Discussion & help on depression & mental health related issues

[Simon Buttle]

Have been to the GP myself recently to ask for a referral for some therapy. Things have been getting on top of me recently and unless it's nerd/academic stuff im not very good at coping with it normally. I have suffered with a breakdown in the past and ended up under the supervision of local mental health services for a short while, mostly it was down to severe drug/drink issues which led to me trying to end my life multiple times, yeah which never worked but did leave me with epilepsy.

Now i can cope with the physical side of being an epileptic, it's not fun when you fall flat on your face on the pavement and look like you have been in the ring with Tyson but my main sporting interest is in combat sports and i train judo, jiu-jitsu, and kung fu, so normally when it happens i can ride it off as a fight based thing.
However i have never been able to cope with the mental side of things and the restrictions it puts on my life. I can't drive, I can't ride a bike, I can't swim. Relationships have been a total disaster the last few years as most women don't want to take on my health issues.

I have a decent job within the local uni as a researcher, but there are big changes going on here at the moment and they want me to change what im doing into a more teaching type role (not what i want to do) and i they want me to do my PhD (which i don't want to do) I really want to leave at the moment but obviously need to find something else first, also i live in a shared house with some other members of staff so will need to find another place to live first.

For a number of months now i have felt my mood level slowly dipping more and more and im worried i may have another breakdown, so i want to try and stop it whilst i can, been given a referral for some CBT so just waiting to findout when its going to be, i don't want things to get so bad that it gets to that suicide point again, need to get a hang on it now. I would say to anyone though, go to your GP the difference it made for me just telling her how id been feeling these past few months was amazing.

 

[matchworks]

I think I'm in the classic situation of worrying about things that may never happen and if they do I've got no control over.
Not sleeping and lost almost a stone in weight in the past ten days.

Been in the same boat. My counsellor called the brain "a right [Poor language removed]" as it snowballs your thoughts and never lets up. As others have said, get the docs. Good luck.

 

[Bungle]

Have been to the GP myself recently to ask for a referral for some therapy. Things have been getting on top of me recently and unless it's nerd/academic stuff im not very good at coping with it normally. I have suffered with a breakdown in the past and ended up under the supervision of local mental health services for a short while, mostly it was down to severe drug/drink issues which led to me trying to end my life multiple times, yeah which never worked but did leave me with epilepsy.

Now i can cope with the physical side of being an epileptic, it's not fun when you fall flat on your face on the pavement and look like you have been in the ring with Tyson but my main sporting interest is in combat sports and i train judo, jiu-jitsu, and kung fu, so normally when it happens i can ride it off as a fight based thing.
However i have never been able to cope with the mental side of things and the restrictions it puts on my life. I can't drive, I can't ride a bike, I can't swim. Relationships have been a total disaster the last few years as most women don't want to take on my health issues.

I have a decent job within the local uni as a researcher, but there are big changes going on here at the moment and they want me to change what im doing into a more teaching type role (not what i want to do) and i they want me to do my PhD (which i don't want to do) I really want to leave at the moment but obviously need to find something else first, also i live in a shared house with some other members of staff so will need to find another place to live first.

For a number of months now i have felt my mood level slowly dipping more and more and im worried i may have another breakdown, so i want to try and stop it whilst i can, been given a referral for some CBT so just waiting to findout when its going to be, i don't want things to get so bad that it gets to that suicide point again, need to get a hang on it now. I would say to anyone though, go to your GP the difference it made for me just telling her how id been feeling these past few months was amazing.

The fact that you've recognised the signs and sought help before it gets really bad is a good thing mate, at least you give yourself the best chance of not going down that road again if you get the help early on. Hopefully the job/housing stuff gets settled as that'd take a big toll on most people, let alone those with previous for mental health issues.

Good luck mate.

 

[tommytowne]

Been in the same boat. My counsellor called the brain "a right [Poor language removed]" as it snowballs your thoughts and never lets up. As others have said, get the docs. Good luck.

Too late for this afternoon's appointment but I'll be on the phone at 0800 tomorrow to see my GP.
I'm taking the first steps thanks to the GOT family.

 

[Simon Buttle]

The fact that you've recognised the signs and sought help before it gets really bad is a good thing mate, at least you give yourself the best chance of not going down that road again if you get the help early on. Hopefully the job/housing stuff gets settled as that'd take a big toll on most people, let alone those with previous for mental health issues.

Good luck mate.

Thanks, i am trying to get on top of things because i know how bad it got the last time and i don't want to go down that route again, i know it won't be easy as i am a complicated person at times, but hopefully speaking to someone will help me out and i can get back on track again.

 

[Bungle]

Thanks, i am trying to get on top of things because i know how bad it got the last time and i don't want to go down that route again, i know it won't be easy as i am a complicated person at times, but hopefully speaking to someone will help me out and i can get back on track again.

