It must be a very difficult journey for you to come to grips with depression all these years. I would suggest that you stay with an experienced psychiatrist and let him or her explore all the treatment options with you. Given your multiple episodes of depression and the chronicity of symptoms, I would think you will need a combination of three medicines:
- Antidepressant to help improve the mood
- Antipsychotic to stop the voices (auditory hallucinations)
- Mood stabiliser (to augment your response to the antidepressant).
ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) also works for such serious cases of depression and I am not sure if you have tried out this modality of treatment. You will also benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy when your condition is a bit better to focus on the recovery process and to prevent further relapses. Depression is a highly treatable condition and there are so many antidepressants available in the country to help persons with depression.
It is indeed a sorrowful state to hear that you have to suffer for so long. Do take good care of yourself and not to give up in your search for a normal productive life.
