Welcome to the Depression Warrior website!
My name is Laura Ryding, and I’m here to provide you with information about the soul-sucking, overwhelming, life-threatening disease of depression. Here, you will find the Keepin’ it Real blog, links to resources, product reviews, and tips and tricks to survive your worst days.
This site started in 2017 as a place where I shared my experiences with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) over the previous 35+ years. I was also diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) around the year 2000, but after a lot of hard work and some behavior change, I no longer meet the criteria for that diagnosis. Yay!
I’ve been on dozens of psych meds over the years, tried countless kinds of therapies and treatments, and I’ve been a consumer of mental health services on and off since 1984. I’ve also worked in the field. I consider myself a lay expert on mental health in general and depression and anxiety in particular.
I started feeling better around 2015, after trying a new-fangled, non-invasive treatment called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Unfortunately, depression started to come back after about six months. I made more and longer-lasting strides starting in 2017, after starting with a new therapist and taking a year-long Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group. By the time 2020 rolled around, I had made a very important move in my personal life that, along with meds and treatment, allowed me to be happy for the first time in many decades.
You heard right – after more than 35 years of serious suffering and hanging on for dear life, I finally started getting better. It is now 2023 and my depression has been in remission for the last three years.
I am living proof that it is possible to beat depression.
Trust me, I never thought it was possible. From the age of 14 on, I was afraid I would die alone and depressed – probably by my own hand. I developed a disturbing image of my dead self in a dark basement apartment somewhere that no one would notice until the smell got so bad they had to call the police to do a wellness check on me.
I am currently in the process of rebuilding Depression Warrior to be a clearinghouse where people can come for information related to depression. The look might change a bit through the beginning of 2024, as I add new pages and move things around. Come by often to see what’s new.
Thank you for stopping by!
