Depression and Studying.

[McBatCommander]

The past year or so I have finally admitted to myself that I have pretty severe depression. After burning out and ending a pretty rough semester in December, I have realized that I need to handle things a bit different, to keep my stress down and prevent myself from nose diving into manic depressive insanity that pretty much guarantees me ruining my grades. One of the biggest downfalls of feeling so awful is that my work ethic is the first thing that seems to go. Some days are fine, but then days like today where I literally feel nothing, and have to force myself to study (which usually makes me feel worse).

I am wondering if anyone else out there deals with the same kind of depression and what they do to keep themselves motivated and working? I keep having to read and read the same paragraph in my chemistry text, as my mind seems to always drift off before I finish it. Any advice is appreciated.

(I have tried ssri's in the past and they had no success. I may try again soon if things start going downhill again.)

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[touchpause13]

yeah my depression works pretty much in the same way, when I am having an episode I won't get out of bed for days at a time and studying is pretty much out of the question. What has worked for me the best is a combination of talk therapy and SSRIs. Also exercising on a regular basis seems to give me a boost, although getting the motivation to actually do that when ur in the middle of it is pretty impossibe.

My suggestion to you is to make an appointment with the couseling center at your school/in your town. They should be able to recommend a psychiatrist they trust who can handle your med issues, maybe put you on a MAOI if SSRIs haven't worked so hot in the past, and get you seeing a psychologist to help you develop some stragties for dealing with your depression/work with any underlying issues.

Also good for you for being able to identify what is going on and trying to deal with it before other parts of your life start to suffer. I wish you all the best and feel free to PM me

 

[Ruhroh]

Hey OP, about two years ago I started having the same problem at a rough point in my life... the headaches, the complete lack of focus, the apathy, feeling tired all the time, etc. Unfortunately two years later the problems haven't gone away, but I can work through them better than I used to. I find for me personally jogging a few times a day helped me the most...when I was feeling lazy, or a headache became overbearing, I just went outside in the cold and ran. And I kept running until every day physical exhaustion overcame my mental exhaustion, and it gave me the few milliseconds of clarity each day to feel a little better about studying.

I also tried SRIs and similarly felt they did not help *shrug*

 

[Planes2Doc]

I can tell you how people I know didn't deal with it. They were in denial that they could be depressed, and rather let their lives crumble before going to see a psychiatrist. Once they started on SSRI treatments, their lives turned completely around. Was it worth letting everything else go to waste on such principle? I realize that things that are "mental" can be considered taboo, especially among certain cultures, and that can ultimately have very bad implications.

I'm very glad that you have admitted that you have a problem. That's the first step toward solving it. Of course you can try the many things people suggest to help you feel happier and motivated. You can try exercising, maybe a daylight lamp, eating healthier, and try supplements.

Another interesting method I suggest is to create a "reward system" for studying. For example, after completing two chapters, you can go spend some time doing something fun. This works for some people I know who have ADHD.

Anyway, if these things don't work, I would seek professional help. There is nothing wrong with seeing a doctor. If taking an SSRI or other anti-depressant can help improve your life dramatically, then by all means don't do it. Don't refuse to do it out of some ridiculous principle, or you might end up sacrificing very important things in life. Apparently the whole "I had bad grades because I was depressed" explanation on the PS doesn't go well with ADCOMs. Just keep working at it, and don't be afraid to seek help. Best of luck!

 

[lovesfall]

I agree with the previous posters that you should probably make an appointment with your school's counseling center and/or your doc to discuss whether antidepressants might be a good choice. They can usually offer you some resources both in terms of immediate counseling (usually they do short-term for free) and possibly in terms of referrals to longer-term counselors if needed.

One thing I can say that I found to be true in my undergrad is that when I found I really had to push myself and couldn't find motivation, it turned out it was because I wasn't really following my interests. I was doing what I thought I should do or what I thought would look good to others and it wasn't really in line with what I actually cared about. Once I adjusted my academic path to match my actual interests, staying engaged no longer felt like a huge uphill battle. The most helpful resources I found when trying to figure out what I actually wanted to do with my life were an assortment of positive psychology and career development books. If you're interested in exploring that avenue, a few decent reads are Happier (Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D.), What Color Is Your Parachute (career finder, but with some exercises where you do some reflection on what is meaningful to you), and some kind of career finding book (like Your Dream Career for Dummies or equivalent). Even though you are pre-med and planning to do a career in medicine doesn't mean that there aren't a million different flavors of medicine and a million different angles from which you can approach it.

Anyway, just my two cents. Burning out is no fun. Hang in there -- it gets better.

 

[Planes2Doc]

(I have tried ssri's in the past and they had no success. I may try again soon if things start going downhill again.)

Sorry I seem to have missed this... Some people who didn't respond to SSRIs actually can respond to medications like Wellbutrin (Bupropion), which is an atypical anti-depressant since it's an NDRI (doesn't touch serotonin). Some medications can also be used as an off-label anti-depressant. So there are other options that you can consider with your doctor. If you're considering drug therapy talking to your doctor would be your first step.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Regular exercise and healthy eating are really good for depression. I know most people say this solution is voodoo and doesn't work, but usually those people don't exercise nor eat healthy.

Or it's a caffeine withdrawal. I have plenty of those.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I can tell you how people I know didn't deal with it. They were in denial that they could be depressed, and rather let their lives crumble before going to see a psychiatrist. Once they started on SSRI treatments, their lives turned completely around. Was it worth letting everything else go to waste on such principle? I realize that things that are "mental" can be considered taboo, especially among certain cultures, and that can ultimately have very bad implications.

I'm very glad that you have admitted that you have a problem. That's the first step toward solving it. Of course you can try the many things people suggest to help you feel happier and motivated. You can try exercising, maybe a daylight lamp, eating healthier, and try supplements.

Another interesting method I suggest is to create a "reward system" for studying. For example, after completing two chapters, you can go spend some time doing something fun. This works for some people I know who have ADHD.

Anyway, if these things don't work, I would seek professional help. There is nothing wrong with seeing a doctor. If taking an SSRI or other anti-depressant can help improve your life dramatically, then by all means don't do it. Don't refuse to do it out of some ridiculous principle, or you might end up sacrificing very important things in life. Apparently the whole "I had bad grades because I was depressed" explanation on the PS doesn't go well with ADCOMs. Just keep working at it, and don't be afraid to seek help. Best of luck!

I am going to admit I was one of those people and am currently on SSRIs. It has changed me a lot and I do understand the stigma of being labeled depressed (in my case I had extremely bad anxiety). However, you really have to know yourself and admit you may have a problem (especially in my scenario, I developed extremely bad migraines).

If it isn't as severe as depression but maybe just being burnt out, then try to do some fun activities. Maybe after two hours of studying, try to watch your favorite TV show for an hour, then go back to studying again. Or read your favorite books after feeling burnt out from the text books. The main thing is to make life an enjoyable thing with all the stress around you. I try to make a list of fun things I want to do in the month and try to accomplish this. With good time management, this is possible.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Regular exercise and healthy eating are really good for depression. I know most people say this solution is voodoo and doesn't work, but usually those people don't exercise nor eat healthy.

Or it's a caffeine withdrawal. I have plenty of those.

You really have to be careful of being chronic on the caffeine. I drank too much caffeine especially during finals and the clarity of my thoughts became fuzzy. I had to stop drinking it completely when this happened so I could regain my concentration (caffeine withdrawal was a small price to pay).