mental health issues

[cgscott]

All different bouts of depression though. Some people are mega active some wont get out of bed. I think people can put themselves into depression. Activity helps a lot. The more you sit in the house the more you become depressed.

6 months unemployed taught me that.

[Lainie]

a lot of people stay in bed as that is where they feel safe an no one can hurt them etc. on the odd occasion ive had what is known as a duvet day when i dont want to speak to anyone etc. a lot of sufferers of different mental health issues feel they dont want to trouble others with their problems.

[racin-snake]

i know that old chestnut Lainie the old hide from the world one

i have did the avoidance thing hundreds of times not just for a day but a week or so its an escape to your own place even though its a dark lonely shitty one its yours and its funnily comfortable
like if your sleeping you aint thinking churning crap over and over in your head

but i don't do this to protect anyone but in fact i do it cos i cant be arsed with explaining or in fact talking to anyone at all for a few days ...its logical for me at the time
simple as that really

one other thing is the interesting bit that CC brought up
animals do know what mood your in and they also know when and how to act accordingly to the mood
unlike people funnily enough a dog or a cat will instinctively know what mood you are in

but all in all sympathy's not a requirement though understanding the problem for what it is might be better for folks

i can see CC is trying to say that but in his own way

ime afraid i don't care what's thought of me for being manic or the other side depressed
its just how it is if i could be happy and the life and soul all the time i would but alas the old napper wont allow that so
take it as i am
if i were blind there would be no problems or deaf or disabled by any other means
and anyhoo this NORMAL is overrated ive met folk who claim to be normal
they were just in denial

[stanburyfam]

HI guys sorry to bring up an old thread. I know I should let sleeping dogs lie BUT what I have read in the media lately has greatly worried me..We have lost several people in the last few weeks due to suicide whole families have been wiped out and many more devastated.

What I wanted to say is this no matter how bad things get there is always a light at the end of the tunnel but sometimes our minds go out of control and we do things we would not normaly do...In september I took a massive overdose(not the first time) the weird thing is from what I can remember previous to the incident nothing major had been going on one minute I was okay the next I wake up in hospital 5 days later. I did not suffer any emtional problems when I woke and felt no trauma exept for a very sore chest caused either by the shocks or the chest compressions not sure which(heart stopped three times)it might even have been caused by the way I was sleeping god knows anway I was interveiwed by the psych team and was feeling so well they let me go home instead of putting me into a psych ward. To this day I do not know what happened or why i did what i did BUT I can tell you this.

My wife was devastated she is my main carer and apperently I had been showng signs of mania for a while but I get very verbaly agressive when manic and she did not want to rock the very unsteady boat so she let things go.. You see the problem is with some mental ilness the "sicker" a person gets the more they lose touch with reality and it becomes harder and harder to convince them they are ill until the point where in my case it is usualy neccessary to section me and at this point i am usualy so far gone that I am escorted to hospital in an ambulance with police officers present althoug i have never been physicaly violent I am a bid guy and they need to keep everyone safe. I usually react very angrily to being hospitalised and have often laid the blame on my wife with threats of divorce etc but my wife is one of the most amazing people of earth and she has stood by me through all of this and continues to be me rock(she will probably lose it one day and beat me to death with a flake but till then we live and love)
I have three great kids my eldest has a lot of support from young carers and her own talking therapy in case she needs to unload my second child has downes so does not understand to muchof what is going on and the youngest is to small to know what is happening but when the time comes we will make sure that they all have as much support as they need..

Okay sorry for the very long winded biography and if you are still awake I will now get to the point of this reply..

If you know someone well and they are behaving out of character there is something wrong if they start drinking heavier or taking drugs suddenly there is something wrong. The behaviour changes might be minimal and as I am not a doctor I am not going to describe them but there is lot of info on depression out there but one thing I wll say a severly deppressed person might seem just the opposite in fact in an attempt to convince themsevles and the wrold everything is okay they may even seem happier then they have ever been but there are always other signs that go with it that show a bigger and better picture. Usualy talking to the person themselves is useless and you will probabaly get told to bugger off but talking discreetly to others close to them to see if they to recognise any changes will usualy give you an idea if you are on the right track.

If after investigation, only you and the others close to this person can decide where to go from there but if you are even slightly suspicious somthing is up DO SOMTHNG QUICKLY things can go from bad to deadly in a matter of hours I know from experience..You can start with a call to your local mental health crisis team explain the problem or your suspicions and they will give you advice on where to go next if it is considered urgent things happen very very fast that I can promise you..

The person who is ill may hate you at first for doing what you did but when they feel better they will thank you. By stepping in you may save their lives and the lives of their family and I can promise you one thing just because a person is mentaly ill children are not taken away as some ppl beleive(unless of extreme danger) but what does happens is lots of support is out into place to help them if they need.

Guys sorry for this long winded article it is probably useless and means nothing to anyone but if it helps one person in a tiny way the 2 hours it has taken me to type it is worth it

GET INVOVLVED YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE

[Lainie]

well stan i would personally like to thank you for the time and effort you made in typing that. if you ever need anyone to talk to you can pm me. i can personally relate to a lot of what you are saying.

im glad you are getting the help you need as i do know its not easy living with people with mental health issues and those that look after them should not be forgotton as at times it is a thankless chore for them.

xxx

[SatSearching]

I think cgscott has a very valid point about keeping active.

