Introduction

Hi there, my name is David Murphy and I, like many, suffer from depression. I want this blog to be an open and honest account of what it is like to deal with and overcome depression.
I believe that I can control my depression and I know that even though at times it will continue to affect me, I can get right back on top of it, and live a happy life.
Let me start by saying that I want to be as fully transparent about this disease as possible. Depression is sometimes treated by some as more a weakness, a mental weakness, than a disease, but it can be, and often is, a debilitating, crushing and fatal disease.
I have been on anti-depressants for over a year now. I began taking Lustral, which I found initially to be highly effective in the treatment of my symptoms. However being unused to taking medication on a daily basis, I often went days without taking it. This tampered with the overall efficacy of the drug, and even when I became more disciplined, I found the drug no longer had the desired effect. So I moved on to my second anti-depressant: effexor. This drug, unfortunately was simply not for me, I noticed a number of side effects, from brain-zaps to inorgasmia. And while I am sure this drug is effective for many, for me it was time to move on.
I am now, and have been taking Cymbalta for the past eight months. The results have been better than I could have imagined. I now find it much, much easier to control my darker moments, and find that when my mood does falter, it passes much more quickly; where before my depression has, at times, lasted weeks, it can sometimes clear up in a matter of hours, and often days.
Do I tell people I take medication for my mental state? No. Would I? Absolutely. It's not a fact I advertise freely because frankly, there are only a few people who I feel need to know. But I am certainly not embarrassed by the fact that I suffer from depression. It is a disease, just like Crohn's or MS – debilitating at it's worst, barely tolerable at best – and one that requires no stigma, but instead support and guidance. That is why I will happily continue to use my real name on this blog, and as I said, be as open and transparent with my daily life as possible.

Nice to meet you, and I hope to get better with you over the course of this blog.