Depression--need help

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I never normally post on here, but as of late, I've been doing with some horrible depression and I just wanted to reach out and see if anyone would be willing to offer me advice. The depression truly is debilitating--every morning, I struggle to muster up the strength to even get out of bed by 10-11 AM. I feel tired all the time, and even going upstairs makes me run out of breath very quickly. I have crying spells, especially at night, and I feel horribly alone all the time.

The only thing that makes it confusing is that I was diagnosed with anemia recently. I've been taking liquid iron for a while now, but it doesn't feel like I'm getting any better at all.

I never knew I could feel this awful. I truly feel like I am dying every day. Once exams are over, I am considering checking myself into a depression clinic, but I am scared of the stigma.

Thanks for reading, guys. It would make me feel better just to know that someone read this and cares.

Originally Posted by fantaisie

I never normally post on here, but as of late, I've been doing with some horrible depression and I just wanted to reach out and see if anyone would be willing to offer me advice. The depression truly is debilitating--every morning, I struggle to muster up the strength to even get out of bed by 10-11 AM. I feel tired all the time, and even going upstairs makes me run out of breath very quickly. I have crying spells, especially at night, and I feel horribly alone all the time.

The only thing that makes it confusing is that I was diagnosed with anemia recently. I've been taking liquid iron for a while now, but it doesn't feel like I'm getting any better at all.

I never knew I could feel this awful. I truly feel like I am dying every day. Once exams are over, I am considering checking myself into a depression clinic, but I am scared of the stigma.

Thanks for reading, guys. It would make me feel better just to know that someone read this and cares.

In before Mod Lock!

YAY!

Go talk to a psychiatrist. Seriously. The interwebs are not a good place to get help for depressions! OR ANEMIAS! Though if you live in the state where I practice, I'll happily write for Vicodin.

Kidding.... Lortab.

Exercise, and stop eating carbs. You will be pleasantly surprised the effect these have on mood.

You and your carbs, man. I'm happy on carbs.

Try using the search bar...and I don't say it to be a jerk. I've seen numerous threads like this in the past, some with some fantastic advice. I would check it out.

Hang in there OP. I promise you we all feel like this at one point or another (myself included) We can get through this. As a previous person said, reach out to your friends and even classmates. You will be surprised at how caring and receptive they are towards your condition since it is so prevalent in medical school. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat with someone! We're in this together

Also, go see tour family doc. Get your heart, blood pressure, blood O2, blood sugar level, thyroid function, ferritin, hemoglobin, etc. checked. A young person, even if depressed should not be out of breath going up a couple flights of stairs. Otherwise, your other Sx are consistent with depression. Fck the stigma; nobody has to know. You should also see your GP to get a prescription for antidepressants and, if needed, refer you to a psychiatrist.

I have had depression since 1994 (I'm 44), but it is being effectively treated with medications. Only my immediate family knows. I may have to take meds for the rest of my life, but it beats the hell out of being depressed and needing a spatula to scrape yourself out of bed. Very few people need to take antidepressants their whole life, however.

March your ass to the doctor or student health on Tuesday morning, if not earlier.

I'd get on the antidepressant ASAP, personally.

What's up with all the depression on here lately? People starting to freak out about Step 1 or something?

Originally Posted by calvnandhobbs68

What's up with all the depression on here lately? People starting to freak out about Step 1 or something?

Depression is not caused by external events, although these may exacerbate a pre-existing condition. I became depressed when everything in my life was going great. I thought maybe I had mono or was burning out. The first Sx were feeling extremely tired and waking up unrefreshed. Then, I started aching all over. Next, I had a hard time concentrating and had to re-re-read what I just re-read, because I couldn't remember what I just re-read. The first mental aspects of the disease were having a hard time making decisions and thinking: "All those years left! I'll never be done. I can't do anything else... Can I even do this?" You feel like Sisyphus. Then you get that "empty" feeling. You actually feel like part of your soul is missing. It cannot be explained acurately, but it feels awful. Then comes an overwhelming feeling of guilt. This is the most nagging, because you keep feeling it and thining to yourself you have nothing to feel guilty about, but you can't shake the feeling. Then comes a sense of despair. The whole point is that, in many cases, the first Sx are very physical. In my case, SSRIs, then SNRIs helped, but psychotherapy didn't. For many depressed people however, CBT can be very helpful to create positive thinking patterns/neural pathways. I will have to take SNRIs (Cymbalta), probably until I die, because my form of depression is very organic in nature and the physical Sx would immediately reappear if I stopped taking them, probably soon followed by the emotional Sx. Depression is a shtity deal, but it can be treated. Do it and know that you don't need to tell others if you don't want to. Talk to your MD/DO.

