John,

Thank you for the honor. I’m terribly flattered to be listed among so many powerful blogs. I’m familiar with Therese’ and James’ work. Now I have others to explore. No. 10 looks intriguing. Might be just the ticket on a heavy hearted day when the doldrums are in danger of winning the battle.

I do need to correct you on one point, though it might be moot now that Reuter’s, Fox News, etc. have picked up your Top Ten posting. I didn’t code the LOL Feeds. That was Ian McKellar. His LOL Feeds is the best embodiment of “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” I’m glad my LOL Cats version of The Splintered Mind tickled your funnybone, however. It does mine, as well.

I hope your readers enjoy the article on treating Depression through social networking that I posted today. I hope to see some new voices in the comments section.

Thank you again,

Douglas
-=-
☆ The Splintered Mind - Overcoming Neurological Disabilities With Lots Of Humor And Attitude

Hi,
Thanks very much for including my blog on this list. It’s an honor.
Best,
Ray

Thank you very much for including Finding Optimism - a pleasant surprise if ever there was one.

The blog is alive and kicking again today, after a long night of coffee and hair-loss.

SIR/MADAM
I AM VERY IMPRESSED BY READING THIS TOP TEN DEPRESSION BLOGS.

I was surprised and delighted to find this article on Top Ten Depression Blogs. Very courageous of you to pick only ten. Congrats to those bloggers who made the list.

I’m really honored. Thank you so much.

Hi,
Great list! So many awesome reads I hadn’t come across before. A blog I read about depression/mental health is
http://allthatiam-allthatieverwas.blogspot.com
which I like if anyone wants to check it out.
Thanx for the list, will go read some more.
Samantha

Really good to find so many wonderful blogs on depression. Something I’ve dealt with off and on in my life.

Keep up the good work finding these amazing people…

Blessings,
Tracey Huguley

Thanks for the list. Came across it by accident. I had no idea there were so many others out there doing what I have wanted to do for so long. I started my own blog in January. Please take a look. I know nothing about blogging, but have wanted to share my writing about this illness for many years. So, now I am writing, and I will try to learn about all of these terms and acronyms and tricks-of-the-trade as I go along. Thanks again for the great list!
Etta

Diary of my Divorce from a Depressed Stoner

A heartfelt memoir of how one woman survived the breakdown of her marriage to a man who suffers from severe depression and an addiction to marijuana. Her journal reveals how she made the difficult choice to leave a man she loved but could not save. she turns 40 and asks hersef one question - is this the person she wants to spend the next 40 years of her life with? When the kids are gone and the baton pass stops and they actually have to spend time together? And sadly enough, the answer was no.

Over the course of the year, following her decision to part ways, she experiences lows when dealing with the emotions of extracting from an already depressed man, financial concerns, and self-doubt about her decision. She experiences highs in the way of stronger family ties, new friendships, romance, an exciting career, meaningful coincidences, a newfound spirituality, and a deep sence of commitment to living life fully and taking charge of her destiny.

To Purchase the Book: http://www.lulu.com/content/2175376

Hey there John,

I never said thank you for the honor. I’ve since taken up the keyboard again and hope to continue blogging for a long while.

My own beginning blog on my trials with a dibilitating depression. Also deals with some of my other addictive issues. Blogging seems to be helping me, although even it, is not enough.

Hi,

I find it very interesting and also very powerful blog .Mental health is a very serious matter not for the human been only it’s also have a great effect on the animals also. This is a good effort for mental health awareness .For more information you can visit : http://www.xanax-effects.com

I just wanted to throw this out there: with Dr. Keith Ablow’s Living the Truth, I was able to discover the roots of my depression for the first time and have been living a more full life than I ever knew I could. Please try it, if you’re at all like I was it can’t hurt.

Monica

An anonymous “25-year-old black female” writing about her struggles with depression, suicidal thoughts and simply life, magnified Why http://www.starpills.com

Hi,
I Totally Agree With You That Is a Great List, I Also Checked It Site By Site
. A blog I read about depression/mental health is
http://no4depression.blogspot.com/
which I like if anyone wants to check it out.
Thanx for Helping,

Regards
Dr.Van

This is a great list. While not exhaustive (what is on the ‘net?), it is nonetheless - great. I went to every one of the sites and read a bit of each. Depression is ok. It is normal for a lot of people.
I wrote a post about the 15 or so things that I do on a daily basis to keep my depression at bay on my blog. Here’s the first 5:

