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Are you open about mental health?

  • 18-03-2023 2:40pm
    #1
    slither12
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 119 ✭✭


    My female friend has bipolar and is on the spectrum. She is very open with me but says that bar one other friend, she doesn't talk to anyone about it. Her family dismisses it as "being in the mind" (which it kind of is but doesn't make it any less real or controllable through will). Some of her other friends would sympathize with her but always say they'd never take antidepressants etc.. and make remarks like "you don't want to be on those for your life".

    Even with all the mental health movements, there is still a stigma around it. Would you discuss it with family/friends?



Comments

  • #2
    witchgirl26
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,253 ✭✭✭witchgirl26


    Yep I would and do. I had post natal anxiety & was on meds for it. Was I thrilled to come off them? Yep I was but I'd go back on them in a heartbeat if I thought I needed to. I was very open with all my friends & family & even work colleagues about it as I don't think it's anything that should be hidden away. Plus hiding it & putting on a mask for people can sometimes make it worse.

    As for antidepressants & people saying they wouldn't take them - I always ask them why they wouldn't. If they knew they would help them deal with the issues they're having why wouldn't they? Would they also not take a paracetamol for a headache? But there is a misconception around antidepressants and their effects. People wrongly believe they turn you into a zombie - only the wrong ones do that. What they really do is stop your system continuously being in fight or flight mode & allow you to actually deal with the issues. It takes the edge of.

    The more we talk about it all, the less the stigma is. I also love the line "if you can't make your own serotonin, shop bought is fine!"



  • #3
    em_cat
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,291 ✭✭✭em_cat


    Yes I do because I'm a female ADHD combined ND and it severely impacts my life, I was diagnosed as a child so luckily I'm now blissfully in the subtle art of not giving a F*ck stage as I am older and no I do not see my ADHD as a super power. Also I'm not medicated because I can't take the stimulants not even a toddlers dose so I literally am on my own with it, when ever I go to get my Xanax refill my GP is always asked me if I've managed to find a therapist that I can stick with and I reply in kind by asking him if he's found me a Clinical Psychologist that works with ADHD that he can refer me to... and we go from there. This has been going on three years now.

    Right now I am currently going through something with my spouse and its very difficult bc he is a nuerotypical as we like to call them and me being me is having a dreadful time wading through my Emotional DeRegulation, which is currently dialled to overdrive.

    Apologies for the moan and the me me me me...

    OP, I think no matter how much we, and mean society talks about it, it will take generations before it truly is a something that is normalised by our parents generation, for me I can see every bit of my ADHD in my mum but no she just says she has bad days.

    AS it is getting a diagnosis is pretty hard and way beyond most peoples wages and seeking a diagnoses as adult is next to impossible unless you've a few 1000's lying around or get sectioned. Your friends family being dismissive about their diagnosis is incredibly unhelpful for her wellbeing and I would encourage her to be candid about it if a situation calls for it.



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