Anti-depressants!!

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Since I was really young, I've had this prob with being shy. I never thought much of it until it stopped me from doing lots of things like: going out, socialising, speaking up. I began to realise this was not normal and I got really depressed about it, I tried to ignore it over and over but it kept sticking in my mind. It stopped me getting a gf and making lots of friends. I did have loads of friends once but I moved house and I can't make new ones cos I'm too shy. People judge me on my shyness as "weird" and a "freak". This got me down and people would take the piss outa me about it. It's been going on 9yrs and I'm now at the point where I can't go outside the house on my own. I looked it up and realised I have social-anxiety. I did go to see someone about it my doctor for example and he passed me onto a therapy place for anxiety problems. Thing is, it didn't work and I left and tried to move on, but the problem still remains and I'm left in a lonely existance. I sometimes think of suicide stuff and get really upset, I never actually tried it though. I told my parents and they said: "you don't need medication, just take everything as it comes". That's ok just saying that, but I can't "take everything as it comes" cos I just walk away (I'm too scared). I'm gonna see someone about medication soon and I'm wondering if it's good idea to bring my parents with me or not to and arrange another time for them to come. I feel I need medication but I don't know how to approach the situation to my parents.

i applaud you for realizing you need help and seeking it out.sorry your parents reacted like that how old are you?anyway, go talk to someone and tell them everything. then perhaps you can ask that person to call your parents and talk to them.good luck and let us know what happens.

thx for the reply. My parents don't really understand, and I've been through this with them like a zillion times. They still don't get it, they still don't realise how upset I am. I tell them and they're like: "you'll get over it" and even though I went to see a therapist, it still isn't enough to convince them of my problem. I guess because it isn't their problem, they don't think about it. It's really difficult, I said "it's not normal being unable to go outside and socialise! dont you realise this?" they said yes and then gave me a lecture on how I need to pick my feet up and stop being a recluse. The other day for example, my mum bursted out to me: "you never face anything! I can't stand it anymore!" I felt even more depressed after that and I told her that saying things like that doesn't help. She ignored what I said and every now and then I get little out-bursts of what they think. I'm really hating my life, I'm 17yrs old and I got other medical problems too that get me down; depression about my parents doesn't help and I just feel I'm gonna tell both my parents to fuck off and probably never be forgiven and end up thrown out the house and/or a fight with my old man.

For fucksake! parents arguing again!!!!! My dad's in a hump and is being sarcastic about stuff and pissing everyone off.Off I go again, back to my room on the pc expressing my feelings in writing to people I don't know, to make me feel a little better. It just sucks. It's driving me insane, I feel I have no support by parents and I'm totally on my own. How can life be so lonely? Where am I to turn to? It'd be nice if I could get away, but even if I did, I'd be in trouble with my parents and punishments I just couldnt forget. Maybe I should be a bit more daring in my life. But like I said, if I went away, I'd be in trouble and I've gotta come back haven't I? I got no where to stay, no money for anything. I'm all alone, trapped in a horrible world of my own.

I'm kind of like you anon... I'm really shy, and afraid to speak up and such, I also don't go out very much. I don't know if I have a problem or anything. I can act to a certain extent in public situations, but I always overanalyze things and take little things people do, say, or they way they are acting in a big way.

Anon, The one who made the topic...You and i are nearly twins i could tell the exact same story about my life, Sign up and PM me sometime, maybe we can hook up on msn sometime

Again, damnit ^^ that was me :P wish this thing would stay logged in..

It's really bad when parents don't recognise that depression and anxiety disorders are serious illnesses that need serious treatment. They wouldn't tell their children with (say) bronchitis to snap out of it, yet they think someone who is depressed or anxious can fix it by simply trying.

I went to a shrink, for well 1 day He tried to medicate me saying i was bipolar or some shit like that, i walked out mid session and never went back :P

Ok. I made this thread and I must agree it is abit rushed. The reason why I kept alot of other information out, is because I wanted to stay anonymous about it. I made a thread about how my anxiety had gone a few months ago. I didn't want to at the time of writing this thread, admit that WILD STORY I told in the end meant nothing. I mean it did mean something for a few weeks, then everything came pouring back; depression, anxiety and frustration. I apologise for not being honest and logging in, I was too ashamed. Ineligible, if you can remember, I said about how I was seeing someone for my anxiety, well, as I have already said, it didn't really work. I'm going to see a doctor soon about it and various other issues. I'm really nervous about it! I feel I have to have my parents with me, if the doctor is going to give me anti-depressents - I can't keep that a secret. It's just convincing them I need them, that is the problem. Heck, I've got to convince my doctor I need them. I DO NEED THEM. Therapy didn't work and I've got 1 last thing to try. I need to get it dealt with sooner than later because I have college soon and I won't cope with that in my current state. I need to make friends and do well. None of that will happen if I'm anxious. Sometimes I wish life could be easier, but it isn't, oh well.

