Reply #144: Hear, Hear! And I am one of them.

[kineneb]

On Depression: a 24-hour/day living hell

On Suicide: sometimes it seems the only way out of the constant pain (and for those who have never been there- severe depression can be physically painful)

On Meds: Talk therapy was helpful, but did not treat the underlying problem; the only thing that keeps me functioning is the pill I take every morning. I expect to be on paxil or something similar for the rest of my life.

On side effects: So they are there, but have no comparison to the depression. Untreated depression can cause memory loss. In my case, a total of about 10 years of my life does not exist.

Mental illness is a physical ILLNESS. You don't ever "get well," you can only manage the symptoms and try to function.

Been there, done that, did not get the t-shirt.