Hi its funny (well not really) but I didnt connect my "feeling down often" to PCOS but it was a little preview of this sight that got me thinking....maybe i'm not crazy after all..and this could be (yet another) thing connected to PCOS! I get really bad PMS/PMT..well thats what i think it is..but it has increased over the past few years, as well as many other PCOS symptoms. I hear some many approaches to combating weight, hair removal/loss etc..but havent seen much on over coming depression/mood swings etc..BUT i know you are out there with your success stories somewhere..so please If you have any hope to offer me or other ladies..I'm ready and waiting!
Well, I overcame depression caused by anxiety through working really hard at a course of cognitive behavioral therapy.
I have two friends who were/are clinically depressed that manage their depression through a combination of drugs and talk therapy. One of them is currently off medication again, and may even be off therapy, though I'm not sure. They're both doing well in life overall.
I've had two major bouts of depression that were very serious - once when I was 12 to 14 and again at the age of 27. I've also experienced a myriad of milder depressions in winter (SAD) that fade as spring comes. I guess it's been something I've lived with all my life and struggled against with varying degrees of sucess. I've been depression free for almost two years now but it has taken a lot of trial and error to find what works for me.
The first major depressive episode lasted for years and faded as I grew older. Looking back, we moved to a different community so I wasn't being bullied at school anymore (big trigger for me) and I started exercising a lot more, which could have contributed to feeling better. Lessons learned: identify external triggers that trigger your flight or fight response and eliminate them from your life, cardiovascular exercise is nature's antidepressant http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/html/content/exercise_depression_booklet_patient.pdf#search='de pression%20running'
My second major episode was basically SAD going awry due to workplace bullying (again, there is that trigger) and quitting running (I was recovering from a marathon and just didn't have the energy to start again once I was physically okay to do so). I saught help and started with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and antidepressants (Celexa - SSRI type med for six months). In short order, after a hard six week adjustment to medication, I felt much better. I also ended up getting canned due to taking sick leave so getting out of an environment where I was being bullied really helped. Lesson learned: CBT is pretty darn effective. Meds help, but can have icky side effects for some people.
Since that second episode, I've had one other mild depression where I again started therapy and medication. I ended up having some wacky adverse reaction (long story) and am no longer allowed to take any ADs ever again. So, I've been managing things with therapy in the winter and trips to Mexico. So far, it's been working pretty well. Lessons learned: Winter trips (or a light box if you can't afford to head south) are really good if you have SAD.
Now that I've learned that I have PCOS and that depression is related to it, I'm interested in finding out if getting my PCOS symptoms under control will help keep me mentally healthy as well.
So, to make a long story short, I've been able to treat my depression. What's worked for me is therapy (specifically CBT and focusing), sunlight, eliminating and then avoiding known triggers and exercise. Then again, everyone is different and what is working for me currently may not work as well for you.
The things that helped me out of depression were: exercising, my dog, religion, and therapy. And to be honest, I really think that coming OFF of antidepressants helped me out too -- I actually think the drugs were keeping me depressed because when I was taking them, I had wild moodswings and was tired all the time.
I still have issues with anxiety that I am working on, but I'm definitely not depressed anymore.
I too have been finding help in therapy, anti-depressants and exercise. I'm still very much on my journey of learning to live with "the black dog" but I've found these things do really help me.
Hi guys and thanks for your replies it helps to know others experiences also! I think mild depression and anxiety can also be cured by a good diet and some exercise..although I have to say exercise can leave me feeling more exhausted than exhilarated! I use prayer as my main weapon and bible scriptures such as psalm 16:11 In Your (God) presence there is FULLNESS of JOY! Any one who belives in positive confessions will know the power of speaking things out! This helps me get things in order in my mind..as well as talking to God about my worries ( i figure if any one can help me sort them he can!)
I guess you have do what ever is best for you..as long as you do something!
Generally, I find my faith a support, but when I am depressed, I don't (well not consciously, but I'm sure it is what helps me through).
