Have you ever suffered from a medical illness (of some sort) that made you feel depressed?

Yeah. Hypothyroidism can mask as depression, as can hypogonadotropic hypoganadism, and other illnesses as well. It is always a good idea to rule out medical causes before treating for depression.

Yes. I had serious complications after a surgery that included having a feeding tube poked hanging out of my stomach for a few months. I couldn’t eat, I was exhausted, I was in pain, and I was basically bedridden. I didn’t think I would ever be normal or feel like myself again. I came close to dying at least once and remember being ready, even a bit hopeful, for it to happen.

Just to be clear, I do suffer from depression anyway and it has been known to get quite bad on its own. The above felt different somehow… almost like I could tell it was situational instead of chemical? The complete and utter desperation I feel when I’m in a spiral of depression wasn’t there.

Yes, chronic pain from worsening arthritis and breaking bones. I cope with good drugs, and, really, what else are you going to do?

“Chronic pain not alleviated by drugs” would sum it up. I don’t think I really coped. I was just depressed.

A friend of mine has diabetes and just found out she has thyroid cancer. She’s surprisingly upbeat, but man, that would just destroy me. The worst part is that the theory is she got cancer from one of her diabetes medications…

<—diagnosed with severe Crohns Disease when I was 18. Took the docs so long to figure out what was wrong I lost 50 lbs, became anemic, and ended up with very severe complications that could only be treated by many colorectal surgeries over the years. The first year was very difficult. VERY depressing to be told at such a young age that you have a chronic, painful, severe immune/bowel disease that is incurable for the rest of your life. I still struggle with it almost 6 years later. All I can say is… I have learned to appreciate all the good things in my life and only allow myself a pity party once in a while, rather then everyday.

Yes I’ve suffered from illness and felt depressed for almost two-three months when i had a very bad accident held on my own vehicle,i had injuries on my head,legs and hands too & was not able to walk even ,I’ve to stay at home only.I would never forget those days!

I’ve had hypothyroidism since I was 17. Before I was diagnosed, I would sleep 10 or more hours a day and still be tired. I had horrible depression in college and just regular depression in my 20s, but I didn’t understand the connection between the two and managed the hypothryoidism poorly. Now, if I’m off of it for four or five days I get feeling of pressure in my brain, get cloudy in my thinking, and then eventually nosedive into full blown despair. There are days when it’s really not worth it, because on top of feeling miserable it kills my enjoyment of anything.

I’ve also been resistant to taking my medicine for long enough now that I’ve come to understand that it’s more than just a “don’t feel like it” thing. It’s a pretty deep seated tendency, so the effort right now is to try to correct that.

When I’m off, I cope by reverting to distracting activity, eating and getting sad.

When i was 12 i had epilepsy, i was never having fits or anything but i would switch off in class and my peers would make fun of me as they thought i was doing it for atention. I would also mumble strange sounds etc so you can imagine when i got up to read in front of class how i felt!!! thankfully its all gone now it was a 12-puberty type of epilepsy called petit mal. i was very depressed and embarassed esp at that age!

It was this little thing called a heart-break. It happens suddenly, but always seems to stretch long afterwards.

I was just diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the pain from this disease is debilitating and has in the past caused me to become very depressed.

Before I had surgery to fix my scoliosis I was very depressed about the way it made me look. my hips were very uneven and I was always hunched over, it gave me low self esteam and I could’t stand living that way. Once having the surgery I feel as though a great weight has been lifted.

Indirectly. I suffer periodically from non-herpetic sores of the mouth (blood tests are wholly inconclusive), cause unknown, which gradually turns the oral mucosa into a field of agony. Takes about 1–2 months to settle everything back down, during which time I can’t eat, drink, speak, or even sleep effectively. Makes a fella miserable, and will lead either to moping or irritation.