Depression, Anxiety

[xr8cam]

Thanks for your reply. yes, my wife has seen it all pretty much, and you may be suprised but borderlines are not uncommon, my mother has multiple borderline personality. My first post was purely meant as an awareness comment as I was pleasantly suprised that people were talking about the topic. My second comment was to clear up anybody's perception that somehow, I wasn't taking this seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am 47yo and have battled with anxiety and depression for most of my life.I am in a good place at the moment, but constantly aware of 'triggers' and staying away from people and places that I don't do well around. I don't watch news or listen to talkback radio. My therapist (not my wife, I have my own) has taught me about keeping my conscious mind clear of negative images/information. I gave up all drugs, alcohol,cigarettes, caffeine and sugar. I take a few vitamins and fish oil/krill oil etc and walk daily 45 mins with my rescued dogs. Whilst this all sounds wonderful, I am only a second away from another visit from the blackdog...it is not easy to maintain mental health, but it is better than the alternative. Sincerely, Cameron.

[raised by monkeys]

Just thought id give you all a bit of a snapshot of something ive been dealing with this week.

I have 1 of a few close mates whose always been moody, seems to struggle with battles others may often find a bit easier, especially emotional concerns. He works at a mine site and lives in Adelaide - he works roughly 5 on 5 off. He spends most of his time alone on his 5 days off, and has become progressively more isolated over the years as friends shacked up. He has had relationships which usually crash and burn - hes a kind of all in or not at all in relationships, and despite some meaningful and sometimes blunt advice from us mates, this has never really changed. A bit of a people pleaser and certainly someone who would be described as an over thinker.

He come to back to Whyalla the other day. Another common close mate who he stays with had some concerns and called me. Alarm bells rang when he made an 'out of the blue' contact with a sister, including passing on some possessions to nephews and telling them he loved them - somewhat uncommon for him. I scheduled a lunch meet with him. After telling me about some of the thoughts he had been having; he alluded to suicidal ideation, and not wanting be around friends because he has to act happy, which is tiring, but also doesn't want friends to just see him as unhappy and moody, I did some further exploration and encouraged him to get to the doctors (to add some context I am a social worker).

A lot of the thoughts he was having were highly anxious driven. He tends to cotastrophise and generalise past experiences to new ones before they have taken place. This has left him quite defeated and lack of self esteem; and consistent low mood.

A side note here was that although he had thoughts that he didn't want to be around friends and he wanted it all to end; he had somewhat of a flickering flame to make the decision to come home. I can only assume this was a protective inside thought to do what he needed to to survive. He doesn't want to die but he wants the pain and thoughts to stop.

I made contact with my other friend who then took a day from work to make sure he went to his doctors apt. The doctor admitted him to hospital yesterday. He has been prescribed (not sure what specific medication) a mood stabilizer and sleep meds.

So beyond my yabber; I just wanted to reiterate some points that I spoke to my mates about including:

- its important to talk
- its not our job as friends to understand - we may never understand especially from the other persons frame of reference, but the important note is to just be there
- encourage your mate to get to a doctor

[Tui2]

427camo, raised by monkeys; THANK YOU

[xr8cam]

One of the best things I ever did for myself was learning to be assertive. I always had a lot of trouble speaking up for myself and telling people what I wanted professionally and personally. It is such a powerful and necessary tool to have, it should be taught at school. Sadly, the people that are lacking in this area are over represented in mental illness. Anybody who is feeling blue or depressed, please speak up, talk to a doctor or ring a help line. You are not alone and tomorrow is always a new day where anything is possible. Check out Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute. Fantastic sites & people.

[Tui2]

Originally Posted by 427camo

One of the best things I ever did for myself was learning to be assertive. I always had a lot of trouble speaking up for myself and telling people what I wanted professionally and personally. It is such a powerful and necessary tool to have, it should be taught at school. Sadly, the people that are lacking in this area are over represented in mental illness. Anybody who is feeling blue or depressed, please speak up, talk to a doctor or ring a help line. You are not alone and tomorrow is always a new day where anything is possible. Check out Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute. Fantastic sites & people.

or you can be too assertive and end up alone and deeper into depression

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by Trejo

or you can be too assertive and end up alone and deeper into depression

There is a real fine line with assertive behaviour and being black and white. It takes a long time to learn and finess this skill, I find at the moment I feel more assertive however to others it comes across as aggression so perception is 4/5ths of the battle.

