Anyone deal with depression?

[Eight Thumbs]

My standard therapy is to go flyfishing somewhere quiet. And I have not done it enough this year, yelled at a friend of mine yesterday. Decided to take tomorrow off and go fishing, regardless of how much is on my to-do list.

Hi Folks,

I have to agree with DG on this one! Trying to stay balanced was one of the reasons that I came back to fly fishing eight years ago. Life is tough sometimes, particularly as we get older. For the past eight years my motto has been "when the going gets tough, the tough go fly fishing (a lot)." Fly fishing, fly tying and the companionship of FAOL have seen me through some pretty difficult times. 8T

[Sonny Edmonds]

Pretty sure it's depression. I've had to deal with more stuff in the past 2 years than I care to list. That and the talk of this government-run Health Care (I'm a Doctor ) is enough to drive me nuts. I'm sure there will be a syndrome attached to this with respects to Drs somewhere along the way here. This may be the first documented case . I'm quite serious about this. I know many Drs that are very upset about this stuff.

Holy Cow! You're a Doctor, and the Doctors Doctor is putting the Doctor off until next week?
I'm shocked! No really, I am.
Believe me, you are not alone, not by a long shot, about this government health care malarkey. While it may not effect our livelihoods like it may yours, it has many others out here rather PO'd.
But you have FAOL and Sound Off! as a place to vent. Feel free, I and many others are willing to listen.
(But it is still going to cost you for coffee...)
Do you realize you are writing down the things that are bothering you? Well, you are. And you are sharing them to get them out in the open and off your chest. All good things.
Gets the cap off that pressure cooker inside.
Post on, BBW! Get it off your chest.

[Steve Molcsan]

This thread is very uplifting...


Steve

[Bad Luck Larry]

BBW...

I'm going through a 'textbook' crisis myself. Some authors call it a 'transition'.

To be honest, I think I've been dealing with depression for YEARS, but have stoicly been trying to deal with it on my own without medication. '
People are different and lots NEED medication, and for those people it really helps.

Talk to your doctor and let him/her know what's going on.

My social worker gave me a book to read which gives a number of examples and describes possible causes and effects of situations of men going through 'crises' in various stages and ages in life; it's not only at 40!
Book is called 'Seasons in a Man's life' by D.Levinson. Very good book and eye opener. doesn't give solutions but sheds light to what causes life crises.

If you need a sounding board, drop me a line via e-mail or phone; happy to talk.

I find, needing lots of space to work things out helps (that's what we men do....we're from 'Mars'!)

Above all, keep the faith and DO talk to your doctor.

You're definitely NOT alone.

Cheers,
Larry

[Gigmaster]

I'm a doctor, so maybe I can help.

First off, Clinical Depression is an actual physical malady, just like catching a cold, or any other condition. So there should be no stigma, or embarassment attached to it. It can effect anybody, at anytime. Noone is immune. And, the good news is that it is very treatable, with an extremely high success rate, compared to other similar conditons. Most people make a full recovery.

Of course, the first thing you should do is see your Primary Care Provider about it. They have the proper tools and training to correctly diagnose the condition, isolate the causes and formulate an effective and safe treatment program. Don't let it go too long before you do this. Part of the success of treatment is dependent on how early you can arrest the progress. Left untreated, it can have very grave consequences. And most insurance policies cover treatment for Depression, so there not many excuses not to have it taken care of. I am sure your loved ones would agree. And Self-treatment is not only a bad idea, but it can even make the problems worse. Please see your physician as soon as practicable.

If you are wondering if Depression is becomming a problem, then it already has. Take care of it. If you had a runny nose, or a high fever, you'd go to the doctor in a heartbeat. This is no different.

And, also, be aware that there is a difference between Depression, and just being depressed. Depression is a chronic disease, and effects your life profoudly. Being depressed is a normal, short-lived emotion that usually passes (relatively) quickly and has no long-term effects. But only a doctor can tell them apart. If you've been depressed for more than a week or so, that is a major Red Flag. See your doctor.

Even I get depressed, occasionally. That's why I go fishing........

[Mike Ormsby]

I'm a doctor, so maybe I can help.

First off, Clinical Depression is an actual physical malady, just like catching a cold, or any other condition. So there should be no stigma, or embarassment attached to it. It can effect anybody, at anytime. Noone is immune. And, the good news is that it is very treatable, with an extremely high success rate, compared to other similar conditons. Most people make a full recovery.

Of course, the first thing you should do is see your Primary Care Provider about it. They have the proper tools and training to correctly diagnose the condition, isolate the causes and formulate an effective and safe treatment program. Don't let it go too long before you do this. Part of the success of treatment is dependent on how early you can arrest the progress. Left untreated, it can have very grave consequences. And most insurance policies cover treatment for Depression, so there not many excuses not to have it taken care of. I am sure your loved ones would agree. And Self-treatment is not only a bad idea, but it can even make the problems worse. Please see your physician as soon as practicable.

