Xmas greetings to you all..

[frankborres]

Greetings everyone am new here, Pls any healthy tips regarding major depressive disorder, depression has chartered my life for the past 5 months. Unfortunately for me am not Scottish neither am I from Europe, just third world africa n Nigeria to be precise.. The stigma here in Nigeria is enormous.. I really want to seek help but the financial aspect of it, is like twenty times as many.. pls I need help. Am in medical school, currently studying at nnamdi azikiwe university in Anambra state. My symptoms are very disabling n on many occasions it has make me completely dumb n empty..I feel like committing suicide every cos I constantly feel like shit.. don't meant to be rude, is jst that there is no other way I could describe it and also disconnected from dis world.. sadly the stigma here is enormous.. that's why victims can't openly admit and seek help.. pls I would like to see your feedback as soon as possible thank you!

[secondhandrose2]

Hi

Welcome to the site and don't worry about not being Scottish, few of us are! It's sad mental illness is so little understood in Africa, that must make it much harder for you.

How you deal with the feelings of depression and what might help you get over them or at least make them easier to cope with depends a lot upon what you think might be helpful. Many people believe medication is the only way they can deal with the symptoms, but I have found that although medication IS helpful feeling understood and supported is far more help and can bring about deep change so that over time the symptoms become easier to manage.

Which area of medicine are you intending to go into, do you know yet. Will that be in Africa or do you hope to practice elsewhere?

One of the thinks I have found really helpful is to share my life story with other people, not just the facts but also how I felt about them. You might consider doing that on the website as I am sure we would all offer our thoughts and support.

I do not know if you celebrate Christmas, but if so then I hope you manage to have an enjoyable time and wish you a happier 2015.

Sue

[frankborres in reply to secondhandrose2]

Thanks everyone for your kind words.. sue, Lucy.. I really appreciate it.. well Christmas doesnt feel enjoyable the way it use to be cos as a result of my depression I don't experience joy or any emotion am flat.. I think a strange thing happen to my brain n I feel like some part of it espicially the left side ain't working no more, I don't know whether am exerggerating but my symptoms .. is highly disabling.. it all started after a stressful period during lecture days at n I woke up on Saturday morning I felt emotionally numb like a demonic angel came at night I was sleeping n took away my life force.. before I could know wat was happening to me.. lost the ability to speak like half a day and my eye sight started to detoriate.. I had a couple of panic attacks, migraines, difficulty initiating speech, noting make sense to me anymore, due to what was happening to me I badly thought dat few of my friend might found out i stop talking to them n seeing them cos some laughed n mocked me in my struggles, I confided a trusted friend, he helped me finish my second semester exams, he did supported on many occasions, my parents didn't reacted to well when I reluctantly told them dat there is somthing wrong with me, I can handle, they comforted me and i told me it might be a demonic attack or maybe the forces of evil.. cos here in Nigeria they think dat mentally ill individuals are possess, according to religious belief is a way god punishes you for your sins.. it got to ascertain extent they gave up on me, they were like I should do my worst...depression to me is a burden noting more.. even articulating this is really hard, Dats why I didn't reply earlier, I realized dat none was going to look out for me n my illness, I start researching about this horrible nightmare, tilll I came across this site , I felt like my prayers have been answered, pls what should do.. how can I cope with these symptoms cos the worst part it is I can't access any mental health facility, my academic performance is going down, if I quit school I don't think there might be anything left of me.. Sos，am succumbing to my thoughts, the area of medicine dat already into is human physiology n anatomy, which I don't think am gonna stay dat long because of my disabling symptoms,

[Photogeek]

Hi there and your very welcome to the Forum. I suppose in Nigeria people

Think Depression is a western affliction but it doesn't matter what creed or

Colour or country that you come from, Depression can happen to anyone.

Do you have any close friend that you could talk to? Being able to talk is

A great help.

We have all suffered in some ways on the site so we understand how you feel

I hope you stay around and get a bit of support from us, it will help.

Hannah

[Suzie40]

I hate that two people in different countries can have the same illness, yet the treatment they receive can vary so much. It's totally unfair. I suppose what sue has said is the best advice. If you cannot access the medical support you need, you can at least use the Internet and forums like this to share how you're feeling with others. This forum has been a significant contributor to my wellbeing in recent years x

[Gambit62]

First, whilst depression can be an illness in its own right, it's also true that it can be a symptom of something else - eg have you had thyroid checked, or B12

on B12 this list might be useful, just in case there are other symptoms there that you have but are minor.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

Most medics think of B12 as a blood disorder but for so many people this isn't the first bit of the human jig-saw that goes wrong.

