Posted: 13 December 2004 at 2:51pm | IP Logged

Dear Kathrine:

THIS IS KIND OF A DETAILED MESSAGE...BUT IMPORTANT.

I don't know how old you are, but depression (if it is a chemical imbalance problem) gets progressively worse as you get older.  I have been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and borderline personality disorder.  I am now 35 years old, in psychotherapy, on a metric ton of medications, mood stabilizers, anxiety medications (Xanax, daily), and to top it all off, I have had bulimia for 7 years, since the birth of my daughter. 

All of the behavioral and mental problems began when I was only 6 years old.  My parents had me on Ritalin then but took me off of it very quickly because of my "zombie-like" behavior and violent outbursts.  It made me much worse.  If you are young, adolescent, teen, young 20's, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) or MAOI's are usually prescribed. STAY AWAY FROM THE RITALIN  

The first, important, step you need to take is to go to your family doctor for some blood tests to find out if there IS a chemical imbalance.  See your family physician or a psychiatrist.  If you do have chemical deficiencies, they will medicate you.  I went through many different medications and dosages before they found the right one, this is typical for most people.  The second step, if you do not have chemical deficiencies, then your next step would be to find a good PSYCHOLOGIST.  (Psychiatrists prescribe meds, Psychologists talk).  Talk through you all of your thoughts, feelings, emotions, mood swings, anxiety issues, trouble with sleep, concentration.  Tell them EVERYTHING!!!  It is for your benefit...DO NOT LEAVE ANY DETAILS OUT.  Even tell them about your dreams.  Dreams, for someone with depression, can reveal a lot more than you think to a trained physician.  I was very surprised - it works.

Whether you take my advice or not just make sure that you evaluate your own depression by making a "scale" from 1-10; 1 - you are having an "emotionally stable" day (feeling pretty good, active, social).  5 - Becoming increasingly withdrawn from the world around you and having a more "emotionally unstable" and mood shifts from happy to sad to mad/angry then back to being happy or even overly happy.  This is a real good sign that you may have a chemical imbalance.  Then, finally, 10 - you cannot control any emotions you are having.  You are facing a complete emotional breakdown, even having suicidal thoughts.  If you get into the 6-10 range it is time to see a doctor.  You will be happy that you did.

Take care of yourself, Kathrine.  Just remember one more important thing - with the workings of a chemically deficient and imbalanced brain can trick us, easily.  It will make you feel things you don't usually feel and make things seem "unbearable" when they really are.  Take time to think about your feelings before reacting badly to something.

You can e-mail me if you want to at kmw@austin.rr.com anytime.

Sincerely,   Michele

Posted: 09 January 2005 at 10:40am | IP Logged

gryff u dere man an who is dis gurl dats dissin ya ??????

Posted: 21 April 2005 at 1:20pm | IP Logged

hi all my name is kris i am 18 m and ilive in rotherha m with my dad i have adhd

Posted: 25 June 2005 at 12:05pm | IP Logged

 re: depression

there are many kinds of depression. ... A few depressive hours can be helped by isolating less and doing more. It can also be depression related to hormonal changes, especially for females. BUT if the depressiveness is unrelieved for a long time... days and weeks.... then you can't take ideas on the net... go see a doctor AND a therapist.  Most serious depressions can be helped by getting to the core issues with a therapist. if that doesnt' work, low doses of meds can get the chemicals in the brain to stabilize and then you can work the underlying issues with better coping skills....