If you are wondering if Depression is becomming a problem, then it already has. Take care of it. If you had a runny nose, or a high fever, you'd go to the doctor in a heartbeat. This is no different.

And, also, be aware that there is a difference between Depression, and just being depressed. Depression is a chronic disease, and effects your life profoudly. Being depressed is a normal, short-lived emotion that usually passes (relatively) quickly and has no long-term effects. But only a doctor can tell them apart. If you've been depressed for more than a week or so, that is a major Red Flag. See your doctor.

Even I get depressed, occasionally. That's why I go fishing........

Great advice from a MD....thanks for posting.....for BBW and all who wanted info.....and you're definitely right about difference between feeling depressed and depression.....like lots of us, I occasionally feel depressed.....and that's when (and why) I go fishing too

[Gigmaster]

I'm not an MD (Medical Doctor). I am an ND (Dr. of Naturapathy and Holistic Health), but we all had to go through the same basic Medical School. I just gravitated to Holistic Health Care over the years, and got specialized. I am also an LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist).

But Medicine is Medicine, regardless of what you specialize in.

And, by the way, Massage Therapy is very effective as one of the treatments for Depression. I would absolutely recommend finding a good Therapist in your area, and giving it a try.

[FISHN50]

We all face crisis's in our life. How we deal with it tells us a lot about ourselves. Sometimes the passage of time helps us overcome our problems & other times we need help, either thru counseling or medication. I was diagnosed with Prostate cancer & to me it was the end of the world. I went into hibernation & would not do anything but sit on the couch & feel sorry for myself. My son started to bring my granddaughter around nightly ( 1 1/2 yrs. old) & that was the start. My oncologist recommended therapy & my G.P. recommended Zoloft. I went with them both & have no regrets. I had a PSA of 29 & a Gleason score of 9.5. so they ruled out surgery & I went for the radiation & hormone therapy & things are coming along. I'm on Lupron so my testosterone levels are reduced & that's another reason for me being tired all the time. All this leads to my depression. I identified what was causing my problems & worked on each one. Sorry for the rant ,but it helped me to write it.
My point is get help ASAP. therapy or medication, or both are valid treatments & you took the first step by calling your doctor. While your there have your PSA cked.

Neil

[Gemrod]

Looks like an awful lot of us have this problem. I was very very suicidal for three years before my wife's death. I only stayed alive because she needed me. Such a great coincidence. I complained to my PA that I could lay in bed for 10 hours and still not want to get up. Not refreshed. He discovered I had severe sleep apnea. I now wear a breathing machine at night with oxygen. Also have had surgery to make boaf sides of my nose breathe. One side was blocked due to a deviated septum. That was an additional problem. Forgot to add...also had throat surgery to help relieve obstructive apnea. Then I had a hyperventilation attack. Type B personality and never had that before. Doc not in on Fri afternoon so went to ER. They said all vital signs ok....follow up with doc. Doc said oh heck. We can handle that easy. He said they had a lot of that during the big fire. He did NOT explain it to me...he just ordered up medication. It worked wonders. With the pill....I just do not have any more suicidal thoughts. I assume he gave me pills for depression and anxiety.....although I never told him all this. Simply relayed the hyperventilation attack and he gave me meds. But they worked magic. Now he is no longer here and I had to find a new doc. He asked if I had depression. I said I don't know...but I was suicidal for awhile....and he said that sure sounds like depression to him! So he has continued prescribing my meds and I am fine. Before the discovery of severe sleep apnea (AHI 52) and treatment for the depression...and a nightime sleep aid.....I had no ambition either. NO hobbies. Just went about my daily chores because I had to. Starting to recover now and beginniing to actually take an interest in doing things. Took a long time to sort all this out. Just for info only...to everybody.....I take Effexor 75mg once a day. They did not explain why but said I must never stop taking it. I also take 3 Alprazolam a day....which is generic for Zanax. They said they might cut that back someday....but so far I am still on same schedule. I missed the noon one a lot....and I noticed on a day where I missed the noon one AND the dinner one...I started to get some suicidal ideas again! As long as I keep using my breathing machine with oxygen....and take my meds I am ok. Engery starting to slowly come back....but the depression meds absolutely work magic for me.

Just FYI to help others. I too had all the symptoms listed above...but didn't realize it due to being a type B person.

I am getting better by the month.

Good luck to all of you.

Jim

[Big Bad Wulff]

I'm starting to think many of us take up fly fishing for the 'isolation factor'. Basically to be alone.
I know people bug the crap out of at times. And I know I need to be away from them. But, with this said I enjoy fishing with a couple of buddies the best though. But I also just like the time alone too.