**The Mental Health Thread**

[Slam62]

God I'm in a mess before 4 o'clock when things went wrong

 

[Xclockerx]

What’s up mate

 

[Eurofighter]

They are working on the basis of Psychotic Depression rather than Schizophrenia now, because i'm a functional Schitzo. All started when I worked night shifts for a long while and stopped being able to sleep during the day. Was happening for months until I couldn't cope with it any more. Ended up having a breakdown and been gifted with this curse ever since. Just wish there were magic pills that got shot of it completely.

I have schizophrenia, luckily the hallucinations aren't that bad and getting less common. feel a lot better but it took years. I was also working nights when I got it.

 

[AndyT]

Hi Eddscott,

Sorry to drag this up but managed to find the post after strolling though i think i am in the same boat , Did you manage to sort your problem out? and also i am worried about social services getting involved would be nice to get rid of some of the thoughts i get half these feeling you mention i thought it was just me, i dont get the suicidal thoughts just the evil thoughts.

Like yourself i have house, car, nice kids,

Clubb699

I responded to his post, but I don't think he's posted since. If you're interested, my response is at the link below:

**The Mental Health Thread**

You could be experiencing the symptoms of OCD, but please get a professional opinion first. If so, it's very treatable and more common than you'd think. In my post I reference a great book - I'd recommend it just to see if some of the stories resonate with your own experiences. The key thing to remember with OCD (if you have it - again please get a professional opinion first) is that the distress you feel for having these thoughts is because they go against every fibre of your physical and moral being. The thought of acting them out is utterly repellent to a sufferer, which is why they feel so awful. You wouldn't be feeling the distress if you were an evil psychopath.

 

[Xclockerx]

Who has OCD?

 

[clubb699]

I responded to his post, but I don't think he's posted since. If you're interested, my response is at the link below:

**The Mental Health Thread**

You could be experiencing the symptoms of OCD, but please get a professional opinion first. If so, it's very treatable and more common than you'd think. In my post I reference a great book - I'd recommend it just to see if some of the stories resonate with your own experiences. The key thing to remember with OCD (if you have it - again please get a professional opinion first) is that the distress you feel for having these thoughts is because they go against every fibre of your physical and moral being. The thought of acting them out is utterly repellent to a sufferer, which is why they feel so awful. You wouldn't be feeling the distress if you were an evil psychopath.

Hey Andy thanks for the reply , I am actually reading through this thread at the moment , I am wondering to go see someone about it and the depression with life and its repetive life day to day circle feelings I keep getting, a few months back someone said something to me at work and i flipped out, I repeatedly kicked the crap out of a filing cabinet, it was there fault and they apologised.

Strange I know but the anger was unreal I am getting worse the older a get , I am a laugh, don't say anything bad to anyone unfortunately where I work there is a lot of back stabbing like everywhere I supose just wanna do my job and leave he got annoyed at something and blew off.

In all honesty if I did not have my kids, my house and all the other stuff it might of ended different

I just don't know what path to choose for help if I need it, I have done well so far so like you say can't be that bad lol

 

[Slam62]

What’s up mate

thanks for asking, it's complicated, but I think everything I tried to achieve all my life has been a complete waste of time.

I think I should have just got loads of debt, bought things I couldn't afford and gone out in a blaze of debt.
At the moment I just don't want to know reality, I really need to get into some sort of parallel universe where in my mind everyone is happy and I don't give a ****.

 

[Slam62]

Hey Andy thanks for the reply , I am actually reading through this thread at the moment , I am wondering to go see someone about it and the depression with life and its repetive life day to day circle feelings I keep getting, a few months back someone said something to me at work and i flipped out, I repeatedly kicked the crap out of a filing cabinet, it was there fault and they apologised.

Strange I know but the anger was unreal I am getting worse the older a get , I am a laugh, don't say anything bad to anyone unfortunately where I work there is a lot of back stabbing like everywhere I supose just wanna do my job and leave he got annoyed at something and blew off.

In all honesty if I did not have my kids, my house and all the other stuff it might of ended different

I just don't know what path to choose for help if I need it, I have done well so far so like you say can't be that bad lol

hi I'm the same but I don't get mad any more, i just feel less engaged.

I just want to get out of here, wipe my brain of what I'm thinking and replace it with a fantasy that everything is fine.

I either kill myself, sounds drastic I know, or check out.

I am trying to work out how to check out, it's probably just as well guns are difficult to get hold of.

 

[AHarvey]

hi I'm the same but I don't get mad any more, i just feel less engaged.

I just want to get out of here, wipe my brain of what I'm thinking and replace it with a fantasy that everything is fine.

