Hi there,
Yes and No. Depression and obesity can certainly go hand in hand, or not at all. Not all overweight people are depressed, and not all depressed people are overweight. Of course, when we are depressed, some of us have a tendency to eat more, and some of us stop eating completely! (Wish I had the latter trait, but I don't)
There is temporary depression, such as when you are dealing with emotional challenges that outweigh your body's natural ability to ward off depression, and then there is depression that is biological, or inherited. I have the latter of the two, and I can tell you, that when depression is managed properly, it's always better to feel like this
than to feel like this
. Your entire life looks different, and it becomes easy to take better care of yourself. Self care is so important, even if it means taking a few minutes of the day to give yourself a manicure or to color your hair. You deserve it! If at all possible, even though you don't have insurance, I would recommend that you try to see a doctor (call for cash prices first!), and explain to the office that you are uninsured; they often have good cash discounts for people without insurance, and if all is medically well and stable, have your doctor give you a prescription with refills so that you don't have to pay for office visits monthly. Of course, you'll still need to check in to make sure that you are on the correct dosage or correct medication, but doctors have a tendency to have you check in more often than not, and good communication with your doctor will ensure that the money you spend on your health care will be stretched as far as possible.
On another note, Emotional well being is priority over weight loss, and once your emotions are under control and you start feeling better, fitness and better health might even come naturally.
As for DH not "believing" in depression, I would advise that he promptly educates himself by reading a few books before formulating beliefs that can be harmful to his spouse or others. And whether he "believes" in depression or not, it is still his obligation to be supportive to you, and of your needs. I have friends that do things that I don't necessarily agree with, but I do my best to be supportive, because that's what friends do.
Biologically speaking, depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain; he may wish to begin researching serotonin and its function in the body. Perhaps if he learns more, he will be more inclined to be more supportive. But either way, Please
don't let DH or anyone else stand in the way of your emotional health. It's just too important. His beliefs will not make you any better, if anything, they can make you feel worse. LOTS of us here at 3FC have dealt with (or are dealing with) depression; in fact, there is a whole thread dedicated to depresssion and weight loss, medications and their impact on weight loss, etc. You might want to take a look.
Sorry that this post turned out to be so long... but I'm pretty passionate about the issue of depression. I have had (notice I said "had"... as in, no longer) a "friend" that didn't "believe" in depression, and told me to take vitamins and exercise and it would all go away. Oh, and my favorite: to stop feeling sorry for myself. Sound familiar? People suffering from depression don't need
, they need plenty of
. If you can't get it from DH, we here at 3FC are glad to give you all you need. This board is SO supportive, and non-judgmental. I have been to forums where I could not believe the way some of the senior members treated others. You'll never find that here.
Anyway, bottom line is, While vitamins and exercise can certainly help anyone feel better they were unable to adjust the correct chemicals needed to relieve my depression. Only my medication can completely relieve the symptoms of depression. I am glad that I was able to get my daughter treatment for her depression (she is only 12) before things got out of hand. If I were to "deny" depression and refuse to get her treatment, imagine what could happen!?! But that's a whole 'nother thread.....
Feel free to PM me if you need more information, or more support. I'm always happy to give it whenever I can. Believe me, I've been there...
And if anyone else reads this, needs some support or feedback and wants to PM me, that's fine too. You don't have to ask. I know I was shy about posting in the public forums at first, but as you can see, I've grown out of that.
Hang in there.
Gingercakes