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" Question For several years now I have been suffering from mood swings and crying bouts most of which are for no good reason.  Mainly it is with regard to my relationship. I have been seeing my current partner for two years now and still I look on every day as the last.  I feel so insecure and nothing seems to improve this, then I worry about what I have said and get upset and if he gets annoyed I feel worse and everything just gets blacker.  I have tried to pin point what starts me off, if it is something in my past.  I have never been a winner on the relationship front and this is actually the longest relationship I have had.  Up until I met my current partner I was a single parent and had moved away from my friends to be nearer my family when my child was born.  I have never really made new friends here and have no social life at all. My mother also died two years ago. I was going to try St John&amp;#039;s wort but was unsure if this could be taken along with the Pill I am on.  I have often wondered whether I should go to the doctors&amp;amp;#8217; but as there are no actual physical symptoms, I feel a bit of a fraud.  Am I suffering from depression?    Answer David writes: No, you are definitely not a fraud.  You&amp;#039;re obviously not well, and it may be that you&amp;#039;re suffering from a depressive illness.  So I&amp;#039;d like you to go and see your own GP this week to get this sorted out.  Don&amp;#039;t take St John&amp;#039;s wort for the time being, your doctor may well want to give you medication that might react with it.  I do hope that your GP will be helpful and that you&amp;#039;ll be feeling better very soon.  Christine adds: I do agree with David that you must see you GP. You have been feeling terrible for far too long.  I also suggest that you take a look at an article on the site called &amp;#039;Depression &amp;amp;#8211; how it affects sex and relationships&amp;#039;. You also mention the death of your mother.  I am quite sure that your grief about that has had an impact on your feelings, so I would like to suggest that you talk to a bereavement counsellor or go to a support group.  You can find out what&amp;#039;s available in your area by contacting the excellent bereavement association, Cruse. Much of what you say suggests to me that you would benefit hugely from having some cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).  So when you see your doctor, please do ask him if there is any CBT available on the NHS in your area.  This is a type of talking therapy which is quite brief and which helps the patient to re-think the thoughts that create the moods that distress him or her.  In the meantime, you can help yourself by reading and working at a treatment manual, which is really excellent and called &amp;#039;Mind over mood&amp;#039;.   The most important thing now is for you to realise that you&amp;#039;re not well and also that it&amp;#039;s not your fault.  Once you&amp;#039;ve accepted that, getting the right help is the next step. Yours sincerely Dr David Delvin, GP and Christine Webber, psychotherapist   Other Qs &amp;amp; As A friend with SAD Agitated depression Am I depressed or is it a drinking problem? Am I depressed? Am I suffering from dissociation? BO and spots are getting me down Chronic fatigue syndrome Concern over medical records Depressed Depressed about losing a good friend Depressed and confused about what to do Depressed and pregnant Depressed and with mood swings Depressed at 15 Depressed in London Depressed while pregnant Depression Depression after abuse Depression and complete exhaustion Depression and eating disorders Depression and employers Depression and impotence - what&amp;#039;s the link? Depression and panic attacks Depression and self-harm Depression has left me with a low libido Depression, anxiety and paranoia Diagnosed with anorexia Do I have to live with depression for the rest of my life? 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Last updated 06.12.2011 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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