Depression

I went to see a counsler and she referred me to see a doctor to see if he would recommend medication. It took me about a month to get in to see him. I canceled the appointment before I went because I was feeling better. I was with a guy for 2 years and finally decided to end the relationship. I thought the reason for me being sad and depressed was due to our bad relationship. About two weeks after I made the appointment I started to feel a lot better.

We have been broken up for two months now and I am starting to get the sad days back. I don't know what to do. I am fine and then one day I just get so sad and I make everyone around me upset. I am so tired of feeling this way but I am afraid to go to the doctor. I don't know what to do.

Greetings Birch!

I am so sorry for the pain and uncertainty you are feeling at this time. I have been through years of bipolar depression and migraines, so I can definitely relate to your feelings of sadness and depression.

If it were me, I believe I would make another appointment with a mental health professional just so they can assess your situation. If it is primarily sadness you are feeling, that goes away fairly easily, you may just be having "normal" or situational sadness.

If your sadness and depression affect your life at all, such as being able to go to work every day, keeping meaningful relationships, enjoying daily activities that you have always enjoyed, sexual relations and any other number of things that you do every day - if these are affected by your sadness and depression, then it may definitely be time to see a doctor about getting to the bottom of what is causing your depression and sadness.

It is not "normal" to have prolonged periods of sadness and depression. Have you recently experienced a traumatic life event, such as the loss of a job, a divorce or the loss of a parent? If not, just because you suddenly felt better and decided to cancel the appointment you had set up, does not necessarily mean you stopped having problems with sadness or depression altogether. If your feelings are a result of something happening in your life, an anti-depressant could help get you through this rough patch. If you do not know the source of your sadness and depression, a good therapist can help you figure that out and, again, you may find relief by taking a doctor-prescribed anti-depressant.

I am not a doctor or a therapist, so I cannot tell you what you should do. I would strongly urge you to at least see a doctor, to get his/her assessment of your situation. If you are concerned enough about it, to make a post on this forum, then you owe yourself a trip to a psychiatrist's office to get a professional opinion of your situation.

I wish you the very best in your journey to find out whether or not depression has been and/or will be a problem for you. If you find that it is, please know that you are NOT alone. Millions of people have depression and, unfortunately, many of those people go untreated for most of their lives. Don't be one of those people. Take control and find out what is going on with you. You deserve to know the truth.

I wish you a day filled with peace and joy,

Kay