Point of no return

[frankborres]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and responses.. to my last messages 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.. let me brief, my story.. I hope I' ll make sense 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,

[secondhandrose2]

I'm sorry but I can't offer any advice if you are unable to access medical services, surely there are psychiatrists in your country? If so I would advise seeing one for a diagnosis first.

[Stilltrying_]

Hi this sounds a really terrible experience for you.

I did look it up and there is very little psychiatric facility as you say but there are hospitals in Kaduna,Uselu,Yaba,Abeokuta. and 6 more.

Now I am aware you may have to pay for these facilities and also I have no idea what distance they are from where you live. However even if you can't afford to pay it may be possible for you to e-mail someone at one of these facilities to see if they are able to give you some free advice. If you have money then I guess it will a lot better for you but i am just guessing.

Here's the link I found it but there are more sites too.

ynaija.com/you-can-get-help...

best of luck,

Gemma XX

[Gambit62]

Going to repeat what i said in your last post - have you ruled out possibility of other underlying causes - eg B12 deficiency or thyroid. Both have a lot of symptoms that aren't depression related so you could mention those rather than depression in trying to get tests done. There are other forums on Health Unlocked for both Thyroid and B12 Deficiency (PAS forum).

Other than that - mindfulness meditation can be useful - sure you can find some on-line meditations that you could listen. One book that was very useful to me was Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world? which comes with a CD of meditations to follow. It works for some people but isn't a short term fix. Try to remember that you aren't your thoughts - thoughts will come and go but you do have the option of ignoring them - though sometimes it can be really hard to find that place of stillness where you can just watch them float away.

Please, read up on medical problems that have depression as a symptom and look at whether other you have other symptoms that fit.

You could try taking high doses of B12 - its a vitamin that can make you feel good anyway and lots of celebrities use it as a pick-me-up and tonic - Margaret Thatcher and JF Kennedy both used B12 - as injections in their case though nasal sprays, sublingual tablets and sprays and skin patches work for some. It isn't a vitamin that you can overdose on ... though taking some B9 (and B6 if you are having migraines) with it would be beneficial as body uses B9 and B12 together.