i'm in my write up year and although i've written up my findings (which was a year long ethnography) i've still got the rest of it to write in final drafts. Is anyone else at this stage experiencing extreame depression?? i'm constantly feeling like i cant get up and more alarmingly cant seem to write anything! every time i go to write something i just panic and do something else, then i get stressed that i've not done anything so become more anxious about writing. I'm constantly late for hand ins to my supervisor who is very understanding but as you can imagine this is not ideal considering i am meant to submit in april lol! any advice/tips to get writing??

Similar problem here! I find myself just sitting at the computer wasting time for hours.. it's agonizing!
It helps sometimes if I get away from the computer for a bit, get a snack, go to the gym, work up a bit of a sweat, take a shower, and come back to my writing feeling energized :)

Have you taken any breaks/holidays?
Have you tried breaking it down into smaller pieces?
Have you talked to anyone (supervisor?) on how to tackle it?
To be honest I've spent a lot of my PhD depressed and wanting to give up! I spent a year writing, and have now submitted.
Good luck!

What you are feeling is (I hope) completely normal ... I'm at a similar stage so understand totally. My approach was to go through and look at how many amendments I needed to make, then set a REALISTIC time frame in which I could get the stuff written (i.e. 2 weeks for chapter X).

I always think of this stage as a marathon (although I've never run one!). You've heard the 'final bell', are totally zapped of energy and think the end is never going to come, but the only thing you can do is to keep pushing on.

It really doesn't matter if you don't hit the April deadline (i.e. if you are one or two months over). It's better to be realistic about how long this is going to take you (i.e. get through this without losing your mind!), and know you are submitting a (semi)decent piece of work (... and if your supervisor is understanding/good, they won't let you submit unless they think it'll do the job!).

Keep going!

I understand your situation. I'm finishing but I'm not, kind of weird.

My summer was worse thou, I did not write a decent sentence in 3 months, the last 3 months of the 3rd year -I guess it was the realisation of having to finish what made me panic and sit for hours feeling guilty about yet another lost day. It gets better... don't give up now!

thanks for all your supportive comments, its nice to know i'm not the only one who feels like this! I'm not a quitter and my supervisor keeps saying to be kind to myself rather than beat myself up about not writing, which i'm trying to do, and start each day with a 'clean slate' attitude. I'm also listening to Paul Mckenna 'confidence' cd which seems to be working as i actually wrote yesterday yay!! Its trying to break the vicious cycle of 'i dont feel good unless i write and i cant write because i dont feel good about not writing' but i'll get there as i cant imagine not finishing! not least because doing the PhD has rendered me unemployable anywhere else other than acedemia lol!!

when you feel depressed or over tensed, just take a change,say,by doing some sports or walking around. I am sure your inspiration would come back to you when your brain rest a little bit.

These are typical PhD student feelings - you are definitely not alone. I felt like this for a long time during my write-up period. I was working home alone and my only contact with dept was via my supervisor and his feedback on my research. I would encourage you to accept the difficult days and try to do something different when things get tough. For example, head to the library and get hold of any outstanding literature you need, do easy tasks like compiling your bibliography, organise your images, mess about with your fonts, brainstorm for other chapters - and if all this fails - watch your favourite DVD, meet up with fellow postgrads, go out for a coffee and read a good book. Part of the way you are feeling often comes down to the fact that we feel guilty if we step away from the thesis - but it is okay, you will work better if you feel refreshed and return to writing with renewed passion. Good luck - you are not alone. Oh and post on here, lots of friendly posters to cheer you up!