Recognizing Your Depression

Complex Borderline Personality Disorder: How Coexisting Conditions Affect Your BPD and How You Can Gain Emotional Balance. Available at:

This video is for anyone who is worried about whether or not they might be depressed. It covers the warning signs of your first depressive episode, and what to do if you think you might be experiencing one. If you're experiencing any of the following signs, it might be time to seek treatment: feeling hopeless, having little interest in activities you used to enjoy, losing weight or being extremely tired. If you're worried you might be experiencing a depressive episode, please don't hesitate to seek help. It's important to get treatment early on in order to prevent it from worsening and to improve your chances of full recovery. Thank you for watching!

Daniel J. Fox, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Texas, international speaker, and a multi-award-winning author. He has been specializing in the treatment and assessment of individuals with personality disorders for over 20 years in the state and federal prison system, universities, and in private practice. His specialty areas include personality disorders, ethics, burnout prevention, and emotional intelligence.

He has published several articles in these areas and is the author of:

Complex Borderline Personality Disorder: How Coexisting Conditions Affect Your BPD and How You Can Gain Emotional Balance. Available at:

Thank you for your attention and I hope you enjoy my videos and find them helpful and subscribe. I always welcome topic suggestions and comments.
00:00 Introduction
00:38 When your depressive episode begins
02:42 Insight into your depression
03:27 where did depression begin?
04:06 Those old behaviors that worked
05:25 False belief about your mental health
06:40 Afraid for depressed loved ones
07:42 Treatment for depression
08:42 Parenting backwards (painful parenting)
09:57 Therapeutic approaches for depression
10:46 Your first therapy session

[shugabahfilawegenoni]

Dr Fox....thank you a million times. This content spelled out what I named "the creep". What has helped me is the practice of mindfulness and daily meditation. Learned this in the hospital. You have helped me so much for over over a year to overcome suicidal episodes.

[guesswho]

I am remembering this video you made on BPD and depression and how it's different for us. And I realize what coping strategies I need to dive into in order to avoid the early depressive symptoms develop into a full blown depression.
For me, like you said in that video, it's about self-loathing, basically. So, thinking about myself like something more than human garbage and taking good care of myself is what works 😊

[ladybaabaa]

Mine is a bit more complex. I'm 44 and looking back, I think I had some depression in my early teens but I hid it from everyone. I was also constantly anxious and that used up all my mental energy. I also developed symptoms of BPD at age 15 and escapism, addiction to my Favourite Person, obsessions with celebrities, avoidance and binge eating distracted me from it.

Whenever I didn't have a Favourite Person, I would feel what I now recognise as anhedonia, chronic boredom and intense depression. Which is what I have now lived with consistently (alongside anxiety, BPD, OCD, Avoidant Personality Disorder and CPTSD), for over 10 years.

No therapy has helped me after 5 years. CBT, DBT, ACT, EMDR or psychodynamic therapy. 8 different antidepressants, a mood stabiliser, an antipsychotic, and a stimulant..
none have helped. 😢

[stephanieclinton]

As someone who’s tried over 10 different SSRI/SNRI’s, this is very helpful information to help adjust your mental health when you feel your depression slipping. Thank you Dr. Fox!

[WhitePelicansareReal]

I’m very curious about what Depressive Episode actually means. To me, it seemed to have started when I was about 7 years old and wanted to die. I tried to strangle myself until I realized it wasn’t working and wouldn’t. Look forward to this, Thank you Dr. D. Fox.

[Rochelle]

First depressive episode??? Lucky bastards 💕

[danielhernandez-fomj]

great data .... i still even with having major depresstion as long as my bpd i don't fully grasp a lot of its cycle this kinda gave me a little more specific way to look at it I'm on disability for my major depressive disorder i have such a hard time even now as I've gotten older cuz studys have found one of the major comorbidiys to multiple slciroisis is depresstion and have even linked it to parts of the brain getting damaged its quite fascinating but this give me something more too keep in mind .... everytime i have a relapse of my ms I'm for sure to have a increase in my depressive symptoms and the more mobility and neurological symptoms i develop the harder it is to get beck to a comfortable base line in my major depresstion I've learned i have to have be mindful of what brings the feeling of living to my lifestyle that sometimes is as simple as the place i live ... making sure i find ways to stay in nature and listen to music and game .... and as you said the min i give into not making sure i do these things regularly the worse my symptoms become ... to the point i don't want to even gat out of bed or watch tv or do anything but lay here and think of all the ways i suck and trying doesn't matter once i get to that kinda thinking its over for a while till i push back but i never knew i should be looking closer at the small things like talking bad about myself even though im still laughing and smiling .... never thought that could be part of my major depressiton .... always felt it was more my bpd ... its all so confusing ...

[minutesago]

Depression is much better than anxiety. I have both. Like a thermostat that only has very cold and very hot settings. A small window of comfort as the settings are changed.

[User..]

I listened to a podcast recently where a group of men said that they wish psychologist and psychiatrist would be honest that most of society doesn't want to date or marry difficult people who generally have these diagnosis

[spacecityHTX]

Thanks Dr. Fox! Great sound effects as usual 🙂

[laurenmontera]

I'm ophidia phobic. That big yellow boa made me jump.

[whatsayyounowsunshower]

I wish this info was around 30+ years ago.

[gaurs]

I think it’s just because you feel that no one understands you or your emotional needs are not met