For weeks now I've had not even the slightest motivation to do anything, have had trouble sleeping, felt alone and disconnected from family and the few friends I may have, and have been feeding myself constant thoughts of hopelessness and worthlessness.

I've lately been feeling physically unhealthy inconsistently the past week and all the above symptoms I've researched are all signs of clinical depression. I've never felt to be in a spot like this before and am not sure what the necessary steps are. I'll figure it out as I talk this over with my family, because I truly believe I need at least some sort of counseling. But I was wondering if anyone might be able to let me know what I might be in store for. I refuse to turn to medicine because this has only recently sprung up ever since a terrible turn of life events.

Medicine is assigned to go together with psychotherapy for the best results, but most of the cases can be resolved without meds as long as the patient is willing to go through therapy without any external sources of motivation. That being said, therapy will require a lot from you, the therapist won't be able to fix you up if you won't be willing to cooperate and go through your darkest problems. You might even find out a lot of new things about yourself that might not be pleasing (for example remembering traumatizing events that have been pushed out of your consciousness) Also, some interpretations the therapist will say might be hard to handle, many patients get angry or even quit therapy when the therapist provides a point of view on some sensitive subject that is completely different from the patient's. So you will have to be open minded and willing to accept changes. A good therapist will gradually progress you down the therapy, he won't attack you on the first day saying this is bad and this is good, so you have nothing to worry about, the first few sessions will be like having a casual conversation with a friend about the problems at hand. Trusting your therapist is essential, so if after a few sessions you will feel that you don't trust him/her, or that if his applied methods are a bit too bizarre- don't be afraid to find another specialist, because therapists are just humans and they might make mistakes when choosing the right approach to tackle your problems.

Quote from Sacred

I refuse to turn to medicine because this has only recently sprung up ever since a terrible turn of life events.

if your depressive state is simply a reaction to recent negative life events, then medicine shouldn't be necessary.

that said, clinical depression is an imbalance of neurotransmitters, the root cause is physical and can't always be treated through therapy alone. my only advice to you is to see a therapist and if they suggest medicinal therapy, don't take an ideological stance against it, they won't suggest it if it isn't necessary.

That helps a lot sss thanks for the heads up.

Quote from Jutsu

You're in for a roller coaster of pain and inner turmoil. But I thought you were no stranger to depression.

Something that helps me is consistently exercising, sure your mentality can effect your physicality, but I've found it works both ways.

I have vented a shit-ton on this forum plenty of times before. But I was never truly depressed. Rather I was always angry or upset with my own actions or the actions of others, predicting that things wouldn't change. But this is different. I'm aware that I'm thinking unreasonably now but can't do anything to change it. Distractions don't help and I can't seem to think rationally about decision-making or friendship-connection because my thoughts are too clouded.

And I have been hitting the gym regularly 3 times a week. The only good thing going for me in my life right now is my health, which I'm happy for but still can't escape the above issues.

Doing sports will work for sure bro,try to find a sports club and hang out with some guys.
The most important thing is to remember that you have a life to live,dont just waste it,no one knows what will happen tommorow.
And dont get near the meds,they will ruin your life.
I hope you get well soon.

Quote from Sacred

I have vented a shit-ton on this forum plenty of times before. But I was never truly depressed. Rather I was always angry or upset with my own actions or the actions of others, predicting that things wouldn't change. But this is different. I'm aware that I'm thinking unreasonably now but can't do anything to change it. Distractions don't help and I can't seem to think rationally about decision-making or friendship-connection because my thoughts are too clouded.

And I have been hitting the gym regularly 3 times a week. The only good thing going for me in my life right now is my health, which I'm happy for but still can't escape the above issues.

Well at least you have health.

Since it's a personal issue, there really is no escape to be had. You can't really get away from yourself, I understand what that's like. Instead of searching for distractions which can only grant momentary reprieve but ultimately do nothing to ameliorate the situation you're in, you should consider seeking things that please you. Pirate the PDF of a book you're interested in, start practicing a new skill, allow yourself to be okay.

And it's not easy, it's hella not easy.

Quote from Samy Ichiro

Doing sports will work for sure bro,try to find a sports club and hang out with some guys.