I either kill myself, sounds drastic I know, or check out.

I am trying to work out how to check out, it's probably just as well guns are difficult to get hold of.

What is it that makes you think it's a waste of time? Tell us about yourself.

Do you want to know a secret Slam? Life isn't fine. No one's life is perfect and trouble-free. Everyone on the planet has insecurities, worries, doubts and difficulties, at this time you're just struggling to cope, and that's why we're all here.

2 years ago my wife was away, I played with my kids in the moring, packed them off to their nans and was going to kill myself. I lay on the bed feeling helpless, lost and a complete failure. I fell asleep. I woke up thankful for that sleep because I didn't take my life. No matter how bad it is, it passes, you just have to find a way to get through that difficult bit.

If there are things in your life making you feel like this, change them. No one is stuck in a pattern, in a routine unless they let themselves be. What changes can you make?

 

[LuckyBenski]

Here to say AHarvey is right. I totally relate Slam, I feel similar that I've worked hard but life may have no real point. I'd love to have a house fire and start again, or worse. But we just have to carry on. Change what we can, and find a way to carry on when we can't change it.

It's pretty **** a lot of the time, but we carry on. Life can and will get better - we may have to make it happen.

 

[Slam62]

What is it that makes you think it's a waste of time? Tell us about yourself.

Do you want to know a secret Slam? Life isn't fine. No one's life is perfect and trouble-free. Everyone on the planet has insecurities, worries, doubts and difficulties, at this time you're just struggling to cope, and that's why we're all here.

2 years ago my wife was away, I played with my kids in the moring, packed them off to their nans and was going to kill myself. I lay on the bed feeling helpless, lost and a complete failure. I fell asleep. I woke up thankful for that sleep because I didn't take my life. No matter how bad it is, it passes, you just have to find a way to get through that difficult bit.

If there are things in your life making you feel like this, change them. No one is stuck in a pattern, in a routine unless they let themselves be. What changes can you make?

hi thanks for responding, it helps, I don't want to go into details, I have a nasty mental health condition that causes me to be very anxious about most things, I really need to shake that off but obviously I can't, I just want to lie down and relax, assuming everything and everyone is ok, but I can't.
There are people I love and care about who are adults yet don't seem to be able to get their act together no matter how I react or whatever I do or say.
You can't live someone's life for them yet you desperately want them to be okay.

 

[clubb699]

hi I'm the same but I don't get mad any more, i just feel less engaged.

I just want to get out of here, wipe my brain of what I'm thinking and replace it with a fantasy that everything is fine.

I either kill myself, sounds drastic I know, or check out.

I am trying to work out how to check out, it's probably just as well guns are difficult to get hold of.

Thanks for the reply,

Love the saying Check out, absolutely love it think that's the key for us both hey, hope you sort your problems out, I might feel better if I lived in Monaco though mind you funny anough we went there 3 months ago part of a cruise we did what a lovely place.

Chin up matey

 

[Slam62]

Thanks for the reply,

Love the saying Check out, absolutely love it think that's the key for us both hey, hope you sort your problems out, I might feel better if I lived in Monaco though mind you funny anough we went there 3 months ago part of a cruise we did what a lovely place.

Chin up matey

yeah, thanks bud,

In away things could become quite liberating, its just that people can be so disappointing.

Nvm onwards and upwards

 

[Lil old me]

I haven't read through the whole thread so sorry if its been mentioned already.

Many people will seek support from their GP when mental illness affects them. This is a really good port of call and may enable you to get help from secondary mental health services (a nurse and psychiatrist, in a community mental health team.)

What many people aren't aware of, is that you can also ask for an assessment under the Care Act from your local county council for social care support. This could include the provision of a support worker who can help getting out of the house and organising your life when things get tough, day services, groups, really a whole number of things, depending where you live.

I am a mental health social worker in a local council so if anyone wants more information about the process or provision then please get in touch either in this thread or via trust.

 

[clubb699]

I haven't read through the whole thread so sorry if its been mentioned already.

Many people will seek support from their GP when mental illness affects them. This is a really good port of call and may enable you to get help from secondary mental health services (a nurse and psychiatrist, in a community mental health team.)

What many people aren't aware of, is that you can also ask for an assessment under the Care Act from your local county council for social care support. This could include the provision of a support worker who can help getting out of the house and organising your life when things get tough, day services, groups, really a whole number of things, depending where you live.

I am a mental health social worker in a local council so if anyone wants more information about the process or provision then please get in touch either in this thread or via trust.

Lil odl me might take you up on that still not sure what to do, some days I feel like walking to the docs for help, some days I am on top of the world it does my head in.

