I've been diagnosed with severe depresion but no treatment offered yet. i hate my job, have big finance &health problems but love my family.

[nanniejulie]

i cant stop working i cry continuously hate being alone dont want to go out cant sleep i have constant back pain from an old injury which i cant control i comfort eat am obese from this but cant make myself stop its a vicious circle getting worse by the day i need help but doctors want me to stop working...i will lose my home if i do...my husband is great but doesnt really understand any help would be appreciated please

[Hidden]

Hi NannieJulie

Bless you, you sound like your in a terrible mess inside. I dont think your Dr is being very supportive or professional. Is there another you can see at the surgery or even change surgeries.

I dont like going out either, am overweight, comfort eat & understand how you feel. However I get great support from my Dr re my mental health.

Why does your Dr want you to leave work? That is not going to solve how you feel, it will only cause you more upset, stress & worry. I think you need an antidepressant & maybe a few weeks signed off on the sick from work until some medication kicks in. Even being sent for councelling which your Dr would have to refer you for may help.

I am not a Dr but I feel thats what you need.

Have a think about seeing another Dr or moving to another GP's surgery. There is help out there. Also a great team of support from people on here too who all have problems & will not judge you in any way.

Wishing you luck & hope you decide to try a seeing a new GP.

Luv

Jackie xx

[nanniejulie in reply to Hidden]

thanks jackie ive made an appointment for another doctor tomorow thanks for the support xx

[Aurora-auspice]

I am so sorry for your obvious distress nanniejulie, I don't mean to be blunt but you need to go to another doctor!!! ..... And very soon! Have they done thyroid blood panels? The weight gain depression anxiety compulsions around food can be linked to this but sometimes you need to push them to test for it! There are many biological reasons that contribute toward debilitating depression and or anxiety!

Is there an occupational therapist at work? Could you say to your doctor you need to see one? If you are being victimised at work in any way? If you are being cornered by so many life crises at the moment that it is effecting your everyday functioning then going to an understanding doctor will get you a sick note to take a break and just take stock find support to get back into the swing of life! If you just accept this inaction of your doctor you will drive yourself into a complete break down unless you are very lucky!

Just remember doctors are people to subject to their own stresses and some believe they are functioning working through extreme stress just 'sucking it up' I believe is the expression and that can 'colour' their perception when it comes to understanding others and in my experience that can be fatal!

Take care of yourself and take a breath give yourself permission to make a fuss to let them see how it is affecting your life how bad it is for you at the moment. You deserve help see if you can get help I am not sure how it works but a colleague found PALS very helpful! Counselling to talk through life crises can help a lot just talking about things can help reduce cortisol levels and reduce the extreme stress a little. Good luck and the very best of wishes to you

Much love Aurora xxx

[Aurora-auspice]

I have just read Jackie's response and realise I am saying exactly the same thing!!! But not as we'll or succinctly so I'm very sorry about that.

[nanniejulie in reply to Aurora-auspice]

thanks ive taken your suggestions on board and have an appointment tomorow for another doctor thanks so much for the push xx

[coatpin]

Honey change your doctor, what is he thinking!!! your brain isnt producing the chemicals it needs to fuction properly, thats why your head is all over the place, not sleeping in a common symptom of depression, so go read or do something interesting with that time. tv if you fancy it. no point in stressing.

Could you not take a holiday, time off work, because if you dont, you may end up with a total breakdown , and you wont have any choice in the matter.

pamper yourself, go swimming to help with the stress, or head massage, or anything that will help, see if herbal calms help, or their sleep remedi.

Yes talking to someone, will help, a counsellor might help, its confidentical so you can say how your really feeling without upsetting family.

You might have to look at new career choices, something that isnt so stressfull.

Oh yes, come off tea, and coffee, as when your depressed you seem to become quiet sensitive and that will keep you awake, its a stimulant.(and smoking is too) but you might need too right now.

tke care we are all here for you, dealing with ours best way we can. x Linda

[nanniejulie in reply to coatpin]

thanks linda ive taken your suggestions on board and im gonna fight this x

[coatpin in reply to nanniejulie]

See, photogeek agrees, as a person with counselling skills and psychotherapy,, Im guessing your gp, maybe doesnt know much about depression, They are only general gp,,, but he is being a bit, irrisponisble if your feeling suisidal, that in itself is serious enough to have a urgent appointment!!!! hopefully with someone else,,

Oh yes the weight thing, all in good time, when your feeling much better,, one step at a time.

photogeek is right, I in the end had total breakdown and lost memory,, so that made sure I had time off work ,,, for years in fact!!! take care x Linda

i

[Photogeek]

Hi NannieJulie, I am not sure if your Doctor has started you on an antidepressant or not, and I wonder are you the only one working in the family, If you are obese through all the stress that itself is a big health risk. I really think that you sound very depressed and that you will have to take some time off work, you are wrong if you think that you cannot, If you dont you will breakdown completely and will be off work for a long time. Dont wait for a crisis see another Dr. immediatedly and start taking charge. Once you sort out the stress and Depression you can then take small steps to look at your eating and lifestyle. But at the moment there is too much on your plate. When you don,t sleep its hard to be objective. Please go to another Dr. and start getting better. No one will judge you here for your weight, its probably symtomatic of other things, Every one of us I am sure have plenty of issues besides Depression, so don,t worry about sharing your feelings.

