**The Mental Health Thread**

[easyrider]

Before and after shot :

Nice work, Now get yourself a pond in there

 

[ethan]

Managed my first appointment at the GP's today if managed is the right word? First telephone counselling tomorrow prior to an eventual meet. Resignation letter to work being handed in on Thursday on the grounds of constructive dismissal. Acas, my GP and the CQC are absolutely disgusted I am facing bankruptcy from my sister when she has not followed the correct protocols and procedures for reducing an employees hours. Shall try the long, hard fightback over the next three months with one slight relief coming in the form of a road trip along the route 500 on the 25th of November.

 

[Rilot]

Please guys. No discussion of medication whatsoever in this thread. If you need medication advice then see your GP or mental healthcare professional.

I just deleted a couple of posts for meds discussion. Yes, the posts were innocent but I don't want this thread to cross the line.

 

[G18241]

Nice work, Now get yourself a pond in there

With the amounts of pots now in there mate there is absolutely no room for a pond

 

[FoxEye]

With the amounts of pots now in there mate there is absolutely no room for a pond

I do hope so; the "after" shot was more grey/brown than a Quake level

Also, he's right - you need a pond. Ponds are great.

 

[G18241]

I do hope so; the "after" shot was more grey/brown than a Quake level

Also, he's right - you need a pond. Ponds are great.

Ill try and get a proper after shot tomorrow, while there are still some plants left haha

There is seriously no room for a pond...plus doing that before it got covered would have been a smart idea ^_^

 

[Ayahuasca]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09b1zbb/chris-packham-aspergers-and-me

This was an interesting watch and I was quite surprised at the US approach to autism.

 

[SixTwoSix]

Been off work since last Thursday now and feel a little better, think there is definitely an element to my work which is affecting my general mood/anxiety/depression. However with wife on maternity, us living on a single wage with a 6 month old, debts...the option to change jobs isn't there until at least April/May if/when she returns to work.

Wake up each morning feeling horrid though and have to fight hard to shake it off. Had a few tearful incidences this week, one yesterday while driving along talking to my wife about how i'm suddenly thinking of my death all the time, that was horrid. As stated before in a past post, it's not suicidal thoughts, more just fear of death which has taken on a dark force in my mind since the start of the year. Think about it 4/5 times a day and sometimes leads to a full blown panic attack.

Doctor again this afternoon, only saw a PCP last week, again like last week unsure about what i'll say. Feel embarrassed and stupid, wish it was just a broken leg, everyone can see that and knows it's genuine and there is an end date to the healing.

Also have massive anxiety due to being off work, constantly thinking about what people might be saying, how they'll act differently and also worried if this drags on, I could lose my job...which brings me back to the start about me and my wife being on only my wage.

On the bright side, loads of time with my son this week which does genuinely lift my mood...but only for a short while.

 

[Musical Jackie]

i am girl diagnosed schizophrenic god-lovin' psych.

 

[CREATIVE!11]

I came across a post from someone on Reddit that was pretty similar to my own story. I wasn't as extreme as "poisoned the mind" etc but I was against medication for as long as I could possibly get away with.

Ask Reddit thread called "Hey Reddit, what's your "holy **** I've been on the wrong side of things for so long" story?"

"I used to be staunchly against psychiatric medication. Thought it "poisoned the mind" and "turned people into passive sheep" etc. I was also severely depressed with bipolar disorder. Refused medication for years because of my beliefs, and I also felt it would be a moral failing on my part if I succumbed to "Big Pharma" and took the meds.


Then I had a baby, and Post Partum Depression hit me like a stone. I was non-functional, and my child was suffering for it. Seeing that my mental issues were hurting my child forced me to finally seek help. I swallowed my pride, talked to my doctor, and started the long journey of cycling through medications to find one that works. Started with a generic antidepressant--within one week I was up and around, doing things... I could breathe more easily, I felt lighter, and everything was literally brighter. Like a literal grey cloud had been lifted off my face.


