Hi MDDDW21, Welcome to the site. Thanks for sharing your introduction here with us. You have found a great place to share your feelings and experiences of depression with members who truly understand what it is like to feel this way. Feel free to roam through the site. In addition to this support group we have a great online depression program based on cognitive behavioral therapy that members have had great success with. As you move through the Depression Program the worksheets will change as you change. Make sure you give yourself time to do the homework properly - you know your depression best so it's really up to you to decide how often you do your homework. Take your time when you do your homework, there is no rush! Each session in the Depression Program is based on previous sessions, and if you track your mood with your Mood Tracker (and keep notes in the spaces provided) you'll see much improvement over the coming weeks. At the beginning of each session we give you a Weekly Review, which allows you to see how far you've progressed. We save your Weekly Review results in your Session Diary, so you will see a collection of results, which are all based on what you write in your worksheets. CBT is a lot of work but the good news is that if you follow the program it will all come together for you as you start to feel better. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any other questions or concerns. We can be reached via the feedback link provided. Take care, we look forward to hearing from you again soon. Casey __________________________________ The Depression Center Support Team

Hi, This is all very very new to me. The past month for me has been both scary and eye opening. I could feel that something was different. I am just not myself. In the past month, I have had lots of tears and unexplainable sadness and lack of eating and been generally lonely. I thought that it may have been jitters, as there have been many changes going on in my life that all happened in the course of 3 weeks. I am extremely close with my family and all five of us live in different states, I got a new job recently because I was miserable at my old job and I have not really coped with or been able to talk to my family or friends about my feelings. I realized something was wrong when I had a panic attack (my first) at a family dinner. Shortly after, I realized that my feelings were not subsiding. I saught out therapy, as I could not handle and did not know how to handle my overwhelming emotions! I am 23 years old and have never been depressed prior to now. I am seeing a therapist who has diagnosed me with a major depression. I am taking Prozac and I am almost complete with my first week. My emotions range from scared to sad and back again in the course of a day. I am having a hard time coping with the label of being depressed, but I know deep in my heart that accepting this is an important part of the battle. I have a hard time accepting the feelings and moving on because it upsets me that I am a person who is filled with so much love and support from my family and friends, but still feel this way. I have joined this online community as a way to cope and get better, along with my therapist and medication. I am hoping for a speedy recovery!