1. B-Vitamins. I take a high potency B Vitamin once or twice a day. They are water soluble and will make your pee look like a melted bright orange Mr. Freeze. But - The B Vitamins are proven to help with mood. In fact many people are clinically low in B1 I have learned. I trust the Natural Factors brand.
2. High Potency fish oil. Most of us need more omegas in our diet anyway. There have been some great clinical studies about the ability for fish oil to improve mood. My naturopath uses fish oils to help people get of SSRI’s (depression meds) all the time with great success she tells me. I use the Ascenta brand.
3. Nicotine. I like cigars. They give me a lift, they taste good and help me to relax and feel good. I don’t smoke them every day and I know they contribute to mouth cancer. I don’t inhale. But I dig ‘em nonetheless. Nicotine is shown to help with depression and I’ve read some interesting studies online about big Pharma working on straight nicotine pills as an anti-depressant option for consumers.
4. Exercise. I’ve always loved pumping iron and getting my heart rate up. Cardio would be my first choice if I couldn’t lift weights for some reason. I usually hit the gym daily and get my heart rate up to about 130 beats per minute for at least 30 minutes on the elliptical after doing some resistance exercises. I sweat a lot. There is a TON of research to validate the positive effects on mood from exercise. And I find that the effects last for up to 6 hours some days. I could do a whole post on exercise.
5. Sleep. I love to sleep. Any time I can get more sleep, I am a happier guy. Sleep does wonders for the body and endocrine system. Usually I aim for about 8 or 9 hours a night…but I don’t always get it. Sometimes a nap helps me to feel better too.

If you’re interested in the rest, follow me here:
http://www.brooksvannorman.com/keeping-depression-out-of-my-life/

Wow! I didn’t know there were so many great resources. I’ll definately check them out.

I just wrote an article about “Getting back on top too” at http://www.hypedworld.com.

For those interested:
When It All Just Gets Too Much… Tips and Tricks To Get You Back on Top!
http://www.hypedworld.com/personal-care/when-it-all-just-gets-too-much-tips-and-tricks-to-get-you-back-on-top/

There comes a moment in life when you realize everything you believe in life becomes everything you used to believe in.
The way you see a person becomes the way you saw a person.
Its not really that people change, I was so naïve enough to think that. I used to think that a person just stopped being they way they were. I was completely wrong though- I just had a different idea of them. Usually, as humans that we are we expect to much out of people, or so I thought. It is not that we expect to much, we actually believe they are capable of being the way we want them to be. No one is really what they look like, and you don’t ever get to truly know a person. We usually get to know the person we want to know. Your best friend becomes your best friend because you choose her/him to be your best friend. The one you admire most is the way he\she is because you see them that way. Today I come to see that everything I thought, everything I believed in was never true. It’s surprising to see how a person sees the world from the way they feel. How if you feel okay you forget that someone else isn’t okay. Completely unaware that you’re doing so though.
I wish I was the type of person who didn’t notice anyone’s flaws. I used to think certain people were perfect, and that nothing was going to change them. Well I’ve learned that I only thought they were perfect, but they never were.
I now see today that if you are not strong enough to only live for yourself your life is not worth living, cause at night you’re all you really have. Unless your one of those lucky people who really have it together. I am not one of them.
Your super hero does not wear a super coat, he\she cannot fly, he\she will certainly not make it better for you, and most importantly he\she will not come flying when the antagonist is going to hurt no, no the super hero will not come out of nowhere and help you. Do yourself a favor and don’t ever believe that.
I think it was nice though growing up believing in “once a upon a time” and “happily ever after”, cause you really did believe that, but there is no such thing.
The only thing you can do for yourself is tell yourself you are there, and your all you really have. Your all anyone really has. The really lonely ones though, they even loose themselves.

thanks for the links:)

I’d also like to nominate Stephany at Soulful Sepulcher, since she didn’t make it to the Top Ten Bipolar Blogs of 2008. She writes beautifully.

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/

Thank you.

Finding your Marbles - an online mental health guide –> pretty good!

I would like to nominate me, since no one else will… Due to the face that my subject is about the use of humor to help heal… This is a free project I started after i got out the hospital as a coping skill for me but to date over 50,000 visitors have be by and are seeing how a little cartoon can help… Especially if it’s about something they truly understand…

chato
http://mentalhealthhumor.today.com/

I just found this post - although it’s a little on the older side of the web-o-sphere, I’ve visited all the links before writing this comment and can say that (as a person whose stuggled with depression) that it is a good list. Great in fact. Some of them are little on the clinical side, others are more practical. I have written a post on my personal blog about how I manage depression and it is one of the most visited pages on my site. I get positive feedback from it. While it’s not as comprehensive as some of the pages listed here, it is a very practical list of how to stuff that I do on a daily basis to manage my own depression.

If anyone’s interested, you can visit it here: http://www.brooksvannorman.com/keeping-depression-out-of-my-life/

How about natural cure for depression through free dream therapy?

Discover new solutions at “Mental Health for Life” and “Scientific Dream Interpretation”:

http://mentalhealthforlife.blogspot.com

http://scientificdreaminterpretation.blogspot.com

All the best!

