Talk to who?

[Snarx]

I've read through the forums here and other places on the web and a common theme is always "find someone to talk to". While I'm sure that's probably generally good advice for young people but where is a 50 year old man going to go to find help with depression? I've been depressed for years, recently it has gotten worse - to the point of frequent periods of overwhelming sadness that can last for days. I've tried to talk to my wife and other family members and mostly I get "buck up, you'll be OK" or "don't worry about it, you worry too much about things". What crap. I've been to counselling and all they want to to is send me to the pharmacy and fill me with the drug of the day. At this point in my life I'm willing to settle for being un-sad, I don't have to be happy. If I sound bitter, I am. My health sucks and I don't sleep and my employers are plenty tired of my "issues". So am I. If any of you still reading my rant know of a counsellor or therapist in the Milwaukee area who isn't prone to throwing medication at a problem, please let me know.

[almond]

Talk to us, tell us more. How did your depression start?

[DeepTangerine]

You wanna talk to me? We can be email penpals if you like.

I know how frustrating the "buck up" line is. I had social anxiety for a long time and all I got was "You just need to meet people." No way?! You don't say?! I bet these people tell gunshot victims to stop bleeding.

Anyway, crisis lines are pretty good for people to talk to. There's support groups. There are therapists (as opposed to psychiatrists). If you live near a university you can find a student therapist who will generally be a lot cheaper. I think they work out better because they have to report your meetings to their supervisors in a big team meeting. Depending on how you feel about a group of psychologists talking about your case, it generally means you're constantly getting second opinions.

Hope things get better for you. Buck up! (I'm kidding, sorry.)