On Depression

[Phaedrus 209521]

A very good blogpost. Far too long to post here, but well worth your time.

 

http://popehat.com/2015/05/21/happy-to-be-here/

[bcguy42 38594]

Indeed, a well written, very honest piece. I envy his honesty.

[Guest Lep*******1**7]

Great article. I too wish I could be as open about my own situation. Trying to tough it and go it alone doesn't work.

 

Like the quote: "Laughter is defiance, it's power, it's hope. A thing I can laugh at does not fully control me."

[ChloeSummers 8409]

[Manluvsex 13731]

I have been suffering with depression for a lot of my adult life. For most of that time I have been taking one or more type of medication. While it has been kind of hit and miss, the most recent cocktail has helped to some degree to limit the symptoms of my depression. I am aware that drugs are not always a solution to depression as they don't deal with underlying causes such as loneliness, lack of interest in life, social isolation and lack of satisfaction with life's activities.

 

One of the serious downsides of most anti-depressants is their effects on sex drive, erections and the ability to com. In my case I continue to be interested in sex, although the opportunity only arrives when I see one of the lovely ladies on the site. But not being able to hold an erection or to com when I am with someone I connect with and find sexy is a real bummer and an embarrassment. I am working with a psychologist right now to rely less on medication, while increasing my social, intellectual and physical activities. One of my motivators to try this approach is to be able to fully enjoy sex again.

 

Anyhow, enough about me, I came across this article by a sex educator JoEllen Notte who did an informal survey of depressed persons to discover how it impacts on their sexuality and how depression is dealt with in couples.

 

http://www.vice.com/read/a-sex-educator-is-finally-getting-people-talking-about-depression-and-sex?preview&cb=1470437919

 

One quote from the article that I connected with is: "My intention with this project was to give people a voice and help them feel less alone in this experience. I never really expected it to go the direction it has, with all the research; that's been a pleasant surprise. It all started because people felt they weren't being believed, particularly by the medical community..."