Causes and Options to Deal with Depression

To be clear, I do believe that seeing licensed councilors can be of great benefit in all cases below. However, I don't believe there's any substitute for looking deeply and honestly inside yourself and find the real root cause of the problem. This guide is to help you sort out what's really going on inside your mind.

After listening in the Depression Support Member chat room for over 30 minutes, it was crystal clear that most were in pain, suffering terrible, and with no clue how solve their problems. None of what follows is "advice" it's simply a recount of my personal experiences, my analysis of them looking back, and what I believe to be true.

So my thinking is to give the people that are suffering from the same things I've suffered with and overcome,some concrete information to go on... NOT ADVICE, information and options that will lead them to HOPE and at least improvement, and things to focus on to improve their quality of life. I will start with the 3 causes of depression as I believethem to be. Then for each, the options, things to avoid, etc. for each. This will give you at least a guide that hopefully will help

Causes of Depression:

1) Alcohol/Substance Abuse

2) Relationship/work/money/family/legal issues as well as trauma, PTSD, etc.... anything real that happened in your life that you are having difficulty getting past, or getting out of your mind so you can regain your life and live happily.

3) Depression medications themselves.

Options for addressing each cause:

1) Alcohol/Substance Abuse

This may be the toughest one to deal with because physical/mental addiction is essentially and illness that's soooo hard to overcome. There are basically 3 options:

a) Reach bottom, those of you with this cause know what I mean, and in a sort of "come to Jesus" moment (not meaning religion is or isn't involved) a switch in your mind says "ok, you can go on and die, or you can quit and live".... I choose the later .... had to really gut it out, but made it and my life has been a 1000 times better ever since.

b) Go to AA, see councilors, check into rehab centers.... or if you're a loner like I was, just have your doc give you antibuse... you can't drink when you take it, you get so sick it's terrible... but that will only work if you have to will to quit and to actually take them every day.

c) Go on the way you're going and keep in mind your life will be miserable, your life expectancy a few years, and that's the terrible truth that you really have to face... and just honestly facing may save your life... it sure did mine!!!!!

2) Relationship/work/money/family/legal issues as well as trauma, PTSD, etc....

If you're taking depression medication, read #3 below first, it may explain the REAL problem.

a) The real answer to all of these is communication and talking. The only way to finally come to grips with these kinds of situation is to talk it out, pour it out, cry your brains out, and basically get all of it totally off your chest with someone you love, trust, or respect. The simple act of dumping all your feelings will lead you to recognize the feelings you had, where they were coming from, why they were there..... that's everything... that's the ballgame. Once you know and see what was really going on, really the problem, etc. ... your brain changes. Now you're not dealing with some unknown... and your brain will largely fix it without you having to anything else. You may have to run the conversation and thoughts through your mind a few times over the next few weeks.... but you WILL be fixed and ready to move on with a GREAT happy life!!!

3) Depression medications themselves.

This one is simple. There is a pretty new DNA test available (see genesight.com) that will tell you flat out what medication will work for you, partially work for you, or be dangerous to you.

I was given the anti-depressant 'Cymbalta'... took it for 5 years (actually not for depression in my case but for other reasons). About a year ago I started having suicidal thoughts, and other bad side effects. I did not suspect cymbalta because I'd taken it for so long.

To make a long story short, I had the DNA test taken and cymbalta was in the list of drugs I should never take. I quit it several months ago, still have some minor side effects which can last for months... but feel so much better it's unreal.

So, the bottom line here is, if you're taking anti-depression meds in the past docs just had to make their best guess. Now, simply take the DNA test and it will tell you EXACTLY what will work for YOU and what won't.

Take care guys, hope this helps!!!!