LETS ALL LAUGH AT PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION!!

steddyeddy

I wish I was f-ing dead

Turtwig

steddyeddy wrote: »

I wish I was f-ing dead

It happens. Unfortunately it happens. There's not much we can say to you either. Maybe you could let us all snuggle up beside you and hide under the blanket? Those days come, sometimes they become fecking months! But the important thing we must never lose sight of is that they pass. When they do, things have the potential to be amazing again. Until then be nice to yourself, don't punish yourself and vent here all you'd like.

If the desire intensify's please talk to others. (If it's necrophilia you were referring to then. . . Er, um, talk to someone too, I guess?
*backs away quietly*)

Esel

steddyeddy wrote: »

I wish I was f-ing dead

Hang in there man, and try not to over-indulge in alcohol when you are feeling this bad.

As Jernal said, feelings like this do pass.

Also, as J said, seek help if you really feel overwhelmed. You can go to any A&E department if things are really getting too hard to handle.

Call Me Jimmy

steddyeddy just so you know I am in quite the same boat. I've gotten to a stage in my life and circumstances where there isn't really much left to do. Not many things within my realm of possibilities (and I know there is infinite but what I at the age of 26 know I can do is extremely limited).

I work hard on myself, every day I do more work on myself than 90% of the population and yet I'm going nowhere as the elliott smith song says. I look in the mirror and die a little more emotionally each time. It is acceptance in its most negative form.

I remember the first time I looked in the mirror and broke down crying uncontrollably when I was 16. Ten years on there is no real outer reaction, but inside I can feel the pain is aging me - as I've said before I really do feel about 80 years old.

Quite the sad thing is that in terms of relationships, it is painful goin from having a girlfriend a few years ago and feeling that is possible that she finds me very 'hot'. You know, that youthful, energetic, electric feeling of someone liking you and you liking them. The unfortunate thing now is, if I continue my inner work and I find relative peace, I still know that it has gone too far past what I deem acceptable in terms of my own appearance for me to believe that someone finds me physically attractive. I look like a potato (sorry to all potatoes).

Believe me I know it's a cocktail of things that define attraction, but I don't know if I will ever let the idea go of someone being physically attracted to me first and then realise we have stuff in common and enjoy each others company. I need that. I can't si on a couch with a hypotheticalfuture girlfriend and be happy knowing that she likes me because of my personality. I can't. I know it sounds shallow but it's part of my psychological makeup, I'm aware of it but it won't change or go away.

I can't really express how traumatic and... out of this world it is when I look in the mirror. It's almost like a parallel universe. It's like a dickensian fast forward to the future, '16 year old chris, if you keep living the way you're living you're going to look like this!', cue mirror image of 26 year old me that I see today.

It's also strange living past a point that I, the most stubborn person on planet earth told myself I'd never allow myself to get to.

So overall it feels like I am the living dead. It's like, if you said to yourself 'I would dump someone if they cheated on me of course' and then someone does and you find yourself forgiving them but living in the relationship half-heartedly. I am living life half-heartedly and that is with herculean effort.

Sorry for another long, repetitive negative post but that seems to be my life now. Posting it is my only aim, I don't want anyone to feel obliged to respond because it's old old ground.

glass_onion

It's ok to be negative once in a while.Not everything can be rosy in the garden.

On relationships.I look at it in another way.People are like the weather or seasons.They change for the good or bad.Despite all the best intentions,people come in and out of our life.

Growing old is a part of life aswell,we are not like a bottle of wine we don't get better when we get old!.

On the subject of looks.You could be gorgeous but have a dull personality.It can take two of kind for it to work.Even to define beauty itself,if you look at other threads you can see posters debating on who is gorgeous!.

TeddyTedson

Jernal wrote: »

It happens. Unfortunately it happens. There's not much we can say to you either. Maybe you could let us all snuggle up beside you and hide under the blanket? Those days come, sometimes they become fecking months! But the important thing we must never lose sight of is that they pass. When they do, things have the potential to be amazing again. Until then be nice to yourself, don't punish yourself and vent here all you'd like.

If the desire intensify's please talk to others. (If it's necrophilia you were referring to then. . . Er, um, talk to someone too, I guess?
*backs away quietly*)

Lol.
That's like the perfect post ever. Helpful while humorous also:D

murria

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Lol.
That's like the perfect post ever. Helpful while humorous also:D

Doh! Some 16 hours later I got that.

