everyone overcomes it differently because there are different kinds. you have made a start by asking the question! that means you want to overcome it. that's good.

some depression is situational and not chronic. that's not usually what we mean by depression but it exists too. i have a feeling that's not what you mean.

some depression is caused by your brain not producing enough neurotransmitters. it's an ailment like any other and nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. even more often, your brain is producing the neurotransmitters but absorbing it back up before it can do its job. what is its job? circulating around your brain telling different parts of it what to do, particularly the parts that make melatonin so you can sleep (and know WHEN to sleep), and the parts that produce dopamine so you can have a reasonably good, stable mood (apart from when situational stuff interferes; no one expects you to be mindlessly cheerful every second!) that's where the ssri's amisja mentioned come in. they are selective sereatonin reuptake inhibitors and they concentrate mostly on seratonin and norepinephrine, two of the most likely neurotransmitters to be reuptaken before they can circulate. now here's the catch: everyone responds to these things differently and one that works for me might not work for you, but another that works for you might not work for me, and the psychiatrists (psychologists can't prescribe) can't know which one will work for you without just trying one on you, and waiting (could be a couple/few MONTHS to feel a difference) and watching for side effects (usually not serious but sometimes annoying -- nausea that goes away after a week or so, or gaining weight, for example). then if it's not working they wait for that to get out of your system and start you on another one. it sounds stupid but it's actually pretty effective once they find the right one.

then there is depression that is half of bipolar disorder; the other half is mania. the meds are different for that one and i don't know much about it, but a psychiatrist will.

a psychiatrist won't see you often, or for long, and will be in charge of your medications. some of them sigh that they'd like to be able to talk more but their profession has become such that they really can't. they usually do spend a little more time with you, too.

now that's the chemical side. but even if the cause is chemical, the cure usually isn't ONLY chemical. that's where the psychologist comes in, and it's important to find one who is willing to listen, to gain your trust, and to figure out what kind of therapy will suit you best, and again, that's an individual thing. if you find a therapist and that person isn't helping you, don't blame psychology; find a different shrink! i've had good and bad; i have a super one right now.

those are the ways i know of. there are other, old-fashioned and fairly horrible ways, too. i won't even mention them. the main thing is, both halves of the above are intuitive to a large extent and take a long time to work, and it can take a long time to find the right combination of psychiatrist and psychologist and what they do to really be effective. don't give up. just do not give up!

g

I lost my girlfriend to depression a year and a half ago. In her case, medication caused other problems like bone loss, tooth loss hair loss and weight gain. All of these things only increased her depression. Do you smoke?

The depression epidemic is one of the saddest stories that has every been told. The drugs that they use to "cure" depression don't work and can even make it worse in the long run.

Depression is an evolved trait of social creatures that convinces an animal who has inflamation to avoid the group. This prevents the spread of disease, thus promoting long term group survival. This conection between the immune system and mood was made very recently, and the mechanism is not fully uderstood.

Many of the people who are depressed may have this trait and been suffering from a minor infection that sent them into a spiral of sadness. Treatment of the inflammation, taking care of yourself, eating a diet high in omega-3, and living a low stress life could prove most beneficial.

Don't worry, be happy.

ETA: I am not meaning to trivialize depression as I am certain that it is a serious problem for those who deal with it.

Assuming drugs are not a factor, try to take it one day at a time. Depression may be a part of you forever, creeping into your life at random. Reach out each time if you need it. I assure you that people who care won’t judge you for it.

lots of weed

Hiya,
You need to speak to the doc or call 'Mindsmatter'. (I can find you the number if you like). If things are really bad speak to the crisis team.
The latest NICE guidelines are very clear, SSRI and talking therapies. Mindsmatter can put you in touch with your local IAPT. Penine MH trust have good standards. You can talk to me. I can't give professional advice here as I am a member just the same as you, but we can chat generally.

Many of us are. Exercise and yoga.

it sounds trite. but keep busy. busy ppl don't have time to be depressed.

There is no easy cure, but I would say counseling is a good place to start. I've had varying levels of depression since I was a kid. For me usually changing my situation helps tremendously as well. My depression usually comes from something outside of me that I can't change, like having a terrible boss, or someone dying, or a break up, or struggling with a class in school. It took two years of an increasingly hellish landscape at work, but I finally found a new job and got out of that terrible situation, which improved my outlook on life a lot. I won't say time heals a broken heart but it can patch it and that can help. And counseling can help with the way you deal with grief. I did everything I could to struggle through that class and I didn't get the grade I wanted out of it but I passed and in the end that was all that mattered. Counseling can help you with how you look at things that you struggle with, even if you "know" why you are struggling with them, it can help you with the way you deal with them and maybe break some patterns of thinking. And just from my own personal experience, stop thinking about the things you're "supposed" to do with your life and do the things that you want to do. And I hate to say it, because I hated when people said it to me because it sounded like bullshit, but exercise has helped me feel a lot better as well. You just have to find the right mindset and goals to get yourself to want to do it. Again, don't do it because you are "supposed" to do it, that makes it seems like you're doing it because you are inferior. Do it because you want to, because it makes you feel better (trust me eventually it will), because you have a goal for you. My goal is collecting miles. I am swimming, biking, and walking/ellipticaling my way across highway 20, the longest road in the US. It goes from Newport, where I live, to Boston. It's going to take me like 2 years, but it's actually kind of fun watching my progress. Good luck. If you're interested in the highway 20 thing send me a message. I have maps and formulas to figure out timing vs mileage.

Ketamine. Here is a link to the research.[webmd.com]

After battling it for over 18 years ( diagnosed) and more than probably most of my life since my youth, I'd say that 'overcoming' it is not the right word/phrase in my opinion.
Merely learning to control it, learning to live with and not letting it dictate to you how to live is the best remedy as how I've found.
Though depressive type thoughts, etc, are almost constantly 'haunting' my mind, I've found that things like enjoying gardening, sitting and reading in the warmth of the sun, looking for and finding things enjoyable in every day activities, friendships and even the smallest of things mitigates and reduces the effects.

Different for each person. Some use medication. Some use meditation. Sone use exercise. Some use cognitive therapy. Some use prayer. I use it all. Seek & ye shall find.

In the first instance contact a GP for a diagnosis. There are many treatments available from medication to psychotherapy. You owe it to yourself to explore as something in the clinical context can give you your life back.

Dive in, swim around, then get mad and tell it to go to hell.
I have to own it to move away from it.

you talk about it and you learn to live through the bad times and be thrilled by the good times. I was helped by reading of some famous and accomplished people who struggled with depression - Churchill, Spike Milligan, etc - depression is a burden, but should not stop you living a great life.

Extremely complicated can be multifaceted approach sometimes not easily treated and responsive to medication. Therapy medication help take care , suicide is also a complication .

I guess it depends upon what kind of depression you have and what you mean by overcome. Do you mean a cure?

I have clinical depression and believe it is something that I can manage, although I do not believe I’ll ever be cured of it. I’ve been on medication for over 10 years, I haven’t been able to afford therapy so far but finally have a job with good health insurance and am planning on starting therapy in the next couple months.

if it is seeker depression then go read about monism and advaita vedanta.

I have depression and some form of anxiety.. and if the cause is from a chemical imbalance, some sort of medication is going to be your best bet.

I am actually on the hunt for magic mushrooms to try microdosing for my depression/anxiety. There have supposedly been great results in people with said condition when microdosing shrooms.