I use to be so happy all the time back in the day, but over the last year I have been fighting to keep the depressive side away.

 

[Lil old me]

Hi Clubb,

Can't advise on going to the doctor's or not due to forum rules, but they might be able to help.

As far as a Care Act assessment goes, first you'd need to call your local council and ask for one. They will probably ask on the phone what difficulties you have day to day, for example does your depression stop you from doing the things you like to do? This can cover most areas of your life, from getting up in the morning, washing, cooking, through to leaving your home or going to work. If you are struggling to do those things then they will likely allocate you to a team. A social worker or assistant practitioner will then come out and do an assessment, which will look at the same issues but in greater detail.

The process of an assessment is a little convoluted, but essentially the conversation will identify your needs in the following areas:

• Managing and maintaining nutrition
• Maintaining personal hygiene
• Managing toilet needs
• Being appropriately clothed
• Being able to make use of the adult’s home safely
• Maintaining a habitable home environment
• Developing and maintaining family or other personal relationships
• Accessing and engaging in work, training, education or volunteering
• Making use of necessary facilities or services in the local community, including public transport, and recreational facilities or services
• Carrying out any caring responsibilities the adult has for a child.

For example, someone might be having difficulty finding the motivation to go shopping or cook. In the assessment the practitioner would ask why a person might lack that motivation and it needs to be due to some sort of impairment or illness, like depression. From what you've said it could be that your depression might affect your motivation to cook. Then it will ask what you'd like to do in an ideal world, for example cook a meal 3 x a week. It then goes backwards a bit and asks whether you could cook 3 x a week without support? 'Not being able to cook' is quite broad and includes the following:

• is unable to achieve the outcome without assistance. This would include where an adult would be unable to do so even when assistance is provided. It also includes where the adult may need prompting for example, some adults may be physically able to wash but need reminding of the importance of personal hygiene
• is able to achieve the outcome without assistance but doing so causes the adult significant pain, distress or anxiety. For example, an older person with severe arthritis may be able to prepare a meal, but doing so will leave them in severe pain and unable to eat the meal
• is able to achieve the outcome without assistance, but doing so endangers or is likely to endanger the health or safety of the adult, or of others – for example, if the health or safety of another member of the family, including any child, could be endangered when an adult attempts to complete a task or an activity without relevant support
• is able to achieve the outcome without assistance but takes significantly longer than would normally be expected. For example, an adult with a physical disability is able to dress themselves in the morning, but it takes them a long time to do this, leaves them exhausted and prevents them from achieving other outcomes

To get to the final stage of the assessment, there would need to be two areas of need which you cannot achieve at the moment. So not being able to cook, and not being able to work. The assessment then asks if not being able to do these things has a "significant impact on your wellbeing". This will be different for every person, so for example someone might not be able to cook and actually doesn't care, whereas another person might be losing weight, feeling depressed that they don't cook anymore and keeps buying takeaways, which is costing them too much money.

If there are two areas which a person can't achieve without support and not being able to is having a significant impact on their wellbeing then they are eligible for a service from the council to meet those needs. In the cooking example this could be a carer to come in 3 x a week to help the person cook. Or if the problems were around getting out of the house, then a support worker could help them to do this.

Every council will have implemented the above slightly differently, but the bullet points I have quoted are national criteria so should be the same everywhere.

The above might sound more complicated than it actually is. Essentially if you think seeing someone more regularly might help then it might be worth a go. Social care isn't therapy; that's where the GP comes in, however many people are apprehensive about medication, and social support can help sometimes as an alternative.

If you have any questions then fire away!

 

[clubb699]

Hi Clubb,

Can't advise on going to the doctor's or not due to forum rules, but they might be able to help.

As far as a Care Act assessment goes, first you'd need to call your local council and ask for one. They will probably ask on the phone what difficulties you have day to day, for example does your depression stop you from doing the things you like to do? This can cover most areas of your life, from getting up in the morning, washing, cooking, through to leaving your home or going to work. If you are struggling to do those things then they will likely allocate you to a team. A social worker or assistant practitioner will then come out and do an assessment, which will look at the same issues but in greater detail.

The process of an assessment is a little convoluted, but essentially the conversation will identify your needs in the following areas:

• Managing and maintaining nutrition
• Maintaining personal hygiene
• Managing toilet needs
• Being appropriately clothed
• Being able to make use of the adult’s home safely
• Maintaining a habitable home environment
• Developing and maintaining family or other personal relationships
• Accessing and engaging in work, training, education or volunteering
• Making use of necessary facilities or services in the local community, including public transport, and recreational facilities or services
• Carrying out any caring responsibilities the adult has for a child.