TeddyTedson

murria wrote: »

Doh! Some 16 hours later I got that.

I'm so tired I forgot the add in the word "most"

Alcohol is just asking to be depressed isn't it.

I was very close to the edge earlier but have managed to walk in a bit thankfully. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

RobbingBandit

Been having a ****ty time for a long while now, started back in college last month after a two year break due to ongoing issues and health problems, I am getting extra tuition in one module which is helping but I just fell like it is too much.

Due to my health issues I can no longer peruse a career in Archaeology which has been my dream my whole life, due to my Aspergers I don't socialise and don't know the name of a single person in any of my classes,I have been in education since 2008 and am still only in second year due to many issues, my family ****ing hate me and I them,tonight I really feel like what is the point in any of this, nothing has come together for me in my 31 years of being alive, old cliché here but how do you continue when everything that once made you happy makes you sick to your core.

cloud493

You look for something new I guess. You just keep. Going.

23 stitches last night. Itchy and sore.

A few friends on Facebook have shared this: http://ccusack111.blogspot.ie/2013/10/depression-is-friend-not-my-enemy_28.html
Definitely worth a read.

"You go to sleep hoping, praying not to wake up." - I've lost count of how many times that thought has been in my mind.

Ihatecuddles-old

Went to Cluain Mhuire today, they said I have psychosocial depression. I dont know what this means though, she'll explain it in detail next week. Im wondering if it will have had any effect on my relationship so far. Whenever I dont want to be around my family I'd always go to my boyfriend, and avoid going home for as long as possible, sometimes days. Im hoping that by going back once a week, I can stop using him as such a crutch and more of a boyfriend.

I dont know why Im even writing this, I think Im just thinking out loud.

She also wants to meet my family and see can she explain to them why I think/act the way that I do. They give me an awful hard time over it and constantly get at me, remind me of things Ive done as if to remind me Im a horrible person. When I told my parents she wants to see them, my dad said 'well does she know about X Y and Z? Id like to meet her on her own first so I can explain to her what youre really like, because youre obviously not telling her'

I just felt deflated, I felt really good after I left, like someone understands me, and I know hes just going to make this whole thing so difficult. You could get everyone in the world to explain to him that I have a mental illness, and he'd just shake his head and say Im a pain in the hole and make everyones life difficult.

Anyway, Im still positive about the relationship aspect of it, we've been together for about 6 months on/off. We're now monogamous and have been getting on really well lately, he got a new job, is moving, he's a lot happier. Im a lot happier lately and hopefully I wont be such a pain in his hole (he's never said that, is really understanding and lovely about it, but I cant help but feel I have been)

Long post, sorry, I dont talk to people about anything like this, so when I leave Cluain Mhuire I feel like I have loads to say and nobody to say it to.

Call Me Jimmy

Just on the meeting the family, you have to understand that your family are going to be defensive because from what the psychologist said 'psychosocial depression' your family (your parents) are going to be under the microscope because she's basically sayin your surroundings have caused depression in you.

As you know there are two sides to every story though. My dad got extremely defensive when I started going to the psychologist (even though he encouraged me in the first place).

In my opinion, unless abuse has gone on, a psychologist shouldn't need to speak to the family other than very basic information exchange. But I suppose you can assure your dad that she is professional and if she does consult with the family she will not be 'on your side', she will just be trying to determine very quickly the personality types and circumstances of your relationships. After all, she only has your word.

The mere fact that your father has not ruled this out (assuming he comes from my father's generation) is telling of his commitment.

Best of luck.

Ihatecuddles-old

Thanks Jimmy Yeah I did suffer abuse, on 3 different occasions through my life but none of it was at the hands of my parents or immediate family!

I guess Ill just wait and see how it goes, thanks!

murria

Ihatecuddles, I sense a lot of positivity from your post. If you feel you are being listened to and understood by your therapist it is probable that you will engage with her and commit to your recovery.

I think it's good that she wants to talk to your family, she will probably help communications open up in a more constructive way. A lot of people find that their families do not understand their illness, my own good friend has a serious mental illness and yet her family think she is dramatic and argumentative. She has invited them to meet with her doctors and attend her support group, but they never have. I hope your parents will meet with your therapist because I'm sure it will lead to a better understanding between all of you.

