Am I depressed?

[beauty1984]

Hi all,

I'm new to this group and just wanted a bit of advice/help. I've been feeling down for a while and just passed it off as having a 'down day' but this down day every now and then has turned into an everyday thing. I can't seem to snap out of it and am losing all motivation.

I have a few things going on in my life and being low was to be expected, my mom has terminal cancer, I suffer with fertility problems and have undergone ivf which failed and my job has been put at risk so could possibly be made redundant. As you can imagine there's not much to be happy about.

I never really considered I could be depressed but recently I'm starting to think maybe I am....but how do I know if I am? Or am I just being silly and just need to snap out of it?

[Toci]

In my opinion you would need to see a doctor. Many people go through periods of great sadness without being clinically depressed. And there is a significant difference. Only a doctor can diagnose you though, not anyone on here.

[beauty1984 in reply to Toci]

Thanks for your reply Toci, I know I should go to the doctor but I don't want to waste their time, hopefully it's just a phase I'm going through. Thanks again

[chloe40]

Hello there beauty1984

A very warm welcome to our Community.

I'm so sorry that you have been through so much recently and I'm not in the least surprised that you are having down days everyday now. This in itself, is enough to make anyone feel low and you may need to have a chat with your doctor just to determine that it is a series of disappointments and not depression. You can also read our free guides on mental health and this may help put your low mood into perspective.

healthunlocked.com/depressi...

I do hope you have a good network of support and remember we are always here for you.

Chloe

[beauty1984 in reply to chloe40]

Thank you Chloe, I will have a read. I feel silly for writing on here but I just needed to ask

[chloe40 in reply to beauty1984]

Nothing is silly beauty1984 that's what we're here for, supporting friendship and information.

Chloe

[grace111 in reply to beauty1984]

Dont feel silly beauty your doing the right thing taking control of your health and looking for advice. im so sorry to hear about your mum this must be horrendous for you, our mums are very precious to us. its no wonder that your feeling low with what your going through. i will be thinking of you and will hold you in my prayers. wishing you all the best,love grace xoxoxo 🌺

[beauty1984 in reply to grace111]

That means a lot ☺️ thank you x

[Olderal]

Hello beauty, No I don't think you're just being silly and although you'll probably react to some out of the blue good news, or spending a happy few hours with a good friend or partner by feeling less low I don't think anyone ever snaps out of it, at least by anything you can do. You're right about you'd expect to be a bit low with what's going on in your life at the moment so don't over worry. Life has its ups and downs and every one gets down at times.

Its probably worth seeing your GP if these feelings continue ,preferably, if you have a choice ,with one you have found sympathetic in the past and you have some empathy with. You'll probably find it helpful as well to discuss these feelings with a close member of family or your partner, someone who will respect your confidences and certainly try to pick someone who is n't likely to tell you to snap out of it. I would keep it all low key and describe it as feeling a bit down due to circumstances. You may not be clinically depressed but a good GP will give you a diagnosis. There are many websites that describe depression symptoms at least well enough to help you decide if you need to see a GP. Just google depression.

Again if he diagnoses depression its not something to be overly concerned about although its certainly unpleasant , its very common, and they should be able to either prescribe something to help or maybe recommend therapy. It is possible to fight depression without medical help depending on its severity ,but few have the inner resources to do that, and its not a snap out of it event, its a dour battle.

You sound well in control of the situation at the moment, and asking yourself sensible questions . Best of luck with the job situation. I'm sorry to hear the news of your Mum but sooner or later we all lose parents, grieve and move on. but its still very painful.

Olderal

[Ibanana]

Don't for one minute think u r being silly and need to snap out of it! Come on, u r a strong woman, u can do this 🙃

[sophie123456789]

Hello beauty...

I almost went through this phase until a friend asked me if I was depressed when my second child was less than a year old. I used to think I am all alone in this world and when my little one slept , I used to get scared of every little sound. I am a stay at home mom.

I came out of it by going back and thinking about my teen years. I was a brave girl then. I started poetry which I left after I got children. I started drawing. I started having contacts with friends again. I removed apps from my phone. Started taking care of myself.

You are not being silly, you know.. those days I used to take bath once in 2 or 3 days and comb hair only when I needed to.

You can come out of it.. you can start meditating and do what you always liked to do ( hobbies) or wanted to do..

Sorry for the lengthy post.. hope you understand. .my little one is 4 years old now and I am perfectly fine...

[beauty1984 in reply to sophie123456789]

Hi Sophie, thank you for your reply. It's good to know that I'm not the only one. I love books, to read and to escape but recently I can't seem to gather the energy or motivation to read, I'd rather just sit there and do nothing which isn't like me. I have distanced myself from friends and rarely go out anymore. I have to force myself to do everyday tasks when all I want to do is sit on the sofa and hide away. I enjoy walking too so maybe now the weathers getting better I can take a walk and clear my head. Thank you for your message it has really helped x

[Kessa in reply to beauty1984]

Hi beauty,

I' m not an expert on depression but i' ve recently been asked some questions for an anxiety and depression assessment and what you say resonates a lot with the questions I ve been asked for depression. If i ve lost interest in activities I enjoyed doing, if i have difficulties completing tasks, feeling low or demotivated..

While I cannot say whether you are depressed or not, seems like you are struggling and going through a lot. My advice is to seek help no matter the clinical aspects, they are not the important thing but how you feel is what really matters. Please don't say you are silly and can just snap out of it. That's how things get worse!

I m so sorry for your mum and all this difficult time. I m here