severe morning depression

i knew a dude who had the same symptoms that you exhibit, except s/he was a chick, and s/he was pregnant. are you sure you are male?

osteoarthritis wrote: I refuse to work with a psychiatrist or take anti-depressants (the ativan was my mom's). I have found the mental health professionals unhelpful overall, and at times outright incompetent and abusive.

That's your call, but psychiatrists are people, and one reliable thing about people is they're all different. Concluding they're all bad from a few bad experiences is like saying runners are all pricks after reading a few threads here. If you have reason to believe *good* psychiatric or pharmaceutical aid could help, you might consider trying to find a good doc - they're out there. A referral can go a long way.

Sorry, no experience with arthritis or this variety of depression.

Can you identify what it is about the walk that lifts your depression? Is it just getting the blood flowing, the physical movement, is it the fresh air and sun? You may be able to find other ways of getting what you need. For instance if it were primarily the sun, there's lighting products for Seasonal Affective Disorder which could help.

You might wish to re-think that choice...

first, ativan is just a tad better than rat poison. in elderly it can desaturate the blood of oxygen, among other things. tell your mom she has options. insositol would be one.

I'd guess you're blood sugar is crashing during the night.

http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news/20040109/vitamin-d-may-prevent-arthritis

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind

yes, the D will also help w/ your blood sugar levels.

Dose 2-4000 IU/day

take care.

I wouldn't wish to re-think it. I'm not necessarily someone who is going to say that psychiatry is pseudoscience and that nobody has ever derived any benefit from it, but I'm quite certain that I'm glad not be doing it anymore. I figure that if I'm so dilaphadated that I need psychiatric drugs to tolereate my existence, then I may as well just take a dive off the Golden Gate anyway.

osteoarthritis wrote: I figure that if I'm so dilaphadated that I need psychiatric drugs to tolereate my existence, then I may as well just take a dive off the Golden Gate anyway.

To each his own. And if you're going to jump, that's an awfully nice spot for it.

Would you say the same about being so f'd up you needed a cast on your broken arm or surgery for you plantar fascia? Blood pressure or thyroid meds? You'd rather just end it all?

I don't see where it's so different from taking aspirin for a headache or antibiotics for bronchitis. You could be opposed to those things too but few are. Must be something special about arthritis or depression, I guess.

mental health amateur wrote:

Would you say the same about being so f'd up you needed a cast on your broken arm or surgery for you plantar fascia? Blood pressure or thyroid meds? You'd rather just end it all?

Bad analogy..... those ailments are either temporary or only mildly debilitating. My arthritis will get progressively worse for the rest of my life, leave me hopelessly crippled, be exorbitantly expensive to manage AND leave me unable to earn a living. Whole-body osteoarthritis in your early 20s is no minor ailment.

mental health amateur wrote:

Can you identify what it is about the walk that lifts your depression? Is it just getting the blood flowing, the physical movement, is it the fresh air and sun? You may be able to find other ways of getting what you need. For instance if it were primarily the sun, there's lighting products for Seasonal Affective Disorder which could help.

Everything about going for a walk lifts my mood (except the discomfort). It does a lot of the same things for me that running used to do. I think it's mainly the physical activity that fixes my head.... it gets the neurotransmitters going or something....... I'd walk 10 miles a day if I could..... I've done it a few times only to regret it tremendously the next day.....

An obvious question is whether there is anything you can do to improve or at least control the arthritis? Another thought, if you can afford it, is to get ann in-home swimming pool that you could plop into and swim or aqua-walk when the arthritis is really bad. Our next door neighbor is in a wheelchair from polio and has one of those.

Don't masterbate before you fall asleep for a week...problem solved.

I felt the same way you do about anti-depressants for a long time. Depression is a chemical imbalance and is often genetic. Many people suffer. See your regular doctor. My doctor prescribed Lexapro along with therapy (counseling). The combination has done wonders. It hasn't changed who I am, but now I no longer dwell on negative thoughts. Instead, I realize what I can do to feel better. Good luck!

I feel ya bro. I've been there. I crashed a car once because I was so depressed. I just stopped driving and closed my eyes. Next thing I knew I was smashing through a fence and nose down in an irrigation ditch.

Go out and buy this book. Don't ask me why or hesitate. Get up from the computer right now, go to the book store and get this book.

The Cure by Dr Timothy Brantly.

I finished it a few weeks ago and have been really rockin after following his ideas. Given your situation, you really have nothing to lose.

My mother got sick about 15 years ago. She was 45 and was just about readly to die. She began to make changes and take notes on what she felt like. Over the years she was able to manage her illness and is now one of the most energetic and healthy people I know. I started her running at the age of 56 and she now runs 4 times a week for about 45 minutes and does a 50 min 10k at age 60. Her massage therapist last week told her that she is the strongest and most balanced person he has ever worked on.

Thing is that she did it all by trial and error. After reading this book, his scientific approach literally mirrored what she has come up with.

Anyway... Read the book. You'll get for more form it than you will on this message board.

I should add that I saw my regular doctor, not a psychiatrist.

Avivan is a Benzodiazepan, similar to Valium and xanax, not an anti-depressant. Arthritis is not directly liked to depression. Go see a doctor/psychiatrist to get your own benzo's and mabe some pain killers. You are prob jus withdrawing from the Lorazempam when you ake up and want a fix.

Avivan is a Benzodiazepan, similar to Valium and xanax, not an anti-depressant. Arthritis is not directly liked to depression. Go see a doctor/psychiatrist to get your own benzo's and mabe some pain killers. You are prob jus withdrawing from the Lorazempam when you ake up and want a fix.

Avivan is a Benzodiazepan, similar to Valium and xanax, not an anti-depressant. Arthritis is not directly liked to depression. Go see a doctor/psychiatrist to get your own benzo's and mabe some pain killers. You are prob jus withdrawing from the Lorazempam when you ake up and want a fix.

But I don't want to get on antidepressants because they might work and then I wouldn't be able to come here and whine and bitch about my problems all day long--I might actually have to start living my life and that is very scary to me because I'm such a little baby.

Dear Osteoarthritis, I am a psychologist (and former DI XC All-American), now just a runner for mental and physical health benefits. I don't usually post here but I felt some concern reading your posts. First of all, given your physical issues it makes total sense that you are depressed. However, your symptoms seem to be pretty bad right now, enough to be concerning both physically and emotionally. I encourage you to find a therapist (who could be a psychologist, social worker, certified counselor, or any other credentialed professional) who you trust - the solution may or may not be antidepressant medication. In fact, recent research has shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy has positive effects on the physiological AND emotional functioning of people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and illnesses such as cystic fibrosis. At the risk of sounding like a bad pharmaceutial commercial, I hope that you will read this and talk to a trusted professional who can support you through this time. I understand that your condition is not temporary, but your responses to it may change over time. I wish you all the best.

But like antidepressants that might work. And if I combine CT with ADs it almost certainly will work & I'll feel much better. Then what would I whine about?????????