That was the moment I realized how much I had been depriving of myself by being anti-medication. I'm now a vocal advocate for psych meds. They arent perfect, but they helped me put my life back together. I was stupid and stubborn to refuse them for so long."


Thought i'd post it for others to read, just to make a point to some here who may be suffering, don't close off any avenue and keep an open mind to potential solutions. I think some medications are definitely over-prescribed but I know for me they were a game changer.

 

[Cromulent]

I've been diagnosed with Schizophrenia for about 7 or 8 years. Been in hospital twice and generally had a pretty unpleasant time of things. I can cope with the Schizophrenia, the worst symptom I have is that leaving the house is incredibly hard and as such I have lost all of my friends so I tend to spend a lot of time on the internet to make up for it.

Thankfully I've taught myself to program and so can keep myself busy on that side of things. The worst thing is the medication I take. It makes me sleep a minimum of 12 hours a day and it is very hard to come up with a regular schedule because of that. If I could go back to sleeping 7 or 8 hours a night I would be over the moon. Frankly I've been thinking about stopping taking the anti-psychotics. They are pretty powerful drugs.

If anyone needs any help and support or is going through a tough time I'm always available just to listen or if you are feeling brave I could try and offer some advice. I really feel strongly about trying to help people with mental health conditions.

 

[TheMeekon]

Been off work since last Thursday now and feel a little better, think there is definitely an element to my work which is affecting my general mood/anxiety/depression. However with wife on maternity, us living on a single wage with a 6 month old, debts...the option to change jobs isn't there until at least April/May if/when she returns to work.

Wake up each morning feeling horrid though and have to fight hard to shake it off. Had a few tearful incidences this week, one yesterday while driving along talking to my wife about how i'm suddenly thinking of my death all the time, that was horrid. As stated before in a past post, it's not suicidal thoughts, more just fear of death which has taken on a dark force in my mind since the start of the year. Think about it 4/5 times a day and sometimes leads to a full blown panic attack.

Doctor again this afternoon, only saw a PCP last week, again like last week unsure about what i'll say. Feel embarrassed and stupid, wish it was just a broken leg, everyone can see that and knows it's genuine and there is an end date to the healing.

Also have massive anxiety due to being off work, constantly thinking about what people might be saying, how they'll act differently and also worried if this drags on, I could lose my job...which brings me back to the start about me and my wife being on only my wage.

On the bright side, loads of time with my son this week which does genuinely lift my mood...but only for a short while.

Keep going mate, having a 6 month old is hard enough. I know that morning feeling all too well.

Don't feel embarrassed.

 

[TheMeekon]

I've been diagnosed with Schizophrenia for about 7 or 8 years. Been in hospital twice and generally had a pretty unpleasant time of things. I can cope with the Schizophrenia, the worst symptom I have is that leaving the house is incredibly hard and as such I have lost all of my friends so I tend to spend a lot of time on the internet to make up for it.

Thankfully I've taught myself to program and so can keep myself busy on that side of things. The worst thing is the medication I take. It makes me sleep a minimum of 12 hours a day and it is very hard to come up with a regular schedule because of that. If I could go back to sleeping 7 or 8 hours a night I would be over the moon. Frankly I've been thinking about stopping taking the anti-psychotics. They are pretty powerful drugs.

If anyone needs any help and support or is going through a tough time I'm always available just to listen or if you are feeling brave I could try and offer some advice. I really feel strongly about trying to help people with mental health conditions.

My best mate's brother has Schizophrenia and he will sleep like a log on the meds. The other side must be more painful to deal with though?

Is anxiety keeping you in the house?

 

[wedrum]

Been off work since last Thursday now and feel a little better, think there is definitely an element to my work which is affecting my general mood/anxiety/depression. However with wife on maternity, us living on a single wage with a 6 month old, debts...the option to change jobs isn't there until at least April/May if/when she returns to work.

