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Depression

Beakmoo said:
It sure is real, and with me anyway it's a very physical as well as mental thing. I can go very quickly from the feeling sad, detached and grumpy stage to virtual catatonia. Last time it happened I was at work, emailing my husband at the time, the email tailed off weirdly as my brain simply shut down. It was like the lights in an office block being turned off floor by floor. I couldn't speak, couldn't move. Fortunately my husband knew immediately and came to take me home. On the medical release form I couldn't sign my name, just made a cross.
That's what depression can be like.

By the way, I love your sigline Xanatico. :D
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Of course now I know this was an autistic shutdown, a particularly bad one. As I got more burned out I had more of them, then gradually learned to pull back before it got out of hand.
 
Beakmoo said:
Of course now I know this was an autistic shutdown, a particularly bad one. As I got more burned out I had more of them, then gradually learned to pull back before it got out of hand.
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Glad you aren't as debilitated and are doing better. That would be pretty scary if it happened to me.
:group:

The one good thing about aging is we learn better coping methods.
 
Beakmoo said:
Of course now I know this was an autistic shutdown, a particularly bad one. As I got more burned out I had more of them, then gradually learned to pull back before it got out of hand.
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Yup! congratulations on your self knowledge. It takes strength to work these things out.

I think everyone autistic in my f2f circle has a variation on the idea "No more peopling!" as a badge, card or Tshirt!
 
ramonmercado said:
Hopefully this will prove helpful.

Scientists at Stanford University have identified a new subtype of depression that could affect as many as a quarter of all patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

The findings help explain why the most popular drug treatments for depression are not always effective.

The new subtype is unique from other proposed subtypes because it is marked by cognitive deficits in attention, memory, and self-control. These symptoms are often not alleviated by antidepressants that target serotonin, such as Lexapro (escitalopram) or Zoloft (sertraline).

The researchers are referring to the newly identified subtype as the 'cognitive subtype'.

In a randomized clinical trial involving over 700 adults, Stanford researchers – with a colleague from the University of Sydney in Australia – found that 27 percent of MDD patients performed worse on cognitive tasks. They also had a worse response to standard drug treatments.

If that percentage applies to the US population, then about 5.7 million patients could have this version of depression.

Given the size of that potential cohort, behavioral scientist Laura Hack and her colleagues argue that more targeted depression treatments are urgently needed.

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-new-...identified-and-it-could-affect-27-of-patients
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There was a piece on Radio 4 recently where Serotonin was discussed. The apparently long held view that this was a major factor in depression was looked at in more detail and no actual evidence came to light supporting this, it being more of a hunch rather than anything else. The suggestion was that medication aimed at serotonin may actually be doing nothing at all and more detailed research was required. I was surprised at this information.
 
PeteS said:
There was a piece on Radio 4 recently where Serotonin was discussed. The apparently long held view that this was a major factor in depression was looked at in more detail and no actual evidence came to light supporting this, it being more of a hunch rather than anything else. The suggestion was that medication aimed at serotonin may actually be doing nothing at all and more detailed research was required. I was surprised at this information.
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was this just one test? Any idea of how many test subjects were involved?
 
Full disclosure, I have not read this entire thread, but is there a level at which serotonin is deemed low? I know it is measured in blood serum, but don't know what is considered low.

SSRI, SNRI and SARI all involve serotonin levels, but SNRI also works with norepinephrine, and the SARI is a serotonin antagonist (though not the same classification).

I did not know that there were SARIs, but searched trazodone and found that it is one of these medications:

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/antidepressants-guide/sari

So what I am, in a long winded way, saying about the questionable umbrella study regarding the connection between serotonin and depression is, did it just look at SSRI medication results, or did it include all of the other medication types that are serotonin reuptake inhibitors but work differently than SSRIs?

I think that we still don't know fully how our brains function and what neurotransmitters are involved with depression. Nor how these transmitters work with each other.
 
charliebrown said:
I have diagnosed myself with diabetes depression, but I have never discussed this with my doctor.

I find caffeine drinks and chocolate seem to help me break the down spiral.
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Please talk to your doctor. Research shows that the sooner depression is dealt with, the better the recovery.

It is not bad to talk about depression. Everyone needs help at times.

This time of year can be difficult for a lot of people. The season beings about a lot of stressors, and, depending on where you live, the lack of sunlight can cause depression to be worse.

:group:

And if you're feeling down, you are always welcome here to chat with us.
 
Brownmane,

That is so kind.

I take 7 medicines for diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure and my wife has learned the warning signs when I “space out”

She is ready to stuff me with sugar tablets.