Christina

I’ve been reading through a woman’s personal account of her life with anxiety and depression at http://www.drowninginkids.com. Her blog is filled with posts about her daily ups and downs and artistic photography depicting how she views her children and the world around her. Sometimes the most helpful information on depression simply comes from stories from those who feel the exact same way you do…

To be quite honest, I consider myself very lucky, as I have a nice family that I think that I have not really deserved, but who does? I have been depressed, I know that I have and I did not feel very good.

But I did keep on going on, which may indicate that I was not as depressed as other people, or maybe I was able to pull myself out of the depression. I will say that I did most of it by myself, which I was proud of at the time, but now I realise is not very clever, as I have a lot of people that like me and quite a few that love me.

To ask for help is not the worst thing to happen, often it can be the hardest thing to do. How the hell would I know, I did not ask for help, but I will say this, it was given to me weather I liked it or not, also if I realised it or not.

I have watched a program on the ABC (Australia) about a girl who committed suicide because she did not feel that she was ‘good enough’, either for the school or family. She was apparently a really good person and did quite a lot around her family, whereas I have not done that much for either I feel.

I will also say that there is also a misconception that the bigger that the person is, the less likely it is that they can suffer a mental illness. I would also like to dispel this myth, as ‘bigger’ people, while sometimes less book smart than other people, have their demons.

Now as I have mentioned previously, I did deal with my demons and I am still dealing with them, they will never go away. I do not know if I am lucky (I think I am) or strong minded to make the demons not affect my life every day.

I believe a lot in fate, what is supposed to happen to you will happen to you, and I like this as I have a very beautiful family. But there have been times where fate could have turned another way quite easily.

I continually think how I would relive my life and not make the mistakes that I have made, but if I did not make the ‘mistakes’ I would not have the life I have now. Modifying a metaphor ‘I am enjoying the life or journey, but do not want to come to the end of it’, despite the revelations it may offer me.

I have previously considered suicide, and have tried it, be it not very seriously. I very much like that I was not successful, but also realise that I did not have that much to be depressed about, a lot of other people have a lot more to be depressed about than me.

But taking a life, let alone your own is a very serious issue and should not be done on a whim or momentary consideration. I have had what I considered hard days, being bullied at school, so much that I thought ‘how can it get much worse’.

It always did, somehow, but I refused to give in and I could have overpowered the bully, quite easily, but never did. I do not know why I didn’t, to this day.

I do know that I will never forgive that person, as they made me feel like dirt, even then they did not let up and still made fun of me. I try to get over it, but they did this to me as a part of their daily life, they did go out of their way to do it to me.

Reflecting back on what I have said, all of the events that have happened to me, make the journey, which I like at the moment and I am sure that I will embrace even more so. Which leaves me to the question, should the bullying happened or not, as it has been a part of my ‘journey’ and has affected me a lot.

I can accept that, but if I meet the person who did the bullying, will I forgive them? I still have anger, I may always have it, but if they show some compassion and repentance I probably would forgive them.

I still look at what I have now and think how it may have never been. “I shudder”, I do not deserve my family but am glad that they are here. I also have some help over the internet, which was very well meaning and hit the mark at the time, which may be rare, but happened.

I really felt for the girl in the TV program that I watched and I hope that my children would talk to me about their feelings if they felt that way. But also I acknowledge that I did not talk to anyone, so why would they.

Yes I am a hypocrite, I admit it, I am not perfect but I had, and maybe still do have, depression. To have depression is not a strict list of symptoms and may be the way you feel and not show it to anyone, I did not show, let alone tell anyone.

Depression can be hidden, quite well actually, if you know how. It may also be that persons close to you chose to ignore some signs of depression, or that you make them ignore the signs.

I do not know all, I know what I have been through, which seems easier every year, but still hard (a conundrum I know). I do not envy any one going through the same, possibly, and probably worse that I had to deal with.

Just remember, what is the worst that can happen, you lose your life, which is your choice, no one else’s. Fuckers cannot take that away from you (yes I am still bitter about quite a lot. But I am trying to deal with it

CHEERS

vicnedder@hotmail.com

To line in truth is to let live tha courage the spirit in you.Any person should be able to accept himself as he is .He is a blend of both possitive and negitive qualities.Most of the people love to see their positive side and do not want to comfront the negitive aspects of them.Because of their non-acceptance of the negitive thouts they are constantly in a struggle with them selves.When you are in a conflict with a part of you ,you lose a lot of energy and you become dull which results in shutting down of your intalligence.When you donot have access to the intelligence in you you feel lost and worth less,as a result you develop an infirioity complex and you constantly want to know things from someone or something out side.This way you depend completly on some thing which is not you and this sitution leads to lot of douts and confussion.You loose confidence in yourself and a person who dos’t have confidence in himself feels worthless and nothing motivates him to go forword in life with the zeal and zelt,infact he just drags on life like a begger,always expecting somebody to help him.All his faculties of intalligence fail.

