I am feeling so low at the moment! I don't know what is going on with me!? I am going to see my GP tomorrow and see if he can help me. Why is it happening?!

Absolutely wrong advice here, which makes me worried this site may do more harm than good. A counsellor is the one who is non-judgmental. Friends have their own issues and could give you inappropriate advice, or just sympathy which is NOT constructive help. You are insulting the profession when you say "it's only somebody to talk to". It's far more than that. These counsellors are trained, unlike your friends. It's as easy to deceive friends as to deceive oneself. Counsellors can see through the defensive tricks we play. And to state that severe depression is NOT THAT BAD!! Depression is a very serious illness, and can kill.

"may"? If you are depressed you'd know about it.

Hi, as a previous respondant mentioned, depression builds up not sneaks up. It can be caused by a single stressful event such as a crime against you, or as a result of long term anxeity and stress such as work. The most important thing is not to ignore it - it doesn't really matter about diagnosis and test scores, it's about you accepting and dealing with it. Do a lot of internet research about depression: causes, symptoms, treatment etc. Seek help and talk to people - I disagree about cousellors, that was the single biggest thing that helped me - they are totally professional, confidential, non-judgmental - they just help you understand your own feelings and how to manage them. Actually, I found my GP and counsellor much easier to talk to because they're independant. If you sort it early you can probably avoid it becoming a clinical illness, with time off work and affecting your employment record (I finished up having 6 months off work). It will not go away by itself, it will continue to build up unless you take control. You've already taken the hardest step by getting the diagosis and starting this thread on this forum. Ask for help - it's what the health professionals are there for. The sooner you do it, the sooner you'll get it under your control and the fewer implications it'll have on your life. Hope this helps a little.

Depression, Ive got it but I wasnt diagnosed with it, I was diagnosed with Atention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD. Alot of people who have ADHD are being wrongly dx with depression, bi polar. If you have got ADHD, while anti depressant may help your depression there not going to do much for your emotional roller coaster. Its a very complicated condition and the term ADHD is a bit out dated and it doesnt just effect children and two thirds dont grow out of it. Its also hereditery and can differ in serverity from person to person here is a list of NHS CHOICES: Carelessness & lack of attention to detail ? Starts new tasks before finishing old ones ? Poor organisational skills ? Inability to focus, or prioritise ? Continually losing, or misplacing things ? Forgetfulness ? Restlessness & edginess ? Difficulty keeping quiet, & speaking out of turn ? Blurting responses, & poor social timing when talking to others ? Often interrupting others ? Mood swings ? Irritability & a quick temper ? Inability to deal with stress ? Extreme impatience ? Taking risks in activities, often with little, or no, regard for personal safety, or the safety of others You will always get someone who says "O everyone does that" but in ADHD its ten fold more extream and causes alot of problems especially if like me you dont get dx till 35 yrs old. Dont know if you can put links in if cant am sorry only trying to stop people being miss dx Google: aadduk sane.org.uk First is for Adult ADHD Second is for Depression, both are good big community of people helping people Also time to change, Mind etc, hope this helps:)

Btw, if it's of any comfort to you I just re-did Goldberg's rather fishwifely test and I scored 90 again, just as I always do and have done for five years - and I'm still living. However when I first became depressed I told others about it and became serially unemployable as a consequence [the small minds thing] so it is probably safest to have it kept off your employment record.

The most reliable assessment is your instinct, if you feel it then it is the case. Depression doesn't sneak up, it builds up - it is the condition that proves the adage of the last straw breaking the camel's back. Or the camel's spirit, in your case. It is a consequence of how you are living your life and [more usually] how others are making you live your life. Often it is an invention of your own head - for instance, depression often hits students before exams and in this it can be frequently traced back to the subconscious decision that whilst it is 'unacceptable' to fail exams because you are crap or not clever enough, it is not 'unacceptable' to fail because of depression/breakdown etc. Like many mental illnesses, it has its stem in our fears of how others see us and our self-made social inadequacies. One trick that works is to realise that it is your life and you can live it how you choose, nobody has ever been born with the right to tell others how to live. Severe depression is not that bad and 58 is not that high. Wait until it gets clinical, then the fun really hits in. Yes, it WILL affect your employment if it is recorded. It shouldn't do and experts may assure you that it won't but the simple fact is that it WILL - basically because most people are too small-minded to understand that it is not a bogeyman condition. Until more depressed people come out and admit it, the depressed will continue to be treated as 21st Century lepers solely because society is most influenced by majority opinion. Yes, take all the medication they offer - modern drugs tend to do what they say on the packet and will make you feel better. If they don't try smoking cannabis and stop drinking. You may be offered counselling but it's no great shakes, it's only somebody to talk to. Best to find a friend instead of a counsellor because you'll probably open up more to a pal than to some stranger whom you feel is judging you. It's good to have huge pride and you must have good reason for it. Keep remembering the reason and remember the essential truth of depression - it will pass. It may and probably will come back but, like a migraine, it will pass.

Thanks Fernando,I am sometimes depressed because of my schizophrenia,but not too bad,at the moment.It doesn't take much and the whole situation is changed. I suffer from vulnerability to the sound of coughing and traffic and laughter and feelings of guilt and embarrassment over minor sexual misdemenours,I found reading James Joyce very useful,also mention of the "repressive cough" of a bully in the famous novel The Cruel Sea by author Nicholas Monsarrat. What really can lift you from some of the gloom is a line from Joyce that goes,"God spoke to you by so many voices but you would not hear."It gives a sense of the plurality of religions and also gives a sense of how the Divine may work,how we can be instruments or channels for the Divine,for God. Also there is a wonderful form of meditation called Sahaja Yoga,do try it,it is free and tolerant and has a website and there are many places with local meetings. There is a guru and founder,Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi,and there is lots of wisdom and common sense,often bravely stated.

Hi, good evening. Your doctor told you got depression because this problem is not only felt on the mind but the whole body. Depression makes you feel tired, living wishless, overbreathing, as well as the sadness itself. The score I do not know about. The employment is affected because the enterprises have problems with people who got depression, such people have difficult to bring results, that´s the pity. Well, I got depression due my generalized anxiety, and I can tell all I suffered, the symptons I described above are one of many. Well, depends on how the depression has affected your professional and personal life, only the doctor can tell you what is supposed to do (medication or counselling). Be calm, you´ll be fine if you search for treatment, if you need any word to feel better, try the forum. Hugs. Fernando.