I am a 43yr old male married with a 5 year old child. I am suffering from depression from last 10months. Before that I was living a normal life. I am a working employee. And during this last 10 months I lost interest in life. I don't feel like doing anything. I stopped going out or meet friends and relatives. I just stay at home on weekends either continuously watching TV or browsing the net. My appetite has gone low. I have disturbed sleep. And feel very low in the mornings. I don't talk to my wife nor spend time with my daughter. I am always worried I may loose my job and my family would be destroyed due to my condition. Previously I had depression in 2009 it was for 6-7 months. I suffered depression for the first time in 1996 for a few months again in 2002 for more than an year. During that period I also tried committing suicide by consuming sleeping pills. I tried medication during all this bouts of depression but never completed the course. I don't find any particular reason for finding myself in dep, session. I have stopped allopathy medication due to side effects. I am on homeopathy medication from last 3 months. But I am not finding any difference. Rather I'm feeling more depressed. I am loosing hope.

Dr. Saul PereiraPsychologist47yrs exp

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You have been in treatment in fits and starts and so has your illness. The lack of consistency is one major problem in your approach in the treatment of this condition. The second big drawback is that you have not combined therapy with the medication. It is absolutely a must to work with a counselor and deal with so many other aspects f this condition that in isolation medication cannot be give you the total benefits of combined therapies. The third worst thing that you are doing is to regulate the medication on your own. That is very immature and can only lead to regular relapses. You have what is an anger-related depression and so there will be violence towards self in the form of suicide: you have become your worst enemy. This anger may be rooted in your childhood and it will help to investigate that and locate the genesis and treat the same with some therapy. In the meantime you can follow these simple rules too: Have a good night?s sleep, have a good breakfast of more proteins, meditate often, remain free of stress, eat a lot of fiber, nuts, avocado, exercise regularly, eat dark chocolate, do Yoga meditation exercises, etc. I suggest you do the opposite of what this depression makes you feel like doing (actually, not doing): you will need to fight this condition. You must become active; stay upright during the daylight time; meet people; never sleep during the day, wake up by 6 am every day, play some active games, especially contact games, do physical exercises, talk to people and join some social clubs, attend Yoga classes etc. Watch sitcoms on TV or comedies and cheer yourself up. Go for excursions in groups, for outings, camps, conferences, and religious conventions. Get a pet dog and spend time training it, exercising it and relating to it. Expose yourself to some sunlight every day, at least 30 minutes but not in the scotching heat. Whatever happens, please incorporate these three important adaptations in your life: always be responsible, be respectful, and be functional. If you did these three, lots of things will go well in life. Please pray and have faith in God to alleviate your sufferings. Don?t wait for others to help. Use your own motivation, which might be at its lowest, but persevere and win this battle. Above all to be really happy, you need to live in love and for love: you have a wife and beautiful child. If they don?t experience love from you they may themselves lose the motivation and become depressed. In fact your child is already carrying your genes! Work with a counselor who is there only to facilitate you, all the hard word must come from you, and your cooperation with that person is very critical for your success. Be positive everyday and learn to be contended with what you have. Do some left brain exercises: it is the happy brain. Here are a few suggestions: shut your left nostril and breathe, move your eyes from right to left and vice versa for at least half a minute at a time, and do calisthenic exercises with some form of counting, regularly. 

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