[raised by monkeys]

Assertiveness

assertiveness/

[raised by monkeys]

http://psychology.tools/

[Tui2]

This Fn BPD is.. look I AM so glad to be diagnosed.. knowing who what why... etc. But why i can't keep it regulated us getting me down.. so hard to regulate between anxiety and depression and then anxiety and elation.. just when i think I KNOW I've got a regulated life.. definately a pawn in a much much bigger game.. cause honestly.. it's funny.. the resulting factors in a day.. if i could only explain the last few months and the' DRINKS ' episodes that result in breaking up the anxiety-turned-panic-turned-turmoil near daily events. . That add what could of been disastrous in previous mindsets but now i look up and laugh ..maniacally at times, yes, but none the less better than uncontrollable rage attacks.
Thats my rant.. still depressed.. next?

[ebxr8240]

The BEST thing to do is get a hobby and be busy .. An old bike or something to occupy your mind.. Try doing things yourself... I find that's half the trouble now.. Things are done by experts or tradies.. Not necessary so !!

[TheSneakiness]

I wouldn't say my depression or anxiety is doing well today but my anger at stupidity and people trying to circumvent controls in place for a reason? Off the charts.

I don't feel depressed (although I just said before I'm tired of trying to please everyone) and I don't feel anxious about anything but I could seriously rage right about now and put a hole through my desk.

[sneaky]

well i took a few weeks off the meds to clear my head, mostly to get pristiq out of the system and see how i was. back on the valdoxen under doctor's orders, and off to see a therapist today.

apparently i haven't been happy at home for over 12 months. my wife told me this a few weeks ago, followed by a 'cheer up or we are done' conversation.

not sure how i am supposed to cheer up when all i can think about is her leaving (or more likely me leaving so she and the kids can keep the house). she says it isn't over, still loves me but not in love and everytime she looks at me she sees the weight of the world on me shoulders (probably a result of me thinking my world is over). i'm now constantly in my own head and double guessing everything, looking for hidden meanings and signs.

hopefully today's appointment will get me on the road to sorting out my head

[buggerlugs]

My missus has had a shocking 2 weeks. She is a long term Bi Polar sufferer. Every time they change her meds she goes down but these last 2 weeks have been real bad. It has been said that 70% of Australians are on some sort of medication. Great for Doctors and the drug companies............

[Joel.]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

My missus has had a shocking 2 weeks. She is a long term Bi Polar sufferer. Every time they change her meds she goes down but these last 2 weeks have been real bad. It has been said that 70% of Australians are on some sort of medication. Great for Doctors and the drug companies............

It is great for them. It's a joke and I am over it. They are salesmen/women, no different to walking into a car dealer. They will tell you how good a drug is but make no mention of any side effects, my psychiatrist even said before he put me on Lithium "Don't look at the side effects, they will probably scare you". I didn't look at the side effects and now I am stuck on Lithium with painful acne like a 14 year old and many other side effects. You get stuck, I can't just stop taking them or my body will freak out, the only person that can help is a doctor and they will do anything to keep you on a medication.

I'd like to know how many of those 70% actually need to be on medication. No more than 35% I'd say.

[Tui2]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

My missus has had a shocking 2 weeks. She is a long term Bi Polar sufferer. Every time they change her meds she goes down but these last 2 weeks have been real bad. It has been said that 70% of Australians are on some sort of medication. Great for Doctors and the drug companies............

as my psych keeps trying a different med with the one he has kept me on for the last 3 2nd med trials, can i ask what type only ie anti anx, anti dep, pro anx pro dep ( light humour there) or all and more of the above, does he keep changing of your wifes when she has such a terrible time with change, as do i , don't mean to pry I'm just still searching for answers tis all

[Tui2]

ps. good signature buggerlugs

[fitzy1980]

Epilim (Sodium Valporate) and Lamictal ( Lamotrigine ) were a life changer for me..

[Tui2]

Originally Posted by fitzy1980

Epilim (Sodium Valporate) and Lamictal ( Lamotrigine ) were a life changer for me..

