It is hard - I know, been there - got the certificate

At the end of the day health is the most important issue. It can only be achieved when I get some kind of reasonable balance in my life and work at maintaining that balance constantly.

I found diet plays a major part. LCing made the most significant part in keeping my needle as near centre-point as possible for as much of the time as possible. I only wish I had discovered it many years earlier.

Diet is not the only factor though. Seasons; light; air (breathing deeply); movement (dance helps me a lot): exercise AND sufficient rest; emotional balance all help.

{capnsue: these medicines are supposed to make you lose your appetite and therefore lose weight} Perhaps. I think antedepressants make you lose everything that makes life worth living ... sort of puts you "on hold" ... and can be useful at a catastrophic time in your life. They can help you get past the calamity but only for a short time. Continued or long term use of them only makes one less able to cope and it then becomes a vicious cycle. That is my personal opinion and I am not recommending it to anyone.

{animaldoc: I went on Celexa, my mood was better but I gained weight.} Well done. You reached the point where it was not needed. Work on balance and hopefully you won't need to go back on them.

{usedtobe: ....depression & alcoholism runs on both sides of my biological family....} There is often a genetic factor in depression. Researching your family tree can be revealing and helpful, albeit not easy - most families would much rather not face up to suicides and find it hard to be open about it. Yet it would help them to deal with current issues if they examined the past in a balanced and open manner.

Love , Light, Healing, Peace to you all.
Take Gentle Accepting Care of yourself - you matter.