Mental health and depression

[TORONTONY 10]

Not true. A lot of people who do suffer from depression end their lives- they've suffered from depression.

 

It's these kind of misconceptions (that everyone has suffered depression) that leads some people, some of whom are celebrities, to speak openly and publicly about their condition.

 

Traditionally, of course, mental illness and depression have been considered shamefull. Sufferers would be (and still are) classed as 'weak', so victims didn't speak of it, due to fear of repercussions and bullying.

 

I'm no fan of celebrity, but I do appreciate the fact that some celebrities have had the courage and sense of social responsibility to talk openly and publicly about their conditions- hopefully that will make the bullies think twice before they open their mouths in future.

On your points about perception of mental illness, it still irks me when people still use the word schizophrenia to say someone has a split personality. This is still used often and by people who should know better. Why it bothers me is that my daughter, who is now 41 was diagnosed with this terrible condition on a 'worst case scenario' basis at 17. She has dealt with depression, paranoia, hallucinations and of course the horrible voices in her head, all on a massive scale with lots of time in hospital. However she has never been anyone but our daughter and is now enjoying life , except for the voices, which she handles really well as she has matured However there are lots who never make it to Natalie's age but she has a great doctor and we have done our jobs as parents. There are lots out there not so lucky though , God bless them.

[Hairyloon 10]

I'm not a fan of celebs coming on TV telling us about their depression to be honest...

 

Why not? It raises awareness of the problem and helps reduce the stigma. I am not seeing any down side.

 

It's hard to describe to someone who's never experienced it, but it's not being sad or 'fed up,' we all feel that at times, this is much more fundamental and it needs professional help.

 

How do any of us tell? And are there not different levels of it?

Is there a comparison in regard to colds and 'flu? In that some people with a cold will make a big fuss that they have 'flu, where other people properly laid up with 'flu will soldier on without complaint.

Similarly some people who are just fed up will complain of depression and some people with depression will hide it as best they can and plod on with a brave face.

[Cyclone 10]

If you feel a bit down but find that it doesn't leave you debilitated, suicidal, unable to get out of bed or face the day or the world, then your just experiencing the emotions of being a bit sad. They're generally linked to things that happened, perhaps a pet has died or you broke up with your girlfriend. This is within the normal emotional range.

 

If you can't bring yourself to leave the house, or your bed, if you start to wonder if the world wouldn't be better off if you were dead, if you have intrusive thoughts about self harm, or harming others, if you have emotional outburst that are out of character either anger, or tears or anything else, if you can't find any joy in things that normally make you happy, if the smallest set back seems insurmountable, if you can't really identify why you feel like this, and whats more don't even have the energy to care, then you might be suffering from depression and should see someone, although you probably won't care enough about yourself to actually do so.

I suspect that most people who are diagnosed are first identified as having a problem by someone else, and reluctantly convinced to talk to a professional about it.

[nikki-red 308]

It is actually Mental Health Awareness week, so there will have been more on TV etc about it.

 

Personally I dont care who draws awareness to it (or how they do it) as long as they do. Its a massive issue thats carried a stigma for far too long. Good on anyone that speaks up about it.

Also, even if a celeb does get paid for talking about it, if it makes one person get help then in my opinion its worth every penny.

[pattricia 578]

I do believe that depression is caused by an imbalance in the chemicals in the brain. That is why you should always seek treatment. Drug treatment can rectify this imbalance coupled with talking therapy .

[Hairyloon 10]

It is actually Mental Health Awareness week, so there will have been more on TV etc about it...

 

At almost the exact moment I read that, an advert came on TV about it.

[donut 747 10]

I have been diagnosed with depression I've had it for 30 years waking up with the first thought is killing myself every day for no reason I think about a few times a day I've had 2 fail attempts thank god it failed I do go to my doctor I was put on tablets and told me not to work I stayed in bed until someone came home not answering phone not opening blinds I was getting worse at home so I got myself a job after 5 years of being on sick I'm 42 now I've got to go for assessment for autism that's what they think is the cause of my depression I love it when people say you don't have anything to be depressed about people say to me I'm depressed so I tell them what I go through and they say no I don't think I have it now

like people have said in this post people get depression mixed up with being fed up and sad.

I'm sorry if it's hard to make sense of this

[nikki-red 308]

I have been diagnosed with depression I've had it for 30 years waking up with the first thought is killing myself every day for no reason I think about a few times a day I've had 2 fail attempts thank god it failed I do go to my doctor I was put on tablets and told me not to work I stayed in bed until someone came home not answering phone not opening blinds I was getting worse at home so I got myself a job after 5 years of being on sick I'm 42 now I've got to go for assessment for autism that's what they think is the cause of my depression I love it when people say you don't have anything to be depressed about people say to me I'm depressed so I tell them what I go through and they say no I don't think I have it now

like people have said in this post people get depression mixed up with being fed up and sad.

I'm sorry if it's hard to make sense of this

 

 

A lot of people just use the word to sound more dramatic, like 'Im starving' when in reality youre just a bit hungry.