Call Me Jimmy

Ihatecuddles wrote: »

Thanks Jimmy Yeah I did suffer abuse, on 3 different occasions through my life but none of it was at the hands of my parents or immediate family!

I guess Ill just wait and see how it goes, thanks!

Oh okay that's a very different situation... do your family know about the abuse? Just on your dad's request, if it comes to it I would be inclined to allow him to speak to the psychologist on his own as it will make him a lot more comfortable and it is not as if he says something like 'this is what she's really like' and the psychologist will flip on you. It won't work like that.

The dialogue will be good and in his head he probably thinks like my dad (wrongly) that going to the psychologist involved you just speaking nastily about him, complaining about subtle mistakes etc.

All the best

Ihatecuddles-old

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Oh okay that's a very different situation... do your family know about the abuse? Just on your dad's request, if it comes to it I would be inclined to allow him to speak to the psychologist on his own as it will make him a lot more comfortable and it is not as if he says something like 'this is what she's really like' and the psychologist will flip on you. It won't work like that.

The dialogue will be good and in his head he probably thinks like my dad (wrongly) that going to the psychologist involved you just speaking nastily about him, complaining about subtle mistakes etc.

All the best

Yeah they know all about it, they adopted me so are fully aware! Thanks for the advice, Ive never done anything like this before, regardless its not going to make anything worse, can only improve things so Im all for it at this stage

glass_onion

I heard this advertised on the radio-

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With the help of a series of easy-to-follow booklets and expert guidance from a trained facilitator at each session, participants can learn how to manage feelings of stress, worry, anxiety or depression, and learn simple and practical skills to help them cope with life’s challenges.
Life Skills is offered in a group setting with each group comprising around 25 people.


Life Skills is based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is a therapy that focuses on thinking and behaviour and has been shown to be an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety.
When a person is experiencing depression or facing challenging life situations they may think and behave in unhelpful ways. CBT helps the person to make practical changes in these areas, which can help improve how they feel and also reduce some of the symptoms associated with depression, stress or anxiety.
The Life Skills programme has been developed by Dr. Chris Williams. Dr. Williams is a Professor of Psychiatry and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the University of Glasgow and is a recognised expert in the area of CBT.
CBT is a proven treatment for anxiety and mild to moderate depression and many previous participants of our Life Skills course have found it to be hugely beneficial to them.

Book online to secure a place- http://www.aware.ie/life-skills-group-programme/

lighthouse

Deleted User wrote: »

A few friends on Facebook have shared this: http://ccusack111.blogspot.ie/2013/10/depression-is-friend-not-my-enemy_28.html
Definitely worth a read.

"You go to sleep hoping, praying not to wake up." - I've lost count of how many times that thought has been in my mind.

He was on Primetime tonight. He spoke really well and hopefully his story will give hope to people

Esel

steddyeddy wrote: »

I wish I was f-ing dead

Esel wrote: »

Hang in there man, and try not to over-indulge in alcohol when you are feeling this bad.

As Jernal said, feelings like this do pass.

Also, as J said, seek help if you really feel overwhelmed. You can go to any A&E department if things are really getting too hard to handle.

How's the head at the moment, steddyeddy?

A couple of handy phone numbers:

Samaritans 1 850 60 90 90

Aware 1 890 303 302

[-0-]

I know four people who have committed suicide in the past month, all from home. Neighbours, relatives, friends. All young males. If I think back through my life, I probably know at least 20 people who have done it. That's way too many. Depression is awful. Please, if you're feeling down or depressed, take some time to read the following from Conor Cusack. It is beautiful:

I still remember the moment well. It was a wet, cold, grey Friday morning. I rose out of bed having had no sleep the night before. Panic attacks are horrific experiences by day, by night they are even worse. As I drove to work on my trusted Honda 50, a group of my friends passed in their car heading to college. They all smiled and waved and looked so happy. I smiled and waved and acted happy. I had loved and excelled in school but it was the same with my hurling, it was the same with my friends, it was the same with my family, it was the same with the people of Cloyne, it was the same with life, I had lost interest in all of them. Losing interest in people was the worst. Where once I would have felt sadness at seeing my friends heading to where I had always wanted to go, I now didn’t. Something much larger, deeper, darker had taken hold of my mind and sadness, despair, hopelessness were not strong enough to survive alongside what I was feeling.

