Depression and the voice

bluefox

I have a question. 

Does depression always show in the voice? Like do you have to have obvious signs with the way you sound to be depressed?

I was wondering as doctors usually put things like ‘sounds okay’ etc. but yet how do you know what’s going on with someone’s condition?

It just got me thinking. 

Tori_Scope

I'd agree with the others that there are lots of different signs, and that many people are good at hiding them @bluefox.

I can imagine that being told something like you 'sound okay' could feel a bit invalidating. Has a doctor said this to you recently?

bluefox

Tori_Scope said:

I'd agree with the others that there are lots of different signs, and that many people are good at hiding them @bluefox.

I can imagine that being told something like you 'sound okay' could feel a bit invalidating. Has a doctor said this to you recently?

Yes and I find it confusing. It makes me feel like my other symptoms are not validated despite sounding 'okay'.

Tori_Scope

I'm sorry that it's left you feeling that way @bluefox. Your symptoms are valid. It reminds me of when people are told that they look 'put together', or 'sound intelligent', so can't possibly be living with mental illness, which is of course untrue. 

Could you ask to speak to a different doctor?

bluefox

I was given a locum GP rather than my normal one. Tbh I am fed up of being judged on snapshots telephone calls. My partner says he can’t believe it at times. I’ve asked him to explain perhaps my difficulties. 

I have given up all my hobbies, socialising, withdrawn from both family and friends, neglecting myself, drinking alcohol, self harming, panic attacks, NEAD episodes etc but guess what I ‘sound okay’. Maybe I sound okay because I am resilient but there’s times my partner and family say I sound softly spoken like I don’t have energy. I am exhausted and in chronic pain too. 

I’m tired of GP’s during this pandemic judging patients based on telephone calls and not listening. 

Tori_Scope

Is your usual GP more understanding @bluefox? 

Are you able to request a face to face appointment instead?

bluefox

I probably wouldn’t go and see them face to face about mental health. I’m thinking of writing them a letter tbh. 

Tori_Scope

That might not be a bad idea @bluefox What kind of things would you include?

bluefox

Tori_Scope said:

That might not be a bad idea @bluefox What kind of things would you include?

Probably the way I feel, what I struggle with, what my days look like. 

The doctors don’t see you living day by day. My life is not fun. 

L_Volunteer

How are you feeling about writing that at the moment @bluefox? I agree, doctors don't see you living day by day.

When you say your life is not fun, would you like to tell us more about what that looks like for you at the moment?

We are all here for you and listening to you if you would like to share more with us 

Tori_Scope

It might be therapeutic in itself to write that all out, too @bluefox  

OverlyAnxious

Do you know what you want to get out of a GP consultation?

I've found that GP's really aren't interested in a lot of symptoms or even how your day is affected.  I've written pages & pages on it myself.  They're just focussed on picking out something to either make a referral or write a prescription.  There's really not much more a GP can do.  

So don't waste time 'waffling', if you want a referral to a specific place, make that the focus of the consultation.

bluefox

L_Volunteer said:

How are you feeling about writing that at the moment @bluefox? I agree, doctors don't see you living day by day.

When you say your life is not fun, would you like to tell us more about what that looks like for you at the moment?

We are all here for you and listening to you if you would like to share more with us 

Hello

My life at the moment is spending every day inside the house. Not brushing my teeth, not showering, not getting dressed. I’m having my friend and partner cook my meals. At first I couldn’t do the above things due to motivation and mood. Now pain and fatigue are limiting my ability to do things as well. So mood, pain, fatigue are stopping me. I’m having trouble now with my breathing which I thought was anxiety but I think it may be asthma as I’ve gained weight. I think this deep depression I’ve set into from severe anxiety in the form of panic attacks and non epileptic attacks has caused a knock on effect of developing other physical conditions now. 

I’m starting to wish the pain would go away and it’s tying into the chronic suicidal feelings I have. I’ve lost everything. My hobbies such as playing football, the freedom to socialise, the independence to travel, the motivation to try new things. I just feel like I’m merely existing. 

Even though I’m engaging in therapy for NEAD and I know how to approach CBT. I don’t feel like my mental health conditions are alleviating and now I think I’ve developed other problems due to a sedentary lifestyle. 

I’ve got to try and take each day as it comes. I know that much and I do have good insight to know how to go forward. But I can’t plan much for a future when then the present feels hard to navigate. 

I just wish I could click my fingers and go back to October 2020 before all this illness kicked in. I’ve always had mental health problems but at least back then I was slightly functional. 

bluefox

Yeah I had a team helping me with welfare calls. Sometimes I don’t always answer or answer days later. 

They suggested facial wipes. Just something to clean my face to make me feel better.