Hugs to you.

Hannah

[nanniejulie in reply to Photogeek]

thanks hannah i've not been given anything yet but i have an appointment with another doc tomorow my husband works long shifts and is very good but he doesnt understand depression my health is not good i have a severe back injury and i suffer from a type of angina which makes breathing difficult and obesity doesnt help that either. i want to beat this so i'm taking on board all suggestions ive been given thanks to everyone who has taken time to reply to my question xx

[Photogeek in reply to nanniejulie]

Good luck tomorrow and I hope things start to improve for you.

Hannah x

[Burstcouch]

How can you be diagnosed with severe depression and not be started on meds?

Is this your choice not to take them or the medical GP who gave you the diagnosis?

am afraid I would be back and discussing this further. Also has your place of work not noticed a change in you? Take some time off work at least 1 week to consider what is happening to you and to get some help.

[nanniejulie in reply to Burstcouch]

the doc who diagnosed me is a junior psychologist who said she needed to discuss the case with her 'team' before prescribing pills!! in her defence i do have other health issues that i have medication for and she didnt want to give anything that would interfere with them. my manager has noticed and i have spoken to her and she is very supportive and i have permission to take holiday at any time i need it i think it may come to this soon unless the doctor came come up with something. ive made an appointment to see another doc tomorow morning so will see where to go from there my daughter is coming with me so that might help thanks for your suggestions i'm determined to beat this so fingers crossed x

[Hidden]

Well done Julie. Please let us know how you get on?

Good luck & Best Wishes

Jackie xx

[nanniejulie in reply to Hidden]

will do xx

[Burstcouch]

How about your GP? Are they any help?

Mine has been fantastically supportive throught.

[nanniejulie]

Oh well ive seen a different GP who was very nice. he has suggested dealing with the chronic pain issues first as this might 'cheer me up a bit' and has referred me as urgent to the wellbeing clinic at the local hospital psychiatric unit and i will get an appointment within a week. in the meantime he has increased my pain relief to maximum dose which will hopefully help me sleep and kill the pain from my back injury. my daughter came with me and said she didnt feel this was good enough and asked for a second opinion which of course i have to wait for an appointment for!!!!! where do i go from here...i have no idea...

[Burstcouch]

There is both physical and pyschological illness going on here. Your GP should be kind enough to treat both.

Glad you will get to see someone in the pysch unit. Please be very honest with them and tell them how bad your feeling.

[missrat]

I'm glad you are getting that referral. Good luck there. If I were you I'd ask for a referral to the chronic pain unit, too - they can help in a number of ways. Chronic pain certainly contributes to the depression. I'm resistant to most painkillers, but find my TENS machine extremely useful. True, they are fiddly and it can take a while to sort out the best electrode placements and programs, but a private physio or pain clinic can often help if this is the case.

Are you having counselling? The wait for NHS counselling can be long, but despite financial pressures, I find courses of private counselling really worthwhile. There are many different approaches - I'm lucky in that my counsellor is trained in a variety of methods and we just 'click.' I'm only going fortnightly, but it's well worth the £42.

I'm a 'list' type person, and find the free program optimism.exe very helpful. It's designed for bipolar illness, but is so customisable that it can be adapted for unipolar, pain-related etc. One section deals with self-help measures etc., then a section with triggers, then symptoms - plus sliders for mood, how well you cope, sleep etc. There is a 'notes' section and short and long-term goals. I also try to use a 'to do' list (with a mixture of 'inpleasant but necessary' tasks, enjoyable things and rest, and, because I find it hard to see 'the big picture' - Tony Buzan-style Mind maps!

I'm just coming out of a very bad setback, and during that time found it very helpful to have a list of various helplines etc. - e.g. Samaritans, a couple of Christian lines etc.

If you want to message me I can probably share more. You might like to join me over on chronicpainsite.com too - it may be US, but everyone is so supportive - and, of course, the Pain Concern group here!.

You're not alone - we're with you in this, and I hope you can get plenty of support.

My 'small furries' are telling me they would like some more water etc. On Sunday I have to play truant from church IT to go to a country fair to tell people what brilliant pets fancy rats make - and get them to handle them!

Ann x

[knowles8586]

Hi a psychologist cannot give you medication, you may need to see a psychiatrist or your own doctor, hope you feel better soonx

[nanniejulie]

thanks guys for all suggestions and support i'm glad to say I've now been referred to the local NHS wellbeing clinic and i'm getting help from them. my manager is being very supported and how allowed me to change my job in the company to a more suitable position for my back problem which is also helping me feel better about life. I understand it's going to be a long road to recovery but at least i'm now travelling in the right direction. I'm on a weekly program and visit my counsellor every Wednesday and can phone her day or night if I need to. I was shocked to find out how many people suffer from depression. It's been good being able to 'speak' about it on here as I have tried to keep it secret from most people until now but I am starting to be more open now and find this helps. As for my back problems i've been told this is not going to get better as I have rheumatoid arthritis in my spine, 5 prolapsed discs, severe nerve damage and cervical spondylosis but I am trying to manage the pain with TENS, pain killers and a back brace that has been made for me by the orthopaedic department. Life is beginning to look better at last and i hope this will continue.

Thanks everyone

Julie x

[Mikejohnson89]

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