She says when my glucose falls I become like an unhappy two year old.
 
charliebrown said:
Brownmane,

That is so kind.

I take 7 medicines for diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure and my wife has learned the warning signs when I “space out”

She is ready to stuff me with sugar tablets.

She says when my glucose falls I become like an unhappy two year old.
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My husband had diabetes and had trouble with lows. At times, he would forget how to do things in the midst of a low. Once, he was watching tv and told me he was going low and to get him an orange juice as he couldn't figure out how to get it himself.
 
brownmane said:
My husband had diabetes and had trouble with lows. At times, he would forget how to do things in the midst of a low. Once, he was watching tv and told me he was going low and to get him an orange juice as he couldn't figure out how to get it himself.
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Perhaps diabetes is making my depression worse, still low level though. I 'm finding it difficult to be on time for things, time passes without me noticing, Missed out on the cinema today because of it.
 
charliebrown said:
Brownmane,

That is so kind.

I take 7 medicines for diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure and my wife has learned the warning signs when I “space out”

She is ready to stuff me with sugar tablets.

She says when my glucose falls I become like an unhappy two year old.
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I take medicines for diabetes, cholesterol, fungal infection, depression and anxiety.

I empathise with you!
 
flannel said:
This time of year, my depression/grumpiness rises as we approach the big day - I'm not sure why but it maybe related to the pointlessness of it.
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Same here :( I hate the weight of expectation. At least at this stage of my life it has decreased somewhat. but it's still out there.
 
My doctor and I have agreed that I drop all anti-depressant drugs.

In me, while they do have a positive effect, they also seem to cause violent mood swings which can cause sudden suicidal urges and also less seriously outbreaks of anger which are far from normal for me. Particularly worrying when the anger episodes caused a couple of instances of road rage. I really am not normally like that.

The drugs seem to undermine my emotional control. I've tried to top myself three times now, every time while on anti-depressants. If you read the small print they do include as side effects an increased risk of suicide.

This includes the latest one I mentioned several posts back.

YMMV, obviously.
 
ramonmercado said:
Those conclusions are being challenged
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I think they need to be: for absolutely definite.

brownmane said:
I think that we still don't know fully how our brains function and what neurotransmitters are involved with depression.
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Exactly so: because (for me):

Frideswide said:
I'll put my hand up and say I take antidepressants and SSRIs to ward off the Depression/Anxiety which has nearly killed me twice
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....in my blessedly-limited (but nevertheless enlightening) personal experience, we are having our own internal tigers tamed & trained by pokes+prods that save and curse us in unequal measure....I shall elucidate further on this, here on the forum, later.

ramonmercado said:
Perhaps diabetes is making my depression worse, still low level though
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This surprises me not in the least, you have my sympathy and (as I indicate above to @Frideswide and the forum) I'll attempt a bit of an unwilling auto-autopsy later (but confession is good for the soul).

Cochise said:
My doctor and I have agreed that I drop all anti-depressant drugs.
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This also happened for me, except I told the doctor. Not simply, nor happily but in fearful self-redemption (I think?)

Cochise said:
I've tried to top myself three times now
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That's not permitted by the forum !-) Remember, we are always all here for you (in some metaphysically-gainful way) and for anyone else who is also in the depths of their own slice of hell.

I'll fess-up here on the forum regarding my own brusing brush with sanctioned pharmaceutical redemption later, and how/why I stopped it (or so I thought); but for now I must pursue that most-elusive & alluring of life's counterpoints: sleep.
 
Cochise said:
My doctor and I have agreed that I drop all anti-depressant drugs.

In me, while they do have a positive effect, they also seem to cause violent mood swings which can cause sudden suicidal urges and also less seriously outbreaks of anger which are far from normal for me. Particularly worrying when the anger episodes caused a couple of instances of road rage. I really am not normally like that.

The drugs seem to undermine my emotional control. I've tried to top myself three times now, every time while on anti-depressants. If you read the small print they do include as side effects an increased risk of suicide.

This includes the latest one I mentioned several posts back.

YMMV, obviously.
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Medication seems to be the go to cure for everything with doctors, although no doubt it has saved lives. I was recently prescribed blood pressure meds but the side effects were so painful and alarming for 3 weeks that I was virtually housebound. I gave up taking and it took a further 3 weeks to rid myself of the effects. I'll take the risk.
 
Not sure if this is any use to anybody at all but I gave up sugar a while back and now hardly ever get depressed. It seems to have helped with other health issues too. Oh, and giving cola up ended my acid reflux totally.
 
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