I am fairly certain that my depression would go away if I had a gf. I do exercise and try to avoid carbs, but sometimes I overload on carbs and instead of exercising I just become depressed I know a glass of alcohol usually keeps the sugars down. But it's hard to stop at just 1 glass. And it does not cure the source of the problem.

Originally Posted by ushush

I am fairly certain that my depression would go away if I had a gf. I do exercise and try to avoid carbs, but sometimes I overload on carbs and instead of exercising I just become depressed I know a glass of alcohol usually keeps the sugars down. But it's hard to stop at just 1 glass. And it does not cure the source of the problem.

That's not depression, just blue balls. You don't need a gf, but you need to f around. You need game. You need Leykis 101.

Originally Posted by Kadava Reviva

That's not depression, just blue balls. You don't need a gf, but you need to f around. You need game. You need Leykis 101.

Clinical diagnosis of blue balls.

Originally Posted by fantaisie

I never normally post on here, but as of late, I've been doing with some horrible depression and I just wanted to reach out and see if anyone would be willing to offer me advice. The depression truly is debilitating--every morning, I struggle to muster up the strength to even get out of bed by 10-11 AM. I feel tired all the time, and even going upstairs makes me run out of breath very quickly. I have crying spells, especially at night, and I feel horribly alone all the time.

The only thing that makes it confusing is that I was diagnosed with anemia recently. I've been taking liquid iron for a while now, but it doesn't feel like I'm getting any better at all.

I never knew I could feel this awful. I truly feel like I am dying every day. Once exams are over, I am considering checking myself into a depression clinic, but I am scared of the stigma.

Thanks for reading, guys. It would make me feel better just to know that someone read this and cares.

This is not a troll post, but have you tried genital pleasuring? Whenever I'm stressed out or have anxieties/trouble sleeping I usually retort to pleasure. Don't let med school stressed you out, find pleasure in life.

Originally Posted by fantaisie

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I never knew I could feel this awful. I truly feel like I am dying every day. Once exams are over, I am considering checking myself into a depression clinic, but I am scared of the stigma.

There is no stigma, at least not in this field. Doctors don't attached a stigma to medical treatment, it's one of the few really good personality traits inherent to the field. Half of your class is going to pass through a psychiatrists office, and a good chunk of them are going to take at least a couple of days of inpatient therapy. I have friends that have done both. Not that anyone needs to know if you don't want them to: no residency or employer has any right to make you divulge your medical or psychatric history.

I agree with the above posts advising that you seek a profesional's help. Crying jags and barely getting out of bed aren't on the normal spectrum. I'm not saying there aren't lifestyle/diet changes to make as well, but that takes time and might not be all you need, so first things first: find someone who treats depression for a living and ask them what to do. If there's a long wait for an appointment find a family doc that will see you tomorrow to start you on something to tide you over.

Originally Posted by Perrotfish

There is no stigma, at least not in this field. Doctors don't attached a stigma to medical treatment, it's one of the few really good personality traits inherent to the field. Half of your class is going to pass through a psychiatrists office, and a good chunk of them are going to take at least a couple of days of inpatient therapy. I have friends that have done both. Not that anyone needs to know if you don't want them to: no residency or employer has any right to make you divulge your medical or psychatric history.

I agree with the above posts advising that you seek a profesional's help. Crying jags and barely getting out of bed aren't on the normal spectrum. I'm not saying there aren't lifestyle/diet changes to make as well, but that takes time and might not be all you need, so first things first: find someone who treats depression for a living and ask them what to do. If there's a long wait for an appointment find a family doc that will see you tomorrow to start you on something to tide you over.

