Has anyone recovered from mental illness?

Tummy · 12 Jan 2011 at 03:46

Metatron said:
Has anyone here recovered from mental illness? How much better are you: completely better or are there still some problems? How long did it take you to recover and what was the solution in the end? I'm mainly interested in depression or anxiety.

Thanks.

I've not read the thread so I apologise in advance.

I don't think the right word to use is "recover", you simply don't get back to being who you were, you get back to being close to who you were, it's like a darker shadow that follows you, if that makes any sense at all. It's a scar that's always itching, it's their to remind you and to almost at times feel like it wants to pull you back in, take you back to how you felt.

I'm not completely better, I'm not much better then I was, I can now just cope a lot better and I deal with things in a much "better" way. To put it bluntly it takes a lot of time amongst other things, good support is vital.

I have no idea why I'm telling an internet forum this, probably something to do with the it being almost 4 am.

doofer · 12 Jan 2011 at 03:55

I don't think you can ever truly 'Recover' from Depression, I think you can only learn to cope with it better.

PumpkinSteve · 12 Jan 2011 at 07:23

I've been to the doctors twice about depression and was basically turned away both times by different doctors. The second fobbed me off with a leaflet for a self-help club where fellow losers gather to share stories, I don't give a **** about anybody else, why would I want to listen to their story?

Anyway, it took me years to build up the courage to even ask for help but now I feel it was wasted.

tom91x91 · 12 Jan 2011 at 07:43

PumpkinSteve said:
I've been to the doctors twice about depression and was basically turned away both times by different doctors. The second fobbed me off with a leaflet for a self-help club where fellow losers gather to share stories, I don't give a **** about anybody else, why would I want to listen to their story?

Anyway, it took me years to build up the courage to even ask for help but now I feel it was wasted.

GP's are useless at dealing with this sort of thing they just hand out ssri's like citalopram to everyone which are horrible things to take make you feel awful and are only given out to make money for the pharm companys they only help about 10% of people that take them.

Wang Computer · 12 Jan 2011 at 07:49

Al Vallario said:
My alter ego recovered from schizophrenia if that helps

I think you need to read up on what schizophrenia actually is.

Xelene · 12 Jan 2011 at 07:53

Wang Computer said:
I think you need to read up on what schizophrenia actually is.

very nasty business from what I understand.

greengiant · 12 Jan 2011 at 08:16

Been having issues with depression off and on for the past 10 years or so.
Now currently having issues with it again!
Seeing doc again next week for more venlafaxine.

Xordium · 12 Jan 2011 at 09:38

jumpy said:
... But it is fair to say most sufferers of clinical depression are never really free from it

There are variety of different types of mental health disease one of which is depression and there are a variety of different types of depression - clinical depression being one of them. Hence why I said subjective because you have narrowed down personal experience of one single type of depression and answered the question for all possible mental health diseases. I was merely pointing out that subjectivity and stating it need not apply in other conditions. There was no slight intended but surely you must realise that someone who posts asking such a question does not deserve an overly negative response when it need not be the case. Hence my reply. As Nix states there will most likely never be a complete recovery but that is the case for all diseases which is why I suggested it is best not to remove mental health disease as being a distinct entity from all diseases as it adds to its stigma which often is half the battle for some people.

LordSplodge · 12 Jan 2011 at 09:46

batsy said:
She ended up having ECT

I didn't think they still did this? Anyway I hope it all turns out OK.

vonhelmet said:
My depression is never far away... but I'm not formally "depressed" at the moment.

I like the refer to it as a little black cloud that sits just "behind" your eye. You know it is there and you know at some point it will come back.

Sp00n · 12 Jan 2011 at 09:48

PumpkinSteve said:
where fellow losers gather to share stories

Wow.

koolpc · 12 Jan 2011 at 09:58

Diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression approx 7 years ago now. Still on meds. Get good days and bad days. Has brought on other health issues for me. My 4 yr old daughter is my rock though. She is what life is all about for me.

koolpc · 12 Jan 2011 at 10:01

PumpkinSteve said:
I've been to the doctors twice about depression and was basically turned away both times by different doctors. The second fobbed me off with a leaflet for a self-help club where fellow losers gather to share stories, I don't give a **** about anybody else, why would I want to listen to their story?