Just got some beta-blockers called 'propanolol', anyone heard of these?I looked them up in google and they seem to be a mild anti-depressent and are used for other things. I told my mum when I got them and she was like 'ok'. Can't say what my dad will say as I havent spoken to him yet. I scored 15/21 for my anxiety on the doctors test, it turned out to be 'severe anxiety'. I was told I am going to be put forward to a specialist who can keep a close eye when/if I decide to take the stronger stuff. I hope all goes well. I haven't tried the beta-blockers yet, I'm gonna try em when my parents are both back home and then they can witness the results for themselves. I just want to be happy, maybe this mild-depressents will do me fine? I've gotta go to college this week, hope this medication prepares me for it.

Oops, that was me, forgot to login.

your on propranolol for depression?

Propranolol slows your heart rate, so it relieves some of the symptoms of anxiety. The theory is that relieving the symptoms makes you feel better and therefore less anxious. It's a treatment that is most often used for performers with stage fright - it has the advantage that it doesn't affect the brain directly. I haven't seen it used more generally.

ive been looking for some place to talk i used to talk to my friends about my problems since my parnets dont understand anything (just wait its a phase itll pass)yea right ive been feeling depressed for 2 years im 16 years old and i really think some form of anti-depressants would do me good anyway i used to talkt to my friends... most of them arnt my friends anymore idk why maybe because no one wants to deal with a depressed friend... so now i have one friend who doesnt understand i problly would kill myself but im to afraid to do anything can someone talk to me i just really want to talk to someone beaucase no one will listen i dont give a shiit if we arnt suppoesed to give away emails but...please someone email me and please talk to me. REMOVED

So far so good. I've been using the beta-blockers everytime I'm about to do something that I think will provoke my anxiety. They are easing the symptoms a little, but I'm still finding things difficult - as I would expect - knowing that they aren't going to completely put those feelings about things I fear to a hault.I'll keep going strong and fighting my anxiety until I'm confident and happy enough to stop taking these beta-blockers. Hope that will happen soon.

Talk here, Anonymous!

Depression is a notoriously ignored and untreated disease; in today's society, it can be difficult for an individual to even admit that they're depressed. However, it is estimated that nearly 17.5 million Americans suffer from depression every year. With today's prescription medication for depression, there is no reason for this misunderstood disease to go untreated any longer.if you whant more information, links to sites that can help or personal advice, email me at [Removed]please register and use the private messaging service for contacting each other

Anon you're so wrong... the last anon to post. If you ask any psychologist if the current "anti-depressants" on the market are effective they will so most likely not. The only effect you'll see is the placebo effect of the medication. The best way to treat depression currently is through psychiatric sessions, not medication. Not to meantion all the side-effects of current anti-depressants now being discovered.

I have to strongly disagree with that last post. Drugs aren't allowed on the market now without being double-blind tested against placebo and being shown to be more effective than placebo. Though there is still a long way to go in anti-depressant research, modern anti-depressants have done very much good."Talking" treatment can be helpful with mild depression, but it's not very effective in severe cases. In general, talking treatments have been overrated by the psychological/psychiatric profession, who of course find them highly renumerative. That is not to say that they are of no value - it depends very much on what is being treated. But conditions with a biochemical basis are generally most effectively treated medicinally.

Do you even know how anti-depressants work? I'm a psych major and I do... Anti-depressants have only been proven to work to at least some extent on people who are seriously depressed, let me explain. The type of people that can't get out of bed in the morning or do anything, because it is such a chore. The more common types of depression most people experience are not effected at all by anti-depressants. Most of the times this is made very evident when people are asked how they are doing 2 - 3 weeks into the meds and they say they are feeling so much better when the meds don't even kick in till about 8 weeks. The way these drugs work is bascially just by giving your brain more of certain chemicals. In prozacs case I forget what they brain chemical it was called that it was regulating but the displacment of that chemical (too much) made people in some cases develope different psychotic illnesses. I highly recommend unless you do experience from the type of depression where your life is 100% impossible to live to any extent, that you do not take anti-depressants and you seek the help of a psychologist. There are different forms of counseling they can provide which have been shown to be effective in treating more mild forms of depression.