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Mental health Issues?

JupiterKid

From my 14 years posting on boards, it’s become patently obvious to me that we share issues around mental health.

I’ll start. I had issues with anxiety going back to my childhood. Later, alcoholic dependency set in and it was hell for years. But I am finally climbing out of that abyss.

What, if you wish to discuss it, have been your issues?

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RabbleRouser2k

JupiterKid wrote: »

From my 14 years posting on boards, it’s become patently obvious to me that we share issues around mental health.

I’ll start. I had issues with anxiety going back to my childhood. Later, alcoholic dependency set in and it was hell for years. But I am finally climbing out of that abyss.

What, if you wish to discuss it, have been your issues?

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057564333&page=360

There's a thread to discuss mental illness in the long term illness forum. But anyways.

For me, I've had depression for as long as I can remember-literally, from childhood. Then I got OCD, which started in my national school days, and then went away for a number of years, before returning in my late teens (much stronger-now it was tormenting thoughts, as well as contamination OCD, frequent hand washing). Anxiety is something I've also had for years (again, going back to early childhood, I would get nervous as hell, like moreso than others would. I could drench a vest in sweat-like saturate it.

I dreaded gatherings, I dreaded family get-to-togethers (extended family I mean). I dreaded weddings, or other gatherings. And wouldn't even make eye contact with people. A rough day when I was 12 years old left me wanting to end my life.
It took a number of years for me to get back to stable. I did take medication when I was 15, but had to start taking it again when I was 20. Been on it since.

I gots lots of issues. Is the long and short of it.

Cleopatra_

Well let me see. In short I have borderline personality disorder which has caused depression, anxiety and agoraphobia/social phobia. This leads to all sorts of chaos in my life but I am finally getting the right therapy for BPD so I'm hopeful I can change things in time.

Church on Tuesday

I'm just glad we live in a society now were people can talk freely about their mental health, it can only be a good thing.

Myself, some anxiety issues when younger, although that has been conquered long since. Had a particularly bad experience three years ago around Christmas time which I'm still dealing with today. It hasn't been easy but I'm determined to conquer that too.

BeerWolf

Bought a bottle of Gordon's Gin that I've been mixing with iced Tonic or Bitter Lemon over the course of 2 weeks, that one bottle, and people think I've become an alcoholic...

It was the same when I was younger playing on the PC. Only on it for 10 minutes in the morning, Parent saw me on it before going off. After those 10 minutes I would be doing something else outside or studying or whatever... 8 hours later decide to play a game, a few minutes in parent see me on it and automatically assume I was playing games all day...

Honestly! Stop assuming the worst, people!

Graces7

BeerWolf wrote: »

Bought a bottle of Gordon's Gin that I've been mixing with iced Tonic or Bitter Lemon over the course of 2 weeks, that one bottle, and people think I've become an alcoholic...

It was the same when I was younger playing on the PC. Only on it for 10 minutes in the morning, Parent saw me on it before going off. After those 10 minutes I would be doing something else outside or studying or whatever... 8 hours later decide to play a game, a few minutes in parent see me on it and automatically assume I was playing games all day...

Honestly! Stop assuming the worst, people!

Not sure self diagnosing serious mental health conditions is a ..... healthy..or sensible thing to do.

Jayesdiem

For those with OCD, I’ve found having the Mindfulness Workbook for OCD constantly accessible on my iPhone kindle has helped me no end. Just reading it calms me down. For the OCD itself, the concept of allowing the thoughts to exist without reacting to them and becoming “comfortable with being uncomfortable” is key.

Grayson

Church on Tuesday wrote: »

I'm just glad we live in a society now were people can talk freely about their mental health, it can only be a good thing.

Myself, some anxiety issues when younger, although that has been conquered long since. Had a particularly bad experience three years ago around Christmas time which I'm still dealing with today. It hasn't been easy but I'm determined to conquer that too.

I wouldn't say freely, but it's a hell of a lot better than it was.

I've gone through spates of anxiety. It's happened twice in my life and it's lasted a couple of years each time. I take lexepro. My mum who's a nurse said "Why are you still taking it, you're better aren't you?" I replied that yes, I'm not panicky but it's because I take drugs.

When it occurred the second time I went to a doc, got a prescription, signed up with a therapist and started looking at how I could get better. I've come to realize that if it's happened twice, it could happen again. So I take medication to prevent it.

Liam McPoyle

I self harmed for a long time from my early teens to mid 20s, havnt done it in well over a decade though.

Suffered and still suffer with depression since that time too. Hit alot of really low ebbs during my early 30s, alot of which would have been alcohol related. Havnt had a bad bout in over 12 months but still have my blue days.

