Medication
I take Citalopram for the depression, and very occasionally prescription sleeping aids to help with the poor sleep I suffer from as a symptom of depression. The Citalopram’s main job is to stop me feeling too down and/or suicidal, and seems to work pretty well. Thankfully the side-effects are minimal.
Challenges
The biggest issue I have with the depression is the lack of motivation to do anything. It’s a colossal struggle professionally to function when all my brain is wanting to do is vegetate and be unproductive. It’s quite a vicious circle with the unproductivity—being unproductive makes me feel bad and down, and that spurs even less productivity. With the Asperger’s, the most obvious thing that occurs is accidentally offending people; but the significant literal thinking and the ability to concentrate fully on my field is very handy.
Strategies
My main strategy to help with both of the above is to work with others. I’m very poor at planning, so having someone else to help with my weak areas whilst I concentrate on my strong-points is very useful.