I totally agree. I don't understand why you feel there will be a stigma attached to seeking treatment. Maybe to the old guard types, but no way with our generation of physicians.

No stigma of depression in the medical field? I must disagree... maybe not among the psychiatrists, but personal experience tells me there is still stigma. Moreover, according to another thread, many doctors view the psychiatrists differently from themselves, and not in a good way.

Originally Posted by OveractiveBrain

In before Mod Lock!

YAY!

Go talk to a psychiatrist. Seriously. The interwebs are not a good place to get help for depressions! OR ANEMIAS! Though if you live in the state where I practice, I'll happily write for Vicodin.

Kidding.... Lortab.

surprised thread is still up - mods on vacay? Anyways, in before lock.

and OP - go get checked out regardless of stigma. your health >>> medicine.

Get out for 30 minutes a day in the sunlight and take a walk. Drink a lot of water. Get 7-8 hours of sleep. Try that first for a couple of weeks. If need be, go to a psychiatrist. Your medical history is confidential and you may need to get on a medication to get out of this phase. This too will pass, stay positive.

Glad mods havent locked this yet. Sometimes peeps can learn from other peoples experiences.

I dont have any experience with depression but I believe healthy coping and resilience are big factors in keeping moods above water. To OP, you need to ask yourself the WHY questions.

WHY are you not happy

Do a root cause until you find a thing or things you can pinpoint your problems at. 99% of the time it will come to expectations. For instance, you may expect (or others may expect) that you should be dating but you are not.

That expectation will weigh you down, and so will many others.

Get rid of all your expectations and you will be on content man. And when I say all, I mean ALL expectations. Do whats right and what you need to do to the best of your abilities (school, relationships, sports etc). Its that simple. I dont believe in organic causes of depression- I believe in faulty-thought processes as the real cause of depression.

Originally Posted by TemSirolimus

I dont believe in organic causes of depression- I believe in faulty-thought processes as the real cause of depression.

I don't believe in organic causes of heart disease. I believe in faulty diet and exercise processes as the real cause of heart disease.

Whew, glad there are others who think like me!

In all seriousness, when my depression made me lose my master's degree from Hopkins, everything was going GREAT. Number 1 school of public health, won a scholarship, won an essay contest, 255 on Step 2, consecutive 3rd year honors... Your whole premise that depression is brought on by personal failings is ****. People get depressed and it is not their fault - it doesn't make them a weak person.

Ok Ill chime in:

Ive noticed that depression is MUCH more common then I thought and many have no control over it s onset.
And many in including Arod or Alex Roderiguez go to see a spiritual advisor, mentor, counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist what ever you want to call them....Its much more accepted to ask for help for a mental health issue..

Some use St. Johns Wort for this which is NOT approved by the FDA !
And I know of some postmenopausal women on 10 or 20 mg of Celexa for Depression.
Also try excercise, balanced diet, and getting change of scene.

Originally Posted by fantaisie

I never normally post on here, but as of late, I've been doing with some horrible depression and I just wanted to reach out and see if anyone would be willing to offer me advice. The depression truly is debilitating--every morning, I struggle to muster up the strength to even get out of bed by 10-11 AM. I feel tired all the time, and even going upstairs makes me run out of breath very quickly. I have crying spells, especially at night, and I feel horribly alone all the time.

The only thing that makes it confusing is that I was diagnosed with anemia recently. I've been taking liquid iron for a while now, but it doesn't feel like I'm getting any better at all.

I never knew I could feel this awful. I truly feel like I am dying every day. Once exams are over, I am considering checking myself into a depression clinic, but I am scared of the stigma.

Thanks for reading, guys. It would make me feel better just to know that someone read this and cares.

You need some support....family, friends you can trust and care. If you live away from home maybe going home will help. You need to see a psychiatrist and get counseling if you really need it. Make sure you go to a good psychiatrist...there are a lot of lousy ones out there who just simply dont care. Do the things you enjoy. If you are stressed, find an outlet and go out and have some fun. Sometimes studying for hours and hours can be depressing. Good luck.