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Depression and anxiety are real

DaveSnedeker

HR All-American
Mar 12, 2007
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Long story short -- I've always been a worrier. My colleague and I opened our own law firm last year and it has been better than we imagined. Healthy book of business, making good money, etc. Still that doesn't rest my fears that everything could be taken away at the drop of a hat.

I had a week long binding arbitration last week in Phoenix against a major Arizona law firm. The week or so leading up to the arbitration I started getting fidgety and trouble sleeping. Manifested itself during the arbitration to the point I could not sleep and was experiencing anxiety like I had never done before. Didn't affect my performance, and I think we will get a favorable result.

However, this wave of anxiety and depression really scared me. I have always been a guy who thought that anxiety and depression were a sign of weakness, and was really thrown for a loop by the whole ordeal. Looking into getting professional help. Sorry for the rant - just needed to get this off my chest.
 
It certainly is. I've thought the same way. I thought that people just needed to buck up when it came to depression. Hell my wife takes medicine for it and I still didn't really believe.

Then my brother died unexpectedly. He was 47 and was my best friend. Now 5 months later I have sunk in to this canyon of sadness and depression. I have finally decided to get help and got on some meds that should help.

It is definitely not something you can just snap out of.
 
Yup, I know of alot of family and friends that suffer through it.

First step to help is talking about it. Until physical ailments when someone mentions mental health people walk away from the issue as to not want to associate with "crazy's or weirdo's"
 
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I have had major anxiety disorders since I was in my early 20s. That was nothing compared to depression episodes that I have had. They do go hand and hand though so if you have had one you will probably get the other at some point.
 
Having some experience with this, and having family members in the profession of mental health:

1) Better to address sooner than later. No shame in taking something to "nip it in the bud." Lexapro is well tolerated and probably the most popular current anti-dep/anxiety med. Lots of people can go on and off.

2) Exercise and health is huge. Some support for the notion that hard-exercise can be as effective as a medication for some people. Try to get regular sleep if at all possible.

3) Therapy can really help -- and it doesn't have to be talk therapy. Cognitive behavior therapy is one of the most well supported via research. You learn how to deal with what your mind is throwing at you.

4) Mindfulness meditation is becoming very helpful and helping lots of people with anxiety/depression. You can work with a therapist, but there are lots of free resources. Phone-apps with exercises; lots of items on youtube. Kind of like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the focus here is sort of re-learning how to respond to what your mind throws at you. I'd definitely take a look at mindfulness.
 
I've been down that road a few times. Worst case was an ordeal involving possible arbitration. It drug on for months, then a settlement. Contemplated murder/suicide.
 
A lot of very strong and successful people suffer from this. Get some professional help and maybe contact your local bar association as almost all of them have support groups with judges and lawyers there to help. And, don't try to drink or drug your way out - never works and almost always ends in disaster.
 
Long story short -- I've always been a worrier. My colleague and I opened our own law firm last year and it has been better than we imagined. Healthy book of business, making good money, etc. Still that doesn't rest my fears that everything could be taken away at the drop of a hat.

I had a week long binding arbitration last week in Phoenix against a major Arizona law firm. The week or so leading up to the arbitration I started getting fidgety and trouble sleeping. Manifested itself during the arbitration to the point I could not sleep and was experiencing anxiety like I had never done before. Didn't affect my performance, and I think we will get a favorable result.

However, this wave of anxiety and depression really scared me. I have always been a guy who thought that anxiety and depression were a sign of weakness, and was really thrown for a loop by the whole ordeal. Looking into getting professional help. Sorry for the rant - just needed to get this off my chest.
You are definitely not alone. For me, I will share with you the #1 way I fought - and continue to fight - past it is by working out. My experience was to yours ... It sort of snuck up on me ... sleepless nights ... then the anxiety it and it was like an out of body experience. Eat well ... stay away from (a lot of) alcohol ... and exercise, exercise, and exercise ... Stay strong ...
 