Self acceptance
is being loving and happy with who you are NOW. Some call it
self-esteem, others self-love, but whatever you call it, you’ll know
when your accepting yourself cause it feels great. Its an agreement
with yourself to appreciate, validate, accept and
support who you are at this very moment, even those parts you’d like to
eventually change. This is important…even those parts you’d
eventually like to change. Yes, you can accept (be okay with) those
parts of yourself you want to change some day.

Thanks for this valuable post. I’ve suffered from depression almost all of my life and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 4 years back. I’ve started blogging about my own experiences on my website at PotatoOrg.com and welcome others to join in. I’ve had interesting conversations there with a coma survivor who suffers from some severe depression and is looking for other coma victims to talk to as well.

how long will it take for the major depressive disorder to cure? and what are the best medicines available?

how long will take for the major depressive episode to cure and what are the best medicines available and also tell me the best medical centre in india for this disease

A friend of mine writes at http://cloudlife.wordpress.com and I know I’ve certainly found it very helpful. Might be worth checking out? I know it’s probably a lot smaller than many of these but she writes well, and with searing honesty.

i recently discovered intent.com, where you can post an “intent” every day and community members in the social network (the website is half social network and half article base on personal development stuf) can “support” you with comments. it helps to hve random anonymous strangers cheer you on with depression.

I’ve suffered through clinical depression for a few years now. However this multi-faceted disease has a multi-faceted treatment that has worked for me thus far. However my biggest concern is how society still seems to view depression. I have made my attempts to inform on my own blog at: http://theirdepression.blogspot.com/

Thank you for a great insight into the blogs of others. Finding Optimism was one of my favourite sites.

My cousin who had been suffering from depression also started his own blog about his experiences of depression recovery which is here:
http://www.springbackintolife.com

please include this as well…..

http://unconsciousheart.blogspot.com/

This is my favorite depression blog. He’s an English Professor, poet, and creative writer who has lived with depression for decades. The writing is literary and raw, artful and honest.

forgot the URL

CharlesBivona.com

The wounds that run deepest, the bruises on the bones of my mind, have for so long been buried away. Just as Freud described, my inner screams have found three voices. For decades I kept unconsciously seeking situations that mimicked my original abuses. I couldn’t confront the people who abused me as a child. I wasn’t strong enough, yet. I wasn’t ready. I needed practice. So my unconscious mind blindly sought situations, friends, and lovers that felt abusive in the old ways. Mastering these relationships would also resolve the failures of the past. That was the unconscious plan.

Of course it didn’t work, but it was necessary. The swallowed tears of so many years and beatings were poisoning my mind. I was denying it all to protect myself, and my mind was groping for any way to spit it all out.
I hit rock bottom. Everything in my life failed: too many girlfriends lost, so many jobs lost, friends and family estranged, trapped in a marriage of emotional convenience–with no money, no pleasure, no passion, and no creativity or poems. I stayed in bed, weeping, for days. I finally understood what was happening to me. I hit the concrete floor of my psyche and scraped off a layer of skin. It hurt from my center out. I had never been so scared, but I still wanted to fight.

I needed to remember what had happened to me. I started talking it out with my few true friends and my family. I worked with a few great therapists and — for one surreal month — a sagely psychiatrist at the end of his practice.

Slowly, very slowly, I started scraping away at my shell of repression. I gradually started remembering. Today, I experience sudden and overwhelming emotional connections. I realize why I made certain past choices. I feel stupid and ashamed and worthless. I cry. I shake. I curl in a ball. I remember. I remember. I remember. I suddenly started writing.

The pain is so old it smells dusty, it bursts from my pores. I hurt in the old ways. I taste the adrenaline of the original fear in my mouth. I feel the old clench of terror in my entire body. Every muscles braces for more punishment.

It seize me up sometimes. I’m at the kitchen sink, doing the dishes, and I freeze. I remember in my body, as much as my mind. I shake. I flash back. I feel waves of terror and confusion wash over me. It’s all coming out, at last.

All I can think to do is write it all out, so I do. It helps. It’s healing. I am forgiving the past for its failings. I am forgiving myself, slowly, for my own.
I am finally speaking, repeating it all — one horrifying flash at a time — remembering and working through.

Please, all of you, be well.

Check out this site. It’s new, about a 27 year old mother of 2 who’s a military spouse. She is very honest and open about how she feels. She started blogging and I hope she continues.

Kim

I forgot the site name:

beautyandwoe.wordpress.com