@Prem51 and
@NaijaChick
Thank you both for your comments. Doctor has classified it as Moderate Depression and said that if needed the option for talking therapy was always there. At the minute I don't think I'm at the point of needing that, just needed something to boost my mood a bit. Will wait and see how the meds work. Thanks again and regards to you both, Colin
Here's the thing about NHS talking therapies in the UK that your GP probably
didn't tell you: the waiting lists are monstrous and if you walked into your surgery tomorrow and said "I really need to talk to someone about this" it could be as long as 6 or 7 months before your referral rose to the top of the pile.
You might not feel like it now, but it's certainly a wise step to get ahead of the waiting game and start the referral process right away. The chances are, your local Mental Health Team will contact you to assess you (happens over the phone here in the South West, don't know about other areas of the UK) and let you know more about what options are available and what kind of waiting times you're facing.
There's nothing worse than acknowledging you're ready to start talking therapy and being told there's a wait of months ahead of you.
In the meantime, there might also be some kind of group therapy available (like a facilitated support group) in your area. They're often tailored to generalised groups - new mums, struggling teens and so on. You might find that there's either a men-only group or a post-medical group that you can access relatively quickly.
While whatever happens in group might not be of direct benefit to your depression, having a place to go, where your problems and feelings are appropriate and accepted,and being able to start building a network of people who have similar experiences might well be of benefit, particularly as it sounds like you enjoy your job and miss feeling busy.
If you can, fill up your time with a regular schedule (not necessarily a busy one): anti-depressants work best in concert with other measures. And at least ask about talking / group therapy options so you have an idea of how long you'll have to wait should you ever feel the need to talk to someone.
In the meantime, hold fast. AS others have said, it takes time to kick in, and you might get some odd side-effects along the way. You're far from alone, though, and you
are going to be okay.
Much love,
Sock xx