I do some free work for a charity, not because I have lots of free time, but due to my day job, my skills are rare and of value to them (long story).

One of the other guys involved is a Manic Depressive, cracking guy, is a awesome welder (another skill needed by this charity), he cannot work due to his illness, but I rekon if he wasn't involved in this charity to do what he is good at, he would have worse issues.

Point I am trying to make, it helps if people keep active if they are depressed, it can be a real tonic, gives them something else to think about and be engaged in, there are various charities out there crying out for help/skills that you would be surprised about, and rewarding to all parties.

SS

[ChelseaBun]

I think cgscott has a very valid point about keeping active.

I do some free work for a charity, not because I have lots of free time, but due to my day job, my skills are rare and of value to them (long story).

One of the other guys involved is a Manic Depressive, cracking guy, is a awesome welder (another skill needed by this charity), he cannot work due to his illness, but I rekon if he wasn't involved in this charity to do what he is good at, he would have worse issues.

Point I am trying to make, it helps if people keep active if they are depressed, it can be a real tonic, gives them something else to think about and be engaged in, there are various charities out there crying out for help/skills that you would be surprised about, and rewarding to all parties.

SS

thats exactly how i feel about my baby, i dont get a second peace from him, i dont get a moment with my own thoughts i am always mentally and physically active and thats how i like it. its probably not healthy but its working for me so far

[Larue]

Had read this thread several days ago.
Was thinking about all this.
Have lost my very good friend( read brother) under train wheels.
I think there is nothing wrong with people.
It's just our life becoming very different and some of us can't accept that and can't see the exit of this circle of life.
Just have look how simple was life 150 years ago and how things are going on now.
It's very different thing.
Just different.

[Canker_Canison]

thats exactly how i feel about my baby, i dont get a second peace from him, i dont get a moment with my own thoughts i am always mentally and physically active and thats how i like it. its probably not healthy but its working for me so far

This is not directed at you CB, just a general warning to everyone.

Keeping busy & active can make a big difference. But that needs to be balanced with medical support. If not you could just be bottling up the problem for a later date.

A friend crashed, mentally, a few years ago. The main cause was the death of her brother some 8 years ago. She just never dealt with it & carried on with her hectic life.

Always look over your shoulder to see what's creeping up on you.

[Lainie]

sorry to resurrect an old thread but just wondered how everyone was doing.

ive been off work for 4 weeks but hope to go back next week. after my car crash last year i put in for a transfer at work as its just too stressful for me. not just the job but also the managers and climate i work in. its very micro management and the sick leave in the building is horrendous.i qualified for an equality move but im still waiting on this nearly a year later!!

ops manager in work has just been a complete ***** and i know he would love to have me "paid off" but thank god he cant due to equality act.

i got my meds changed in april to venlafaxine and im on a high dose of them. ive been great away from work - my niece says im like 2 different people. however have to face facts that i have to get back to work.

[ChaLeeBoy]

i was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder nearly twenty years ago, and suffered with bouts of depression and anxiety for years, mainly severe anxiety.

it's only since i started doing reiki and other holistic therapies that i feel that i have genuinely improved, to a stage where a lot of people tell me i'm now one of the calmest people they know! (most of the time anyway, i still have the occasional wobbly day)

I have chronic PTSD myself. I was diagnosed last year, tried the meds, no good, at least for me. I find solitude and meditation to be the best thing, but socialising, forget it!

[Lainie]

just how long can post traumatic stress disorder last?

im genuinely interested.


after car crash last year doc put that on my sick lines as i was off work for 7 weeks.

[twatty]

chronic disabling anxiety thats me got issues good to read some of the comments.trying to snap out of it but its a long story feel exausted but hey will get there.thx lainie

[tshirtman]

just how long can post traumatic stress disorder last?

im genuinely interested.


after car crash last year doc put that on my sick lines as i was off work for 7 weeks.

It can last a lifetime in certain situations, (usually military related)
but some times it can be misdiagnosed for something called, "Abnormal Grief Reaction", it's a fairly rare illness, that's why it gets mistaken for PTSD
one of the saddest patients I've looked after suffered from AGR, he witnessed his 3 year old girl get knocked over and killed, and he never got over it, he just wanted to die, and it was our job to stop him.

PTSD can come and go for years, it hits you when you least expect it, the trick is knowing how to deal with it, finding a coping strategy when it hits,
I get it myself from time to time, after I witnessed a couple of suicides in a short space of time.

I know your not big fan of CBT, but I found it helped me, but maybe it's because I've got access to some of the better psychologists for advice when I need it.

[twatty]

cbt

my cbt is on hold due to pain waiting for mri scan.suffer from anxiety but been asking doctor for 2 years to send me for scan but he tells me pain is due to anxiety cbt women didnt agree and told doctor to send me for scan so pissed off with doctor at a loss just now but hopefully get sorted