How do I get to have selective amnesia? I've been going through depression for more than a year now.. I tried displacing my attention and keeping myself busy but I would still feel the same emptiness and frustration at the end of the day.. I want to forget every bad memories I have and start all over again.. Please help me.. I'm not rich so I can't afford consulting a psychiatrist.. It's affecting my life.. I don't want to live with the shadows of the past anymore..

There is no way to do that. And we have to find and learn ways to deal with the past. We have to start living for tomorrow. And not the past.

Mental health counseling, at least in the US can be found often according to income. So it should be available for most people.

'Selective Amnesia'...

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to erase all memories that are causing us stress, or that make us angry, or remind us of failures we've had. It could erase the pain of losing a loved one, the discovery that you've just received notice you're losing your job, or the angst of having faced lies that have caused you embarrassment.

But, life doesn't work that way.

Selecting to do nothing- means that you will indeed be depressed with facing those same problems and situations that have caused, day to day, because you have not learned how to put them to rest.

As you have not been diagnosed with depression, self-diagnosis is a dangerous thing. I urge you to speak to someone about how you are feeling, preferably your Doctor, and see if you can't get information on where to go to get help, without it breaking the bank. He/she may very well be aware of free services available in your area. Your Doctor may very well diagnose depression, but there are several clinical factors involved to make that conclusion, and it needs to be done professionally.

Taking these steps will help you learn how to understand and cope with what you are going through. You don't have to be miserable and spinning your wheels!

As Jake said, at least talk to your doctor. To get help you have to reach out, and he would be a logical first choice.

As someone who has had a traumatic childhood and does not remember much of her childhood I can tell you it is not that good to have selective amnesia. I still know stuff happened but can not remember the details. I also can not remember any good times as a child.
I too would suggest talking to your doctor about finding a therapist or counselor that can help. Some even do it on a sliding scale for the fees. I struggled along for a while without help and then started researching what therapies can help people with my type of mental illness. I then became proactive to get into that type of therapy and it helped. It was hard work but so worth it.