This week, there are two very interesting stories posted on Mindsite that I'd like to highlight. The first story is from User 99 who inks "Depression, Meditation and Chi - perhaps not a good cocktail." The author starts by explaining that:

"I am 32, and have suffered from major depression since age 20. It has not ruined my life, but nothing has ever been the same. I believe Zen meditation and various Chi Gung exercises made things worse near the start, and I'm wondering if anybody else has experienced this."

User 99 goes on to write about the overlap between their spritual practice and a worsening depressive episode. Ultimately the author finds that Zoloft is an effective antidepressant for them and concludes:

"Somebody experiencing the first symptoms of depression while meditating might find their diagnosis camoflauged, or be dissuaded from taking drugs or going to therapy, because of a belief that they just need to "work through it." Therefore, for me it's sort of moot whether meditation actually contributed to the *onset* of my depression or not - because the bigger problem was that it delayed diagnosis. And that I had the poor judgment to keep these problems secret for too long."

In another story, User 240 writes about a personal battle with alcohol in "Stopping drinking with the assistance of AA" detailing some frustration and elation with the AA program, which was ultimately successful in helping them cope with their condition.

"I spent many years drinking from age 15 to age 38. There were many days where I told myself 'never again' but invariably, later that day, I'd have my first of several/many beers. While much of my drinking felt social in nature, it was always quite different than what I saw other people doing. I never understood how they could just stop at 1 or 2 drinks. I always wanted #3 and #4, 5 and 6 always seemed like even better ideas. Calling it a night was always a drag for me.

My drinking ended after a final binge -- I woke up sitting in the driver's seat of my car. That day was pretty much of a blur. Had to call in sick, and then just walked around slightly disoriented/depressed, asking myself why I was doing what I was doing. I knew that my drinking had progressed to a point where I know 'craved' drinking, and I couldn't stop -- in fact, many days I'd lie to myself and say I'd just have 1 or 2 and then see myself slip to 3 and 4 and then consume 12+ on my own. I also saw more time drinking alone."

We don't have a bias at Mindsite about influencing the direction of any diagnostic or treatment related discussion - in time, we hope to objectively add to the discussion of what does and doesn't work for treating or coping with common mental health issues like these. If you have experience in any diagnostic group, help us work to figure it out by sharing your story and joining our community!

Finally, we are actively adding additional features as we type. Let us know what you want to see at feedback AT mindsite.com. Thanks!