I agree with the other concerned correspondents: By reaching out and confronting your 'slide,' you are already helping yourself. Depression is something that grows in the dark, for me, at least. When I ignore or avoid it, it spreads itself insidiously. When I force it out in the open, in my own conscience mind or especially when I expose it to the scrutiny of others, it tends to recede. Don't cut yourself off from others, including those trained to help you cope. Don't demand satisfaction from those activities (music?) which have satisfied you in the past---just keep doing them, and the pleasure will return. Find some faith in the resiliency of your own mind, which can spring back from depression if allowed to do so. If the good things in your life currently are not feeling so rewarding, continue to pursue them patiently for their own sake---the rewards will return. Meanwhile, rest assured that others (including several of us at Mudcat, no doubt) know the emptiness you're feeling and care enough to want to help. "We all need someone we can lean on..."