They say something has to crack to allow the light in. At about 11am that morning, I finally cracked. I couldn’t do it anymore, all my strength at keeping up my pretence had gone. I curled up in the corner of the building and began to cry. One of the lads working with me came over and he didn’t know what to do. I asked him to take me home. The GP called to my house and prescribed some sleeping pills and arranged for me to be sent to the hospital for some tests.

I spent a week there and they done every test imaginable. Physically, I was in perfect health. I was diagnosed with suffering from ‘Depression’ or in laymans terms, that awful phrase ‘of suffering with his nerves’. I had never heard of the word before.

I was sent to see a psychiatrist in my local day care hospital. I was 19 years of age in a waiting room surrounded by people much older than I was. Surely I am not the only young person suffering from depression, I thought to myself. There was a vacant look in all of their eyes, a hollowness, an emptiness, the feeling of darkness pervaded the room. The psychiatrist explained that there might be a chemical imbalance in my brain, asked me my symptoms and prescribed a mixture of anti depressants, anxiety and sleeping pills based on what I told him. He explained that it would take time to get the right cocktail of tablets for my type of depression. I had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing. Something deep inside in me told me this wasn’t the way forward and this wasn’t what I needed. As I walked out a group of people in another room with intellectual disabilities were doing various things. One man had a teaching device in front of him and he was trying to put a square piece into a round hole. It summed up perfectly what I felt had just happened to me.

I now stayed in my room all day, only leaving it to go to the bathroom. I locked the door and it was only opened to allow my mother bring me some food. I didn’t want to speak to anybody. The only time I left the house was on a Thursday morning to visit the psychiatrist. When everbody had left to go to work and school, my Mother would bring me my breakfast. I cried nearly all the time. Sometimes she would sit there and cry with me, other times talk with me and hold my hand, tell me that she would do anything to help me get better, other times just sit there quietly whilst I ate the food.

Depression is difficult to explain to people. If you have experienced it there is no need, if you haven’t, I don’t think there are words adequate to describe its horror. I have had a lot of injuries playing hurling, snapped cruciates, broken bones in my hands 11 times, had my lips sliced in half and all my upper teeth blown out with a dirty pull but none of them come anywhere near the physical pain and mental torture of depression. It permeates every part of your being, from your head to your toes. It is never ending, waves and waves of utter despair and hopelessness and fear and darkness flood throughout your whole body. You crave for peace but even sleep doesn’t afford that. It wrecks your dreams and turns your days into a living nightmare. It destroys your personality, your relationship with your family and friends, your work, your sporting life, it affects them all. Your ability to give and receive affection is gone. You tear at your skin and your hair with frustration. You cut yourself to give some form of physical expression to the incredible pain you feel. You want to grab it and smash it, but you can’t get a hold of it. You go to sleep hoping, praying not to wake up. You rack your brain seeing is there something you done in your life that justifies this suffering. You wonder why God is not answering your pleas for relief and you wonder is he there at all or has he forgotten about you. And through it all remains the darkness. It’s as if someone placed a veil over your soul and never returned to remove it. This endless, black, never ending tunnel of darkness.

I had been five months in my room now. I had watched the summer turn into the autumn and then to Winter through my bedroom window. One of the most difficult things was watching my teammates parade through the town after winning the U21 championship through it. That was the real world out there. In here in my room was a living hell. I was now on about 18 tablets a day and not getting better but worse. I was eating very little but the medication was ballooning my weight to nearly twenty stone. I was sent to see another psychiatrist and another doctor who suggested electric shock therapy which I flatly refused. It was obvious to me I was never going to get better. My desire for death was now much stronger than my desire for living so I made a decision.

I had been contemplating suicide for a while now and when I finally decided and planned it out, a strange thing happened. A peace that I hadn’t experienced for a long time entered my mind and body. For the first time in years, I could get a good night’s sleep. It was as if my body realized that this pain it was going through was about to end and it went into relax mode. I had the rope hidden in my room. I knew there was a game on a Saturday evening and that my father and the lads would be gone to that. After my Mother and sister would be gone to Mass, I would drive to the location and hang myself. I didn’t feel any anxiety about it. It would solve everything, I thought. No more pain, both for me and my family. They were suffering as well as I was and I felt with me gone, it would make life easier for them. How wrong I would have been. I have seen the effects and damage suicide has on families. It is far,far greater than anything endured while living and helping a person with depression.

For some reason my Mother never went to Mass. I don’t know why but she didn’t go. It was a decision on her part that saved my life.

