AnCath13 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I've dealt with severe depression for 23 years with various ups and downs. I've home schooled my children for 7 years and they're happy and well-adjusted, on par with where they should be education-wise. I've also tutored in our community for two years. This year my mental health took a huge nose-dive. Everyday my mind is in hell. Schooling and schedules have been eclectic and random. I've been on different meds and none of them work, in fact they all make me feel worse. I hate feeling out-of-control and I'm wondering--has anyone else gone through this, and what did you do? Should I put my kids in school? They're so happy at home that it saddens me to think of doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Since the kids are happy at home could you maybe hire a tutor to come in a couple of times a week to keep them on track with school work and provide some extra accountability? Maybe a retired homeschooler? I'm so sorry you are dealing with this and hope you find treatment for your depression that works for you; it can be such a tough disease to manage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Have you seen an actual psychiatrist rather than just a family doctor? It can be tough to find the right med combo, and a psych will be able to tweak things much more effectively than the average GP. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 My depression seems so much better since I have been in Deplin and have worked to treat MTHFR. Have you had any genetic testing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Genetic testing may be worthwhile, my husband's Dr. ordered a panel that checks for genetic mutations affecting the metabolism of psychiatric medications; the report gives recommendations on which medications are likely to work as normally prescribed and which ones may not work as well or need special dosage tweaking--dh is a fast metabolizer for some medications. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I am wondering if the kids are happy, your depression is not affecting them? My mom had a lot of anxiety that affected me so, so much. I was the oldest and I was always "fixing" things she was doing. I didn't understand her problem was anxiety at the time. I just knew she didn't think as clearly as other people's parents. Dealing with the kid's school might be as stressful as home schooling depending on your school district. I know that we did two hours of home work a night with my oldest, I was so relieved that home schooling was actually easier because I could organize and plan three hours of school work a day myself, have her do some independent reading and I would be done with school, versus trying to get homework and school projects done in the evening when she was tired and I wanted to relax myself. I have a friend who once called her son's teacher at midnight. The teacher answered the phone and my friend asked the teacher, "what are you doing?" the teacher said she was sleeping, my friend told her, "that's great that you can sleep, we're still doing homework. I'll be giving you updates." My friend can laugh about it now, that teacher was famous for all the homework. The teacher was lots of fun in class, but farmed out all the actual learning for parents. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Genetic testing may be worthwhile, my husband's Dr. ordered a panel that checks for genetic mutations affecting the metabolism of psychiatric medications; the report gives recommendations on which medications are likely to work as normally prescribed and which ones may not work as well or need special dosage tweaking--dh is a fast metabolizer for some medications. (sorry to hijack) wow, that's something...never heard of doing that, but that is really something 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinaPagnato Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Welcome to the forums! Sorry for how you've been feeling. It may help to know the ages of your kids and how many you have. For example, erratic schooling of an 8th grader would be of more concern to me than erratic schooling of a 2nd grader. That being said, if your kids are doing well in all respects, then I would ride out the school year with them at home, then re-assess in the summer. But I would absolutely see a psych to regulate your meds. Are you eating and sleeping? Getting any exercise? Vitamin D? These can all help. :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamppost Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Overall, I think it's helpful to think of your own health the way they explain what to do in an emergency- put on your own oxygen mask and make sure you can breathe, then turn to your little ones and help them with theirs. 23 years is a long time to suffer from severe depression. Have you had a good therapist as well as a psychiatrist? Ever tried EMDR or otherwise addressing any past trauma? Or something more drastic like electro-shock therapy? I have a friend whose severe depression responded to nothing except finally, as a last resort, she tried electro-shock and is finally functional and content. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 (sorry to hijack) wow, that's something...never heard of doing that, but that is really something Yeah, this is not a well-established medical field yet, and I imagine the information and recommendations currently available are far from 100% accurate or complete. We're just beginning to skim the surface of individualized medicine based on our own specific genetic profiles, I hope and expect to see this field progress rapidly in the coming decades. I really think it could result in a huge transformation of medicine, especially pharmacology and nutrition. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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