing style. I knew that, but still thought like you it was an important topic.
Ah well Peppy. I think there's very little he'll get on me. Is there really that much harm one person can inflict with a bit of info on a few members. I may be wrong but I think the 'danger levels' are sometimes blown out of proportion. Edit: re your previous informative post it seems the link between diet and mental health is becoming ever more apparent.
 
Ah well Peppy. I think there's very little he'll get on me. Is there really that much harm one person can inflict with a bit of info on a few members. I may be wrong but I think the 'danger levels' are sometimes blown out of proportion. Edit: re your previous informative post it seems the link between diet and mental health is becoming ever more apparent.
Yeah, I kind of feel that way too, but mostly because I don't have a big online presence that could link to me in the 'real world'. And I think you're right, the link is becoming increasingly hard to ignore, not just for mental health but general health. The trouble is that the information which could help people is not good news for drug companies and psychiatrists, which makes me feel it could be a while before proper, fact-based, unbiased, joined-up advice is forthcoming. I hope I'm wrong, though.
 
I can only speak for myself. I don't believe mental illness caused me to spar with CG and others. I am opinionated and self-aware. And I hate irrational thinking. I've had CG on ignore for a while now. I just don't read her posts--if she even posts here anymore. I don't regret those times. I exercised my brain--she challenged me to defend myself and my ideas at every turn. I do however regret being cruel. I am a softie by nature. I don't think CG and I would ever be friends. We are very different. Mental illness didn't cause the conflict--clashing personalities did.
When that was going on I would have guessed all that so thanks for admitting it. The paranoid people accuse me of being Urbanus so I am going to kill this nickname and stay an anon.
I think some issues trigger some people who want this place to remain hostile and that is when they play the "you are Urbanus" card along with the "you are a racist" card.
 
Urbanus would never ever admit something like depression. When some people attack him it is obvious they don't know him at all but think they do. But the rage from some tells me he really managed to get on their nerves. By doing so you are feeding the troll.
 
I very much doubt that food in any way impacts your mood unless you eat at burger king every day. There are too many things in life that make us happy. Just remember when you were able to buy something that you always dreamed about and the happiness that followed. Not to mention how love changed your life overnight and turned you into a better and happier person. Working out and preferably running will make your endorphines give you a constant rush of well being. No one can find a diet that makes them happy cause I doubt a diet would help someone in a abusive relationship or someone out of work or being homeless.
Just stop being such bloody fools.
 
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