The following week, a family that I had worked for when I was younger heard about me being unwell. They rang my Mother and told them that they knew a clinical psychologist working in a private practice that they felt could help me. I had built up my hopes too many times over the last number of months that a new doctor, a new tablet, a new treatment was going to help and had them dashed when he or it failed to help me. I wasn’t going through it again. My mother pleaded to give him a try and eventually I agreed. It was a decision on my part that would save my life.

After meeting Tony, I instantly knew this was what I had been searching for. It was the complete opposite of what I felt when I was being prescribed tablets and electric shock therapy. We sat opposite each other in a converted cottage at the side of his house with a fire lighting in the corner. He looked at me with his warm eyes and said ‘I hear you haven’t been too well. How are you feeling’. It wasn’t even the question, it was the way he asked it. I looked at him for about a minute or so and I began to cry. When the tears stopped, I talked and he listened intently. Driving home with my mother that night, I cried again but it wasn’t tears of sadness, it was tears of joy. I knew that evening I was going to better. There was finally a chink of light in the darkness.

Therapy is a challenging experience. It’s not easy baring your soul. When you sit in front of another human being and discuss things you have never discussed with anyone, it can be quite scary. Paulo Coelho says in one of his books that ‘A man is at his strongest when he is willing to be vulnerable’. Sadly, society conditions men to be the opposite and views vulnerability as a weakness. For therapy to work, a person has to be willing to be vulnerable. Within a week, I was off all medication. For me, medication was never the answer. My path back to health was one of making progress, then slipping and making progress again. It was far from straightforward.

I had to face up to memories I had buried from being bullied quite a lot when I was a young kid. Some of it occurred in primary school, others in secondary. It was raw and emotional re-visiting those times but it had to be done.

A lot of my identity was tied up with hurling and it was an un-healthy relationship. The ironic thing is that as I began to live my life more from the inside out and appreciate and value myself for being me and not needing hurling for my self esteem, I loved the game more than ever. I got myself super fit and my weight down to 13 and a half stone. I made the Cloyne Senior team and went on to play with the Cork Senior hurling team, making a cameo appearance in the final of 2006. It is still one of the biggest joys of my life playing hurling with Cloyne, despite losing three County finals and an All-Ireland with Cork. Being involved with the Cloyne team was a huge aid in my recovery and my teammates gave me great support during that time.

I went back to serve my time as an electrician. I went to college by night and re-discovered my joy of learning. I work for a great company and have a good life now. I finished therapy in 2004. I have not had a panic attack in that time and have not missed a day’s work because of depression since then.

I came to realise that depression was not my enemy but my friend. I don’t say this lightly. I know the damage it does to people and the lives it has wrecked and is wrecking so I am only talking for myself. How can you say something that nearly killed you was your friend? The best coaches I have ever dealt with are those that tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. You mightn’t like it at the time but after or maybe years later, you know they were right. I believe depression is a message from a part of your being to tell you something in your life isn’t right and you need to look at it. It forced me to stop and seek within for answers and that is where they are. It encouraged me to look at my inner life and free myself from the things that were preventing me from expressing my full being. The poet David Whyte says ‘the soul would much rather fail at its own life than succeed at someone else’s’.

This is an ongoing process. I am still far from living a fully, authentic life but I am very comfortable now in my own skin. Once or twice a year, especially when I fall into old habits, my ‘friend’ pays me a visit. I don’t push him away or ignore him. I sit with him in a chair in a quiet room and allow him to come. I sit with the feeling. Sometimes I cry, other times I smile at how accurate his message is. He might stay for an hour, he might stay for a day. He gives his message and moves on. He reminds me to stay true to myself and keep in touch with my real self. A popular quote from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu is ‘a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step’. A correct translation of the original Chinese though is ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet’. Lao Tzu believed that action was something that arose naturally from stillness. When you can sit and be with yourself, it is a wonderful gift and real and authentic action flows from it.

Many, many people are living lives of quiet misery. I get calls from people on the phone and to my house because people in my area will know my story. Sometimes it is for themselves, other times it is asking if I would talk to another person. I’m not a doctor or a therapist and anyone I talk to in distress, I always encourage them to go to both but people find it easier at first to talk to someone who has been in their shoes. It is incredible the amount of people it affects. Depression affects all types of people, young and old, working and not working, wealthy and poor.

