Have you ever had depression?

Ginja Ninja · 02-05-2010 3:47pm

rovert wrote: »

Do the working class get depression or is it a middle class thing?

rovert wrote: »

Am I allowed to reply to this? As it is rather ignorant.

you kind of answered your own question there,by all means reply.But claiming that serious emotional/mental health isssues is only for the middle class is one of the most ignorant things I've seen on boards since I've joined[and I'm one of the more ignorant people you'll meet].

And I'll say this: I'm from a "working class" background if you want to call it that and I've had depression,does that disprove your argument? Think so

A Neurotic wrote: »

It was a heavily sarcastic response to a rather ignorant question.

We're trying to get that as the definition of Fad in the dictionary

rovert · 02-05-2010 4:25pm

Im not claiming or arguing anything, mods am I allowed to reply here or what?

Bobalicious93 · 02-05-2010 4:47pm

Ginja Ninja wrote: »

But claiming that serious emotional/mental health isssues is only for the middle class is one of the most ignorant things I've seen on boards since I've joined[and I'm one of the more ignorant people you'll meet].

And I'll say this: I'm from a "working class" background if you want to call it that and I've had depression,does that disprove your argument? Think so

I don't see where he did this. He asked a question. Stop looking for things to get annoyed about.

Insect Overlord · 02-05-2010 5:10pm

rovert wrote: »

Im not claiming or arguing anything, mods am I allowed to reply here or what?

Of course you can reply, but don't be surprised if some people give you sarcastic responses.
The question you posted on Friday was either a) an ill-advised attempt at pollemicism or b) deliberately insensitive.

Bobalicious93, use the "report post" function if you have an issue with a post.
Your most recent contribution is nothing but detrimental to the flow of this thread.

Jay P · 06-05-2010 11:08pm

It's interesting...or something, I'm not quite sure of the word, but people here seem so nice and brilliant and happy, but I find it really surprising how many people have serious problems in their lives. And it's not just here either, my house mate told me some stuff a few weeks ago that left me utterly stunned me. I find it crazy how little you know about people unless they say something straight out. I'm not saying I know everyone here, but things are just never as they seem. This may not be the right place to say this, but it puts things in perspective for me.

More specifically to here, I think you guys are all unbelievably brave for just saying these things in such a public place.

for all of you guys

rovert · 09-05-2010 2:49am

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Of course you can reply, but don't be surprised if some people give you sarcastic responses.
The question you posted on Friday was either a) an ill-advised attempt at pollemicism or b) deliberately insensitive.

But I got a warning before I could state either. I was merely making reference to the research published about the issue that week. Sorry if I expected most of you to be more clued in about the subject. :rolleyes:

Piste · 09-05-2010 12:38pm

Ok, expand on it if you want.

Pygmalion · 09-05-2010 4:29pm

rovert wrote: »

But I got a warning before I could state either. I was merely making reference to the research published about the issue that week. Sorry if I expected most of you to be more clued in about the subject. :rolleyes:

Sorry, that must have been published in that one medical journal that I don't read every issue of from cover to cover.

Insect Overlord · 09-05-2010 4:37pm

I sent several PMs to rovert last night, inviting him to contribute evidence of his research.
Whether or not he does post it is now up to him.
Until such a point as he clarifies his position, I would appreciate it if people move on so as not to enflame the situation.

A Neurotic · 09-05-2010 6:03pm

I'm studying the cognitive model of depression (negative thoughts are central to forming depression and not just a symptom of it) for an exam tomorrow. It's seriously interesting.

lou91 · 09-05-2010 6:24pm

A Neurotic wrote: »

I'm studying the cognitive model of depression (negative thoughts are central to forming depression and not just a symptom of it) for an exam tomorrow. It's seriously interesting.

Beck, Negative Triads, etc.?

