mental health issues

[Lainie]

just wanted to see if we can start an open and honest thread re mental health issues. i know a lot of people prob hide away and dont tell anyone or ask for help. unf there is a stigma attached to it and many people (ie managers at work) have a very low tolerance level of it.

yet another person has ended his life and im sure there are people you know directly or indirectly who has done the same thing.

my cousin did 14 yrs ago and theres hardly a day passes without me thinking of him and wondering why we never saw the signs or why he never asked for help.

mental health issues can affect anyone at anytime so please be understanding and not judge.

[nara]

my cousin did 14 yrs ago and theres hardly a day passes without me thinking of him and wondering why we never saw the signs or why he never asked for help.

Sadly, that's a pretty common scenario Lainie. It's usually the people who bottle things up and don't share their problems who go down that road.

[Evastar]

there's been two suicides that i know of in my local area in the last two weeks, one drove off a pier, one jumped in front of a train. i'm sure there's more i haven't heard of

tbh suicide is something most people probably contemplate at some stage in their lives.

[rds60h]

Mental health issues can manifest itself in many different ways, stress and depression is possibly the most common but can be one of the hardest to accept until it really gets a grip. It is amazing how quickly it can take hold even when you think you are the last person that could suffer from it and even accepting you are suffering from it can be a problem until it hits that hard that you just feel everything is falling apart. I just hope that if it happens to anyone reading this that you have good family and friends around you to help support you and get you through it without the problem spiralling out of control.

[mark36]

I've known two people who have taken their own lives and i can quite honestly say i never saw anything untoward with either,in fact on the contrary they appeared full of life without a care in the world which makes it all the more shocking when it happens.Unfortunatley i believe they go into a very dark place(where most of us hopefully will never enter) when alone but are able to mask their thoughts when around people.Must be a horrible place to be.

[cgscott]

Aye i had a friend hang himself. He appeared fine. Had a girlfriend and kid etc.

He tried to slit his wrists first but didnt work so hung himself. Girlfriend found him in house.

As is mentioned the people who mask the feelings are more likely the ones to commit. Not like self harmers who only cry for help. Very hard to tell who is depressed and who isnt.

[mr.mojorisin]

been suicidal meself due to depression.
it is good to talk although most sufferers find it extremely difficult to do so

[Lainie]

thanks to all that replied.

yes people who suffer can appear very happy on the outside but they are falling apart inside. ive suffered them all - stress, depression and anxiety and its the anxiety that takes over my life. eva and berley would confirm this as when a night out was arranged when eva was visiting me i didnt go. i was afraid others (esp males) from the forum (other forums) would judge me and i just couldnt face going. my other half did go and phoned me a couple of times to come but i just couldnt face it esp when i could hear the pub was so busy.

although we did go out other places when eva was here ie with dreamer on the friday night and we had a great time.

most people will say "oh its ok you will be with me etc etc" but tbh that doesnt really matter. normally im ok with my friends but im terrible with people that dont know me.

[Evastar]

yes we did have a great night lainie, and it was a pity you didn't feel up to going, but i'm sure people understood

depression and anxiety seems to be a lot more openly spoken about now that it has been in the past.

30 or 40 years ago it was go to the doctor and get a prescription for valium, some people are still on it 40 years later, it's a very addictive drug. the newer anti depressants appear to be less addictive.

[bobwill]

biggest problem for people with a mental problem is the same one that affected people a few years ago with a bad backs, now there is more tests to see if people have a bad back, they are now claiming stess, depression etc. So a lot of people think oyes when some one say they are depressed.Are local police nearly all leave in there last year of service with stess related complaits so they get on different pension benifits etc.

[paul hick]

i suffer with depression myself,have done now for the best part of 5 years.it is really strange when it comes on and can last for a day,or a week,or months even.it led to me walking out on my wife,job and my house.
it led to me having a complete breakdown and after 3 days of just driving up and down the country i found myself standing on a cliff overlooking the sea with every intention of going over.and then it hit me like a moment of pure clarity that i needed help.

[fireblade1]

i suffer with depression myself,have done now for the best part of 5 years.it is really strange when it comes on and can last for a day,or a week,or months even.it led to me walking out on my wife,job and my house.
it led to me having a complete breakdown and after 3 days of just driving up and down the country i found myself standing on a cliff overlooking the sea with every intention of going over.and then it hit me like a moment of pure clarity that i needed help.

i bet you life flashed in front of your eyes mate. hope you get the help you need my friend.

fireblade.

[Snowy79]

I've lost four mates to depression in the military. Two of them were the ultimate soldiers. They trained hard, worked hard and were always there for the younger lads. They were the life and soul of every party with their lives ahead of them then took their own lives completely out of the blue. I was also out hill walking with a group a few months ago and a new guy turned up. We got talking about what he did for a living and his family etc. 'Life was good' he said. A lovely wife and two young daughters. He got home that night to find she'd slit her wrists and was dead. Mental health issues are devastating and has been said before the worst part is those that suffer mainly suffer in silence until it's too late. My heart goes out to anyone suffering from it.

[patkins]

Around 1994 and due to a combination of a family crisis, neighbours from hell and the ba*tard of all managers all at the same time, I went into a fit of depression which lasted for about a year.
The worst part, which only lasted about 1 second was that I had a flash in my head of myself hanging in some nearby trees which scared the hell out of me.
With the help of medication, which a few years later I found out could cause death, Information on Zyprexa Side Effects! time off work and a house shift I recovered somewhat but the family crisis still lingers.
I was out of it on zyprexa , almost to the point of being invincible and don't want to ever go back to that state again.

[Canker_Canison]

I've done the trip with depression, as a few of you may already know.

I had no idea what was going on at the time, I just lost my grip & control of my emotions. It was a supervisor at work that suggested I got help. This came as a shock to me as that supervisor hated me from day one of starting there.

The girlfriend at the time didn't help...she just made things worse. But at least I knew where things were going wrong & set about putting it right. After 6 months of drugs & time on the sick I came off the drugs & started looking for work again. Although my doctor advised against it, I went back to work a new man.

The problem being that once that door has been opened, it will never close & lock again. I still feel the depression in the back of my mind... it never really leaves, it's just easier to see sneaking up on you.