Hey guys,
I’ve been in a really bad mental state since around November 2025. I had a similar breakdown back in 2022 and eventually came out of it, but this time feels different and a lot heavier.
I just wanted to ask, what were some of the worst depression/anxiety symptoms you experienced during your darkest periods? My brain constantly tells me I’m too far gone and that I’ll never get back to normal.
So far I’ve tried Sertraline, Lexapro, Abilify, and now I’m 1 week into Pristiq 100mg.
My psych also mentioned TMS, so I’d love to hear if anyone found relief from that too.
I’d really appreciate hearing stories from people who genuinely got very bad before they got better. How long did your episodes last? Did the right medication eventually help?
I’ve got an amazing wife, a gorgeous little boy, and another bub on the way. I just want to stop suffering so much and be present again.
Some of the symptoms I deal with daily:
• Suicidal ideation
• Depresson
• Constant depressed feeling in my stomach/body
• Weird existential thoughts
• Being weirded out by simple everyday things
• Fear that my mental health is permanently declining
• Intrusive mean thoughts
• Fear that the depressed thoughts feel like “the truth” about life
• Dream flashbacks followed by a horrible uneasy/off feeling
• Mental illness topics triggering dread and panic
• Fear of having to live the rest of my life feeling like this
• Constant negative thoughts
• Fear/realisation that the last 6 months have been an immense struggle and things still aren’t better yet
• Constant on-edge/paranoid feeling
• Feeling like something is “off” all the time
• Tight jaw, teeth chattering, facial tics, chest tightness/shortness of breath, tension headaches
• Derealisation symptoms coming and going. Things like trees, the sky, or normal objects suddenly triggering anxiety or feeling strange. Sometimes even faces feel unfamiliar or weird.
The strange part is that during my 2022 breakdown, I experienced almost all of these exact symptoms and most of them eventually passed. Last time, things improved a lot after around the 6 month mark.
I think I just need some hope from people who’ve been through severe episodes and made it out the other side.