[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

Agreed, if you want to kill yourself you can always do it.

As to those with depression not seeking help, life is not that simple.
Sometimes people are trapped pretending they're fine because that's what's expected of them.
Sometimes people try to seek help and are met with unhelpful or demoralised health service professionals. Sometimes depressed people cannot be persistent and eloquent enough to explain how they feel because depression diminished their cognitive skills.
I can give you some examples from my encounters with "help".
I moved from one part of London to another 6 years ago. I'd suffered from depression for the last 19 years and my records showed that. The first practice I registerd with at the new address couldn't manage to get my records transferred from the old practice for 6 months. I had to beg for every single prescription of antidepressants until they finally got my records. For the next two years it was smooth sailing. Then I started going downhill very quickly. Went to ask for a referral, a GP told me that I have nothing to be depressed about and should try his life to see what hardship is. So I changed the practice. There first doctor I saw agreed to refer me and then forgot while I waited for 5 months. Went to another who thankfully refered me straightaway. 2 months later had my assessment with a psychiatrist where I was told I have to wait up to a year to see a therapist. During that year they tinkered changing my antidepressants as nothing seemed to work anymore. Finally arrived at something that wasn't brilliant but made my life bearable. The therapy consisted of 8 1hr meetings with no possibility of extension (lack of resources). Try to get your whole outlook on life and unresolved issues sorted in 8 hours. After that psychiatrist had enough and started pressurising me gently to say I wasn't suicidal anymore. I complied and they dropped me. Am I better, yes. Am I cured, no. I'm still depressed and anxious. Sometimes I can't face the outside world. But according to them, I'm good to go.
I was persistent because I wanted to save myself for those I love. Others may not have enough strength to battle the system.

Geez, I'm giving Maru run for her money with the length of this post

It's NOT really a long post Twosugars, but it is a beautifully honest and brilliant post. Thank you.

AS with the other honest posts on here, I am genuinely moved and more than a little disturbed.

All too often on these forums, we become so used to unconscious imagery and imagined personas created by avatars and words, that we lose sight of the fact that there are real people - humans - behind the chat and discussions.

I have been 'depressed' as I guess most people have at some times in their lives but I don't think that I have ever suffered 'Depression' of the degree being revealed here and my heart goes out to those who are suffering from this.

We are all too familiar with the increasingly common reports of medical/surgical patients being kept overnight on trolleys in corridors through a lack of hospital beds and other atrocious and unacceptable 'horror' stories due to the NHS lack of funding crisis, but experiences like yours with the lack of care from Medical profession and Psychiatrists are less well publicised but as equally enraging and SOMETHING must be done to improve this unacceptable state of affairs.

I believe wholeheartedly that discussion has a cathartic effect on me and I hope - genuinely hope - that this is the same for you and other depression sufferers on here.

My Message Box is always open should you or anyone else ever feel any need to talk - politics or shet - it does not matter.

I have been made to stop and think about my views on certain subjects by the contributions to this thread about a subject which I hitherto never thought about, and THAT in itself is a fact to be lauded.