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medication

Depression Diagnosis – 2: What Does It Mean to You?

by John Folk-Williams

Once you have a depression diagnosis, what does it mean to you? I’ve heard a lot of reactions, ranging from a feeling of comfort to dismay to a shrug of the shoulders.

A diagnosis is simply a name given to a set of symptoms, but it’s usually wrapped inside a number of messages, whether spoken or implied. Your response could depend on a specific message that’s delivered with the diagnosis. Given the authority of psychiatrists and other physicians, it’s easy to confuse the two.

Filed Under: Psychiatric Treatment Tagged With: diagnosis, disease, hope, medication, message, neurotransmitters, symptoms

Leaving Lamictal and Antidepressants for Now

by John Folk-Williams

Leaving Lamictal and antidepressants

By phasing out lamotrigine, known more widely by the trade name Lamictal, and other antidepressants, I have recently ended 18 years of uninterrupted medication use to treat depression. It’s been a rough ride with 20 different psychotropic drugs. I had a few good periods with their help, but for the most part the results have […]

Filed Under: Psychiatric Treatment Tagged With: antidepressants, medication, psychiatry, therapy

Depression Relapse and Resilience

by John Folk-Williams

Lonely leaf on pavement

Sometimes relapse into depression comes on like the weather, suddenly there, a change in the atmosphere you breathe and the temperature and moisture of the air around you. I’ve been feeling that lately and find myself in the midst of a cool and sad stillness that draws my attention in with an almost magnetic force. […]

Filed Under: Reslience Tagged With: judgment, medication, movies, relapse, self-worth, value

Limping Along with Chronic Pain

by John Folk-Williams

Neuron Pattern

I want to thank the many of you who kindly offered support and sympathy in response to the recent newsletter about my problem with chronic pain. My case of lumbar spinal stenosis sometimes gives me an aching back but more commonly either weakens or sends a lot of sharp pain down my right leg. This […]

Filed Under: Reslience Tagged With: medication, pain, writing

Ending Antidepressant Treatment

by John Folk-Williams

depression medication pills

After about 18 years of non-stop, mostly ineffective antidepressant treatment, I’ve brought this long experiment to an end. I had been wearing Emsam patches for the past six years, but I’ve been fairly sure for some time that they had stopped working. It seems I was right. Getting off the drug has made no difference […]

Filed Under: Depression Treatments Tagged With: antidepressant, diagnosis, medication, psychiatry, treatment

Struck by Living – A Memoir of Depression and Recovery

by John Folk-Williams

Julie Hersh wrote two versions of Struck by Living about her struggle with suicidal depression. She ended the first one with her hike to the top of a New Mexico mountain in a symbolic celebration of her recovery. A happy, triumphant ending. She bound the manuscript and sent it to dozens of her friends. Then […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: ECT, medication, suicide, symptoms

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Depression Present Tense Now Available

Depression Present Tense: Moments of Crisis, Insight and Recovery from Chronic Illness

Man in maze by Dan Asaki for Depression Present Tense

Depression can be a life of moments, days, years, of a present that is tense, changing, recurring, empty, full, ugly and beautiful. This ebook is now available in most common ebook formats at major retailers.

LEARN MORE

Surviving Depression Together Now Available at Major Retailers

Surviving Depression Together


Surviving Depression Together

"John, this is a ... much needed resource. Thanks for writing it!"

- Therese Borchard, author of Beyond Blue


Learn More...

A Mind for Life Ebook Now Available at Major Retailers

A Mind for Life: From Depression to Living Well

A Mind for Life Ebook

The inner work of getting your life back from depression. This ebook is now available in most common ebook formats at major retailers.

LEARN MORE

Living Depressed

Depression affects emotions, mental abilities, self-concept, behavior, relationships and the entire body. These core posts describe the full range of symptoms affecting daily life. Read More.

Choices in Healing

Hoping for recovery gives you a motive but not a method for getting there. This section has posts about therapies and healing methods you can work with either on your own or with professional guidance. Read more.

Living Well

If you've learned how to manage your depression, you'll want a fulfilling life rather than one dominated by fear that the illness might return. In this section, you'll find posts about how to work toward that goal. Read More

Relationships in Crisis

One of the hardest challenges of living with depression is holding onto your closest relationships. This section features posts on how to help a relationship survive. Read More.

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