Depression and Anxiety

[kycahi]

I was depressive all or most of my life, but didn't know it. More than women, men may have exhaustion as the main symptom instead of the "woe is me" and "so sad I could cry" type. I had blood tested for thyroid and overnight tested for sleep apnea, but those weren't it.

While I don't discount past life or childhood trauma, and certainly not being a Wandering "brother / sister of sorrow," depressive disorder is a physical imbalance in brain chemicals, of which are three main ones: serotonin, nor-epinephrine and dopamine. The most typical one to be low is serotonin, and today most sufferers use one of the many drugs called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, SSRI. The first biggie in that category is Prozac, which became so popular that the drug companies brought out many more.

SSRIs make me worse, as did St. Johns Wort; so maybe that supplement is a natural one. I benefit from a dopamine enhancer called bupropion. Realize that depression meds are not happy pills. They can take weeks to notice improvement and stopping one should take weeks, too.

Years ago, when I moved into a four-bedroom house, I rented the other three rooms out to friends and, to be polite and set an example, I forewent the pleasure of playing my music on the big stereo. My disorder got worse and, looking back, I know that taking the music away was a factor. I got so bad I didn't have the energy to get through a day even when the previous night's sleep was long and deep. A conversation with my nurse sister pointed me to depression.

A new job forced me to find a new doctor and I signed on with Kaiser, the original HMO. After discussing my physical condition, when the new GP asked if there was anything else I mentioned the depressive disorder so he gave me the number of their Psych department. That led to my current regimen, which is a huge benefit though not perfect.

Besides music, exercise outside (not on a machine in a building) is very beneficial. Change is good, too, but then I have ADD. I favor a book by Dr. Daniel Amen called Healing ADD. In it I learned that of the six types of ADD, mine is Type 5, Limbic. His chapter on Type 5 was all about me--I was prototypical for it and could have been on the poster. It has a depressive component.

This is already too long, but I want to emphasize that the right medicine will do wonders. After getting one that works for him, your friend can choose to stay with it or, after getting his life into order, try to go without. At least he will see the difference and know how being mentally well feels.

I expect he can tame the fear, also. I didn't have that issue, though I know that my training in Aikido was a life changer.

@ndy, I applaud the support you give your friend, and your recognition that he needs it from other than you (very blue-ish). He may want nothing to do with any therapy but, if you state that even he should recognize that he needs fixing he might get going toward something. Anything is better than nothing.