Looking for Good Message Boards (touchy subject matter)

[ExRetailDrone]

I'm hoping I can get some suggestions for good, active message boards from the wonderful folks here.

I have been dealing with depression for over a decade. For years, now, I've pretty much been dealing on my own. Haven't been able to afford counseling, I hate the thought of drugs, and I feel bad always burdening my poor husband who also struggles with his own depression. I used to belong to an online depression community years ago, but it seems like that place is not very active anymore. So I'm hoping people here will know of some places I can check out.

Also, I have been coming to some realizations lately. I believe that I may have been emotionally abused in my previous relationship, and even though it has been over and I haven't seen my ex for years, I still find certain things haunting me. I just cannot seem to get past them. And I find some of those things interfering with my marriage now, and that is just not acceptable to me. I need to do some self-analysis on my own, but I was also thinking that talking to others who could relate might also help. However, all my searching seems to bring up non-online communities or those that cater more towards issues that I have never had to deal with, such as physical abuse. Any suggestions in this area would also be greatly appreciated.

[Amethyst Hunter]

I don't know of any message boards myself, but I know depression, having also had it myself (and still bat it off to some degree).

Offhand, a few books I might recommend for helping you to recognize and deal with past abuses:

- Toxic Parents. YMMV, but if you've ever had repetitive issues with your folks in the past, this book will explain a LOT. A friend of mine strongly recommended it to me after seeing how my own family situation has shaped me, and boy am I glad she did.

- The Gift of Fear. This deals mainly with how to recognize dangerous situations before you get trapped in them (and what to do if you are), but the author does touch on how to recognize warning signals from men that could indicate potential for abuse, be it verbal or physical. (Failure to recognize the proper boundaries of "NO" is a HUGE, huge red flag, for starters)

[Mytical]

Though not specifically for depression..this board has more then a few members who suffer from it and will lend support. www.fratching.com is a decent place to vent also.

[ExRetailDrone]

Thank you Amethyst Hunter and Mytical.

AH, I have heard of Toxic Parents and it has been on my to-read list for years. Perhaps one of these days I will finally get around to it. I'll also have to look into the other one. Thank you so much for the suggestions.

Mytical, that is true, I just didn't want to bombard this board and Fratching with a bunch of my issues. What can I say, I overthink and overanalyze way too much But I may use them to vent sometimes; the people here seem so supportive, which is wonderful.