There has been some discussion across in the Hangar that it might be an idea to have a thread for discussion/support of mental health issues.
So, here we are. To start the ball rolling, some of you may have seen what I wrote about my experiences at #10 Aaron Francis - The Red Menace
I’ve seen a bit from the carer’s side of things too, but that’s a discussion I’ll leave for another day.
Some suggested guidelines (I’m not a mod, so I can’t make these into actual rules, but anyway…):
listen before offering opinions. If you’re not a sufferer yourself or close to someone who is, please tread lightly and refrain from spouting unhelpful and simplistic ‘have you tried just thinking happy thoughts?’ sort of cliches around. There are many things about this topic you will not truly comprehend until you experience them personally
remember everyone is different, What works for you may not help others
this thread is something like a support group. It is NOT a substitute for professional counseling, therapy, or taking your medications
what happens in mental health thread, stays in mental health thread. Anyone using anything said in this thread as ammunition in arguments in the politics thread or anything really needs to take a good hard look at themselves. And I hate that I’ve been on the internet long enough that I feel the need to include this line
I suffered my first mental health issue last year. Basically stress induced anxiety and depression, mostly all work related. I got stressed, that lead to anxiety , which resulted in me not sleeping much, which led to depression.
Then I went to see my doctor for help.
Ths started a process of education on a lot of things , namely
Sleep
Exercise
Family / work balance
Dietary supplements
Meditation
Doing much better now but it’s still a day to day thing. It never really goes away, but becomes manageable.
Bitten by the black dog a few years back. Is a very surreal memory to look back upon. Almost like memories of some film I had once watched. Doesn’t quite seem real. On reflection it had been building up to that point for a long time. All it took was the trigger event and it all went pear shaped. Been pretty happy for a while now. Agree about the points on physical health like food, exercise and sleep and how all of those things as well as mental health are all part of the same machinery. Haven’t tried meditation yet but I’m interested.
When I say meditation I mean 5-10 minutes of basic mindfullness meditation before bed. I use the ‘10% Happier’ app but there are heaps out there. After 1 week of doing it nightly I became much better at not letting my head ruminate constantly about work stuff. I cannot recomend it enough.
dont jump into the internet too often(blitz is fun i know at times).
let yourself get bored. and look for new thibgs to do.
I have a theory that a lack of novelty(new things and suprise) lead to poor mental health outcomes. The interwebs has destroyed a lot of novelty in peoples lives. no longer easily entertained.
novelty is why your youth seemed to go forever and was awesome. you can keep that going if your always open to new things and exploring. otherwise life hits a downward spiral. a lot of people lose novelty with age. this speeds up life = bad news.
Currently changing medications which is unbelievably stressful. I fell into depression around the time we had our first child.
I never really understood depression. Always thought you could make yourself happy.
I haven’t been happy in over 12 months. There are periods of time where I find joy…mainly in music but it’s only a brief moment.
The last 3 weeks have been hard. Work eat sleep. Work.
My wife and I are doing marriage counseling which isn’t helping.
Mental health in the community is changing but it’s still difficult to get across to people as it can’t be seen. My work doesn’t understand so I’m on watch for sick days which makes it again more difficult.
Hoping the new medication kicks in. Currently making me Ill
I have suffered from, at times, severe depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety run deep in my family, so I’m sure there is a genetic component for me. I voluntarily hospitalized myself in 2009 to a mental health unit for 3 weeks. Incredibly difficult time in my life, but so grateful I made that decision. Before then I had tried 7 types of anti depressants which was traumatic - those first few weeks of adjusting to a new medication are the toughest.
In hospital I was under constant care of a psychiatrist and mental health nurse who ensured I was fully supported as I transitioned to a new, and thankfully final medication.
I was in the Police at the time. It was initially difficult at work when news spread of my illness but I didn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed. I was tired from people asking me about it. I was quite matter of fact and openly spoke about it. It lead to a lot of colleagues coming forward and seeking help which was a great outcome.
I haven’t suffered from depression and anxiety since 2009. Key for me is sleep, exercise, healthy diet, medication, and my support network. Anytime I feel like I might be slipping down, I mean on those around me. Might be to talk things through, or give me space (like my husband taking the kids out for an hour or 2), reducing a load I am carrying (I have a tendency to take on a lot, demanding Work, study, kids etc).
Happy to listen if you need to talk. It’s a ■■■■ illness, but there are some strategies that may help.
I hear you - I fell into something similar after the birth of my first child, I didn’t realise it initially but my partner sure did. Men can and do suffer post natal depression, unfortunately it isn’t spoken off and not screened by any professionals (at least the ones I dealt with)
But hope things improve for you, it can get better!! As others have mentioned diet, sleep and making time to see/talk to mates is important. Medication is only one small part of it
I’m a social worker, and obviously work with other social workers. I got hit with Post-natal depression very hard. Some of my colleagues were great with the support I received. Many of them were a disgrace, especially management. I literally got told to suck it.
I’ve had female colleagues who have had similar treatment. Some have been bullied into resigning because its impossible work effectively.
It was a huge awakening seeing people who are suppose to be the professional support for their community treat fellow colleges in this way.
I have depression/ and anxiety and have been on medications for it ever since 2002.
High moments of stress bring it on.
Keys for me are:
Excercise
Avoiding certain foods
Avoiding highly critical people( which can be hard when they are in your own family)
Seeing a naturopath and getting the right supplements has really helped
Seeing a psychologist has been great
Taking my medication daily
Finding little things to look forward to and enjoy
Talking footy on Blitz
Spending time with my nephews and seeing them happy
One thing I would recommend is if you have depression and you are not so re what medication to take, there is an actual blood test you can take that will tell you what sort of anti depressant will best suit you
For anyone that doesn’t suffer from depression but knows someone who does, a word of advice never ever say the following 2 phrases as it doesn’t help and actually has the reverse effect: