A thread for people to learn some more about mental illness

CaN't see a lot of point in the thread tbh. It is only encouraging people to look back instead of forward. Not a good thing.

My advice to anyone suffering depression is, go the doctor's. Get some meds and take them.

Go for a walk. Or read a good book. Stop the retrospection.

And for God's sake, chuck out the self help books.

vampirequeen. My doctor was very helpful.
He used to clear his desk, literally push everything to the side to make a clear desk. Then he used to turn around on his swivel chair, lean back,cross his legs, and look at me as we had all the time in the world to chat.

I hope that you too have a helpful doctor.

He asked me once what my depression felt like.
I replied that it felt like I was always walking through treacle.
He said that that was a good answer.

jingl. Out of interest, do you know anyone at all personally, that has ever had any sort of mental illness?

I have no words to say how I'm feeling, Annie. I hope your life from now on is as wonderful as you want it to be. Love to you.
I still know exactly where I was and who I was with when that news came out.

Medication has it's place , but we musn't forget Valium - mothers little helpers - caused misery for millions , and when Prozac became the cure all doctors assured they were not addictive , but sadly they are

I have read this series of postings and wept for all you wonderful people who have opened up your darkest moments to help the rest of us understand. My DS suffers from depression and I suspect he has inherited it from me; I go to work and go home and will find every excuse to not go anywhere else. I dread waking in the night ( a frequent occurrence) because I know I will lie awake and worry about DS, about our finances, about DM, about all sorts of fears real and imaginary. I try to snap myself out of it by telling myself I have nothing to be depressed about but I suspect I am very much like my dear grandmother who worried about everything. I feel it would be pathetic going to GP as so many people, as I have just read, have so much more to cope with than I have, but I can honestly, hand on heart say that I do not enjoy life. I sometimes feel a little flutter/tremor in my mind, and realise that I am happy, then realise that this is unusual. i dont think I have expressed myself very well. I thank all who have posted on here.

I think that you have expressed yourself very well.
I too have tears in my eyes for the people on here.
to everyone.

The GP gave me pills. No idea now which sort they were.
I didnt feel that they were doing me any good at the time.
I dont even know now, whether they did help or not, as a medicine.

But what they did give me was hope. And that was one of the main things I needed at that time, because I had no idea then, how long it was going to go on for.
So for that reason I carried on taking them while I had the depression.

I dont think that people should be anxious about going to see the GP because they think that they are not so bad as others.

As someone said on this thread, or the other one, some people can have depression mild, and some not so mild.
It is all depression.

Annie I read your post through a mist of tears. Aberfan haunted my teenage years, and I only witnessed it on the TV. How you managed to process all the horror and continue with your life is beyond my imagination. And then to suffer further, personal tragedies is.... well, I have no words really. We say glibly, 'I don't know how people ever get over (x,y,z)'. And the truth is, I imagine, that you don't get over it, you just get used to living with it.

My MiL lost her first child, a little girl, to pneumonia at just under 3 years old. She didn't get over it. Throughout her life she had episodes of severe depressive illness and mental instability, in and out of hospital and, as she got older, specialist residential dementia units. In the late 70's she went through a prolonged episode of severe, dementia-like illness, suffering from extreme paranoid delusions. Our children, only about 7 and 8 at the time, were so distressed and frightened when they saw her, that we had to withhold their visits. This upset my husband, but there was nothing for it.

So Annie, and all the others on here who have laid their souls bare, my heart goes out to you. I feel so sad for you all, and so guilty at my own petty grumblings. Keep strong - hugs to all of you.

Thank you soon, perhaps I should go and see my GP. I am very good at telling others what to do, but dont do it myself. I binge eat and hate myself and know that only I can sort that, nobody forces it down my throat.

Yy to The Divided Self

It wouldn't do any harm Gill57, having a listening ear who can be objective is good.
There's a wealth of support on here and my experiences of my depression are that it's relatively minor in comparison to others' (but awful for me) so yes, there are degrees of this illness unlike physical illnes when generally you have/don't have it.

We're all strong women but sometimes things overwhelm us, we need to be better at not trying to be superwoman 24/7!

Hugs to you all x

Oh Annie Sometimes we think we have troubles until we hear what some other people are carrying around with them. I personally think this thread is very helpful. I agree we should look forward but so many people have been traumatised by their past that it's easier said than done. I think when people have suffered depression through life events, it is hard to see anything positive through the negatives.

Please, anyone who is feeling depressed or coping with anxiety do not compare your life with anyone's else's , seek help and support because no matter the reasons for depression etc , it is depression , it's your depression and depression is such a dark enemy . If you broke a leg you wouldn't say - I can't seek medical help because I know someone who has broken two arms , Gill57, you must seek help , may I suggest you look in the mirror and tell yourself - I am going to seek help BECAUSE I AM WORTH IT ,

Yes I shouted because it's important that you grasp it, you are worth it x

soontobe. My mother took her own life many years ago. Will that do for you?

I suggest you don't ask stupid personal questions of people you don't know.

I never want to come off my fluoxetine. I am convinced that if everyone in the whole wworld took 20 mgs of Prozac a day, the world would be a better place for it.

jingl.
There are no words for your post.

It's ok. You weren't to know.

Thanks jingl.

I think the point of this thread is that mental illness is misunderstood, and it is a chance for those who are lucky enough never to have experienced it to have the opportunity (if they choose) to learn about other's experiences and thus have the tools to help and understand should one of their friends or loved ones be taken ill in this way. As such, I see it as a very positive thread, even though the stories seem sad.

The advice to "Go for a walk. Or read a good book. Stop the retrospection." is simply not possible for those who have a serious depressive illness, and that is the point of this thread - to help people to understand that this sort of simplistic advice is not appropriate.

I do agree that someone suffering from a mental illness needs to try and set some targets for each day and that this might gradually contribute to their recovery, but this sort of general gung-ho advice is just what makes someone in the grip of a depressive illness worse. They want to do these things and cannot - that is the whole point.

The hint that depression is self-indulgent is quite the worst misunderstanding and has contributed to much misery.

The issue of medication is a controversial one and the evidence and advice is conflicting. What is right for one person is not right for another.

What we can try and do is to learn from those who have been there and try to be as supportive as we can. It seems little enough.

jings that's a "one size fits all" approach and life's not like that. I don't need Prozac, so why would I take it? I haven't yet used up my lifetime supply of serotonin, long may it last.

When tragedy has struck, I've had periods of deep sadness appropriately so.

I am so sorry for anyone who has to cope with mental ill-health. Pain beyond words is expressed in some of these posts.

mishap a superb post at 18.14.

My heart goes out to all sufferers.

I feel I've learned a lot from reading these posts -postcards from the darkest places. It certainly helps when considering what happened on board that plane. What wasn't comprehensible before is now much more understandable. I suspect too that actually writing about it may be therapeutic. I hope it is! [flowers ] to you all.