It seems to me that most people that post here are on medication for their depression. I went to a psychiatrist a while ago and she confirmed what I thought - that I was mildly depressed and, aslo, that I have a hard time with change. Most of the time I feel OK. Any time I have taken medication for other things, I end up with just about every side effect - so I would only take meds as a last resort. Like eveyone, I have 'ups' and 'downs', but this latest 'down' has been lingering longer than I can stand. Does anyone have any suggestions on how they get through the 'downs'?

I've battled depression for a long, long time, even though I'm only 21. I did the medication thing, but I got every side effect. After trying something like 9 different drugs, I'm now off medication and feeling better. For me, exercise is the best thing to keep me at a decent happiness level. I also take 120 mg of Lithium Orotate each day, which is an OTC dietary supplement that a psychiatrist suggested for me.

You might also be interested in The Feeling Good Handbook by David Burns. It's a book that a previous psychiatrist of mine used in all his group therapy courses. It's a book that tries to teach you how to identify negative or distorted thoughts and understand that they're not the truth.

I hope you get through this rough patch ok. I hate to hear of anyone being depressed because I know how hard it can be.

My daughter suffers from depression occasionally and exercise is a great boost for her.