For example, someone might be having difficulty finding the motivation to go shopping or cook. In the assessment the practitioner would ask why a person might lack that motivation and it needs to be due to some sort of impairment or illness, like depression. From what you've said it could be that your depression might affect your motivation to cook. Then it will ask what you'd like to do in an ideal world, for example cook a meal 3 x a week. It then goes backwards a bit and asks whether you could cook 3 x a week without support? 'Not being able to cook' is quite broad and includes the following:

• is unable to achieve the outcome without assistance. This would include where an adult would be unable to do so even when assistance is provided. It also includes where the adult may need prompting for example, some adults may be physically able to wash but need reminding of the importance of personal hygiene
• is able to achieve the outcome without assistance but doing so causes the adult significant pain, distress or anxiety. For example, an older person with severe arthritis may be able to prepare a meal, but doing so will leave them in severe pain and unable to eat the meal
• is able to achieve the outcome without assistance, but doing so endangers or is likely to endanger the health or safety of the adult, or of others – for example, if the health or safety of another member of the family, including any child, could be endangered when an adult attempts to complete a task or an activity without relevant support
• is able to achieve the outcome without assistance but takes significantly longer than would normally be expected. For example, an adult with a physical disability is able to dress themselves in the morning, but it takes them a long time to do this, leaves them exhausted and prevents them from achieving other outcomes

To get to the final stage of the assessment, there would need to be two areas of need which you cannot achieve at the moment. So not being able to cook, and not being able to work. The assessment then asks if not being able to do these things has a "significant impact on your wellbeing". This will be different for every person, so for example someone might not be able to cook and actually doesn't care, whereas another person might be losing weight, feeling depressed that they don't cook anymore and keeps buying takeaways, which is costing them too much money.

If there are two areas which a person can't achieve without support and not being able to is having a significant impact on their wellbeing then they are eligible for a service from the council to meet those needs. In the cooking example this could be a carer to come in 3 x a week to help the person cook. Or if the problems were around getting out of the house, then a support worker could help them to do this.

Every council will have implemented the above slightly differently, but the bullet points I have quoted are national criteria so should be the same everywhere.

The above might sound more complicated than it actually is. Essentially if you think seeing someone more regularly might help then it might be worth a go. Social care isn't therapy; that's where the GP comes in, however many people are apprehensive about medication, and social support can help sometimes as an alternative.

If you have any questions then fire away!

Thanks for all the info, i did go to counselling about a year and half ago after having a break down had 6 sessions, lost my mom sudden and many other things that have gone on over the years, i lost the plot for a month or two but it got me back on track it was very helpful at the time.

Maybe a need to have a top up session and say about some other stuff i am thinking or maybe anger management is needed before i hurt someone with my fear of losing control.

Deep down i should go, but the man side is saying man up and grind on.

Just this writing makes things better for now strange but true.

Thanks again.

 

[Lil old me]

One thing I do know from doing my job is there is no such thing as a "man side". Everyone has their limits, everyone has a breaking point, and most importantly everyone has the right to be able to talk about their problems, male or female.

Often people tell me, "but other people are worse off, I don't deserve help". Actually the truth is everyone has problems everyone deserves help.

Also its much better to seek help now before things get too bad. At that crisis point it's much harder to resolve things, for services and for the person themselves. Much better to talk it out now while you have some control, rather than later when things have started to fall apart, especially if you're worried about hurting someone. At that point control could be taken away from you, by the police or psychiatrists, and nobody wants that.

If counselling worked for you before then I can't see the harm in going again. no one is going to judge you for it and in any case no one would know except yourself.

 

[clubb699]

One thing I do know from doing my job is there is no such thing as a "man side". Everyone has their limits, everyone has a breaking point, and most importantly everyone has the right to be able to talk about their problems, male or female.

Often people tell me, "but other people are worse off, I don't deserve help". Actually the truth is everyone has problems everyone deserves help.

Also its much better to seek help now before things get too bad. At that crisis point it's much harder to resolve things, for services and for the person themselves. Much better to talk it out now while you have some control, rather than later when things have started to fall apart, especially if you're worried about hurting someone. At that point control could be taken away from you, by the police or psychiatrists, and nobody wants that.

If counselling worked for you before then I can't see the harm in going again. no one is going to judge you for it and in any case no one would know except yourself.

Nice words thank you

 

[Arthur Hucksake]

I have schizophrenia, luckily the hallucinations aren't that bad and getting less common. feel a lot better but it took years. I was also working nights when I got it.

Sorry to hear that. It's an awful burden to carry.