I've two beautiful kids now and they are my focus. I don't drink very often these days and when I do, I generally don't over do it and I've no doubt that's had nothing but a positive effect on my mental health. It's taken me a long time to accept that I have a destructive relationship with alcohol. While I was far from an alcoholic in the traditional sense ie drinking every day, I consistently drank to excess for a number of years. I'd always be the person up for going pints, I'd always be the person pushing to go to a late bar for more, I'd always be the person ordering 3 or 4 shorts when last orders were called.

The link between alcohol and mental health issues is well documented but not particularly well publicised. I drank to feel better, to mask my social anxiety, and I bloody well enjoyed it while I was doing it, but spending two or three days with crippling drink fear only to do it again and again, well, if I hadn't met my now wife when I did I don't know where I'd be.

Both my wife and I intend being as open as is possible with our kids about mental health and well being. My family, while very supportive when I asked, generally operated on a don't ask basis, even when they did spot self inflicted cuts on my arms. In fairness though, I didn't know why i was cutting and burning myself at that time so how could they?

It's been a long and sometimes very difficult journey but in general I'm in a much better place now than I've been for a substantial portion of my life and for that I feel very fortunate. I know alot of people that weren't as lucky as me.

Wanderer78

Graces7 wrote: »

Not sure self diagnosing serious mental health conditions is a ..... healthy..or sensible thing to do.

i self diagnosed an anxiety and depression disorder, along with autism, the professionals said i was right, so i dunno!

suicide_circus

i found that some antidepressants make you crazy, I can certainly see how they would be implicated in a lot of the mass shootings in the US

ELM327

High functioning asperger's, General and social anxiety. ODD, amongst others
After counselling sessions I relented on my anti-psych medication approach and agreed with my doctor to take a course for 3 months as a trial. Am on 15mg of lexapro daily and it makes life so much easier. Not a "zoned out" haze that I expected but just a bit clearer.
I'm still anti medication unless avoidable (was prescribed zimofane too but have not taken it yet as I am sleeping ok now) but I'm glad I relented and I am also glad that these threads are becoming more commonplace here and other places.

It's ok not to be ok these days, and that's great for us all!

ELM327

suicide_circus wrote: »

i found that some antidepressants make you crazy, I can certainly see how they would be implicated in a lot of the mass shootings in the US

Have done extensive research on this (see my above post showing I am anti medication in general) and it would appear that the only time it will make you "crazy" (induce mania) is in people with comorbid bipolar II or other manic issues.

suicide_circus

ELM327 wrote: »

Have done extensive research on this (see my above post showing I am anti medication in general) and it would appear that the only time it will make you "crazy" (induce mania) is in people with comorbid bipolar II or other manic issues.

not my own anecdotal experience but I'm sure you're right

Foweva Awone

Generalised Anxiety Disorder, history of Alcohol Dependency, and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder.

All currently under control through a combination of medication (Sertraline, Seroquel and Naltrexone) and a LOT of therapy.

I'm very happy and stable at the moment, after an extremely tumultuous few years that I'm very lucky to have survived. I'm lucky to have a very skilled and caring psychiatrist who just refused to give up on me even when I was more than ready to give up on myself.

I've no shame in being open about my issues, actually I consider myself quite lucky to have the self-awareness and insight that I have as a result of years of therapy. I was functioning for many years before everything broke down a few years back, but it wasn't really living - just existing. My quality of life these days is far better than it ever was in my on-the-surface more successful, "functioning" years, back before I'd had any diagnosis or treatment.

Grayson

ELM327 wrote: »

High functioning asperger's, General and social anxiety. ODD, amongst others
After counselling sessions I relented on my anti-psych medication approach and agreed with my doctor to take a course for 3 months as a trial. Am on 15mg of lexapro daily and it makes life so much easier. Not a "zoned out" haze that I expected but just a bit clearer.
I'm still anti medication unless avoidable (was prescribed zimofane too but have not taken it yet as I am sleeping ok now) but I'm glad I relented and I am also glad that these threads are becoming more commonplace here and other places.

It's ok not to be ok these days, and that's great for us all!

People do tend to have an anti medication approach when it comes to mental health issues. It's, pardon the phrasing, crazy.

If someone has depression/anxiety/whatever, they feel that it's giving in to get medication. You wouldn't think that if it was hay fever. People are more likely to medicate for a mild allergy than a mental health issue.
Pills aren't a single solution to mental health issues, but trying to get better without them is like swimming in custard.