It definitely makes sense. Having studied that stuff a bit in psychology, I do find myself realising when I'm having "maladaptive" thoughts and try to curb them a bit. It actually works pretty well.

lilmissprincess · 10-05-2010 5:35am

Got diagnosed in January this year after three years of being up and down. Initially it was thought to be bipolar disorder, but it turned out I wasn't happy enough. Kind of all came to a head in November, when one of my best friends died suddenly and the world started crumbling, i was very lucky to be surrounded by a group of amazing new college friends and a system in UCC that made it easy to get help. I know for a fact in my secondary school it isn't something ever mentioned which really annoys me; there is this image in Co. Wexford at least that if you talk about suicide or bad thoughts you will just encourage others to do it. Thats not right at all in my opinion but its what we were always led to believe.

A Neurotic · 10-05-2010 2:44pm

RandomUserName! wrote: »

Beck, Negative Triads, etc.?

It definitely makes sense. Having studied that stuff a bit in psychology, I do find myself realising when I'm having "maladaptive" thoughts and try to curb them a bit. It actually works pretty well.

Aye, Beck's Triad. We only cover the absolute basics (I like to call the module Psychology Lite) so we only had one lecture on it but it's fascinating stuff.

[/wishes did Psychology]

Extrasupervery · 28-05-2010 12:14am

http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/

the dude who wrote this

Extrasupervery · 28-05-2010 12:19am

and

http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/whattodo.htm

as a continuation

SIX PACK · 28-05-2010 12:29am

I often felt sorry for myself then i would watch some videos of Street kids who dont have a home to go to, Then i would snap out of my buzz & be glad of what i have... Then i would cheer myself up by listening to some music or watch some tv phone a family member or whatever the case may be. But as i said id usually think of people who are way more unfortunate than i & give myself a kick up the backside & think positive

Insect Overlord · 28-05-2010 8:23pm

The last time I felt depressed, thinking about those less fortunate made me feel worse. Instead of making me appreciate all the great things I have in my life, it made me feel (i) angry at all the injustice in the world, (ii) powerless to do anything about those injustices and (iii) more ashamed of myself for feeling so down when my life wasn't that bad.

*tries to think happy thoughts*

Konata · 31-05-2010 9:04pm

Just thought I'd throw in a little update on myself here, and an important discovery I've made regarding diagnoses.

In recent weeks, I've been diagnosed with a condition known as Borderline Personality Disorder - it covers my depression, addictions, self-harm, anorexia, bulimia, and certain personality traits. I'm not a huge fan of the name - it immediately conjures up ideas of 'split personalities' or that I have some sort of 'defective' personality. That's really not it at all. It causes a huge vulnerability to mental illnesses and addictions. I went on fluoxethine (Prozac) for 2 months which had horrible side-effects and have been on sertraline (Lustral) now for nearly 3 months with better results. As well as that, I've 8 months of counselling specifically for eating disorders under my belt.

Now, what I wanted to say was that I discovered BPD myself through research on the internet. I felt that there had to be some reason for why I've developed so many mental illnesses. I'd been seeing a psychiatrist for a few months (original diagnosis was severe depression, bulimia and bouts of self-harm) and after I discovered BPD, I broached the subject with him. The thing is, doctors in Ireland (and he told me this himself) aren't very clued up about personality disorders. They haven't advanced to the stage of commonly diagnosing them - apparently they're quite rare here. After a few more sessions and extra research on his behalf, he felt confident in confirming that I did indeed have BPD.

So guys if you're ever in doubt about any diagnosis you've received, don't be afraid to do your own research, share your feelings with your doctor or psychiatrist or even seek a second opinion! It can make a huge difference to understand exactly what you're dealing with.

for anyone having a tough time right now.

Ardennes1944 · 31-05-2010 9:09pm

i dont think so. and thats truly only because of music. it picks me up on even the darkest of days. its all the medicine i need for sadness

Novella · 31-05-2010 9:34pm

I'm with Hotaru 100%.

