Crippling depression

[Louisewain93]

Is it possible to recover from crippling anxiety and depression without medication ?

[Blueruth]

I believe it depends. You can eat right, exercise, practice some form of meditation, go to therapy. If it is your thing then a spiritual practice. You might respond well to certain supplements. There are people who have gone down this path and come out the other side. The problem is that depression doesn't want to let you do those things with the kind of vigor it takes.

Personally I am an advocate of using the med to enable yourself to make those changes I listed a part of your life. It is quite honestly all very personal and really a decision you should get some help before deciding. If you are med resistant ( me too) I would start by talking to a therapist.

[Louisewain93 in reply to Blueruth]

Thankyou ❤

[sns99 in reply to Louisewain93]

I very much agree with Blueruth. Everyone is different and healing is a process no matter who you are. I would consider seeking professional guidance during this process. Throughout my healing journey with anxiety and depression I have had the most benefits with therapy and was on medication for a limited amount of time (that helped). Sending positive vibes your way, try not to be too hard on yourself! It is huge to even acknowledge that you are struggling and may need help.

[Maximus01 in reply to Blueruth]

Medication certainly helps, but other things are helpful too. It is hard to pick yourself up and do the right things for yourself, when you are depressed. But you have to do it. I have tried tons of things, and most of them were helpful; however, I do want to mention EFT (Emotional Freedom Therapy), which has helped me a lot, more than anything else I have tried. It is a very simple modality and does not involve medications at all. It is good to start out with a practitioner though. You can learn about it on YouTube, and many practitioners have free videos. There are videos for practically anything and you can pick out what is appropriate for you.

[Blueruth in reply to Maximus01]

That one is new to me. It is like choosing a type of exercise. Do the one you connect with and doesn’t kill you. There is also promising new talk therapy research for people with chronic pain which is often a cause of depression. If that is successful on a broader scale it will tell them a lot about how the mind heals.

[Tillymintgunn]

Hi I've stuffed with anxiety all my life I'm now 73. I would be ok living a normal happy life a wife mother full-time employment but when the anxiety hit I always felt I had fallen in to a black hole and would take to bed for hours sometimes days put my family though a lot. I came close to a nervous brackdown in 2007. I took early retirement thank god the doctor prescribed tablets for me I call them my happy pills so yes my advise is to take medication Im just sorry it was so long before I ask for help

[Louisewain93 in reply to Tillymintgunn]

Thankyou ❤

[bethelbee]

There are non medication alternatives for treatment. I was on meds for decades(am 67) and for a while they helped but now treatment resistant to them. Luckily my therapist suggested TMS which has been a godsend for me, actually saved my life at one point. There are also ECT and Ketamine, neither of which I would personally do due to certain risks but they have helped others. Meds can be very helpful when they work. Are you on anything now? Do you have a therapist? Obviously it's up to the individual with help from their professional to decide what's best. Wishing you the best!!

[Louisewain93 in reply to bethelbee]

I'm trying to come off lorazopam but too scared to try Antidepressants due to bad experiences in the past

[LadyZen]

I don't know. But I had crippling depression despite being a high-functioning depressive. Meaning, I was very successful in my life and goals at work and school. But outside of that space, I slept, smoked, and eventually drank my life away. No one suspected the terrible shape I was in because I was successful.

Then I saw a therapist, joined an in-person support group, and decided to try meds. It saved my life. I was probably only on it for maybe 2 to 4 years, then stopped. I had to return to it for short periods of time 2 other times when I got triggered, but I've been off of them for probably 5 years now. So I'm grateful for the meds. I'm not sure if I would've survived.

[lauralidia]

I think is possible to recover as long as you work on the roots of what caused the anxiety and depression in the first place In my case it was all in my childhood.Very chaotic,lots of fights,rage.As a child I didn’t have a way to protect myself from them.I always waited for the storm.It took many,many years of therapy and working in a 12step group to ease the symptoms.I will always be more anxious than a regular person but I am able to function better these days.Wishing you peace!

[Tara52]

Nothing is impossible to God!.😇 I never did well on anti depressants but I know others have. CBT and my spiritual practices have helped me the most in recent years. Even with medication we have to learn to control our thinking and to forgive others and ourselves. 💞

[Zhangliqun]

It depends on what's causing it. If it is strictly psychological in origin, it's possible. If it has a psychiatric/biochemical basis, maybe not.

[Midori]

I don't know if it is possible, but I do know it will be more difficult.