My only advise to anyone with depression/anxiety is to go to a doc, get a prescription and if it doesn't make much difference, get a different prescription. Find the medication that works for you. Find a therapist and do the same. If that therapist isn't working for you, find a different one.
And try out stuff like meditation/yoga/exercise/whatever works for you. I found mindfullness meditation to be amazing help. There's an app called headspace that I found really helpful.

[Deleted User]

Medication absolutely has a place when it comes to alleviating mental ill health but time and time again I see it being used as a magic wand. There is an alarming amount of mis-use what with self-medicating and the sudden stopping of meds that require tapering off.

I think meds need to be used in conjunction with a therapeutic model. The individual needs to understand, be supported, and learn ways to manage and cope. A drug cannot do this alone.

[Deleted User]

I've suffered a few bouts of depression - reactive depression in response to devastating life events. I got medication that gave me space to deal with things without being overwhelmed by the associated emotions, and for that I'm very grateful. I've suffered bouts of anxiety, sometimes associated with the above events and sometimes just life stress and pressure conspiring to take the shine off life. Again, the right meds and steps to reduce stress and pressure does the trick but I'm vigilant for the early signs of things getting too much now, I've paid attention to what to look for and I have strategies in place to get through things. In general I'm an upbeat person, but even the sunniest people can have tough times.

I think most people have periods where life is hard to handle, and it's fine to admit it and deal with it. Nobody has to cope alone when things get hard, there's always help but you need to ask for it. It's not a sign of weakness or giving in or any of those dated ideas - it's not a sign of weakness to take a paracetamol if you have a headache and it's not a sign of weakness to take steps to heal yourself in any other way either. Pain is an unavoidable part of life, but if anyone reading this is in pain or distress and feels that nothing will help then please do go to your doctor and tell them just that, help is out there and things can get better.

[Deleted User]

I’ve always been a ‘worrier’, but the first six months of 2018 were off the wall for me. Anxiety, panic attacks and dread. Not good in a relatively high-profile job that requires a lot of ‘performing’. I’m on medication now, and that, combined with meditation and CBT has settled me down a good bit. I know all about emotional pain and would be happy to share my experience (and remedies) in more detail with anyone here who ever wants to talk/DM me.

ELM327

Deleted User wrote: »

Medication absolutely has a place when it comes to alleviating mental ill health but time and time again I see it being used as a magic wand. There is an alarming amount of mis-use what with self-medicating and the sudden stopping of meds that require tapering off.

I think meds need to be used in conjunction with a therapeutic model. The individual needs to understand, be supported, and learn ways to manage and cope. A drug cannot do this alone.

I think the way it was explained to me is the best.
You need to use the medication to learn how to cope better with things, without the stress or anxiety. (or with less, in my case)
Then - after a while - if you start to taper off the medication gradually you should find that your coping mechanisms have improved enough that your non medicated levels of stress, anxiety and depression have lessened.

It absolutely is a must to be a part of any coping strategy if needed (medication), but is not a magic wand.

Hector Savage

This expression "It's OK to not be OK" annoys me, It clearly isn't.

Is it OK to have cancer ?

It should be "It's ok to talk about not being OK" ... I know it might seem fickle, but in an age where unhealthy lifestyles are being pushed as progressive (obesity) we should nip this crap in the bud.

ELM327

Hector Savage wrote: »

This expression "It's OK to not be OK" annoys me, It clearly isn't.

Is it OK to have cancer ?

It should be "It's ok to talk about not being OK" ... I know it might seem fickle, but in an age where unhealthy lifestyles are being pushed as progressive (obesity) we should nip this crap in the bud.

After milennia of discrimination and stigma against mental health issues, the first step is "it's ok to not be ok".
Implication being that its ok to talk about it.

For me that message is working as theres a lot of topical discussion on mentail health issues now that wasnt there even 5 years ago.

Lollipops23

Have had depression and anxiety since my teens (inc self harm and eating disorders).

Am doing ok these days; finally started meds after years on and off with counsellors (never did me a whole lot of good). The meds have definitely helped so far.

[Deleted User]

I've had a fair few bouts of depression and lots of anxiety.

When I was younger I frequently believed I was sick and my family always called me a Hypochondriac which sort of downplayed my suffering, eventually though it got out of control and became a very serious anxiety disorder that made it hard for me to function. I was missing work, not sleeping, and sometimes vomiting with worry. Eventually I was referred to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with health anxiety, or "hypochondria", :rolleyes: which I feel has negative connotations. But at least I understood what was wrong and at the time Lexapro helped a lot.

Lately I've been experiencing a lot of social anxiety, mainly blushing when talking to someone and my mind going blank. Overall my self esteem is pretty poor, and I feel I probably do drink too much to cope with my negative feelings of shame and sadness. Sometimes I just can't seem to shake this pervasive feeling of emptiness.

