I'm in a really dark place right now, I think I need help.

First thing to do would be to talk it out with friends or therapist (and I am now willing to spend money on it).

Kate Donovan's guide to getting therapy has been recommended by Scott Alexander, if you haven't already seen it.

I hope things start looking better for you. Good luck in whatever path you choose.

Posting to say I wish you the best.

Please read Scott's post about things that (sometimes) help when you're depressed.

In fact, go ahead and use it as a checklist.

Regarding your sympathetic friend: Having a sympathetic friend is a huge good thing. It means you are in a lot better of a position than people who don't have a friend in the world! But a sympathetic friend — someone who cares about you and wants you to feel better — is not thereby in possession of solutions. Psychiatrists, on the other hand, actually do know some stuff that works a lot of the time.

Regarding non-medical counselors: They can be plenty helpful, but they are not allowed to prescribe drugs; and drugs often make a huge difference.

Sent you a personal message :)

I was in a bad spot myself a few years ago, which I sought therapy for.

Much of my problem, and my subsequent unhappiness about it, came from not facing facts squarely. Impending losses, the anticipation of loss, often hurt much much worse than the actual loss.

We have hopes and dreams about what will make us happier. But when those hopes and dreams fail, or we fail them, that doesn't mean we can't be happy anymore. When the bad thing happened, the world kept turning. There were still movies to see, songs to hear, food to eat, people to help.

What I found helped, even prior to the bad thing happening, was just laying out what I would do if all the hopes were dashed, and all the fears realized. What's the worst case, and what would I do then? And the next worst case? And the next?

And you know, the worst case wasn't so bad, and was actually better than the unhappiness I was experiencing at the time. Some people live in miserable hell holes of violence and terror. What their world is makes them miserable. I don't live in that world. I presume you don't either. You are likely, like I was, being made miserable by what isn't, the hope and dream that won't be. Somehow the dream that was supposed to make us happier if it came true, makes us miserable when it doesn't. But that's rather wacky, isn't it? Now probably affords plenty of happiness if you'd take them, and plenty of opportunities for more happiness.

I just had a lengthier version of this talk with a friend recently. I think it really does help to talk with others to get some perspective on your issues, and your current approach to them. Looking back, my problems were largely of my own making, made worse by my own delusions and distortions. My friend's problems were largely of his own imagination about what might happen, where his perception of events were severely distorted by his fears of "the bad thing". It helps to get perspective on your issues from others. People are most deluded about their own situations, as their perceptions are altered by the sweep of emotions they have. Someone not in your shoes can likely give you a more objective picture of events.

You said your friend didn't have solutions. Sometimes, there aren't solutions. Sometimes you lose. On the other hand, sometimes we're so wound up by our fears of losing that we can't see the easy win.

Basic decision theory. Lay out the contingencies, lay out your options for dealing with them. Probably the most important thing is to start turning the contingencies into facts. Which branch is the real one? Find out. If something horrible may be, find out ASAP. Whatever unhappiness you may suffer from the truth, won't be avoided in the end, but you can shrink the misery of the anticipation of it. Find out.

Big problems easily cause us to neglect minor seeming maintenance like sleep, nutrition, exercise and personal hygiene. It's extra important to remain in top condition whenever you face struggle in life.

Sleep is really a decisive factor for me. Being well rested can easily make a hopeless situation into a manageable one.

I think I need help.

Asking for help when you feel you need it is a very positive step.

You could look at Dealing with a Major Personal Crisis.

That was not about a persistent depressive situation (at least not for me) but a very immediate and crushing situation.

You may send me a personal message.

If you get on irc, you could check out #lw-support, which promises trained, anonymous listeners. I don't know much about it other than it exists. In any case, I wish you the best :/

Probably your current reality map should be updated, try taking some other views on the situation, and don't forget that yourself being the center of the universe is nothing but an unavoidable illusion. Watching some films about cosmos often reminds me how miserable my own problems are) Also the best psychotherapist I can offer is Mr. Weedman - he can give you valuable insights about your own cognition and thinking and it won't cost very much.

Oh, and after dark there always comes light, you might be skeptical about this at the moment, but when you'll see it for yourself I hope you smile