Long story short -- I've always been a worrier. My colleague and I opened our own law firm last year and it has been better than we imagined. Healthy book of business, making good money, etc. Still that doesn't rest my fears that everything could be taken away at the drop of a hat.

I had a week long binding arbitration last week in Phoenix against a major Arizona law firm. The week or so leading up to the arbitration I started getting fidgety and trouble sleeping. Manifested itself during the arbitration to the point I could not sleep and was experiencing anxiety like I had never done before. Didn't affect my performance, and I think we will get a favorable result.

However, this wave of anxiety and depression really scared me. I have always been a guy who thought that anxiety and depression were a sign of weakness, and was really thrown for a loop by the whole ordeal. Looking into getting professional help. Sorry for the rant - just needed to get this off my chest.
Xanax brah
 
Long story short -- I've always been a worrier. My colleague and I opened our own law firm last year and it has been better than we imagined. Healthy book of business, making good money, etc. Still that doesn't rest my fears that everything could be taken away at the drop of a hat.

I had a week long binding arbitration last week in Phoenix against a major Arizona law firm. The week or so leading up to the arbitration I started getting fidgety and trouble sleeping. Manifested itself during the arbitration to the point I could not sleep and was experiencing anxiety like I had never done before. Didn't affect my performance, and I think we will get a favorable result.

However, this wave of anxiety and depression really scared me. I have always been a guy who thought that anxiety and depression were a sign of weakness, and was really thrown for a loop by the whole ordeal. Looking into getting professional help. Sorry for the rant - just needed to get this off my chest.
I've had this since I was 19, which is a few years. People who don't experience it just can't grasp it -- not their fault. I mean, I'm weak, but that's unrelated to the anxiety and panic.

It could be just that situation. If it rears its ugly head again, talk to your family physician and he'll either prescribe you some drug -- several are really good -- or refer you to a specialist.

Don't ignore it or refuse to ask for help (somewhere other than HROT).

Good luck.
 
The general feel is that lawyers should have it all together, know their stuff, etc. but it seems that added weight of going through the channels of a law career to get results can weigh on an individual more than people realize. Don’t think I would be up for the task. Seems there is a lot of younger lawyers out there who are probably struggling financially, looking for that one big break, man that would put a ton of pressure on a young career, all those costs of getting a degree, etc.
 
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I finally went to the doctor around May of this year. Posted about it on here at the time. Zoloft seemed to help quite a bit. I also went to a therapist. He thinks he helped but I think it was mostly the medicine.

I think I probably should have went about 10 years ago.
 
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I'm not sure how to really identify the symptom. I've read them, but honestly, they confuse me.

Can anyone give some personal accounts of what they felt, what sparked the feelings, and how you identified them. I'm asking because I'm not sure if I've ever had them through difficult time.

TIA
 
Xanax brah

Yeah, don’t go down the benzodiazepine hell hole. It’s a hell that could take years to recover from. If you do choose to, don’t go on a daily regimen and only take them only as needed. Research benzodiazepine withdrawals, opioids aren’t shit compared to getting off Xanax, Klonopin, Valium....They will destroy your brain’s cognitive function, can cause early onset Alzheimer’s and I can’t find any enjoyment in life now. They ruined my life.

Start with Lexapro and therapy.

Jack ass put me on Klonopin at 3mg a day for the last eight years. Now I will have to shoot myself to get off them. Three tries now and nothing ever eased. Withdraws can last up to two years.

One To Grow On
 
Yeah, don’t go down the benzodiazepine hell hole. It’s a hell that could take years to recover from. If you do choose to, don’t go on a daily regimen and only take them only as needed. Research benzodiazepine withdrawals, opioids aren’t shit compared to getting off Xanax, Klonopin, Valium....They will destroy your brain’s cognitive function, can cause early onset Alzheimer’s and I can’t find any enjoyment in life now. They ruined my life.

Start with Lexapro and therapy.

Jack ass put me on Klonopin at 3mg a day for the last eight years. Now I will have to shoot myself to get off them. Three tries now and nothing ever eased. Withdraws can last up to two years.

