Originally Posted by
casstony http://www.iceinspace.com.au/vbiis/i...s/viewpost.gif
On the topic of depression, it's important to realize that it can arise from a simple imbalance of substances in the brain which one has very little control over, in which case pills can make an enormous difference.
Alternatively depression can arise from bad life circumstances in which case counselling is more appropriate.
Mental illness isn't much different from physical illness in that often there's part of the body that's broken or just not working right.
So true. The difference between say Depression or Anxiety, and a broken arm, is that a) everyone can see you have a broken arm, and b) your arm doesn't stay broken for long.
Tim, first up, it's not a wierd question. Just the fact that you're prepared to come on here and discuss it with (mostly) total strangers, at the risk of possibly being judged, is healthy because you have identified the problem. Most ignore it until it's too late. There's been some good advice here. None better than talk to your GP IMO. If it's suggested that you take medication but you aren't comfortable with that see another GP. Ask for a referral to see a counselor of the type that you think may help you sort things out. I could always talk to my wife and my dad about anything. If your wife is still the wonderful lady you married she will want to discuss all this with you in so she can help you move forward. She may even have the same feelings. You never know.
Here's a snippet of my life just so you know it's not just you. Just after I turned 47 (I'm now 50) we sold our house of 15 years and moved to what we believed was going to be a more "relaxed" semi retirement lifestyle. I'd arranged with my employer to reduce my hours to 4 days a week. My wife only worked 3 days a week as it was. we had acreage, dark skies above one of the highest hills in the area, abundant wildlife, & trees. Hell, we even had a 1 km stretch of a river running through our new place, complete with permanent water holes and Aboriginal rock carvings. We were going to build a stone observatory, and my wife was going to start an Eco-education business. We had it all. That's when the problems began. I started having little episodes, the cause of which I couldn't explain. Then it started to escalate. Hell, I even contemplated the biggie. Didn't plan anything, just thought about it. I got taken to hospital, and I was diagnosed with anxiety and mild depression, and prescribed a micro-dose of a drug. It seems this chemical imbalance runs in my family. That was September 2013. It does make me feel OK, but the downside is that I've put on a bit of weight that I can't seem to shift.
Then the doodoo really hit the fan a month later. Our world imploded when my wife was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer just after her 47th birthday. Bowel, Lungs, Liver. Eventually it spread to her brain and bones, and she passed away 5 weeks ago after putting up the bravest fight I've ever seen. I felt like I lost everything. After experiencing what she (we) went through during that 20 months I've now found ways to be at ease with my life to a great extent, although it's very lonely ATM. I immerse myself in my work, talk to the dog, and I don't stress about much. I intend to take it as it comes.
I haven't written this so people feel sorry for me. The moral of my story is this. Life is complex and a lot of the time we don't understand the why's and what for's. Sometimes there is no explanation. I think approaching 50 is a difficult time in some people's lives. Not old, but not young. There's a lot of uncertainty for our age group. Employment, health, finances, our children's future's, etc. Just for a moment think about how you would feel without some of the great things you have. It might help you put some answers to your questions. Whatever you decide to do I hope it all works out for you. Someone once said “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.”