(July 3, 2013 at 1:22 pm)Rahul Wrote: Prozac worked wonders for my dad for years. Depressed? They got a pill for that.

Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as simple as that.

(July 3, 2013 at 3:37 pm)Faith No More Wrote: Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as simple as that.

It was for my father.

(July 3, 2013 at 3:41 pm)Rahul Wrote: It was for my father.

Then that was due to luck, not simplicity of the problem.

(July 3, 2013 at 3:51 pm)Faith No More Wrote: Then that was due to luck, not simplicity of the problem.

Well, I'm trying to find the percentage of people who can alleviate depression with medication alone. Still working on that. But some people can, others can do it with psychotherapy alone, while some need a combo.

Quote:Most older adults with depression improve when they receive treatment with an antidepressant, psychotherapy, or a combination of both. Research has shown that medication alone and combination treatment are both effective in reducing depression in older adults. Psychotherapy alone also can be effective in helping older adults stay free of depression, especially among those with minor depression. Psychotherapy is particularly useful for those who are unable or unwilling to take antidepressant medication.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publicati...ndex.shtml

However, since Prozac is now available in very affordable generic versions it would be the most affordable treatment method. So I would advise he talk to a doctor about going that route first. Then look into psychotherapy if it doesn't seem effective enough.

My dad started taking Prozac back like, shit, 25 years ago or something right after it came out. It worked for him. He eventually built up a tolerance to it and now he's on something else. I can't remember what that is.

The problem with anti-depressants is that the exact mechanisms that they work through on the brain are not truly known, and when you add that with the fact that the brain is so complex and that it's impossible to determine exactly what is wrong with a person's brain chemistry, it is basically a crap-shoot when determining which anti-depressant will work for which person. The only way to find out is trial and error, which can be brutal and miserable, because weeding through the ones that give you bad side effects can be worse than the depression itself.

That's why I said your father was lucky.

Hi from the UK!

It can help to find new ways to invest the emotion you used to spend on belief in to something else, find yourself alternative ways to 'feel the magic'. Some people find new friends or communal experiences, others spend more time with family, yet others go wild for the hedonism; for me, it was the joy of learning. A million & one experiences await you that are enhanced by not having the supernatural distract you from what's really going on.

I hope I don't sound patronising when I say that the more you explore yourself and the world around you, the more likely it is that you'll find what you're missing. Good luck in your journey!

I've been on SSRIs for quite a while but they really just hold everything at bay and they've all but stopped working.
I'm feeling like I shouldn't have been revived after I died a couple of years ago. It seems like it was a waste of effort. I'm pretty useless.

(July 3, 2013 at 5:53 pm)hookakat1 Wrote: I've been on SSRIs for quite a while but they really just hold everything at bay and they've all but stopped working.
I'm feeling like I shouldn't have been revived after I died a couple of years ago. It seems like it was a waste of effort. I'm pretty useless.

Think how your wife would have felt had you not been revived.

You matter to more people than you know. You gotta look into some help for this, hookakat. Modern life offers lots of solutions. But you have to be willing to accept help first.

My wife is the only thing keeping me hanging on. I don't wanna do anything that would crush her. She's been through so much with me already. Hurting her is the last thing in the world I wanna do.

(July 3, 2013 at 7:57 pm)hookakat1 Wrote: My wife is the only thing keeping me hanging on. I don't wanna do anything that would crush her. She's been through so much with me already. Hurting her is the last thing in the world I wanna do.

I've known lots of people that have killed themselves. It fucks people up.

My first serious girlfriend killed herself after she cheated on me, I found out, and dumped her.

I didn't get into another relationship of any kind for a little over 8 years after that. I don't think I deserved that.