Depression and feeling like an outsider

1. try an antidepressant, keep taking it without changing the dosage. try this for at last one year.

2. when you feel down and you're feeling worse and worse, try going out and walking for at least 15 or 45 min, or find something to do. breathe. don't stay in one place. don't let immobility and routine drown you. if you can do something that can make you move and make memories, you should do it. depression is a brain which is being less and less active. make it work and sense stuff.

3. try to see the good sides of your situation. you live in a developed country, you eat every day, you have a minimum of education. in many countries, people don't know what the Pythagorean theorem is.

4. if you're young, feeling down is normal. be thankful you're not part of the people who are diagnosed with major depression, or with veterans who have PTSD or any other trauma.

5. depression is normal in our era. there was a recession, and the economy is going towards less human contact. that should mean bigger opportunity for people who have the courage to seek human contact.

As somebody who has suffered from depression and anxiety, this is (mostly) fantastic advice. I waited so long to try an SSRI because so many insist that they don't work. Yet, when I got on 20 mg of citalopram, panic attacks disappeared leaving only occasional situational anxiety, and my major depressive episodes were reduced to just a little occasional sadness (though this is admittedly confounded with a half dozen other measures I took).

Exercise is probably the reason I survived pre-citalopram. For me, the high only lasted while I was running and probably resulted in some overkill cardio, but just having a reliable method to make myself feel better was vital.

Sorry to hear about your situation. If it helps, I can relate somewhat, as a founder who has struggled with depression at times. I wish I had some magic incantation to give you to help, but unfortunately I don't. I can say this though:

1. If you ever just need somebody to talk to, feel free to give me a shout.

2. Fish-oil is widely considered to be an effective over-the-counter / natural supplement that helps with depression. I've used it before and seen noticeable results.

3. Regarding feeling like an outsider: Maybe you are an outsider. And maybe that's not a bad thing at all. Maybe consider a worldview where your outsider status is irrelevant or even a positive. Try reading The Fountainhead or some Nietzsche for inspiraton?

4. You may find some value in reading the philosophy of the Stoics[1]. The Meditations[2] by Marcus Aurelius might be a worthwhile read.

[1]: http://www.iep.utm.edu/stoicism/

[2]: http://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.html

As someone around the same age, this problem of depression seems to have affected almost everyone I know our age at some point. It is normal to feel depressed and down, especially at this age. I don't claim to have any answers, but as my best friend is going through a similar depression episode at the very moment, the article stuck a chord with me. My only advice is just to remember your situation can be changed in a short amount of time. People tend to get stuck into routines and not realize the vast amount of freedom they actually have, especially when they are young and free to do almost anything.

It can be very hard sometimes to separate out the "Reality" thoughts vs. "We're all doomed" thoughts. There is a difference, often.