The Depression Page My name is Ann and I work for CILNM.  I have worked here part-time for about 6 months.  I was glad to get this job because it helped me get out of the house and into the community working with people.   I have had depression for a long time.  I can’t really remember when it started.  I felt blue all the time and when I noticed that it was lasting longer than my normal PMS time, then I knew I had depression.  I guess I never wanted to admit that’s what was wrong with me.  I did see a therapist when I was in high school because I was just feeling so helpless.  I have also seen a therapist just 6 months ago to help me deal with these feeling I have. I realized that I do need to get out and not stay home all the time, but that’s hard when your feeling down.  I live in what’s known as “the sticks”, an area that doesn’t have much to do in the way of entertainment or anything for that matter.  I am isolated from the excitement that I need to help me get out of my blue state and get motivated to do things.  I was at home with my son for 2 years and I love him a lot, but staying home all the time really did me no good.  I was sinking deeper and deeper into a depression state that I couldn’t get out of.  I just realized one day that I couldn’t handle feeling this way anymore and I sought the help of a therapist and then I got a job and that helped a lot.  That’s not to say that I don’t feel down some days, I do.  And it really took a lot on my part to be able to realize that I needed to do something about it.  No one can help me, I have to help myself.  If someone would have told me to go and get help, I probably would have been offended and very hurt.  But sometimes people don’t know that they really do have a problem and then someone needs to help them realize that. I was on a medication for awhile, but that’s not always the best thing to be on for long periods of time.  But sometimes it might be, depending on if you have a chemical imbalance in your brain, that’s why it’s always good to talk to your doctor about the way your feeling.  I talked with my therapist and discussed medication and she said that it might work for me.  I went to my doctor and talked with about it and he prescribed me something.  I am off it now, but I discussed it with him first before I did.  It helped somewhat, but it wasn’t a miracle cure.  I deal with things day to day.  That’s the only way I get through it.  All I know is suicide is not the solution.  I knew someone who did commit suicide because of depression.  You just don’t realize at the time that things aren’t as bad as they seem.  They just seem that bad to you.  Life is so short, people don’t realize that it can be taken away in a second, so suicide is not the answer. I hope this was helpful to you in someway and if you feel like you’ve had enough, then seek help.  There is always someone out there to help you, you just have to ask for it.  Included is also some web pages about depression and some ways to deal with it.  If you need to look for a therapist, do what I did, look in the yellow pages of your phone book or your insurance carrier might have a pamphlet available for you to find one. Good luck, and have a long and happy life. E-MAIL ANN   LINKS www.depression.com www.depressionbooks.com www.undoingdepression.com www.maiw.com www.treatingdepression.com www.depressionet.com.au www.HelpDepression.com