I have 3 maladies whose symptoms look exactly like depression, and one is clinical depression. It took me 7 years to find the right meds to treat all three maladies, now I found the right meds (lithium! yay!) and I'm a new man. I'm confident, I can do smalltalk, I have the energy to work out, and I look great and feel great.
Try different meds, including lithium, and see how they work. Lithium has no side effects and it's generic and cheap. It is less than my copay for generic meds.
Before I got on meds I was a body builder, 90 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week. Some exercise helped...to a point. I also was required to take a speech class in college. Best thing I ever did for my confidence. I continued public speaking occasionally in my office jobs doing presentations, which helped my confidence more. I went to office parties, practiced small talk whenever I could. The more I practiced, the better I got.
First step for you: find the right meds. Give a med 3 months to work. If it doesn't work find something new.
I'm also on 4000iu of Vit D (per doctor), and 8333% Vit B12, both of which help my energy levels a lot. A blood test confirmed I have low D and B12. Low B12 is caused by one of my other maladies.
I did find a loving gf and she also helped me by listening to me talk when I had a bad day. Though in the end we were not compatible, she did make a big impact on my life.
One bad thing for me, about relationships, was I thought I needed an aggressive woman. I did not like submissive women at the time. It turned out, another gf turned her aggression on me! My condition messed up my choices in women sometimes. While I still like assertive women, I'm careful to make sure they don't have any mental problems and are not abusive.
Yes, you can find someone, but make sure they don't have too many problems. Identify problems early on. Are they abusive? Are they too clingy? Are they there for you when you need them? Are they loving, kind and sincere?
Last edited by bulrush; 14-12-11 at 10:14 PM.
I have a long time interest in psychology, specializing in relationship dynamics for 30 years.
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