Hello, i'm mentally ill.. and also British

[Saxmoof]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone

Welcome,

I've heard that the very worst thing you can say to a person who is suffering from clinical depression is just "cheer up!"

so ..

Cheer up!

Yeah I got that a few times, always wanted to say, "wow i haven't tried that! i'm cured! it was so simple!"

[robvalue]

Yep, I've heard it too. Also, "What, is it like being really sad?"

No, it's really not. It's like wanting to go throw yourself off a cliff rather than grind through another day.

[Regina]

I get depressive episodes too (although thankfully for me it's not a constant thing) so I can relate to you somewhat

Welcome to the forum

Yarkshire? Goint down't ruurd! haha sorry I had to

[Saxmoof]

Welcome Saxmoof I'm glad you decided to join us.

I can certainly relate. I'm an England guy too (despite some recent attempts to prove I'm American due to tea preferences!) I love Yorkshire, we went there for a holiday and had a great time.

I've also struggled with depression during my life, and I still do daily. I'm also in therapy for it and on a very high dose of anti depressants. I have anxiety too, it's better than it used to be but still affects me. At one point I was so anxious I could barely get out of bed and couldn't even open my mail. So I know the feeling all too well.

Feel free to send me a PM if you feel the need to talk one on one with anyone. And I'm sure you'll get lots of support here, so you can tell us what's on your mind anytime.

Don't think i've ever heard of anyone going to Yorkshire for a holiday, you must really like hills because that's the only thing of interest here i can think of

How does therapy for depression work? I'm in therapy for the Anxiety and with that it's fairly simple you just expose yourself to situations that make you anxious and gradually get less anxious. But with depression i've no idea how you'd fix that with therapy because you need a lot of motivation and belief to make it work, when my depression was the main problem i thought there's no point trying therapy, i'm beyond being helped

What medication(s) are you taking? I tried prozac at first but that gave me a temporary high that left me more depressed than before when it went away and now i'm on the highest dose (can't remember what that is) of zoloft and that seems to be working well for me

Thanks for the PM offer, might be a bit too anxious-making for me at the moment to have a one on one conversation with someone but i'll remember you if i ever feel up to it and need to talk

---

Yep, I've heard it too. Also, "What, is it like being really sad?"

No, it's really not. It's like wanting to go throw yourself off a cliff rather than grind through another day.

It's more like being constantly apathetic and unable to feel anything than feeling sad which must be hard for healthy people to relate too as it's pretty unimaginable

Yarkshire? Goint down't ruurd! haha sorry I had to

This is blatant racism against me and the proud people of Yorkshire and i am extremely offended

[robvalue]

I've had cognitive behaviour therapy before for my first batch of depression, it tries to address negative thought patterns and to assess the rationality of thoughts that come into your head. It definitely helped me and was a big part of recovering that time.

I've since become depressed again, mainly due to having ME. I'm going to be trying a new form of CBT, I'm unsure if the details but I've been told it's different to what I tried before. It's all talking therapy, aimed at analysing your thoughts and attitudes. Of course it won't be for everyone, but I would recommend giving it a try. It tends to seem stupid and pointless at first, but can achieve results if you stick with it. It's not meant to be a cure of course, it's a coping mechanism.

First time round I was on Prozac, which helped a lot. Second time round I was put on it again, but I had a bad reaction. I've since been prescribed several others which didn't help much, and finally venlafaxine which made a big difference pretty quickly. It balanced me just enough to find the strength to fight the depression rather than simple drowning in it.

I'd say it's worth talking to your doctor about treatment and trying other anti depressants. Each person reacts differently, and you may have to try several, but I can vouch for the fact that the right one can make a noticeable difference.

And yes, I'm with you in the apathy and dulled emotions. Every day I fight the urge to collapse on the floor and give up, as well as the urge to kill myself.

[AFTT47]

Welcome!

Boy am I jealous about meeting 4 religious people your whole life. It should be we American atheists that are depressed.

[Ben Davis]

 fellow brit here. Help yourself to a cup of tea.






My old man's from Yorkshire. It was he who taught me the ultimate White Rose atheist anthem: On Ilkley Moor bar t'hat (for those who aren't familiar, here are the lyrics in dialect and oxford english). We tend to be a supportive bunch here so let us know if you have any triggers and we'll take care.

Have fun!

[Neo-Scholastic]

I thought depression just went with being British... Sorry, I was thinking of the Irish. My bad. Seriously though welcome. Many of us, including myself , struggle with depression. I'm pretty sure you'll find that you are in good company.

[Saxmoof]

Welcome!

Boy am I jealous about meeting 4 religious people your whole life. It should be we American atheists that are depressed.

I've got into American politics over the past few years through the daily show, bill maher etc. and the level of influence religion seems to have over there is both hilarious and infuriating, i'd probably find it less hilarious if it were my country. I remember hearing a quote from a supreme court justice on one of those shows along the lines of, "you don't see the devil doing much these days, because he got wilier" who thought that guy should be trusted with that much power?! 

I thought depression just went with being British... Sorry, I was thinking of the Irish. My bad. Seriously though welcome. Many of us, including myself , struggle with depression. I'm pretty sure you'll find that you are in good company.

Is there a correlation between atheism and depression? Is it the god-shaped hole in our soul?

[Pyrrho]

Welcome!

Boy am I jealous about meeting 4 religious people your whole life. It should be we American atheists that are depressed.

I've got into American politics over the past few years through the daily show, bill maher etc. and the level of influence religion seems to have over there is both hilarious and infuriating, i'd probably find it less hilarious if it were my country. I remember hearing a quote from a supreme court justice on one of those shows along the lines of, "you don't see the devil doing much these days, because he got wilier" who thought that guy should be trusted with that much power?! 

I am an American.  And you seem to have a good grasp of the situation.  It is both hilarious and infuriating, though I personally find it more infuriating.  Sometimes, though, one feels the need to laugh, or one may end up crying about it, or drinking very heavily.

I sometimes think Congress is where we put our most feeble-minded members of society, who are unfit for doing actual work.

I thought depression just went with being British... Sorry, I was thinking of the Irish. My bad. Seriously though welcome. Many of us, including myself , struggle with depression. I'm pretty sure you'll find that you are in good company.

Is there a correlation between atheism and depression? Is it the god-shaped hole in our soul?

I don't think there is any correlation, but you would have to look for research on the topic to be sure.  I expect, though, if there were a connection, the religionists would be trumpeting that to discourage people from being atheists, so I am pretty sure there must be no such connection.

I, for one, am a pretty happy atheist.  And so is my wife.