I have had two major episodes of depression in the past 10 years and jsut had a minor episode a few months ago. I did two years of therapy after the first episode which helped a lot, and I am going to see a counsellor again starting this month, for a tune-up of sorts.
I have realized that I will likely need medication the rest of my life, every time I have stopped it, it is a disaster. Now that I have come to terms with this fact, its ok with me.
One of the things that has helped me most is to have one or two people who know me well (namely my lil sis) who I talked to regularily, even when I don't want to talk to anyone. She is really supportive (she is a nurse and understands this isn't just me being lazy). She is encouraging without being annoying and she notices when I start to get off kilter or back on track and tells me, which is very helpful.
Also helps to know yourself and your triggers and symptoms and have a plan in place for when things start to go down hill. DOn't be afraid to see your doc or lean on someone for support!
When I am really down, I make small goals for myself. Like I will shower 5 out of 7 days this week! LOL! Sad but true.
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* * * * * * * * * * Meds: Metformin 1000mg and Celexa 20mg
* * * * * * * * * * "My grace is sufficient for you." 2 Corinthians 12:9a
Hi guys and thanks for your replies it helps to know others experiences also! I think mild depression and anxiety can also be cured by a good diet and some exercise..although I have to say exercise can leave me feeling more exhausted than exhilarated!
Yeah, its rough at first. In 2002 I was at my worst. I was living with a verbally abusive boyfriend and I got to the point where I felt so bad about myself that I wouldn't leave the house unless it was at night to walk the dog or get the mail. During the day I kept all the blinds closed and just slept all the time. I fortunately left him later that year and went back to my parents' home. I had to go to physical therapy because I had hurt my arm and I noticed that my mood seemed to be improved. It was hard for me to make my appointments though, because I had such a hard time waking up (back then I slept like 12-17 hours per day). Then when I was done with physical therapy, I started trying to take long walks with my Mom and her friends, but once again I pretty much failed at that because I'd either not wake up in time or I'd go and then be exhausted and sleep the rest of the day. To be honest, at that point in my life, some days just taking a shower would make me absolutely exhausted. And some days I didn't even work up the energy to get a shower. I was also taking 9 pills a day back then (wellbutrin, celexa, topomax, etc) -- I really think the pills were contributing to my exhaustion. I went off the topomax in 2004 and also had my celexa stopped and wellbutrin lowered. After a few weeks I had SO much more energy. I started exercising more. Then I got in a car wreck and hurt both my legs pretty badly -- after that a family member passed away and my brother got hospitalized and life just got rough, so I sunk into a pretty deep depression again. Although I did manage to get through my classes at school, so that showed that I was doing at least a little better than before.
Well then we moved to FL and I was on adderall and wellbutrin but not seeing a psychiatrist -- and long story short, I ended up having a BAD reaction to those drugs and I had to be put in ESU and taken off them immediately. Like TheBumbler, I am pretty much never allowed to be on antidepressants again either. So anyway, that was last March. I started swimming laps and going to Curves around that time, too - so I am not sure which helped me more - going off the meds or exercising. I had to make myself do it at first but nowadays it gives me a rush and its addicting. I do notice that if I slack off for like a week, my mood changes and I get a little down.
I like swimming the most; its kind of symbolic for me I guess. Its like depression because you have to keep moving and fighting or you'll sink and drown. I feel like I am literally, physically fighting off depression when I swim.
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I use prayer as my main weapon and bible scriptures such as psalm 16:11 In Your (God) presence there is FULLNESS of JOY! Any one who belives in positive confessions will know the power of speaking things out! This helps me get things in order in my mind..as well as talking to God about my worries ( i figure if any one can help me sort them he can!)
I guess you have do what ever is best for you..as long as you do something!
WE WILL OVERCOME THIS!!
God is the other thing that keeps me going. When I get to those points where I feel like its not worth it to fight anymore, I think "do it for God". I tell myself that God put me here on earth for a purpose and can't allow depression or anxiety keep me from fullfilling it.
Depression- any remedies or success stories? 
