Hello! I'm new here!
I'm 33 yo and I was officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder in my early 20s. I was on anti-depressants for a short time in college.
Recently it occurred to me that I probably suffer from anxiety as well. I also had the realization that I have been self medicating both my depression and anxiety with alcohol (yeah know, super healthy... heh). I know that I should probably be in therapy, but I cannot afford it.
So I came here to not feel so alone. 
Hey! I'm currently in college and I have depression. I was on antidepressants for a while but they didn't work for me. Do you mind telling me how your experience with depression in college was? I'm finding it very difficult to cope with.
College was extremely difficult for me also. I was definitely self-medicating with alcohol back then too. Don't turn to alcohol as a fix...it's a slippery slope.
Talk therapy helped a lot. For myself, I've always thought that medication without therapy is pretty worthless.
I will also say that not all anti-depressants are created equal. Each medication affects a person differently. What works for one person might not work for you. I was first put on zoloft, which only made me numb and spacey. Later, I switched to wellbutrin, which worked wonders for me.
Dealing with depression takes work, which I know sounds daunting. Try a different medication and keep at therapy.
You are not alone. That is the most important thing to remember.
Thank you so much for responding. It is very easy to feel alone, I'm going to talk to my doctor about going on another antidepressant and maybe I'll try therapy. I just don't know if I'm comfortable enough to speak in person about this to someone.
You are so right about needing both a medicine and therapy! And how 1 med might work for someone and another med works for the next person. There are so many to choose from! You just have to try them to see which one works for you. Going to a psychiatrist can save you a long period of trying different meds because a psychiatrist is most likely to select the right drug early on. Each one takes 4-6 weeks to give a fair trial to them.
And talk therapy is important in conjunction with the med. Depression and anxiety almost always occur together. So don't be surprised if one or the other emerges after treatment is started.
I'm sorry for your depression and anxiety. I have read many times that alcohol can make it worse. Can you get on Medicaid or a cheaper insurance.? Therapy and Med can help a lot. Write in often so we can see how you are doing.
Stay off the alcohol. No problem is so bad that alcohol cant make it worse xxxxxx
Hi Elsie
If you suffer from anxiety and depression, I strongly recommend you reading a book called Self Help for your Nerves by Dr Claire Weekes. I also believe her books are available in audio on Amazon. The book will explain why you think and feel the way you do and through knowledge and understanding, accept the thoughts and feelings which will gradually melt away. Unfortunately, anxiety sufferers do the opposite and try to fight their way back to feelings of normality but that just keeps them stuck in the anxiety/depression cycle. During my recovery, I read a quote which is very true about anxiety, "You won't get better until you stop trying to get better." It is the trying part that keeps the anxiety and depression hanging around and the way to recover is to do nothing about the symptoms.
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