In the last five years, I've found treatment of mental illness in this country to be extremely poor. I was on a waiting list for over a year to see a consultant psychiatrist and my case was marked as 'urgent', but I was still left hanging.

It's really easy to lose faith and to give up because when you are constantly fobbed off with promises of this and that, when you're given prescriptions so easily and pretty much left to your own devices so often, it starts to feel like no one actually wants to help you.

All I can say to anyone is, do not give up. I've seen so many different doctors at this stage and today, my usual GP was away so I saw a different one. I just popped in to renew my sleeping pill prescription but we ended up having a huge chat and I left feeling a million times better.

I think there are a lot of GP's who just aren't too sure what exactly they're supposed to do, what they're supposed to say etc., so if you ever feel like you're being let down by your GP, see another one, and another one. It is kind of understandable that it's hard for a GP to know what to do but I think by now, considering the rise of mental illness in this country, they should be able to do more than scribble a prescription for whatever anti-depressant and send you on your way, not even monitoring your reaction to the drug.

This wasn't meant to be a huge moan about GP's, it was meant to be an up-lifting post about not giving up! Ooops!

As for the researching your own diagnosis thing, I agree. When I read over my blog one night, I noticed how up and down my moods were. One day, I'd write a lovely, happy blog and the next, I'd be so down. I said to my psychiatrist that I was worried about my unstable mood, how rapidly I cycled between feeling up, although always very irritable and feeling absolutely terrible. It was only then I was diagnosed as being bi-polar.

Anyway, this is one of the up days so just to anyone suffering from any kind of mental illness, it can get better so even if you feel like it won't, don't let it get the better of you.

D4RK ONION · 31-05-2010 10:35pm

Having gotten to know Hotaru, I'm so grateful for being mental illness free. She has gone through so much, she's probably the bravest person I know. It's something I always took for granted, but never again.

KnifeWRENCH · 31-05-2010 10:40pm

i just want to say that i have so much

for hotaru and novella right now. those were two exceptional posts; your honesty and courage is really inspiring.

Konata · 31-05-2010 10:48pm

Thanks guys. Much

.

I guess I just don't see why mental illness should be shameful in anyway. When we break an arm or have the flu, we've no problem with telling people whats wrong with us. I understand that mental illness is slightly different, but in my view it shouldn't make a difference. I'm sick, I'm trying to get better - end of.

I talk openly about my problems, not because I crave attention, but because I believe it's a great way to deal with them. I hope to encourage other people to come forward with their own issues - be them big or small. Bottling things up is not the solution, trust me. Anyone who looks at you differently, solely because you suffer from some form of mental illness, is not worth your time.

degausserxo · 01-06-2010 2:27am

Long post alert!

It seems like the only way to get anywhere within the mental health system in this country is to diagnose yourself. At the beginning of April I was hospitalized because of another bout of severe psychosis - I was having auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoid delusions, the lot. After seeing a few different psychiatrists, (there's something seriously sadistic about giving someone a psychiatric evaluation at 4 a.m. - the only time someone was free, apparently) a few days after being released, one eventually told me to 'look this up on the internet and see if that's what it is'. Eh, no, it's your job to tell me what's wrong with me, not the fúcking internet's. The guy was completely discouraging to the point where he took phone calls during the appointment, and thought that I was suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder (think Tyler Durden) - absolutely nothing like what I had been experiencing.

I'm still in the midst of a proper diagnosis. There's been talk of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but nothing solid can be established at the moment. I began taking Seroquel, an anti-psychotic, but the auditory hallucinations have still occurred, albeit somewhat infrequently, and when they do I have panic attacks, and eventually revert back to self harm, something I've been doing since the age of nine. They can happen anywhere - a couple of weeks ago I was with my mam in a cafe, and burst into tears in the middle of ordering a coffee because of the auditory hallucinations (going into detail here would make me sound like a proper nut!), and I literally cannot go anywhere on my own. I have to leave the door open when I take a shower. I can't stay in my room for too long on my own. If I want to go to town or to the shop I have to have my mother or a certain friend with me; a constant babysitter all the fúcking time. It's gotten to the point where my parents have had to cancel their holiday to look after me.