1250mg a day of epilim and 400mg of tegretol per day for 8 misdiagnosed trauma and drama filled years for me

[Tui2]

Originally Posted by fitzy1980

Epilim (Sodium Valporate) and Lamictal ( Lamotrigine ) were a life changer for me..

1250mg a day of epilim and 400mg of tegretol per day for 8 misdiagnosed trauma and drama filled years for me at one stage there, stages are in measured in Decades for me

[Tui2]

Originally Posted by fitzy1980

Epilim (Sodium Valporate) and Lamictal ( Lamotrigine ) were a life changer for me..

1250mg a day of epilim and 400mg of tegretol per day for 8 misdiagnosed trauma and drama filled years for me at one stage there, stages are in measured in Decades for me

[TheSneakiness]

Thinking I might have to go back on something, there only one situation I feel like I can be happy in and everything else either gets me down or makes me rage.

[Tui2]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

Thinking I might have to go back on something, there only one situation I feel like I can be happy in and everything else either gets me down or makes me rage.

i hear that Axeman,, sorry bout nicknaming a nickname, i wonder if you might be aged into ya 40s or higher cause as soon as i did rage felt.. right.. for a long time but it achieved nothing but more anxiety and asssault charges so i yell at the tv now, and myself,,, ALOT

[Madaya]

Hi gang, sorry I've been off the air for a little while, but heaps happening here, mostly good things.
Take care out there and make this one a good day.
Going to AA and find it helps me out a lot. Several weeks off the grog now. The support from a group of fellow travellers is very helpful.
Same as here in the Forum.

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by Trejo

i hear that Axeman,, sorry bout nicknaming a nickname, i wonder if you might be aged into ya 40s or higher cause as soon as i did rage felt.. right.. for a long time but it achieved nothing but more anxiety and asssault charges so i yell at the tv now, and myself,,, ALOT

Nope, nowhere near 40 yet. Barely in the 30's.

[Joel.]

Good news. Seen my psychiatrist yesterday. He told me I can stop Olanzapine now (been weening myself for a couple of months) and I can start to ween myself off the Lithium over the next 3 weeks. Over the moon.

[Spudz27]

Seen a phsyc today. Been put on lexan, however even he said I am complicated and he is not 100% certain lexam will do anything. He said I have signs of deep depression but also a personality so ingrained to be negative towards itself that it might be more about trying to find ways to change my personality. Has asked me to do a depression workshop online and come back in 6wks. He also said he will pair me with a phsycologist who can challenge me as clealry up until now I am more intelligent than the people trying to treat me, so it is time to see someone who will challenge me and not be so easy for me to manipulate. Let's see where the road goes I guess.

[Joel.]

Hope you find the right person Spud. It can be a challenge in itself finding someone who is really passionate about helping you or someone revising lines from a text book they learnt from. It is possible though. Just got to find who or what works for you. I was told a similar thing from my psychiatrist a couple of years ago about the medication. I found it to be 100% true.

[BLUEYBA]

Originally Posted by Joel.

Good news. Seen my psychiatrist yesterday. He told me I can stop Olanzapine now (been weening myself for a couple of months) and I can start to ween myself off the Lithium over the next 3 weeks. Over the moon.

well done. keep up the good work in getting on top of your depression

[xr8cam]

I have found since I stopped smoking & drinking (over a year) I began to notice how caffeine & sugar affected my moods. I am nearly 50 now, I suppose it's that time when you start to evaluate your health, whether it's a health scare, doctor's advice etc. Anyway, I started looking at sugar especially as it is nasty stuff. There is a good substitute called Xylitol which is a natural 'proper' sugar like granuals & its not bitter like traditional sweetners plus you can bake & cook with it, it tastes good on corn flakes etc. The quality of your life really does improve a lot without sugar. I sleep a lot better and am more calm in general. It can be difficult sometimes but my life without grog,ciggies,sugar & caffeine is much better for my head. Works for me, just my 2c is all.

[Tui2]

[QUOTE=Rapid_Axe;5761987]Nope, nowhere near 40 yet. Barely in the 30's.[/QUOT
huh! you will be a cranky old bast#*^ then when you get old seriously
l hope you find away to ease and rid the anger cause it consumed so much of my energy as i got older and just the other 3 school kids walked past as i was collecting my mail from box and giggled "why so serious " heath ledger's joker character's infamous line. so apparently idont even smile these days ()(