In my experience, depression is not very easy to shake off.  I don’t really feel anti depressants are the answer either.  They may help some people, but in my case they made the situation worse. 

I did read a good book which helped with recovery from depression, and basically it was not too dissimilar to what Danny is saying.  You are the one in control or how you feel and no one else can make you feel bad.  they can say things and do things, but if you haven’t got a good self esteem anyway, you will let it get to you.  Inevitably you can even believe half of what is said and accept half of what is done.  Strength comes from inside and once you have it, basically it would take a lot to knock it.  

What is most poignant for me was when I was depressed I needed help from people and I relied on them more, i.e. family.   But they felt I was TOO dependant and clingy and that I needed to snap out of it.  NOW I don’t need folks around irnoically this is I feel because I learned to not rely on people TOO much in life.  So I have had this big negative feedback thing happen where I don’t even like getting attached to folks TOO much in case I get too emotionally involved and let them affect my life.   I think I’d rather be like this though and not give a tosh about what folks say or think than the other way around. 

I think basically you have to find a place where you feel  happy with yourself and your life, and when that happens, it helps.  I was not born with any congenital abnormality, but my life has been no picnic either--and each person has their own tolerance levels--so what feels  intolerable to some is almost certainly intolerable to others.  Like Danny says, there is always so one worse off than your self or in a worse situation than you could fins yourself in and if you don’t control your own destiny, you get sucked down. 

When  my son was born with this condtion I thought my whole world was caving in.  However, sometime later my attitude changed to a much different perpective as their was a baby in the opposite cot diagnosed with hydrocephalus and she was born at 32 weeks.  She had been in that cot way before we were admitted to the ward with our son and she was there no doubt long after we left---two weeks we stayed.  I still wonder what happened to her now really.  She did not respond to anything held in front of her and appeared blind.  She nearly died several times a day and her monitor was going off constantly as if she had stopped breathing.  She looked brain damaged and looking at her, although I was uncertain of my sons future at that point, he was very alert and aware of his surroundings and in a way I knew that mentally and physically he was going to be ok.  

My point is, when you see something worse than your child has, or someone in a worse position in life, you are often very grateful for the fact that you were blessed.   I have one firend that cannot get beyond 8 weeks pregnant without losing her babies.  I have five--and one has CAH and I think basically I was blessed when I look at others.

Maybe that is the key to feeling better about your own life.  Speniding some time with others who have had a harder lot dealt to them in life?

 

Cheers

 

Anne-Marie