I've been trying to find a good therapist for a long time, and it's proven to be really difficult. I did finally find an excellent one but she was so busy she could only offer me fortnightly appointments, and then sometimes 3 weeks would pass between sessions, so it really wasn't working.

Would love if anyone had any recommendations for a good therapist in Dublin??

Hector Savage

I have some anger issues, which they say depression is rage turned inward (well yer one from the Sopranos said so)
I'd rather be an angry bollix then a depressed one to be honest.
My Ma gets really depressed and lately she is a right lunatic.

fordyjames

Crippling anxiety to the point I was up all night and couldn't sleep worrying about the most stupid things imaginable(like what I would eat for the week, thinking friends didn't like me, about missing my alarm for work, not getting something done in work even though it was not important whatsoever, I didn't do the lotto and would have won) and maybe a slight touch of OCD as was constantly making lists and doing them over and over again. I could not get a nights sleep.

To combat this I started drinking, maybe six cans a night to ease the anxiety temporarily and so I could sleep. This though eventually turned into a lot more, and of course the beer was making the anxiety worse the following day and started drinking earlier after work. I wasn't drinking every single night but when the anxiety was at its peak could I drink for the week.

Anxiety was a weird one for me, some days the anxiety could be a 2 out of 10, other days a 5 out of 10, other days or week a full blown 10 out of 10.

This was going on two years and the beer was making my anxiety worse and temporary better only for the night i was drinking so I decided to quit drinking and see what happens.
Of course i had crippling anxiety for the week going off the beer and up most of the night but was off for the week from work which helped a lot.

I then decided to speak with a close friend about it and he recommended to the gym with him and will help me sleep. This actually helped a small bit but the crippling anxiety was still there a lot of nights and turned to beer

Long story short, I started seeing a Councillor and started CBT therapy which helped me immensely and started a certain oil as well. I still have Anxiety but no-where near as bad as it was 7 years ago, and still get a bad attack now and again but can deal with it. Self medicating with Beer was a bad mistake which I kept greatly hidden from people, no one had any idea. I'll never be anxiety free but at least I can deal with it.

Hammer89

I would intentionally cough up phlegm, keep it in my mouth and then spit it into the palm of my hand. Reason being, I was absolutely terrified of getting lung cancer and, consequently, I knew the symptoms a bit too well. I knew that blood-stained sputum was quite an ominous sign, because if you're coughing up blood then the tumour is already quite advanced. That's the other thing about lung cancer. By the time it shows symptoms, it's too late in the vast majority of cases. That's one of the reasons why it scared me. Another reason was because, well, I was a smoker, but spitting into your hand is irrational behaviour for a 70-year-old who has gone through 40 a day for four decades. I was 17, and had been smoking for two years.

The odds of me getting lung cancer were astronomically low, and I knew that. I knew all the statistics at the time, but did that stop me worrying? Not really. There were times when I was convinced that I had lung cancer, at the age of 17. Even if a doctor had given me an official diagnosis, it wouldn't have made me more certain. I remember walking around my estate one evening, not sobbing but crying over all the things I'd never get to do, because obviously I was terminally ill like. The good news is that these episodes passed pretty quickly - I was never 'dying' for longer than a few hours before I was able to unravel that mess of a mind and straighten my thoughts out - but the bad news is how ****ing real they were.

The mind is a profoundly powerful thing, so powerful that once I got a handle on the lung cancer thing, as in once I began to master it, I'd suddenly find myself getting lots of different types of diseases: testicular cancer because my sack was rigid one morning, even though the testicles themselves were grand; penile cancer because I found a little pimple on it one time; AIDS because I used a dart to mess around with a scab on my hand. Each time I was certain that I had these diseases. It's not around anymore but there was a website called Wrongdiagnosis.com which I'd use on a regular basis, but going on there was like roulette. There was a 50% chance that it would exacerbate my anxiety over a certain thing, taking it to new heights entirely, and there was a 50% shot that it'd alleviate it totally.

I loved that feeling of relief. It almost makes the suffering worthwhile. It's such a powerful pay off and one that made me cry on quite a few occasions. I'd cry - and I do mean cry - partially out of happiness, because it's always great to figure out that you probably aren't dying of AIDS, but I'd also cry out of sadness. I was clearly broken in some way, and the whole landscape of mental health discussion in the mid-noughties wasn't what it is today. It was pretty lonely back in the day. I did have a psychotherapist, who I effectively owe my life to, but that was one hour. For the other 167 hours in the week it was me against my mind. I've won the war as far as I can tell. I don't spit into my hand anymore because all of my cancers are in remission. So is my AIDS.