I was taken off Seroquel four days ago, because I thought that they were making no difference, and put on Effexor, an anti-depressant. It's only now without Seroquel that I can see that I needed them.. I feel constantly on edge, I can't sleep, I'm becoming increasingly more paranoid. I did a bit of research and found that that particular drug isn't intended for use in patients who present with psychosis, as it can induce it. I can't be seen by my psychiatrist for another four weeks, and he is adamant that I stay on these tablets until then. I'm absolutely terrified that I'll continue seeing and hearing things, and that they'll get worse.

There are two particular.. illnesses, disorders, whatever you want to call them, that I see striking similarities with myself in, but to be honest, I've become so disheartened at this stage that I don't know whether I should bring them to their attention or not, because I don't feel that I'll be taken seriously.. or what if I'm completely wrong?

Big props to Hotaru and Novella. I've read both of their blogs and just.. wow. They inspired me to start my own, which I thought might help me come to terms with things myself, but I took it down within hours. Had it not've been for their courage in sharing with you, I definitely wouldn't have written this.

So I'm still of the opinion that the mental healthcare system in this country is a sham. This may have already been mentioned somewhere on this thread, or on someone's blog, but sure I'll say it again - 239 people died on Irish roads last year. There were 500 odd suicides. The amount of money spent on road safety campaigns in comparison to suicide prevention is unreal -

''Since 2005, road safety has received €105.5m in funds. This compares with the €10.8m for suicide prevention.
In each of the years, however, suicide deaths averaged nearly 100 more than those on the road.''

Just.... agh.

Novella · 01-06-2010 2:20pm

Degausserxo, (so weird calling you that, seeing as I know your real name and called you by that first :pac:) don't become disheartened. I know it's all too easy, and I know how difficult it is to get a diagnosis and how it feels like you're going nowhere but eventually, things will come together for you.

You just always need to remember that you're stronger than your illness, even though most of the time (for me anyway), it feels like it'd be simpler to let it get the better of you.

When you do find someone who can and/or will fully diagnose you, it is only then that the road to recovery begins. I have spent years undiagnosed, or just classed as 'severely depressed' and been on all kinds of medications, most of them wrong for me. You will get to the stage when you're put on a medication that works for you, and you'll be proud that you hung in there.

The only good thing I can really see at this point in time, in being mentally ill, are the friends I have made. I've met people in out-patient programmes I've attended and it's been so wonderful to know I had the support of other people who really knew and understood me. Also, from writing my blog, and getting to know (in particular) Hotaru, Ginja Ninja and almostnever. Their constant encouragement and less than three-ing has helped me so many times when I was having bad days.

You might not wanna write a blog, but never ever underestimate the kindness of some people. I used to feel alone a lot, like I had no one to turn to. I turn to my blog now and I can't even begin to express how much the support from that has helped me. If you ever wanna have a rant, or anything, don't hesitate to PM me.

Take care of yourself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-a9atIQTT8

Thought you might like some Dallas Green to lighten the mood!

almostnever · 01-06-2010 4:22pm

I'm just going to come in with a "you guys are a real inspiration to me and big hugs and

for you all", because ye actually rock.

Novella · 01-06-2010 4:38pm

almostnever wrote: »

I'm just going to come in with a "you guys are a real inspiration to me and big hugs and for you all", because ye actually rock.

You rock too

SarahBeep! · 01-06-2010 5:09pm

Yup, was 13 right up until I was 16, still get spats of it now two years later. The parents never realised, never took anything for it. Just let it take it's natural course.

del88 · 01-06-2010 9:33pm

degausserxo wrote: »

Long post alert!