One To Grow On

Lexapro can cause ed. Welbutrin might be a better choice.
 
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They’re definitely not signs of weakness, that’s for sure. I’ve dealt with both but fortunately only had about a 2 year depression fight in my early 20’s and haven’t had issues since. I’m almost 32 now. Depression sucks, and I’m terrified of having it happen again.

I deal with anxiety on a daily basis, but have never been medicated. It’s been getting worse with age though. My anxiety/panic attacks would normally last 5-10 minutes but last month I experienced one for roughly 24 hours and it was terrible. So if that happens again I’ll be going back to my doc. I wish ya luck OP. You can always come back here and vent about it. Plenty of us here understand.
 
I'm not sure how to really identify the symptom. I've read them, but honestly, they confuse me.

Can anyone give some personal accounts of what they felt, what sparked the feelings, and how you identified them. I'm asking because I'm not sure if I've ever had them through difficult time.

TIA
If you don’t know or can’t tell them it’s probaby not. I remember thinking I was depressed in college when I was sad. Then I ACTUALLY had a horrible six month episode of depression and anxiety where I could hardly get out of bed and quit my job with no money or backup plan. Just completely irrational BS..
 
If you don’t know or can’t tell them it’s probaby not. I remember thinking I was depressed in college when I was sad. Then I ACTUALLY had a horrible six month episode of depression and anxiety where I could hardly get out of bed and quit my job with no money or backup plan. Just completely irrational BS..

I've gone through some pretty tough stuff in business over the years. But I just slogged through it. I recall just having to act like nothing was wrong. When our company survived one crisis, even my primary managers had no idea how bad things were. I had completely fooled them as I lead us through it. But man, it was tough and I wanted to run away.

There were also times during that period where I found it impossible to follow up on some things That's what I really wondered about.
 
I'm not sure how to really identify the symptom. I've read them, but honestly, they confuse me.

Can anyone give some personal accounts of what they felt, what sparked the feelings, and how you identified them. I'm asking because I'm not sure if I've ever had them through difficult time.

TIA
Hindsight is always easy with stuff like this. I can look back now and see tons of signs that I didn’t acknowledge at the time. What made me realize something wasn’t right was the reoccurring thoughts of suicide. I had it all planned out how I would do it. One night I was drunk, and thought about how messed up it was that I’ve spent so much time thinking about how I’d kill myself. That night was when I knew I wasn’t right. The next day I opened up to my parents about it because I couldn’t handle it myself. That was effing tough.
 
Hindsight is always easy with stuff like this. I can look back now and see tons of signs that I didn’t acknowledge at the time. What made me realize something wasn’t right was the reoccurring thoughts of suicide. I had it all planned out how I would do it. One night I was drunk, and thought about how messed up it was that I’ve spent so much time thinking about how I’d kill myself. That night was when I knew I wasn’t right. The next day I opened up to my parents about it because I couldn’t handle it myself. That was effing tough.

Dude, you're still not right, and now you have sick friends on HROT.

 
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So this is your favorite pop? :confused:

Obviously.

I went to a concert Tuesday night and saw a guy wearing this shirt. And he was with a chick. It made me laugh/csb
81GMlphOFvL._UX385_.jpg
 
There is a difference between clinical depression
and temporary depression.

Clinical depression is chronic and must be professionally
treated by counseling and medication.

Temporary depression is triggered by a temporary loss
in your life. It might be the death of a loved one, divorce,
job loss, These events eventually can be healed by time
and new circumstances.
 
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It certainly is. I've thought the same way. I thought that people just needed to buck up when it came to depression. Hell my wife takes medicine for it and I still didn't really believe.

Then my brother died unexpectedly. He was 47 and was my best friend. Now 5 months later I have sunk in to this canyon of sadness and depression. I have finally decided to get help and got on some meds that should help.

It is definitely not something you can just snap out of.

Doobi - sooty to hear that! Loosing a brother who is a best friend is not an easy thing to go through.. it gets easier but the void never goes away!
 
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