ugh pills bad but then again they can help. darn down days ;_;

Drugs are really neither good or bad but represent a set of effects some desired some unwanted and thus are always a trade off. It's for the patient to decide if and at what level the benefits are worth their associated costs. In my case, they are and I've worked hard to find something that benefited me.

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Congratulations on your progress.

Thank you! I appreciate that because it sure hasn't been easy to come to grips with at times.

I know the feeling. There have been times where I wonder if I should be on meds, and times when I wonder how I haven't been put on them by force.

I wish I could say I know how you feel, but we all experience things differently. My mate and I both suffer mentally. They say depression is common in the fandom, but that doesn't make it any better. Meds can really help, but might take a while to find the right combination.

When I'm feeling particularly foul at the moment and my meds don't seem do be working, I usually do one of my "quick fixes" to get out of the funk. What these do is produce chemicals in the brain that ease the pain a bit. Kinda like taking a mental aspirin. You probably heard people tell you to exercise, but I know that's usually the last thing I wanna do when I'm down. Any physical exertion helps really, like do some housework or play a sport (hell, Wii tennis would help!), play with a pet, or go for a walk. Speaking of which, direct sun exposure produces Vitamin D or something which also makes you feel better. Taking a shower stimulates the skin and helps the mind, getting an orgasm (hey, think "endorphins"!), playing a good video game, or getting absorbed into a book you like. Pretty much these can all be put into 2 categories: physical exertion and mental exertion. As long as you do something, it's better than nothing.

Sorry for the preaching. You probably already know all this or didn't need it. Sometimes I get carried away. You don't have to do any of those things. I'm just trying to say that no matter ho bad it may get, there's always something you can do. And there's always people who'll will listen to you. Eh, sounds cheesy but it's true.

Nah, I appreciate the input dude. Me, my favorite quick fix is weed. The important thing I need to do is stop dwelling on the negative thinking and making sure I don't get to venting it somewhere online helps but shutting down that higher critical thinking and getting a chance to just relax and focus on the immediate reality of life instead of all the stuff I'm juggling around upstairs is really helpful and weed is excellent for that.

i'm glad to hear you're improving, odi. i know life can get hard, and it always helps to have a friend to talk to in the dark times. so i just want you to know, i'm always here to listen if you need me, buddy.

It's really nice to know you're out there watching and cheering me on and ready to listen to me when I'm upset though I find I often do better when I avoid venting my frustration at my friends online because I'll just dwell on it and it dosen't tend to help at least when I'm just depressed on the other hand if I have legitamate problems and want people's input on them that's different but the depression is irrational.