I am always sad. Even though I have tried several treatments for depression, nothing has helped. Why?

Maybe you resigned yourself to the fact that all you will ever be is sad. Stop feeling sad for yourself. Get out there and live life, put a smile on, do positive things.....
go volunteer somewhere and make a difference in someone's life. Look around, there are many others who have a harder time then you are I'm sure.....
Make a list of reasons to be happy.... add to it everyday
Be happy at the little things in your life.... there are tons to be happy about.

There are so many medications out there that it may be possible you are still on the wrong one. I would make sure you let your doctor know. Also make sure you have people around you that make you happy and not people that put you down. Sometimes that makes a difference.

Get a support group and keep them close to you. People here are the first line of defense, adding some people in RL will strengthen the line.

Try things besides medications. Physical exercise is crucial, meditative practices like Yoga (Iyengar) or Tai Chi work for some folks. Clean up your diet - try a cleansing diet and then put back foods one at a time to see if you have any allergies. It is not unusual (I know from personal experieince) to develop allergies in our time of life as our bodies shift chemically.

And, when you have tried all the least invasive treatments available, then let the docs sell you pills - but, stop them and demand different ones if they don't do the trick.

Your body/mind is unique. No one but you can learn how to use it to your best advantage.

Maybe you suffer from dysthimia. I am sure you can get better with the appropriate treatment ( medication and therapy ). Best wishes, UC

It is wise to check the Experiences of those answering your question to see if they really understand depression.

I am concerned by Bellybutton's first comment because I think it denies the reality that ECT is helpful for many people for whom other depression treatment has failed. And what is the objection to a psychiatric hospital? People go to hospital when they are sick . . . prejuidiced against psychiatric hospitals is simply prejuidice . . .

With a diagnosis of severe depression for over 20 years that I manage very successfully I can say that a psychiatric hospital visit can be very helpful in managing depression, for many reasons.

Whilst I personally have never had ECT it is neverytheless invaluable for some with intractable depression. Certainly it has side effects, but a responsible psychiatrist will only prescribe it in cases where nothing else is working.

Those who do not suffer from depression should take care not to let their unthinking biases prevent others from seeking the help they need.

you didn't give a lot of information. too generic.
is it an chemical imbalance? what stress are you currently experiencing? Job stress, are you tired? How long have you had this? Has any one drug worked a little? Are you seeing a counselor?
I really need more information.

Sometimes you can take all the medications and nothing happens because you have not taking the step to resolve the stress in your life.

I was there like you are and I had to dig deep down to help myself. Because I got sick and tired of being depressed, and no drug help. I ended up going to a Tibetan herbalist, she saved my life.

So your sad, maybe there is real reason to be sad. I never hear of the person who is always happy getting treatment or being told to go see a doctor. If you are sad and can not experiance any kind of happiness, that maybe a problem, but if you are just sad most of the time maybe that is your baseline personality, like the person who is the clown most the time. We need to try and accept who we are instead of trying to drug ourselves and treat ourselves to oblivion. Quit focusing on the sad and just be you whoever that is and just live life. Even if it is not a great life it is yours to live, embrace it and when you do maybe you will find one thing to be happy about, YOU.

sometimes medication isn't enough. therapy can help somewhat. also talking to people can help too. keep trying. you'll find what works for you eventually. good luck. *hug*

Do you have people you can talk to? or ways to relieve stress or anxiety?

Have you tried religion? God?

Definitely talk to your doctor about the medication, there are many of them. You should also look in to diet and exercise changes, they can sometimes really help you out.

It's always been the case that some depression is resistant to treatment. Don't give up hope, there are always new treatments coming along.

Whether it's medication or cognitive therapy, or a combination of both, it's just a matter of finding what works for you.

I used to suffer very badly from depression. medication helped to some degree but never really got rid of the overall feeling of sadness. normal therapy never helped me because i found it useless to talk about the past over and over. But cognitive therapy proved to be a great success!! It shows you haw to recognise thought patterns and how to change your thoughts and shift your focus etc - it really did wonders for me. You should do some research and see if it appeals to you. Any questions, send me a PM and i would be happy to talk to you!

cognitive behavioral therapy plus an anti-depressant have the best results. The Vagus Nerve Stimulator has good results for difficult to treat depression. Group therapy is good for some people. You could have issues with self-worth. For that you may benefit from transpersonal therapy.

I was treated for depression for years, and everything they tried helped little, and often made me feel even worse. And, at the higher and higher doses they had me take, the side effects were hideous.

It turned out that the underlying problem was hyperthyroidism... When that was corrected not only the depression, but many other medical issues that I had been dealing with for years were corrected as well.

Your thyroid producing either too much or too little hormone affects every cell in your body, and causes an incredible number of symptoms. Ask your doctor to check for that, and at least rule it out.

I had several tests done before it reached the point (over a period of five years) that it tested far enough off normal for them to recognize a problem and treat it.

I feel wonderful now, I'm stronger, happier and healthier than I have been in years.

This may not be the case for you, but it is certainly worth checking into.

All the best

Coyote is right. Plus some of the worst food culprits for depression are (1) white sugar/corn syrup etc... (2) wheat....has gluten...prevents absorption of nutrients (3) anything that keeps your body more acid than alkaline (all junk/processed food) (4) soda (very acid....blocks calcuim absorption...and destroys calcium....a natural tranquillizer...)

And some thing that can make you feel better are (1) brewers yeast...lots of B vitamins (2) COMPLEX carbs (2) green juices/green protein powder...lots of B vitamins and much more (3) lots of raw veggies in a salad....lots of magnesium and other minerals vitamins and enzymes (4) more exercise, and (5) meditation...I like "mindfulness meditation"...the insights are great for beating the blues, and (6) people you can call up when you're in trouble.

great stuff in all of the above answers, but a particular thing really stood out to me. midlifecrisis suggested volunteering. you'd be amazed at the good feelings that come from helping someone else. it'll put you in contact with other nice people, too.

be..cause.. you're ..sad..? And not depressed? There's a difference.

I completely agree with midlifemadness. Altho, i know what you're going thru, I'm the same way...

I don't know.. but I tried this when I was depressed and it helped me. Whaddya got to lose?

Do something nice for someone else for no reason at all, ask for nothing in return. That will make you feel better about yourself. Repeat this several times...