Clairabel

@Seppli: Just so we're clear, I'm sane. I have a chemical imbalance in my brain which makes me depressed, hence the medical treatment. Don't look down on those who need help.

@Dagbiker: I came off my mirtazipine before and that lead to a manic and destructive episode where I hurt myself and wanted to die. I won't be doing that with these meds, I'm too frightened of the withdrawal syndrome.

@forkboy said:

In fact this thread is kind of timely as I've recently been contemplating going to the GP again, probably been 9 months since my last attempt. But I guess after another half-hearted attempt at a suicide attempt (yeah, don't buy the people who glibly dismiss suicide as a cowards way out because it's a pretty difficult thing to do, go against your own programming to stay alive)

People need to realise that it's not an easy way out, it's the sign of a broken mind losing the will to live with the pain anymore.

Please get back and see your GP again and get the ball rolling on your recovery - the one thing about depression is that it can be dealt with. You never get rid of it, it never leaves you, but you learn to cope with it with the right treatment.

@FluxWaveZ: If you're thinking about suicide then there's something not right there - do you think CBT is something that will help? Maybe you need to see a psychiatrist or a counsellor to talk through your feelings and symptoms. If you ever feel like you're going to kill yourself, get yourself down to the hospital and get immediate treatment for your own safety.

@Seppli: There's feeling blue, and there's trying to kill yourself because you are in the depths of despair. Each to their own, but without the mental diagnosis, I would be dead.

@Rockingham: Yeah, my medication has really scary sounding side-effects - this is from Wikipedia (SSRI discontinuation syndrome):

Sudden discontinuation of venlafaxine (brand name Effexor) has a high risk of causing potentially severe withdrawal symptoms. Even missing a single dose can cause symptoms of withdrawal. The high risk of withdrawal symptoms reflects venlafaxine's short half-life as well as its effect as a dual uptake inhibitor. Discontinuations have a tendency to be significantly stronger than the withdrawal effects of other antidepressants including the tricyclic antidepressants, but are similar in nature to those of SSRIs with a short half-life such as paroxetine.
Symptoms of discontinuation are similar to other antidepressants including irritability, restlessness, headache, nausea, fatigue, excessive sweating, dysphoria, tremor, vertigo, irregularities in blood pressure, dizziness, visual and auditory hallucinations, feelings of abdominal distension, and paresthesia. Other non-specific mental symptoms may include impaired concentration, bizarre dreams, delirium, cataplexy, agitation, hostility, and worsening of depressive symptoms. Online help groups consistently mention withdrawal from venlafaxine as triggering dreams of a particularly distressing and hellish quality.
Electric shock sensations have also been reported with many patients describing the symptoms as "brain zaps". It has been suggested the sensations may represent an alteration of neuronal activity in the central nervous system.

@Rockingham: That's great to hear, I want to be off meds eventually, but only when I'm well and ready to come off them. My mom's actually bipolar too, which along with my depression, gives me a 74% chance (so I've been told anyway) of having bipolar disorder too.

@IBurningStar said:

@phrali: Yeah, it was a MMO and it was a complete and total shit show that was almost universally despised.

Although it's been completely redone and is going to be rereleased by the looks of it. It would be awesome to have a fully-fledged FF MMO.

@CaLe: I'm already fat, so if I gained weight I wouldn't notice! Seriously, I'm doing absolutely fine with venlafaxine - I've heard it's like the Marmite of the antidepressant world, you're either really good on it, or really bad on it. Luckily, I'm doing well, the only noticable side effects after four weeks is the occasional headache and tummy grumble. I've read that getting off them is hard because the withdrawal symptoms are terrifying, but the psychiatric nurse told me realistically I'll be on these for at least a year to be safe.

@Bassman2112: Your blog was wonderful to read - I always find it comforting to read about other people's experiences with depression. I'm glad you've found a way out, and thank you :)

@Toxeia: I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you. Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain - it's not as black and white as simply making yourself happy, or snapping out of it. It is a horrible, uncontrollable illness as damaging as a physical, visible condition.

@BoG: When I first got ill with it, I was very ashamed of it - I felt weak and didn't want anyone talking about me and my condition. It's not my fault, yet I feel like it is.

@MikeGosot: Sounds like anxiety, I have panic attacks a lot of the time as well as general nerves - I'd go see a doctor about it if you can, or research it a little yourself to see how to cope with it.

@laserbolts: I think it's down to individuals based on how they want to be treated - I know I'd be dead if I wasn't on my meds.

@Clonedzero said:

eh, i dunno the addition of co-op INSTANTLY makes it less scary, by like ten-fold. probably the worst thing to do in a horror game is make it co-op or multiplayer.

My thoughts exactly.

Visceral haven't exactly been reassuring about the fact that the fans are worried about the lack of horror in the new game - especially as they're quick to not use the word 'horror' in any of their news releases about the game.