For those people who are currently gripped by depression, either experiencing it or are supporting or living with someone with it, I hope my story helps. There is no situation that is without hope, there is no person that can’t overcome their present difficulties. For those that are suffering silently, there is help out there and you are definitely not alone. Everything you need to succeed is already within you and you have all the answers to your own issues. A good therapist will facilitate that process. My mother always says ‘a man’s courage is his greatest asset’. It is an act of courage and strength, not weakness, to admit you are struggling. It is an act of courage to seek help. It is an act of courage to face up to your problems.

An old saying goes ‘there is a safety in being hidden, but a tragedy never to be found’. You are too precious and important to your family, your friends, your community, to yourself, to stay hidden. In the history of the world and for the rest of time, there will never again be another you. You are a once off, completely unique. The real you awaits within to be found but to get there requires a journey inwards . A boat is at its safest when it is in the harbour but that’s not what it was built to do. We are the same. Your journey in will unearth buried truths and unspoken fears. A new strength will emerge to help you to head into the choppy waters of your painful past. Eventually you will discover a place of peace within yourself, a place that encourages you to head out into the world and live your life fully. The world will no longer be a frightening place to live in for you.

The most important thing is to take the first step. Please take it.

TerrorFirmer

Firstly, have to state that this is an incredible thread. It's something that everyone should read.

I'm doing a radio documentary on suicide, and I did not wish to contact people that have shared experiences here unsolicited, but if anyone here would be interested in speaking to me regards their experiences and on the topic of suicide, mental health and the available services and level of education as well as public awareness of said services for a documentary aiming to raise awareness on suicide and where to seek help, feel free to contact me.

edit: It is a radio documentary, which I would imagine would make a large difference to consideration.

nacho libre

"Paulo Coelho says in one of his books that ‘A man is at his strongest when he is willing to be vulnerable’. Sadly, society conditions men to be the opposite and views vulnerability as a weakness"

That is so true. I'm sure this man so eloquently baring his soul to the public will at least help some people who otherwise would have been lost to the world. His mother must be very proud of him.

glass_onion

Esel wrote: »

A couple of handy phone numbers:

Samaritans 1 850 60 90 90

Aware 1 890 303 302

Just to add

1life- 1800 24 7 100
1life text support- Text "help" to 51444

Samaritans text support- 087 2 60 90 90

*standard text rates apply.

TeddyTedson

That Conor Cusack piece is one of the most captivating pieces I've ever read.
It's great reading how he turned it around.
It's so true about being vulnerable and taking that first step. I can relate to a lot of it, although definitely not the severity of his case. Which makes it even more positive to me how he came through it. Where he talks about opening up to someone where he could see the caring (I forget his exact words) in his eyes really hit a nerve. I may have got a little emotional reading the article :P Although it's pretty hard not to, it's extremely touching.


Other than that I really think there's been quite a noticeable change with society over the last couple of years. I listen to Todayfm and Newstalk and there's been quite a bit on there about depression including a piece with Tom Murphy (DeVore) a while back about his initial post. A lot of media outlets are not shying away from the problem which is fantastic.
But apart from that I've noticed a big change with people. Even on boards people seem to be looking out for each other more. A few years ago my friends has never once discussed depression, at least seriously. Now it feels as though we all look out for each other and support each other a lot more.
In saying that though this is probably only the tip of the ice berg so to speak and it needs to an issue that remains at the forefront for Irish society to tackle. That and finding out what happened to Shergar :P


Edit: One last thing I forgot to add. We always ask people how they're doing in this country, but it's generally said in a hello sort of way.
I think it would be great to change that.
A typical greeting might go like this,

John - "How are you(?)"
Paul - "Ah yeah, good yourself(?)"
John - "Grand"
Paul - "See the match last night...."

And so on.

I'm know I'm over simplifying this a bit here, and it's not always something that can be done for so many reasons, but a real effort on actually finding out how the person is feeling would be a hugh benefit I believe.
I know this is not the case for everyone, but I definitely think it's something that should be addressed.
Perhaps people could come up with a better phase of greeting people that could be encouraged to be used by people for a week in the year or something along those lines.
Anyway I type that really quickly because my belly is demanding food and I need to run but I hope I made sense.

delthedriver

TeddyTedson wrote: »

That Conor Cusack piece is one of the most captivating pieces I've ever read.
It's great reading how he turned it around.
It's so true about being vulnerable and taking that first step. I can relate to a lot of it, although definitely not the severity of his case. Which makes it even more positive to me how he came through it. Where he talks about opening up to someone where he could see the caring (I forget his exact words) in his eyes really hit a nerve. I may have got a little emotional reading the article :P Although it's pretty hard not to, it's extremely touching.


