Being open about mental health

[Cyno]

Feb 15, 2019 16:01:12 GMT -5 Perfect Timing said:

Feb 15, 2019 15:28:49 GMT -5 chazraps said:

That's not really an accurate idea of what meds do. It's not "fake happy," it's a medical correction. Calling it "Fake happy" is like saying someone who uses glasses or contacts to see better just has "Fake sight."

Yeah but having to use them to cope when I've got past the worst years of struggles make me wonder if they would be of any benefit.

They don't make you fake happy or even real happy. They give you the ability to be happy again because they correct the chemical imbalance in your brain that makes that otherwise extremely difficult.

There's also all sorts of antidepressants for all sorts of different severity and symptoms and they're also not a magic "fix it all" solution, either, which is why talk therapy is almost always recommended in addition to any sort of medical treatment. If you're really feeling that iffy about it, talk to your regular doctor or look up a psychiatrist (as they can prescribe medicine while regular therapists and most psychologists can't).

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Speaking as someone who’s been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and has been received treatment and therapy for the past couple years, I’m happy to see that people (especially with men, where it’s been rather taboo for so long) being honest about their issues publicly.

[crankypants]

Today was one of the worst days I've had in a while depression wise.

So many gloomy thoughts, seemingly without any trigger.

Sometimes even the simplest task can become an ordeal.

[Deleted]

Feb 15, 2019 21:02:00 GMT -5 crankypants said:

Today was one of the worst days I've had in a while depression wise.

So many gloomy thoughts, seemingly without any trigger.

Sometimes even the simplest task can become an ordeal.

I know how you feel cranky pants. I had a nice birthday last week, and then out of nowhere got depressed and started crying for no reason and feeling lonely. I wound up in bed for like 3 days and nothing bad even happened to trigger it.

[adamclark52]

I finally went to the doctor about my similar issues ten months ago, OP, and got put on antidepressants. They've really helped me.

[Joe Neglia]

Okay, let's see if I can finish typing all of this this time.

As some of you are aware, and as many of you probably have suspicions given my somewhat erratic personality on here, I deal with severe mental health issues. About a decade ago, I suffered a complete breakdown and was hospitalized during that time after a failed suicide attempt. In my time there, I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar-2, PTSD and a small army of related things in the depression area, with BPD being the most forerunner of them all.

I have spent the last ten years basically slowly spiraling little by little. I can't do meds for this because everything that's been prescribed actually makes the more self-dangerous aspects of this worse. I found a distraction for a few years when I brought my elderly mother in to care for, as having something I "have" to do gives me some sort of focus, and that kept me pseudo-stable for a while. After she passed a year ago, my mental stability has basically cratered. These days I go to work - where I still feel halfway normal because it's the only "normal" left in my life - and that's all I do. I get home and I start the process of nothingness that ends up swallowing every day. I get on here and check a couple of threads of interest, go to YT and see if there were any new videos on the list of subscriptions, then I go check my gmail and facebook for any new messages, then I repeat the entire process. Over and over for the entire day until I finally start getting tired at 3am in the morning, then sleep and back up at 6am for work. There isn't a day that goes by that things inside get more resolute about putting an end to all this and I fight it constantly. Constantly. For years now.

And it's tiring. I have become convinced I eventually lose this battle and I'm too exhausted to keep fighting it for another ten years.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Feb 16, 2019 13:25:33 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

Okay, let's see if I can finish typing all of this this time.

As some of you are aware, and as many of you probably have suspicions given my somewhat erratic personality on here, I deal with severe mental health issues. About a decade ago, I suffered a complete breakdown and was hospitalized during that time after a failed suicide attempt. In my time there, I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar-2, PTSD and a small army of related things in the depression area, with BPD being the most forerunner of them all.

I have spent the last ten years basically slowly spiraling little by little. I can't do meds for this because everything that's been prescribed actually makes the more self-dangerous aspects of this worse. I found a distraction for a few years when I brought my elderly mother in to care for, as having something I "have" to do gives me some sort of focus, and that kept me pseudo-stable for a while. After she passed a year ago, my mental stability has basically cratered. These days I go to work - where I still feel halfway normal because it's the only "normal" left in my life - and that's all I do. I get home and I start the process of nothingness that ends up swallowing every day. I get on here and check a couple of threads of interest, go to YT and see if there were any new videos on the list of subscriptions, then I go check my gmail and facebook for any new messages, then I repeat the entire process. Over and over for the entire day until I finally start getting tired at 3am in the morning, then sleep and back up at 6am for work. There isn't a day that goes by that things inside get more resolute about putting an end to all this and I fight it constantly. Constantly. For years now.

And it's tiring. I have become convinced I eventually lose this battle and I'm too exhausted to keep fighting it for another ten years.

