Posted by asha on December 18, 2003, at 22:09:01
In reply to Re: effexor and other drugs, posted by Buggers on December 10, 2003, at 22:43:53
Hi, I just read this post and had to reply to it.
I'm 25 years old and have been struggling with depression for as long as I can remember. I was officially diagnosed when I was thirteen after a failed suicide attempt.
Your descriptions of your step-daughter sounds just like me at that age. I was deeply depressed, bulimic, doing drugs, skipping school, cutting, basically just wallowing in suffering and chaos.
I was only hospitalized the one time - for the attempted suicide. Your step-daughter is very lucky to have someone so concerned about her. Unfortunately I didn't have that. I probably should have been hospitalized for the bulimia at the very least. Luckily, I worked through that on my own.
I don't really have any great advice or insights for you. But I wanted to at least share that I went through things very similar to what you described, and I pulled through. I still struggle with depression, but it's manageable now. I've suffered from it, it has affected my life. I've returned to college and dropped out again several times because the depression kept me from being able to succeed. But I keep plugging away.
Your step-daughter has a lifetime of hard work ahead of her. The damage has already been done to her. Whatever happened to cause her suffering is now in the past and the only thing left to do is to try and survive the future.
Two things really come to mind. Finding the right therapist is probably the number one most important - and most difficult - part of the process. The right therapist will eventually be able to draw her out and get her to talk. There has to be someone out there that can reach this poor girl. It's just so hard to find them sometimes. I had a great psychiatrist when I was thirteen. But for the first several visits I didn't say a word! He was patient, though, and eventually I started to trust him and talk a little. Within a few months I really started to open up. But I hated going, I really did. I took me quite a while to warm up to the idea. So don't get too discouraged! I know counseling can help her, it just takes the right counselor and a ton of patience.
The second thing that comes to mind is medication. Getting to the root of the problem through counseling is of utmost importance, but that can take years! In the meantime, we all have to get on with life, and the Right medication makes that possible. But finding the right medication is almost as hard as finding the right therapist.
I wish I had some magical solution. I know what I went through and it breaks my heart to hear about kids going through the same thing. Best wishes to you and your step-daughter.
-Asha
poster:asha
thread:286834
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20031208/msgs/291456.html