Victoria, Welcome to the site. I don't know exactly what brought you to the doctor's for a diagnosis, but for me it was actually a relief. I thought I was litterally loosing my mind, and would never come back from the dark. It was a little scary at first with the whole "what will people think" issue, but still it was a relief to know that someone thought they could help me feel better. It's important to be good to yourself, and be patient. As MRB said if you are being put on meds, it takes at least two weeks for them to get into your system. Exercise, meditation, light therapy and making sure you try to accomplish at least one thing a day are good things to help keep your spirits up. Let us know how things are going. Kelly

Victoria, Welcome to The Depression Center. We thank you for sharing your story with us today. This support group is full of supportive individuals who may be able to help you answer some questions regarding Depression. If you look to the left of the screen under "TOOLS" you will find many supportive tests. These tests are not diagnostic tools and are not a replacement or substitute for a physicians advice. The purpose of these tests is to prepare you with information that you can present to your physician. When you're finished the test, you can either print your Final Report or email it directly to your doctor. This may better assess the situation. We also have developed a Depression Program. This program is 16-weeks and involves the tools mentioned above. Each session is based on the previous session, so we strongly advise that you work slowly through the program and not jump ahead. If you have any questions or concerns with our "TOOLS" you can contact our support department at support@depressioncenter.net. Take care and we hope to hear from you soon. Josie ___________________________________ The Depression Center Support Team.

Hi Victoria Just a quick message to welcome you to the Support Group. I hope you will find it helpful, and will have a look at the DC program as well. I'm sure it must be confusing if you've only recently been diagnosed. To the left of the postings is an information panel "Education" which gives helpful information about depression. There is also a lot of information within the postings themselves. And of course you can always post in again yourself giving some more detail if you would like help on a particular point. As far as preliminary advice is concerned, I would have to be very general. Give yourself time to sort yourself and your feelings out. Depression doesn't normally last forever, and there is a lot of help available. If you have been put on antidepressants these can be very effective, but it often takes a week or two before they start to work. Side effects however usually kick in almost straight away! These often improve with time and some disappear altogether. Also with antidepressants, it is very much a matter of trial and error as to whether any particular one will help you. It will usually take a few weeks to know if a particular medication is going to suit you. But don't worry if it doesn't, as there are several dozen commonly used antidepressants so there is bound to be one that will help you. Try writing your thoghts and feelings down as this may help you to clarify them and give you some distance from them. I also think it's important to remember that "depression" is a label really. This label can be useful, as can the process of diagnosis etc, but what is really important is YOU, your thoughts and feelings about your life and how to live it. Oh dear - my quick message has turned out to be longer than I thought! I am sorry if I have given information you already know or have missed out something that would be really helpful for you. I hope you will post back to let us know how you are getting on. We are all in the same boat here. This is a friendly suppotive group but the forum can be slow moving at times. I think time zones may have something to do with this and peoples' dspression itself can sometimes make it difficult to post in. Best wishes MRB :)

Hi..well..just been diagnosed with depression about a month ago, so now i'm looking for as much help as possible. Still not real clear on all that's going on in my head..if there is any advice that could be shared..it will be greatly appreciated!