Things that have helped me deal with depression are: meditation (learning to be more in control of my thoughts rather than them always being in control of me), and exercise

Have to admit that I've never really had a problem admitting to depression - may be because I was brought up to fundamentally believe in myself and that if people are persecuting me the problem is theirs not mine.

What has 'cured' me is learning that I had a B12 deficiency and learning how to treat it for myself and ensure I got the amount of B12 that was right for me - and I really wasn't expecting the depression to go after more than 30 years.

I do think that talking is important, but understand the stigma and fear of it - and there is a lot of stigma even in the UK though generally people that are worth having around have found my courage in admitting to the problem and my determination in terms of finding a way of getting round the problem - generally a lot of gritting my teeth and carrying on even when I really don't want to - a quality that they admire.

Have you looked at the WHO website in terms as they look at depression from a world perspective and it really isn't a western problem at all - particularly when you add the impact of PTSD into the question - and people living on the edge with no resilience to cope with any form of disaster.

[EllieJames34]

For anyone suffering from depression, I recommend the Destroy Depression system.

Written by a former depression sufferer, it teaches 7 steps which help to eliminate depression from your life.

[Hidden in reply to EllieJames34]

All you ever do is plug this book. If you a genuinely trying to help people then by all means stay around. If you are just trying to make money by taking advantage of vulnerable people then that is a really low thing to do. If it's the later then you are not a very good person are you?

[frankborres in reply to Hidden]

am a good person I come in peace I mean no harm, jimdon, am living a life of regret.. anyone who takes advantage of vulnerable being like us is a devilish monster, which am not.. am jst a person that need help and support I can find for this devastating situation, am not what you think . Am jst deprately ineed of help dat all

[Hidden in reply to frankborres]

Hi Frank

Please don't think that my comment was aimed at you. It was aimed at "ElleJames34" who's comments are only ever about some book they are plugging, which as you say is wrong to do in trying to take advantage of vulnerable people.

Although you can't admit to having depression, because of the stigma surrounding it, won't doctors keep it to themselves?

[frankborres in reply to Hidden]

No they would not, Glad to notice those words weren't meant for me, so re you trying to say they sail this books online, and it is fake?

[Hidden in reply to frankborres]

Hi frank, no idea if the book is real or sold online - I would imagine it is real. What I was saying is that whoever the person is that made the profile isn't interested in helping you, me or anyone on here they just want us to give them money for the book.

[frankborres]

Thanks everyone for your kind words.. sue, Lucy.. I really appreciate it.. well Christmas doesnt feel enjoyable the way it use to be cos as a result of my depression I don't experience joy or any emotion am flat.. I think a strange thing happen to my brain n I feel like some part of it espicially the left side ain't working no more, I don't know whether am exerggerating but my symptoms .. is highly disabling.. it all started after a stressful period during lecture days at n I woke up on Saturday morning I felt emotionally numb like a demonic angel came at night I was sleeping n took away my life force.. before I could know wat was happening to me.. lost the ability to speak like half a day and my eye sight started to detoriate.. I had a couple of panic attacks, migraines, difficulty initiating speech, noting make sense to me anymore, due to what was happening to me I badly thought dat few of my friend might found out i stop talking to them n seeing them cos some laughed n mocked me in my struggles, I confided a trusted friend, he helped me finish my second semester exams, he did supported on many occasions, my parents didn't reacted to well when I reluctantly told them dat there is somthing wrong with me, I can handle, they comforted me and i told me it might be a demonic attack or maybe the forces of evil.. cos here in Nigeria they think dat mentally ill individuals are possess, according to religious belief is a way god punishes you for your sins.. it got to ascertain extent they gave up on me, they were like I should do my worst...depression to me is a burden noting more.. even articulating this is really hard, Dats why I didn't reply earlier, I realized dat none was going to look out for me n my illness, I start researching about this horrible nightmare, tilll I came across this site , I felt like my prayers have been answered, pls what should do.. how can I cope with these symptoms cos the worst part it is I can't access any mental health facility, my academic performance is going down, if I quit school I don't think there might be anything left of me.. Sos，am succumbing to my thoughts, the area of medicine dat already into is human physiology n anatomy, which I don't think am gonna stay dat long because of my disabling symptoms,