And dont get near the meds,they will ruin your life.

antidepressants help a lot more people than they hurt. please don't try to give advice on topics that you clearly don't know much about.

Quote from Samy Ichiro

Doing sports will work for sure bro,try to find a sports club and hang out with some guys.
The most important thing is to remember that you have a life to live,dont just waste it,no one knows what will happen tommorow.
And dont get near the meds,they will ruin your life.
I hope you get well soon.

When you're depressed everyday life becomes a burden, therefore a depressed person does not perceive the life the same way a healthy one does, there is no positive side for him and saying "hurr durr there's much to live for, hurr durr try traveling" won't help, because all he wants to do is lay in bed and wait for the pain to go away. So a clinically depressed person will find no joy in activities that bring joy to you (in this case- sports). Also simply stating that meds are bad and will ruin his life is retarded.

Quote from Exilement

antidepressants help a lot more people than they hurt. please don't try to give advice on topics that you clearly don't know much about.

I am a doc bro,I dont have much experience in the field cuz I am new but for far as I treated people I found that using ATD can be avoided.
You cant just prescribe the ATD to a patient just cuz he is dpressed,we always begin the diagnostic by motivating the patient, asking him whats getting him depressed and trying to avoid the drugs,although there are some plants that may work and they dont have so much side effects like the ATD,if there is no solution we go for the meds,but there will be always some side effects.

Quote from Samy Ichiro

I am a doc bro,I dont have much experience in the field cuz I am new but for far as I treated people I found that using ATD can be avoided.
You cant just prescribe the ATD to a patient just cuz he is dpressed,we always begin the diagnostic by motivating the patient, asking him whats getting him depressed and trying to avoid the drugs,although there are some plants that may work and they dont have so much side effects like the ATD,if there is no solution we goes for the meds,but there will be always some side effects.

This is the post of 2014.

Pure gold.

Quote from Samy Ichiro

I am a doc bro,I dont have much experience in the field cuz I am new but for far as I treated people I found that using ATD can be avoided.
You cant just prescribe the ATD to a patient just cuz he is dpressed,we always begin the diagnostic by motivating the patient, asking him whats getting him depressed and trying to avoid the drugs,although there are some plants that may work and they dont have so much side effects like the ATD,if there is no solution we go for the meds,but there will be always some side effects.

#idunbelieveit

Quote from Samy Ichiro

You cant just prescribe the ATD to a patient just cuz he is dpressed,we always begin the diagnostic by motivating the patient, asking him whats getting him depressed and trying to avoid the drugs

did I say that he should just go straight for drug therapy? did I say there's no possible alternative?

you said drugs will ruin his life which is absolutely, verifiably, 100% grade-A bullshit, and in your next post you stated that they're prescribed when there's no alternative solution. so when you run out of options, you prescribe drugs that you think ruin peoples lives? honestly, what the fuck are you talking about?

telling someone that antidepressants will ruin their life is fucking retarded. like the kind of thing I expect from someone who has absolutely zero knowledge whatsoever about depression. if you're a doctor you're either far more clueless in this field than you realize, or you should seriously consider changing your field of study.

My issue with taking any sort of anti-depressant is just a firm belief that what I'm going through isn't a chemical imbalance or anything of the like. I'm not going to dump all my problems on all you guys, but I will share that as of late most of the aspects of my life have not been doing so hot, and affects any other aspects of my life that could be okay via my motivation. I truly believe that this is a legitimate natural depression that can be helped from professional help. I'm trying my best to refrain myself from falling into any suicidal thoughts and think that in order to help myself I need to admit that I need help.

Quote from Exilement

did I say that he should just go straight for drug therapy? did I say there's no possible alternative?

you said drugs will ruin his life which is absolutely, verifiably, 100% grade-A bullshit, and in your next post you stated that they're prescribed when there's no alternative solution. so when you run out of options, you prescribe drugs that you think ruin peoples lives? honestly, what the fuck are you talking about?

I meant they will help but there is a risk but using the word "RUIN" ruined the whole phrase lol (english is my third language)

I hope the best for you Sacred.