Too depressed to heal or want to heal

[Dyess]

I watched a Kati Morton video today about being too depressed to heal or want to heal. Hmmmmmm...that's why I feel so stuck here. But never thought of it being that simple. That's why there needs to be a balance of medication /therapy, so they say. If you are too depressed you lack motivation to want to get better or do anything really. So if for some reason, personal belief, no insurance, no money, and you don't have access to medication how do you motivate yourself to get better?

[Dutch Uncle]

So if for some reason, personal belief, no insurance, no money, and you don't have access to medication how do you motivate yourself to get better?

Is that a real life question for you, or just a thought?

[Dyess]

Both I don't really care to take antidepressants. So how would that part of the motivation be accomplished? Or can it be? If there's a chemical imbalance how would someone without access to medication even have a chance to recover?

[Dutch Uncle]

Both I don't really care to take antidepressants. So how would that part of the motivation be accomplished? Or can it be? If there's a chemical imbalance how would someone without access to medication even have a chance to recover?

I see. You really do want to have an opinion.

First of: I'm not a psychologist or anything near a health-care professional. So I really don't know anything about it.
Having said that:
If it's the case that a chemical imbalance is the major factor of the depression, then not re-balancing the chemical situation will, by definition, keep the depression at it's current state.
Since I find 'matters of he mind/brain/soul' often so difficult to grasp I try to find a more factual/solid/physical analogy, so here it goes: If I'm severely dehydrated, I first will have to take re-hydration stuff (which is yuck, I've had to take it, it's truly disgusting) to get my body in a state where I would be able to digest food. Skipping the re-hydration stuff and go directly to food will not re-hydrate me, since my system cannot digest the food. This is a well established fact. A similar process is present for people who have practically starved for food: they have to be kept away from copious amounts of food.

If your personal belief is that you cannot be cured from depression: That's a tough one, since no therapy can work if the subject is not willing/able to cooperate.
What personal belief do you have that keeps digging at your motivation regarding curing your depression?

No insurance, no money and not having access to medication are probably all sides of the same coin: having no means.
IIRC you're from the UK, so that shouldn't be a deal-braker.
You should be able to get free care to get you at least up to work a crap job, or unemployment benefit, and so yes, it will be a long road before you are finally out of the pit, but it will be a way out.
It's investing all your means, however meager, in yourself (sounds crap, I know).

As a last note: If you're scared of medication, and you keep stuck in your depression, please reconsider. You wouldn't refuse antibiotics if you're terribly ill, would you?

Take care, Trace. Care of yourself. You're worth it. Really!

[tired]

There is a part of you that's strong enough to overcome the apathy of depression otherwise you wouldn't have the drive to be here, on this forum. But you're right about the main problem you bring up.  You would think someone else, a friend or family member, would take over.  Someone who would care about you when you don't care about yourself.  That's what "should" happen. 

For me it was more a matter of realizing that my kids needed me and in a sense they cared, so that broke through the depression.  In a way, I don't want to get better.  I mean if I didn't have kids I probably wouldn't care.  It sounds awful to say but I don't know if I care about myself for myself. 

[tired]

I do things.  I do things I enjoy that feel productive. Then I feel like me, I feel valuable, I feel like life has some meaning.  It helps when I get sunshine and relax a bit so I go to the grocery store and feel the sun on my face, then I get some stuff and bring it home then clean the kitchen and I feel normal for a bit. 

I help people and that makes me feel so much better. I would say my sanity probably depends on that more than anything.  If people need me, depend on me, want to be around me for support, that makes me feel responsible and important. Even if it's one person and even if I'm doing the smallest thing. 

[EmoVulcan]

This hits me in my gut.  I have tried lets see, Zoloft, serezone, depakote, an a couple others,, and they all just left flat.  No up, no down.  And I felt dead, like walking dead, apathetic.  Loss of income meant loss if meds in any case, and behind so much red ink as it was, that usually meant I fell into the pit I was not even completely out of. 

I now am sitting here wanting to ask why my medical marijuana is not good for me, as it seems to Blunt the sharpness of my pain, and then I can think, just not in hyperfast catch me if you can spurts of self deprecation and self bolster ideas.  I can actually wrestle with my issues and have made some sense out of what intellectually I know, I just do not feel it, the stuffed stuff.  I feel I can let a little go at a time with my tinctures and oils, even edible goodies.

Added bonus, it is legal here, and actually growing it has given me badly needed grounding in mother nature..a feeling of doing something, anything to care for my self as I need to, but often lack any motivation to do so.

Weed does no harm, pharma side effects are awful, and I already have kidney damage from chemical bailing wire.  So I am loath to explore this, and driven to ask anyway. A quandary, that I may not like the answers I have been trying to find.

[tired]

Unfortunately, chronic stress is also damaging to the body. You end up having to pick your poison sometimes.  As bad as medication can be, the effects of depression on the body are no joke.

[Boatsetsailrose]

As much as it was so tough to when I was badly depressed I went for a short walk everyday- I brushed my teeth and washed my face - tried to eat good food ( even though lost appetite -
I acted 'as if' in spite of my lack of motivation

It helped small consistent steps --

Stretching the body I find very good these days -
Maybe Google alternative ways through depression -
There is a lot of research on exercise aiding the mind -