mental health issues

[ChelseaBun]

if someone you know has or has had depression then ask them how they're feeling, talk to them daily if you can, ask them what they're up to, what things are going on in their life etc. This time of year more than anything is when people are feeling the lonliest/ being reminded of whose not in their life to see in the new year with/ having money problems and are struggling to make ends meet/ spending christmas by themself.

A text/phonecall/message on fb might not seem like much but to someone who thinks they have no one to talk to, it means the world. I know, i've been there, it's not a nice place to be.

[bobwill]

Another thing to watch out for is the people who cover the mental problem with drink or drugs then you think they are alright. One sign is if they have to have a drink before they go anywhere or make an stessfull phone call then they become addicted to alcohol or drugs which, from personal experience not me but someone in family is a hard to treat because when high no problems when low all problems have come back

[racin-snake]

i have noticed two posts here which describe people with bi polar disorders

some bi polar (manic ) depressives are long or short cyclic

some can be high for weeks and down for days some on the extreme can be as fast as a few hours

some bi polar disorder sufferers slip through the net and never really show out and out symptoms to others as they are easy to mask
some cannot hold down jobs and as said mask or attempt to even out the symptoms with alcohol or drugs

its a fine line between a mental problem and what's naturally occurring also nutrition and health have a huge bearing on the sufferer

that is only one type of mental problem there are many hundreds more as in eating disorders and compulsive disorders which most will have in one form or other

medicine is in my opinion not an answer for the problem education and also cognitive therapies and understanding by others would go far further

just my take on the issue .

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Bipolar-disorder/Pages/Introduction.aspx

some interesting stories on this page

[tshirtman]

I'm sorry but you cannot diagnose bipolar from reading a couple of paragraphs, nobody has said they have actively planned a suicide, nobody has said they are dangerously hyper when well,
I have worked in mental health for the past 12 years in all disciplines, and I couldn't diagnose bipolar that easy, there is a massive difference between mild depression and bipolar, you shouldn't go putting labels on people, bipolar is a dangerous illness, if anyone is feeling depressed, go and see your GP, don't be embarrassed, GP's deal with mental health problems more than any other illness, the NHS spend more money on mental illness than any other illness, don't self medicate, if you have good friends and family talk to them, and if you are a carer for someone with mental illness, signs there illness is deteriorating are, they will isolate themselves, they will seem dissociated with every one, they will say strange, out of caracture things, they won't eat or sleep much, there hygiene will slip, low esteem, not willing to participate in any activity, and if they ever talk about killing themselves, take it seriously, and contact there GP or community mental health team.
most people don't realise how scary it is, having mental health problems, and the stigma surrounding it can makes things worse.
one last thing, some mental illnesses can be caused by certain food and drink, (organic) something to consider.

[johnboy1974]

Lainie im glad you have started a thread about this as i believe that practically everyone will suffer from some form of mental illness in their lifetime, most commonly depression. I know i have suffered in the past from depression and never even knew about it until i seen a doctor. He wanted to put me on prozac and that was enough to snap me out of it and pull myself together. Unfortunately some folk cannot do that and the consequenses are often tragic.

[Canker_Canison]

if someone you know has or has had depression then ask them how they're feeling, talk to them daily if you can, ask them what they're up to, what things are going on in their life etc. This time of year more than anything is when people are feeling the lonliest/ being reminded of whose not in their life to see in the new year with/ having money problems and are struggling to make ends meet/ spending christmas by themself.

A text/phonecall/message on fb might not seem like much but to someone who thinks they have no one to talk to, it means the world. I know, i've been there, it's not a nice place to be.

Sometimes questioning someone like that may push them further under. It's probably better just to let them know you're there if needed.
I didn't exactly open up to anyone when I was really down. It was part not wanting to bother people with my problems & also not sure who I could trust. Even my closest friends had no idea what was going on.
But strangely, I could take to a couple of strangers who tried to help when I was really messed up one night.

The 'friend' known as 'Gary', because that's his name. Is suffering from depression. He won't even admit it to himself, but we've all seen the signs.

You can't really help someone unless they reach out for it. All we can do is offer support.

[ChelseaBun]

i'm just speaking from personal experience canker, i pushed everyone away and i ignored a lot of people and im surprised they are all still in my life with how selfish the depression made me, but knowing they were there asking stupid things like if i'd heard a new song that was out, its just the silly things that remind you of normality.

[Snowy79]

I think that's another one of the horrible things about mental health issues. A lot of people that don't suffer it or have seen it at close hand don't understand it. They eventualy get pissed off thinking people are always in a mood and eventually cut them off which pushes them further under. A lot of my civilian mates think I can be pretty cruel with my sense of humour as in my own little world very little is out of bounds. This came about through some of the things I've seen and done in the forces. For some it's a coping strategy but it can also be very helpfull if some of the lads are feeling depressed. There's nothing better for knocking you out of it when the lads are always there for you, even if the only attention is getting the piss ripped out of you.

[stanburyfam]

Confessions of a bipolar

For the first time ever I am going to publicly anounce that I suffer from bipolar..I have been sectioned more times then i can remember and life can be hell. I have tried suicide seriously about five times(obviously was not as suicidal as I thought or am just really crap at it)

Today bipolar is the "in thing" among disorders, just about every celebrity trying to get out of crap for some kind of missdeed claims "BIPOLAR" made me do it. Dont get me wrong there are a lot of guinely ill celebs but then there are those who make a mockery of the lives of people like me.

I suffer from what is called rapid cycling bipolar so you can imagine the scariest rollercoaster ride you have ever ridden. You get on for the ride you get scared witless and the ride comes to an end BUT just as you are about to get off the bloody thing takes off again.