People dont realise what a massive fight sufferers go through, and sadly its a fight that not everybody wins. I really hope something comes out of your assessment that will lead to you getting some real help.

 

Thank you for posting donut 747.

[donut 747 10]

Thank you so much

[tzijlstra 11]

I have been diagnosed with depression I've had it for 30 years waking up with the first thought is killing myself every day for no reason I think about a few times a day I've had 2 fail attempts thank god it failed I do go to my doctor I was put on tablets and told me not to work I stayed in bed until someone came home not answering phone not opening blinds I was getting worse at home so I got myself a job after 5 years of being on sick I'm 42 now I've got to go for assessment for autism that's what they think is the cause of my depression I love it when people say you don't have anything to be depressed about people say to me I'm depressed so I tell them what I go through and they say no I don't think I have it now

like people have said in this post people get depression mixed up with being fed up and sad.

I'm sorry if it's hard to make sense of this

 

For those of us that have witnessed the devestating effect of depression and other mental health illnesses it isn't hard to make sense of your story.

 

I think it is excellent that you have found a job, it can really be a way to help if you have a 'daily drive' that gives you a purpose. People close to me have suffered with psychosis and it only really surfaced when they 'ran out of purpose' - one when he retired, the other when a traumatic event meant he had to be off work for three months (according to the H&S doctor).

 

The first person I mentioned was really helped with medication and therapy, the second refused and is still struggling.

[Reilly 10]

I have had depression which started at the age of 16 and still suffer to this day. I've battled quite a few mental health issues that comes with it.OCD was one of the main things I battled and over came, a lot of my family didn't know how ill I was till I developed this condition and started to take note of my problem. I became extremely ill during that period I was 19 at the time. I didn't leave the house for over 1 year! Id constantly repeat things, including washing my hands till the natural oil's in my skin became lesser and lesser to the point my hands started to chap/dry up and and cracked and bleed. It used to take me 15 mins some times to put a t shirt on . I kept repeating the process of doing this. I couldn't wash or take care of myself either. I some how retrained my Brain and slowly stopped doing the things I was doing. Not sure how I did that on my own to this day!

 

32 years old now and had a bout of depression up until the end of 2015 where I got help from RDASH after staying in the house again abusing alcohol they helped me back on track!. Been in an out of employment due to my illness, I've been subjected to extreme high levels of abuse, harassment and even stalking. This still continue's to this day. I still have problems with my mental health. I suffer with social anxiety, people in my community are aware of this and have mocked me and abused me due to that. Because I'm different (I have aspergers) no friend network I'm seen as a suspicious odd person who is an easy target and basically deserves to be called and abused. I've been called every name you can imagine basically to character assisinate me! Theyve done a good job with it as I stayed silent throughout there campaign against me. Staying quiet doesn't work- the bullies just get more intense with -well their ambition to wreck your life even more. Neighbours were involved passing on slanderous lies.

 

I moved away at the end of 2015 relcoated and acquired a good job that I gained good qualifications with ( air conditioning installation) working long hours and earming good money in london. People in the area I used to live knew where and who I worked for- bearing in mind the place I moved to was over 250 miles away. ! What would you call this level of stalking? They started passing on lies to my employer and the other employees. This ruined everything

 

Currently being subjected to car beeping campaign that the locals think is appropriate and justified as I'm apparently lazy and don't want a job! And the support that my family gave me during those times was ridiculed by the same individual's they spread the support as being spoilt! My family was apparently spoiling me during my years of depression... absolutely hidious people that I'd love to expose! But I can't

 

Well I moved away and tried to better my life and they still found a way to abuse me.

 

So I've battled both the depression and stigma. Not.sure which is worse but I know I've had my fair share of it now and need to move somewhere to regain atleast some qulaity of life and I'm will.ING to work hard for it

 

---------- Post added 14-05-2017 at 22:11 ----------

 

I know that staying silent let these people spread this hate and give me a character that doesn't represent me! At all

[Anna B 1,414]

Reilly, You poor thing, what awful experiences. I'm so sorry that the world has some complete arseholes in it whose only way of making themselves feel big is to pick on other people and try to belittle them. What they are doing sounds like 'hate crime' to me, and nobody should have to put up with it.

I think you've done amazingly well in the face of a situation that would break a lot of people, so well done, and try to stay strong.

 

Are you getting any help with your Aspergers? I know that in Sheffield there are clubs where they can meet up, talk and make friendships. I don't know what the situation would be in your area, but there are also groups online. There's also stuff like CBT that can be accessed through your doctor. I think it's important to remember you are not alone in this, although it must feel like it at times. There are a lot of people out there with Aspergers, and I'm sure at least some of them will have had experiences like yours, which is why I think it's important to get together and talk..

 

There's a very good book I can recommend called 'Appreciating Asperger Syndrome' by Brenda Boyd, which is a very positive, uplifting and accessible take on living with Aspergers.

 

I do hope things improve for you.

Good luck.

Edited May 15, 2017 by Anna B