Wake up each morning feeling horrid though and have to fight hard to shake it off. Had a few tearful incidences this week, one yesterday while driving along talking to my wife about how i'm suddenly thinking of my death all the time, that was horrid. As stated before in a past post, it's not suicidal thoughts, more just fear of death which has taken on a dark force in my mind since the start of the year. Think about it 4/5 times a day and sometimes leads to a full blown panic attack.

Doctor again this afternoon, only saw a PCP last week, again like last week unsure about what i'll say. Feel embarrassed and stupid, wish it was just a broken leg, everyone can see that and knows it's genuine and there is an end date to the healing.

Also have massive anxiety due to being off work, constantly thinking about what people might be saying, how they'll act differently and also worried if this drags on, I could lose my job...which brings me back to the start about me and my wife being on only my wage.

On the bright side, loads of time with my son this week which does genuinely lift my mood...but only for a short while.

so strange how a lot of us all feel the same thing, our stupid brains just working overtime.

 

[Cromulent]

My best mate's brother has Schizophrenia and he will sleep like a log on the meds. The other side must be more painful to deal with though?

Is anxiety keeping you in the house?

True about the meds. When I have a full blown attack I literally can't do anything so if they help to prevent that then that is all good.

As for leaving the house, I went for a year or two undiagnosed and I used to see people looking at me with absolute hatred on their faces and everywhere I went I'd hear voices saying the most abusive and hurtful things you can imagine all the time. I know people will say I should grow a thicker skin but when you have to put up with it all the time for a year plus it really starts to affect you. Ever since then I've become extremely self conscious and lost all of my confidence and I just feel like I can't cope with people anymore.

Now it is more just anxiety which is keeping me in the house because I am haunted by all of these bad memories from the past that I just can't get away from. I feel trapped in my little existence with no way out.

 

[TheMeekon]

True about the meds. When I have a full blown attack I literally can't do anything so if they help to prevent that then that is all good.

As for leaving the house, I went for a year or two undiagnosed and I used to see people looking at me with absolute hatred on their faces and everywhere I went I'd hear voices saying the most abusive and hurtful things you can imagine all the time. I know people will say I should grow a thicker skin but when you have to put up with it all the time for a year plus it really starts to affect you. Ever since then I've become extremely self conscious and lost all of my confidence and I just feel like I can't cope with people anymore.

Now it is more just anxiety which is keeping me in the house because I am haunted by all of these bad memories from the past that I just can't get away from. I feel trapped in my little existence with no way out.

No one should tell you to grow a thicker skin as it's part of the Schizophrenia. I get self conscious when my anxiety is in full flare but not like you have experienced. Sounds like trauma and the only way for you to get past that is to slowly expose yourself to it again. Have they not offered you therapy to deal with that? Now you have the diagnosis and under control would be good to work on that.

 

[Cromulent]

No one should tell you to grow a thicker skin as it's part of the Schizophrenia. I get self conscious when my anxiety is in full flare but not like you have experienced. Sounds like trauma and the only way for you to get past that is to slowly expose yourself to it again. Have they not offered you therapy to deal with that? Now you have the diagnosis and under control would be good to work on that.

Yeah I really need to get out there and heal some of the feelings I have. I have had some support from the NHS but alas this is one problem which you really need to solve yourself. Hopefully I'll be able to work on it a bit over the next year or so as I really need to get out there if I am going to succeed at what I want to do.

Thank you for the replies by the way .

 

[TheMeekon]

No worries. Well it's definitely something you can get over with slow exposure to getting out

 

[G18241]

I have a 1 to 1 counseling session booked in tomorrow with a new counselor, as well as the couples counseling we usually go to on a Wednesday.

Im also booked into my GP on Tuesday to talk about some medication as i can just feel myself slipping, so think now may be the best time to see what there is out there to help me

 

[Eurofighter]

I also have schizophrenia. Slowly getting better. Smoke loads of cigs due to it. Want to cut down.