Anyway, it took me years to build up the courage to even ask for help but now I feel it was wasted.

NHS Direct are good. They got me to get things sorted. I would definitely ring them. Explain what has happened at your doctors. I am sure they can help mate.

Pestilence · 12 Jan 2011 at 10:25

I don't think I'll ever be free of it (depression) - running on a good 15 years now.

LordSplodge · 12 Jan 2011 at 10:25

PumpkinSteve said:
I've been to the doctors twice about depression and was basically turned away both times.

It is a crying shame that the treatment of mental health issues is still, even in the 21st Century, not taken seriously by a lot of GPs.

unKn0wn · 12 Jan 2011 at 10:40

Metatron said:
Has anyone here recovered from mental illness? How much better are you: completely better or are there still some problems? How long did it take you to recover and what was the solution in the end? I'm mainly interested in depression or anxiety.

Thanks.

Yes, I suffered with Depression. I was suffering with it a year before a doctor diagnosed me and then helped. First doc I saw sent me away with sleeping pills the year before

It took me 4 weeks off sick and about 6 months to get over it.

cm1179 said:
how do they diagnose depression? (serious question) i was what i'd call down in the dumps a couple of weeks after being made redundant and had zero enthusiasm for anything and did consider going to see someone to see if i was depressed (i didn't) because i thought i was overreacting and am a heck of a lot better now, it just took time and a lot of kicking myself up the arse! it's not a place i'd want to go again in a hurry and if that was just me feeling low, i don't know how on earth i'd cope with a proper case of depression.

I got a questionnaire, on a scale of 1 to 10 how do you feel? Have you had suicidal thoughts? etc etc. I can go into more detail if anyone is curious.

AdamSee said:
Myself; depression, ADHD.

Basically using the same principles; understanding nutrition, healing the gut (read 'gut and psychology syndrome' it may change one's view on health), exercise, rest, changing thinking (once the foundations are laid, before it was almost pointless)

It can be cured, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I did pretty much the same. Sorted my diet out, my daily routine, I hit the weights, started playing football again. I get plenty of rest on days off. Its amazing how mind and body are combined.

Xordium · 12 Jan 2011 at 10:42

LordSplodge said:
It is a crying shame that the treatment of mental health issues is still, even in the 21st Century, not taken seriously by a lot of GPs.

It's not taken seriously though in society although it is getting better. Look at the amount of people who have posted in this thread - all in the main depression and anxiety issue related - would they be as open outside this thread - I am guessing not. But people are not ashamed if they have cancer or kidney failure. The quicker mental health illness is accepted as any other illness the quicker people will get treated for it and the quicker people will go for treatment. There is this crazy assumption that it is all self-perpetuated. You only have to look at some post here were someone has described people also suffering with a mental health disease as "losers" I really do not think you would get someone on here for a thread about amputees saying they don't want to go to a meeting with all those other people that moan about pain.

PumpkinSteve · 12 Jan 2011 at 11:02

maustin said:
You only have to look at some post here were someone has described people also suffering with a mental health disease as "losers" I really do not think you would get someone on here for a thread about amputees saying they don't want to go to a meeting with all those other people that moan about pain.

You've taken what I said totally out of proportion :rolleyes:

Sp00n · 12 Jan 2011 at 11:06

In his defence, calling people with mental health issues "losers" was probably not the best idea, regardless of whether you included yourself in that grouping or not.

Xordium · 12 Jan 2011 at 11:16

PumpkinSteve said:
You've taken what I said totally out of proportion

And you took what I said there out of proportion the context was that it has a stigma attached which could present as you having no problem saying what you said but if it was a more "acceptable" physical disease you would never had said it unless you were directly trolling.

Vonhelmet · 12 Jan 2011 at 11:17

PumpkinSteve said:
a self-help club where fellow losers gather to share stories, I don't give a **** about anybody else, why would I want to listen to their story?

You're an arse.