You have friends here who care about you deeply that you can speak with on how you feel, Madison. I hope you know that.

[Deleted]

I'm pretty open about my depression to people close to me.

I've been struggling with it since junior high if not earlier...

But i don't talk about it in social media, if I see a person I follow talk about Depression, i do my best to contact them via DM, to offer support...

My depression makes me bit passive, It's hard for me to find the motivation to get out of the bed or get anything done...

[Jumpin' Jesse Walsh]

I've been taking medication for anxiety and depression since last summer, in addition to going to therapy for the past 2 years. The negative feelings don't go away entirely, but the combination of both the meds and therapy has changed how I deal with them.

I'm pretty open about my mental health on social media and elsewhere. If my openness on the subject makes someone more comfortable about being open with their own mental health, then I consider that a success.

[Long A, Short A]

I saw this in a facebook group I belong to and I thought it might be helpful. " I recommend anyone experiencing mental health issues or are a concerned friend or family member reach out to their local chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illnes). They have support groups and a wealth of information. Also anyone suffering from depression and anxiety should look into TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy) as well as Theta Burst therapy. They are drug free alternatives that have helped many and will become more commonplace in the future. Also Pharmacogenomic testing through companies like GeneSight provide a list of medications your liver breaks down easily and which don’t. This can save you years of unnecessary suffering by knowing which medications to start with, and which medications to avoid. Also Ketamine therapy has shown incredible results."

[Ultimo Gallos]

I had long suspect I had some kind of mental illness. But waited till I almost died to get help. Had to be hospitalized. Found out I suffer from

Clinical depression
Bi polar disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Insomnia-this one I knew about. Been fighting insomnia since I was 14.

Got put on meds,started seeing a therapist every 2 weeks. And since I had waited so long to get help I had lost my dream job and my now ex wife asked for a divorce. Ended up moving back to my home state. I tried to go back to work,but I just couldn't handle it.

This was all back in late 2007/early 2008. Thankfully I have managed to slowly learn how to deal with my issues. Met the perfect woman for me,we have been together for over 10 years now. Since I don't work I am helping take care of my elderly mother. And now I do not see a therapist. Mostly cause I have a great support system made up of my family and some close friends.

Sure 4 or 5 times a year I will have 1 to 3 day spells when I do not want to be around anyone. But I know that those bad times don't last long and have developed ways of coping.

Thankfully my lady understands that cause of my issues I can be limited in what i can do. Plus it helps that neither of us are big on going out to loud crowded places.

Like she tells me anytime I am really down "We are both broken. When you put our pieces together we are whole again."

[Fauxnaki]

Struggled aswell doctors just push pills on me that makes me feel worse. Just kinda trying to sort things out myself because although people say "get help" the help is not always out there

[Bub (BLM)]

Feb 15, 2019 16:07:13 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Feb 15, 2019 16:01:12 GMT -5 Perfect Timing said:

Yeah but having to use them to cope when I've got past the worst years of struggles make me wonder if they would be of any benefit.

I know everyone's struggles are different, and speaking as someone who started after what I thought were my worst struggles and formerly had an aversion to medication as well, I will say that they've changed my life tremendously for the better. I didn't know I could feel this healthy.

You don't have to be on them forever, I highly suggest trying them, even at a small dosage, for a few months.

This is true. I was on antidepressants for 2 years, then gradually cut them out with the help of my doctor because I felt like o was in a good place. However, a few months off of them and I realized that my life was better on them. Small things in daily life like traffic or getting up with my alarm for work were so much easier because my levels were so much more balanced on the medication. I wasn't depressed, but that's only a fraction of what they can really do for you. My doctor put me back on and I've felt great ever since. I know that not everyone is the same, but you owe it to yourself to live your best life. If that requires legal prescription medication, there's no shame in that.

[AwamoriRock]

I've been struggling with depression issues for a while, but lately I feel like it's turned into a drinking problem. I've committed to quitting and staying away from booze, but it unfortunately has flared up here and there when I give into anxiety/stress etc. I've recently taken the attitude to be more open about it and let as many of my friends as possible know. I guess that now extends to here thanks to this thread, haha.

["Magic" Mark Hurr]

Feb 19, 2019 6:08:23 GMT -5 Ultimo Gallos said:

I had long suspect I had some kind of mental illness. But waited till I almost died to get help. Had to be hospitalized. Found out I suffer from

Clinical depression
Bi polar disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Insomnia-this one I knew about. Been fighting insomnia since I was 14.

Got put on meds,started seeing a therapist every 2 weeks. And since I had waited so long to get help I had lost my dream job and my now ex wife asked for a divorce. Ended up moving back to my home state. I tried to go back to work,but I just couldn't handle it.