Bipolar ruins familys it, ruins friendships it ruins any posssibility of you living a normal life. I am lucky I have a loving wife and fantastic children and care workers who get me to hospital as soon as things get out of hand. Even with everything in my life carefully controlled one minute I can be fine and "NORMAL" minutes later a raving lunatic..I have been bounced from other sites when I have been shall we say hyper but mostly I am learning to stay away from the WWW when i am not in control of myself

sorry for the sermon


JAY

[maca]

Very honest of you m8 wish you all the luck in the world and can guarantee you wont get bounced of dk

[stanburyfam]

Conffessions of a bipolar continued

Looking through the thread I noticed a lot how drink and drug abuse is closely related to many mental health ilnessess ,my doctors called this self medicating in fact it was only when for some unknown reason I stopped drinking clompletely five years ago that we found out about the fact I had bipolar.

For years the financial problems the fights the frequent job changes the agressive behaviour etc were all just symptoms of an alchoholic where in fact the alchohol problems were symptoms of what turned out to be in my case bipolar.

I often wonder what my life would have been like had I been diagnosed many many years ago..

[racin-snake]

thanking you Jay much appreciated

i too have a bi polar disorder and its hardly any type of "in thing"

i as diagnosed 22 years ago and have not suffered (i really dont like that term personally)
i live with it !

i do not have any desire to commit suicide never have to be honest this as described earlier is not a required part of the diagnosis
but mood swings from extreme highs like amphetamine's rush for days loss of desire to eat and sleep i have encountered a lot but not always depends on mania intensity (some are really quite dangerous to themselves but as a rule its not as common as described above)

then following this
the exact opposite ie avoiding people lethargy and severe depression sleeping a lot withdrawal from the world

this is the bit of the cycle i dont like to be honest

and before its stated not everyone who is depressed attempts or contemplate suicide

dangerous hyperactivity yea not in my case though

its also a condition that is neither the same from person to person

as in where Jay explain he's a fast cyclic
i am far slower cyclic (thank ~~~~)

i have been prescribed tricyclics/ maoi's /sri's /ssri's and 4 years on lithium before trying other methods last straw was refusing E.C.T (eletro convulsive therapy)

so i think i might know the signs and habits of a manic depressive ?

i can be either high or low for days with no breaks sometimes i can be high for six days then down for ten days
i now can feel and know the signs of either a high or low as can family and some friends too
they can tell when im ready to go in either direction

i d like also to say i do feel for some people who have this just imposed on them as its quite as described frighting
and can take some time to get adjusted
some have just lived with it for years unbeknown to them they have a mental illness

some bi polar people go on spending spree's while manic or in the extreme cases do much worse i admit

but its sort of tailored to the person no two will be the same ever !

but all in all its the different types of issues with different types of illness ie schizophrenia and chronic depression

anyhoo that's my experience and it is still ongoing although un-medicated now for over 8 years since my daughter was born
many different types of metal disorders are much worse

and to who are afflicted i can honestly say "just don't let it win"

it can be controlled by trying all methods at your disposal don't ever give up its not just you you live for others too though it might not be apparent to you those who care and will be effected by your actions
if somic dont work try another
in any case your worse case scenario you'l be old before somic works

just keep trying

[Canker_Canison]

i'm just speaking from personal experience canker, i pushed everyone away and i ignored a lot of people and im surprised they are all still in my life with how selfish the depression made me, but knowing they were there asking stupid things like if i'd heard a new song that was out, its just the silly things that remind you of normality.

I wouldn't know 'normality' if it bit me on the ass

As Racin-snake has stated, not everyone's the same. I locked myself in my own little world while I tried to wrap my head around what was happening & how to escape it.
I never pushed people away, I just never invited them in. Suicide was never in my mind either, it was more likely for me to go on a bloody rampage removing the scum from society... luckily it never got that bad.

Yet other people, including the girlfriend at the time, had tried to kill themselves.... one of them successfuly. He hung himself over the stairs in his flat.

When all is said and done... There are those that make it, and those that don't. I just hope those among us that are still battling the many forms of mental disorders come away winners.


Strange thought... My old dog used to know when I was down. She'd always be there to comfort me, I miss her.
My current dog isn't as affectionate, but I carry more feelings for him than any other pet I've had. Probably more than I care for any human being as well.
Guess it boils down to the unconditional love.

[jcgrumbles]

I grew up visiting my mother in various mental hospitals across the north east,she was prescribed nardil after her mother died and then went onto the valium and other pills as well,there followed the panic attacks,the depression,the electric shock treatment which was brutal,and to cut a long story short the family couldnt take it and just fell apart.To watch someone you love going through all kinds of `treatments`hurts,back then people would say `shes bad with her nerves`and just give out more tablets.I really think most people havent got much of an idea of depression unless they or a member of their family has gone through it,and thats understandable,ive never seen or spoken to my mother in about 15 years and the same goes for a younger brother.Might i just add my best regards and respect go out to all of you who have been honest and open on the subject,now its time for a single malt,im bringing myself down here....

[Canker_Canison]

I don't think those involved with people who have a mental condition really understand what it's like.

No disrespect JC. And I don't want to bring you further down.

It's like watching a video demonstration on hanging wallpaper. You can watch it & understand the principles...but until you try to decorate a room you have no idea on the reality of the task.


The person who helped me the most was my mam's neighbour (and not just because she had a fit daughter). She was the one who told me it never really leaves you, it's always there in the background.
She was right. But she knew this because she had been there before. Sure, a member of a mentsl health team could of said the same thing. But it's the feelings that go with the statement.


I'm leaving this now. Gonna snuggle up with the dog.