Two years ago I sought therapy for my endless cycle of depression, described almost verbatim as above. It was affecting my work performance, my marriage, and I had some pretty compelling thoughts about climbing a tree and taking the nylon-braided express.

Wasn't my first time seeking therapy. I'd been dealing with depression since middle school. Been on and off anti-depressants. Nothing worked for long, spent most of my time white-knuckling my way through life.

Then, this therapist tells me I don't have depression. I have ADHD and thats causing consistent depressed states in a neverending cycle of executive disfunction and shame. Or, put another way, "yeah you're depressed but that ain't the root cause."

Since then I've learned a lot of ADHD coping skills, I got on low dose stimulant meds, and I've learned a lot about how my nervous system works and how to listen to it. Living my best life now.

I wonder how many people are out there thinking they're depressed and that nothing has helped or will help, but are actually just under- or improperly diagnosed? Getting the totally wrong kind of help? Its kinda chilling.