Other than that I really think there's been quite a noticeable change with society over the last couple of years. I listen to Todayfm and Newstalk and there's been quite a bit on there about depression including a piece with Tom Murphy (DeVore) a while back about his initial post. A lot of media outlets are not shying away from the problem which is fantastic.
But apart from that I've noticed a big change with people. Even on boards people seem to be looking out for each other more. A few years ago my friends has never once discussed depression, at least seriously. Now it feels as though we all look out for each other and support each other a lot more.
In saying that though this is probably only the tip of the ice berg so to speak and it needs to an issue that remains at the forefront for Irish society to tackle. That and finding out what happened to Shergar :P


Edit: One last thing I forgot to add. We always ask people how they're doing in this country, but it's generally said in a hello sort of way.
I think it would be great to change that.
A typical greeting might go like this,

John - "How are you(?)"
Paul - "Ah yeah, good yourself(?)"
John - "Grand"
Paul - "See the match last night...."

And so on.

I'm know I'm over simplifying this a bit here, and it's not always something that can be done for so many reasons, but a real effort on actually finding out how the person is feeling would be a hugh benefit I believe.
I know this is not the case for everyone, but I definitely think it's something that should be addressed.
Perhaps people could come up with a better phase of greeting people that could be encouraged to be used by people for a week in the year or something along those lines.
Anyway I type that really quickly because my belly is demanding food and I need to run but I hope I made sense.

Excellent post!:)

TeddyTedson

delthedriver wrote: »

Excellent post!:)

Why thank you
That's a first for me :P (seriously though it is )

El_Dangeroso

Just bumping this thread as this time of year seems to worsen depression in many people.

The two highest rates of suicide occur in October/November and March/April with March/April being slightly worse.

The scientific papers I've read on this seem to indicate disruptions to circadian rhythms (sleep cycles) and light dark cues are really bad for depression.

So people need to take extra care of themselves around this time of year and if you are suffering alone, please please talk to someone about it.

lukesmom

Would people recommend psychology for anxiety/depression? I've come through a 3 month suicidal bout of depression. (I've been well for 2 1/2 months with few days of anxiety. They finally found the right med combination that brought me out of it. I went to a psychologist while I was very ill and can hardly remember any of the 6 session because I was so sick and frantic I'd never get better. My psychiatrist wants me to do more psychology and I requested a different psychologist as the other one I associate with being very ill. Got a letter today from new psychologist giving me an appointment for next week.
What will I talk about though? I don't know how it will benefit me. I also have a fear that doing psychology will somehow make me sick again it's a fear of mine. Any thoughts?

Mam of 4

lukesmom wrote: »

Would people recommend psychology for anxiety/depression? I've come through a 3 month suicidal bout of depression. (I've been well for 2 1/2 months with few days of anxiety. They finally found the right med combination that brought me out of it. I went to a psychologist while I was very ill and can hardly remember any of the 6 session because I was so sick and frantic I'd never get better. My psychiatrist wants me to do more psychology and I requested a different psychologist as the other one I associate with being very ill. Got a letter today from new psychologist giving me an appointment for next week.
What will I talk about though? I don't know how it will benefit me. I also have a fear that doing psychology will somehow make me sick again it's a fear of mine. Any thoughts?

Don't know if I'll be of much help as I've no first hand experience, but my son sees his psychologist every week,or every second week.He also has a battle with anxiety/depression.

I think he also had a fear that speaking about how he felt would make him feel worse, and to be honest the first few sessions left him feeling drained,emotionally and physically,but from then on it was a slow but steady positive road for him.

He's been seeing her for over a year now and is doing really well, will ring her to set up an appointment if he gets too anxious or the intrusive thoughts rear their heads and won't go.

I hope someone else can give you a more informative answer than I can . All I can say is that I can see what a massive difference the psychologist has made to my sons life, it really helps that he's very comfortable talking to her, think that's a big thing for everyone to be honest, to find someone they feel safe enough with to open up thoughts and feelings to.

Sorry for rambling , hope next weeks appointment is a positive experience for you,

Stay safe..