A thread for people to learn some more about mental illness

I didn't realise that jings

I think the cause of my depressive illness was a combination of things: shock from the surgery (I wasn't too well afterwards), shock from the heart episode (which was a bit scary!), going off the tiny dose of anti-depressant as instructed prior to the operation (I was on this for migraine prevention, not because I was depressed at that stage) and the effect of some of the drugs I was given post-operatively (one of which made me hallucinate and was very unpleasant indeed).

If I ever had to have surgery again, I would hope they would let me stay on the anti-depressant, would monitor my heart carefully and be a bit cautious over what drugs I was given. I mention this, because I know the state of my other hip!

With prescription drugs for depression, it's only in the first couple of weeks, and mostly with young people, that suicidal tendencies can increase. It's while the drug starts to activate the person, without fully coming into effect.

That's OK harrigran

Sorry rosequartz I must not have read all the posts.

Prescription drugs too, are alleged to cause suicidal tendencies in some people, those taken for depression and one prescribed for acne.

And the more young people use drugs such as skunk etc the more people may react and end up with a mental illness

I thought I had mentioned it earlier in the thread, harrigran

(^Interesting Mishap that you mentioned drugs because I thought that they must feature somewhere because they are mind-altering. I was loathe to mention it in case people thought that I was suggesting that problems were self induced^)

I don't know what the current treatment is for schizophrenia, you don't seem to hear so much about it now.
When I was a student I spent a few weeks in Friern hospital as an "assistant nurse". I was placed on a ward with schizophrenic women, they had weird delusions, bless them.
I was told to give an enema to one old lady, and she said "you can't do that to me, I'm Queen Victoria!" Can't remember what happened next. Another old dear took a fancy to me but she had advanced syphillis, so I tried to avoid her cuddles.
The treatments at the time were insulin therapy and a drug, the name I can't remember.
There were many Jewish patients in the hospital, I expect refugees from the Holocaust, and many of them were schizophrenic. I took one lady to the hospital synagogue to pray on their Sabbath.
It was quite an education for me.

anya I don't think anyone is "blanked" or ignored on a thread, I always just think that people "talk" on these threads and sometimes someone replies to something specific but mostly when so many people are "talking", one can only "listen". .

Also sometimes people post something and I read it but don't know what to say, so I don't reply. Maybe that's often the case for others too.

Interesting Mishap that you mentioned drugs because I thought that they must feature somewhere because they are mind-altering. I was loathe to mention it in case people thought that I was suggesting that problems were self induced.
My sister's friend jumped in front of a train after she had her handbag stolen while they were out for the evening. To some this would have been an inconvenience but to her it was enough to push her over the edge.

Clarke Carlisle is a former professional footballer and former Chairman of the PFA. He has a high IQ and has been on such programmes as Countdown. He has a history of depression and hit the news last year as he deliberately walked out onto the motorway into the path of an oncoming truck. He was severely injured but survived and is now fronting a campaign to make people more aware of depression and its effects. Heaven alone only knows how the poor truck driver was affected.

Why have I never heard of these people?!

#livinginabubble

I watched Clarke Carlisle on Good Morning Britain today talking about his battle with depression. So sad. His advice was to talk to someone which I think is the advice always given and is good advice.

My nephew had a psychotic illness and took drugs for it for 12 years. He is now off them and fully recovered. His was induced by a combination of weed and LSD - that is another thing to tell the GC as a good reason for steering clear of drugs.

I understand. Thanks anyway anya.

I wish I could Jane but I find I can't after all. I never talk about it, even to close friends, I just gloss over it. I've tried to put it into a box and pretend it never happened.
But thanks you for asking x

anya please tell us some more about your experiences with someone with Schizophrenia. I have had peripheral involvement with some people with this awful, frightening illness but was most struck by a work colleague whose adult son had it. Poor woman, she was so stressed and frightened all the time. She was a lovely woman just doing her best and keeping a roof over her son's head but with absolutely no thanks for it. Her and her son just seemed to have been completely ignored by the rest of the family and left to get on with it. It was years ago now but I'm still left wondering. Any insights anya?

kitty I'm a 'go to' person too, I think possibly, it's because I actually listen to friends' problems.
I get stressed and desperate, but I tell myself to "pull yourself together and get on with it".
I have, years ago, taken two overdoses, but I know they were a cry of desperation, not taken to end my life, and I swore that I would never let myself get that low again.

That wasn't clinical depression, it was just being upset and depressed.

While I'm very low at the moment because of family problems, I can still just about cope.

It must be so dreadfully hard to live with, or suffer from, clinical depression.

I've watched both programmes too, thank heavens there are professionals who are dedicated to working in secure units, I couldn't work there... Seriously though-provoking programme, how little awareness I have.

Yes, watched both of them. They're almost identical to the regional secure units (run by NHS, a step down security-wise from special hospitals) that we have in this country. Same case meetings, facilities, ethos about treatment. I found the programmes really interesting, especially observing the medical people, who had little time to spend with the patients. A tough environment to work in.

Perhaps what my DM would have called a brick then kitty

Which she called me occasionally, never sure quite what she meant!

Did anyone see the Louis Theroux programme last night about his visit to a prison/ psychiatric unit for the criminally insane? I think that's the kind of condition which is most difficult to understand, and the most frightening.
I only watched for a short time, it was upsetting. The patients seemed to be drugged up to their eyeballs.
I doubt if many of them are ever released back into the community.

rosequartz, I'm not a trooper, I am what I am, which is where my confusion lies, I think.

Thank you S2B