In lieu of the Depressed thread in IE, I've decided to start a discussion for depression and other mental illnesses here in H&F. This thread can be used to discuss the diagnostic and treatment aspects of depression from a clinical standpoint, problems individuals are having with depression, console or make recommendations to those who are having difficulty with depression, and to discuss if you're just having a hard time in life and would like somewhere to vent.

DO NOT use this thread to make anyone feel worse. Trolling in this thread will result in an immediate ban without warnings.

In addition, anyone who is suffering from mental illness, depression, or who is having a difficult time with life should consider seeking counseling or psychiatric help, whichever the case should be. Responses that consist of nothing but "go to therapy" aren't constructive to discussion as they're pretty much a given. It's appropriate to suggest that they seek help, but do try to add to discussion in addition to suggesting someone get the help they need.

In addition to that, there will be no discussion of how to go about attempting suicide. We are not here to encourage anyone to harm or attempt to harm themselves, anyone asking for or giving advice for how to go about committing suicide will be taking a vacation from this forum. From the depression thread in IE:

quote Loki

If you are seriously considering suicide, you need to go to a hospital or something.
This definitely is not the place to help you figure out how to kill yourself.

Thanks

This message was edited by GexTheLizard on Aug 16 2009.

Okay, uhh what's the difference between when they tell you to go to counciling and therapy? Are they the same thing? And if not, what is the difference.

It is meant to help people who are down...ever read the one that was in the IE forum? It had a lot of people getting help with either people feeling bad because of a gf or something else but they decided to close it there so i guess this is to replace it.

no sense in double posting so how can doctors tell if you are bipolar? Blood test or just questions and stuff?

[size=1][color=#666666]This message was edited by sixpack on Aug 12 2009.

No, they just observe you're behavior (i think). but they don't run tests, because they would be useless (the disease isn't in the bloodstream, and organs, and you can't detect in the brain with a test)

I'm hoping to get a test to see what I have soon. For bipolar (which you can't "detect" via blood-tests and brain scans), I would expect they ask you questions and observe your behaviour.

Okay I'll come here since the thread in IE is closed for now ;-;

I haven't even posted in the thread in IE for a long time, due to there being many people with their problems, I try to save mine for my counselor but since I haven't had a meeting with her for a few months now, I only wanted to come here to ask; does anyone know, or have known someone with Body Dysmorphic Disorder also known as BDD? Because I think most of my problems likely lie there, and that if I'm not already, I could be on the verge of BDD. See, my counselor doesn't think I have it, but she let me borrow a book called The Broken Mirror which is based on the understanding of BDD and it was written by Katharine A. Phillips, M.D. I only started reading it when I couldn't sleep last night, and I'm 30 pages through. Although it's quite a depressing read, I can relate to many of the stories in there which are true events.

All right thanks Gex for starting this thread, never had the nerve to post in the Depressed thread.

I've been going through some tough times lately. About three weeks ago I was in Virginia, visiting my grandparents like I do every year. Then my dad called me and my little sister up, and told us that he and his girlfriend were breaking up. I know it doesn't sound bad because I use the word girlfriend, but they had been going out for four years, and she had lived with us. She had been the only person I'd ever though of as a mother (seeing as I haven't had contact with my mother in 10 years)
She was good for our family, she helped me with serious stress issues I had. It makes me sad typing this. She wants to keep in contact with me, but she'll be moving sometime in September to Austin, Texas.

In addition to that we're going to have to move sometime soon, because our land lord is going to try to sell the house. So we might have to move this week or in the next few months.

On top of all of that I think, that I might have some minor issues with depersonalization.

It feels good though to say all of this, though.

quote sixpack

so how can doctors tell if you are bipolar? Blood test or just questions and stuff?[color=#c6d0e7][size=1]

As its been mentioned, questionnaires, interviews, and the like. With bipolar, there are different degrees of severity, ranging from the more mild mood disorders to the classic major bipolar condition, and the therapy options range as well.

As I said in the IE thread:

quote Loki

If you are seriously considering suicide, you need to go to a hospital or something.
This definitely is not the place to help you figure out how to kill yourself.

Get help.

Thanks Loki. I'm going to put that quote in the first post for sure. Discussion how to go about killing yourself is NOT appropriate in this forum, or anywhere on Neoseeker that I know of. I for one won't allow anyone advocating harm to another person, this includes self-harm. Please refrain from posting such things.