I benefited a lot from CBT so hopefully you'll get seen fairly soon and get as much benefit as I did. The key is to keep up with the things you learn once you finish the course of CBT because it slips otherwise, I know this because I haven't kept up with it and am feeling the effects, don't be me.

 

[BluePaul86]

Thanks to everyone who I've talked to on here but I won't be posting in here anymore. I don't take abuse well whether in person or online and being labelled a kopite has made me feel terrible today. I hope each and every one of you going through stuff gets the help you need. Take care and thanks. Don't worry about me, I'll be sound.

 

[brieverton]

I can empathize deeply with anxiety-related suffering. I came to a point where I accept being unnecessarily and frequently over-anxious as a part of who I am, as "fighting" it just fuels the fire. Not to say that medication, CBT, counselling and other remedies can't be effective.

I am able to worry about not having anything to worry about. I find exercise is a great antidote to that. It takes your mind into another realm for a period of time and there is always a sense of positivity afterwards.

But I also engage in other compensatory behaviour to mask anxiety, and depression and loneliness. I push myself very hard physically with exercise plans, but also I find now that I'm engaging in repetitive and somewhat compulsive behaviour more over the last few years. It manifests itself in needing excessive tidiness around the house, excessive cleanliness (to a degree OCD), taking more showers than necessary, fidgeting, arranging/re-arranging furniture etc. I have discussed with my GP and he doesn't feel it is a huge issue as opposed to other coping mechanisms like alcohol and drugs.

There is a line in Robert Palmers song "Johnny and Mary" (Bryan Ferry did a sublime cover) that captures my state perfectly;

"Johnny's always running around trying to find certainty
He needs all the world to confirm that he ain't lonely"

 

[Frang]

I can empathize deeply with anxiety-related suffering. I came to a point where I accept being unnecessarily and frequently over-anxious as a part of who I am, as "fighting" it just fuels the fire. Not to say that medication, CBT, counselling and other remedies can't be effective.

I am able to worry about not having anything to worry about. I find exercise is a great antidote to that. It takes your mind into another realm for a period of time and there is always a sense of positivity afterwards.

But I also engage in other compensatory behaviour to mask anxiety, and depression and loneliness. I push myself very hard physically with exercise plans, but also I find now that I'm engaging in repetitive and somewhat compulsive behaviour more over the last few years. It manifests itself in needing excessive tidiness around the house, excessive cleanliness (to a degree OCD), taking more showers than necessary, fidgeting, arranging/re-arranging furniture etc. I have discussed with my GP and he doesn't feel it is a huge issue as opposed to other coping mechanisms like alcohol and drugs.

There is a line in Robert Palmers song "Johnny and Mary" (Bryan Ferry did a sublime cover) that captures my state perfectly;

"Johnny's always running around trying to find certainty
He needs all the world to confirm that he ain't lonely"

the meds I am help with all these symptoms, ive read up thoroughly about them, and it can calm OCD down as well as your anxiety...

I take it your not on any meds at all ?? I don't think I could cope now , after experiencing life on the right medication.

 

[Bungle]

It'd be quite nice if there was a hibernate option in the body where you could maybe just have a couple of months off from everything to recharge, no worries or anxieties about family, money, health etc, just a couple of months of complete nothingness.

 

[brieverton]

the meds I am help with all these symptoms, ive read up thoroughly about them, and it can calm OCD down as well as your anxiety...

I take it your not on any meds at all ?? I don't think I could cope now , after experiencing life on the right medication.

I haven't been for about 5 years mate, I was on citalopram for about a year, can't remember the dosage, but it was increased at one point and the only impact I felt was continuous weird dreams, really out there but neither good nor bad, and nothing else. I asked to come off it as a result, and my GP agreed but thought I was not a great candidate to try something else in terms of medication, and should focus more on other things

Perhaps its the old stiff upper lip thing, and maybe my GP's approach, but I always feel a bit self indulgent when talking about mental health at my clinic despite the fact I attend fairly regularly for routine physical checks. So much so that I don't tend to bring it up much, other than talking about what I described in the earlier post and things like stress at work. I'm not sure what to do about that really, and being an intensely private person with my feelings doesn't help either.

 

[YoboCopter]

It'd be quite nice if there was a hibernate option in the body where you could maybe just have a couple of months off from everything to recharge, no worries or anxieties about family, money, health etc, just a couple of months of complete nothingness.

Id love that
October to mid may
Just be awake in summer

 

[Nymzee]

Id love that
October to mid may
Just be awake in summer

I’m the opposite personally. Always feel so much worse in summer than winter.

 

[Bungle]

I’m the opposite personally. Always feel so much worse in summer than winter.

Yep same here really, I find it much easier to hide away and be anonymous in the winter which is kind of what I prefer.

 

[YoboCopter]

I love summer loads going on and sun makes me happy, winter just doom n gloom for me