It seems like the only way to get anywhere within the mental health system in this country is to diagnose yourself. At the beginning of April I was hospitalized because of another bout of severe psychosis - I was having auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoid delusions, the lot. After seeing a few different psychiatrists, (there's something seriously sadistic about giving someone a psychiatric evaluation at 4 a.m. - the only time someone was free, apparently) a few days after being released, one eventually told me to 'look this up on the internet and see if that's what it is'. Eh, no, it's your job to tell me what's wrong with me, not the fúcking internet's. The guy was completely discouraging to the point where he took phone calls during the appointment, and thought that I was suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder (think Tyler Durden) - absolutely nothing like what I had been experiencing.

I'm still in the midst of a proper diagnosis. There's been talk of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but nothing solid can be established at the moment. I began taking Seroquel, an anti-psychotic, but the auditory hallucinations have still occurred, albeit somewhat infrequently, and when they do I have panic attacks, and eventually revert back to self harm, something I've been doing since the age of nine. They can happen anywhere - a couple of weeks ago I was with my mam in a cafe, and burst into tears in the middle of ordering a coffee because of the auditory hallucinations (going into detail here would make me sound like a proper nut!), and I literally cannot go anywhere on my own. I have to leave the door open when I take a shower. I can't stay in my room for too long on my own. If I want to go to town or to the shop I have to have my mother or a certain friend with me; a constant babysitter all the fúcking time. It's gotten to the point where my parents have had to cancel their holiday to look after me.

I was taken off Seroquel four days ago, because I thought that they were making no difference, and put on Effexor, an anti-depressant. It's only now without Seroquel that I can see that I needed them.. I feel constantly on edge, I can't sleep, I'm becoming increasingly more paranoid. I did a bit of research and found that that particular drug isn't intended for use in patients who present with psychosis, as it can induce it. I can't be seen by my psychiatrist for another four weeks, and he is adamant that I stay on these tablets until then. I'm absolutely terrified that I'll continue seeing and hearing things, and that they'll get worse.

There are two particular.. illnesses, disorders, whatever you want to call them, that I see striking similarities with myself in, but to be honest, I've become so disheartened at this stage that I don't know whether I should bring them to their attention or not, because I don't feel that I'll be taken seriously.. or what if I'm completely wrong?

Big props to Hotaru and Novella. I've read both of their blogs and just.. wow. They inspired me to start my own, which I thought might help me come to terms with things myself, but I took it down within hours. Had it not've been for their courage in sharing with you, I definitely wouldn't have written this.

So I'm still of the opinion that the mental healthcare system in this country is a sham. This may have already been mentioned somewhere on this thread, or on someone's blog, but sure I'll say it again - 239 people died on Irish roads last year. There were 500 odd suicides. The amount of money spent on road safety campaigns in comparison to suicide prevention is unreal -

''Since 2005, road safety has received €105.5m in funds. This compares with the €10.8m for suicide prevention.
In each of the years, however, suicide deaths averaged nearly 100 more than those on the road.''

Just.... agh.

Great post....Fair play .
Have to agree with you on the funding for suicide prevention...it's crazy(no offence).Hope things improve for you ...they can .
I've had 2 breakdowns and have been as low as you can get..but things did improve and i ended up traveling the world and started my own business....I still have bad weeks and months and it all get to much at times...but i know i can get out of it.
Like what you where saying about the fear of the things getting worse..sometimes it's a comfort to know they can also get better.

sock puppet · 01-06-2010 9:51pm

A problem I had with the mental health service wasn't availability but rather the high staff turnover in the centre I attended. In the brief 2 years I went to counselling I went to three different psychiatrists there. All of them left after working there only briefly. How the hell is someone meant to make progress if the counsellors only work there for a few months before moving somewhere else? Having said that I had access to a lot of services so I'd say I was pretty lucky. I didn't really get much out of it so I didn't mind but I feel sorry for anyone who was really depending on their service.

Have you ever had depression?

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