Hi All - As some of you know I am a Psychiatric Social Worker. Professional help is indicated with conditions such as these. Medication is part of this assistance, counseling is another part. The counseling ensures medication compliance and efficacy. If there are underlying issues presenting then the clinician can facilitate resolution of those issues.
I also believe that there are four parts to a human being.
1-physiological (medication, exercise, etc.);
2-Emotive (issues of the heart - this includes tears as there is an enzyme in tears that are associated with stress and proven relief after shedding them);
3-Psychological (the fine art of communication - breaking the tape in the head so the words can run out of the mouth);
4-Spiritual (and I am not talking about church - I am talking about Hope and the sense of belonging and being needed in one's community). Each of us is unique and each of us requires specialized "touches" in each of these areas to come out of the depression. It also takes time. Depression does not appear overnight and it does not alleviate in that time frame either. It takes a minimum of three weeks simply for the medication to begin its work. I also struggle with this issue and utilize all four parts to maintain my balance. My best friend is fortunatley my wife - and she has made all the difference
This is "cabin fever" time and I hope anyone who is struggling with this gets the assistance they need.