depression Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Natasha Tracy Bipolar Expert

Because of Depression, I Get Nothing Done

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 23, 2023

I get nothing done because of depression. Or, I suppose, to put it more accurately, I get almost nothing done because of the symptoms of depression. I use to-do lists. I prioritize what needs to be done. I chunk things into small pieces. I use all the techniques you can think of to try to overcome this inability to actually get things done, and yet it doesn’t seem to work. At the end of the day, there is always more to do than when I started. I don’t even know how that is possible.

New Treatments for Bipolar Depression—Options for Treatment Resistance

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Dec 14, 2022

Recently, Psychiatric Times did a comprehensive piece on new or unusual bipolar depression treatments, treatments that may be an option for treatment-resistant bipolar depression. They are thinking outside the standard bipolar depression treatments. This is critical because many people just aren’t being helped or aren’t being helped enough by standard bipolar depression treatments. These novel bipolar depression treatments come in two flavors: medication-based and non-medication-based. If you’re at a place in your bipolar depression treatment where you’re not getting better, you may want to consider discussing these unique treatments with your psychiatrist.

I Never Stop Crying — Depression

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Dec 8, 2022

I never stop crying. I can understand why you might think this isn’t true. After all, my cheeks are dry right now. But, believe me, I never stop crying, whether it’s external or suppressed enough to be internal. I have found depression can be like that. No matter what is happening — good or bad — the tears are always there. The depression is always there. It’s bigger than me. it’s stronger than me. And make no mistake; it is also trying to kill me. The omnipresent tears are merely a warning sign.

How to Get Things Done with No Motivation — Amotivation, Avolition, Abulia

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 3, 2022

I have no motivation, but I still have to get things done, just like everyone. Getting things done without motivation is no easy feat, however. I find that my amotivation (no motivation) combined with the other symptoms of depression pretty much glue me to the couch. And while there seems to be a lot of recognition of a lack of motivation and other similar concepts like abolition and abulia in mental illness, there seems to be precious few solutions. But, as amotivation has been my state for many years of my life, I’ve had to come up with coping techniques. Here is one revolving around how planning can thwart a lack of motivation.

How to Keep Productive During Depression Despite a Lack of Motivation

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Apr 7, 2022

Keeping productive and motivated during depression is a tall task. Depression wants to suck all of the productivity and motivation out of you to the point where you become nothing but a lump on your couch. I know all about this. I work from home and for myself and so without a boss or yearly reviews, depression really has a leg up when it comes to causing a lack of productivity. That’s why I have to take productivity and motivation very seriously. Here are a few techniques to maintain productivity and motivation during depression.

Do You Really Have Bipolar, Not Depression? Soft Signs of Bipolar

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 7, 2021

Have you ever wondered if you really have bipolar disorder and not major depression? Did you know there are signs that can point to bipolar disorder outside of what we normally consider to be the diagnostic symptoms of bipolar disorder? And did you also know that few doctors take these types of signs into account? If you feel like you have bipolar disorder but have been diagnosed with major depression, you’ll want to know about these signs because diagnosis directly affects treatment, and treatment directly affects you getting better.

Bipolar Depression — Stop Telling Me to ‘Cry It Out’

Posted by Natasha Tracy | May 3, 2021

I have a lot of experience with bipolar depression, and I hate it when people tell me to “cry it out.” I find this one of the most useless pieces of advice you can give a person who’s upset, particularly one that’s already crying. It’s built on the idea that you can cry out a sorrow of some sort as if there’s a beginning, middle and end. Well, I can’t comment for people without bipolar disorder, but for people with bipolar depression, “crying it out” isn’t an option.

When Suicide Is Welcomed By a Website — Pro-Suicide Sites

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Mar 11, 2021

There are websites that welcome suicide. Sure, they say they’re “pro-choice” when it comes to suicide, but, really, they’re welcoming the choice of suicide. And I think that when a site is welcoming of suicide, it is encouraging of suicide as well. When everyone on a site is suicidal and pressing forward towards suicide, it’s hard not to see it as a viable option, especially if you’re depressed or in distress already. I’m not sure I have an answer to the existence of pro-suicide sites, but I do have some information for their visitors.

Exaggerated Emotional Pain Due to Depression

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 11, 2021

Everyone experiences emotional pain, and sometimes that pain can be very difficult to bear. However, I posit that people with depression experience exaggerated emotional pain. Depression causes emotional pain in and of itself, of course, but what I’m talking about is regular, everyday emotional pain being exaggerated because of depression. This is similar to how depression worsens physical pain, which I have written about before.