This was all back in late 2007/early 2008. Thankfully I have managed to slowly learn how to deal with my issues. Met the perfect woman for me,we have been together for over 10 years now. Since I don't work I am helping take care of my elderly mother. And now I do not see a therapist. Mostly cause I have a great support system made up of my family and some close friends.

Sure 4 or 5 times a year I will have 1 to 3 day spells when I do not want to be around anyone. But I know that those bad times don't last long and have developed ways of coping.

Thankfully my lady understands that cause of my issues I can be limited in what i can do. Plus it helps that neither of us are big on going out to loud crowded places.

Like she tells me anytime I am really down "We are both broken. When you put our pieces together we are whole again."

I can relate. As a only child, I felt a lot of times that however I was feeling was my problem. I felt more comfortable in solitude, and having insomnia played a major part in that. I felt like a nocturnal animal ever since I was a yo7n kid. I still do to this day. Even though I've had jobs whee I've worked daytime hours, I've prefered night jobs. I have a very low tolerance for daytime foolishness at jobs. My energy ain't set up that way at all.

With me, I've felt that dealing with depression and anxiety is difficult because everyone has an explanation for your behaviors without fully understanding them. 4I know my parents didn't. When I reached my 30's I told them why I had the problems I had as far as school and other things they thought that were supposed to be a part of the "natural progression" of growing up that just weren't realistic to me.

I've had issues with drinking, but my hatred for hangovers and working long hours polices that. Smoking has been much of a problem since I stayed away from it until my late 20's. The only medication I've taken was adderall. It has helped a lot with my focus for when I get too scatterbrained. But I take that every now and then. He'll, a lot of times a good night sleep and a day to myself will do the trick. Or seeing a project to it's completion. While I'm on that. There is something to involving yourself in a endless cycle of incompletions. Working or task that leave us with feelings of not feeling like anything was accomplished I feel lends to disorders that people can have. That may be the reason pro wrestling has it's affect on us. It's our own 9 circles of personal hell. Rarely do things feel completed, but when things work, they payoff is great.

I've been fortunate to have creative outlets for whenever I feel uneven with art or hobbies with collecting toys. I've made friendships over the years due to that as well. Relationships have been hit or miss. It's l8ke going through legal process. I despise the discovery phase.

[Deleted]

Anxiety and depression here. It is a struggle. Mine doesn't make me numb, or make me sad, mine makes me impatient and angry. The different when I am off my medication is extremely pronounced.

I got on the meds and I started eating better. Lost thirteen pounds since the start of the month. Thought I was sad because I was fat, but I might be fat because I was sad.

[abjordans]

I am starting to feel like my anxiety is getting the best of me lately. I have never sought out help for it or even been sure anxiety is even what I am feeling. I have played hookie from work before, but today I literally felt like I couldn’t go, which I have never really experienced before. I’m calling it a mental health day to refresh my thoughts and feelings after a couple days, but I definitely do not want it to become a pattern. I pride myself on being dependable and not someone people have to worry about.

[the2ndevil]

I think my body is starting to adjust to my medication. Today was the first day I didn’t get a headache.

The real test will be next Thursday when I take 2 instead of 1.

[Spider2024]

So at the moment, I'm dealing with a very bad combination of supreme hopelessness and supreme anger. It feels like there's no answer to whatever's ailing me mentally.

Today I went for the first time to my new 'Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner' hoping for 2 things: Refills on my meds, and perhaps maybe some actual help mentally. I got my med refills at least.

For the actual help, she said I go find a therapist that specializes in autism-spectrum patients, so that I could actually talk to someone about what's ailing my brain.

The hopelessness & anger part of all this is that, in order to find this nurse practitioner in the first place, I did way more of a search than I thought I would've needed to do, spent many months calling many numbers with ZERO responses of any kind, until finally I got that one call for that Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Only for her to tell me to 'look on the computer' for a therapist. So I'm back to square one, more or less. Especially since I'm now resorted to using the same exact search terms on the same exact search sites, just to find the same very limited options.

For the record, after a half-hour of searching, I found 4 feasible doctors. 3 of them don't take my insurance. But of one of those 3, my neighbor (who knows many doctors of many types from her work) said to call that particular one, and mention to him that I know her personally, and he'll help me find someone.

Unless he, in all likelihood, doesn't even respond to my call, for who knows what reason.

I've lost all hope. How can it possibly be this hard to find mental therapy? I live very near a major city with many good colleges and universities, and there are hundreds of active doctors, or otherwise people who can call themselves 'doctor'. This whole bullshit ordeal is confusing and disappointing me.

[tartsonawire]

Count me amongst those who didn't want to be on meds, but I'm glad I did. I didn't realize how messed up I was until I was put on a low dose med. It took a few weeks to really kick in, but I've felt much better and much more capable of dealing with stress since then.