Bressie now the voice of mental health in Ireland?

bridgettedon

Go to your doctor and speak to them if you have been feeling the following symptoms for 2 weeks or more http://www.aware.ie/help/information/what-is-depression/

But for some of ye here keep spouting theold wives tales and shove the mental health issues under the carpet once again. It is actually opinions like this that are destructive, not people like Bressie highlighting mental health issues.

Stealthfins

I've seen it over the years,celebs breaking the rules with their recovery and using it for attention seeking purposes.

Celebrity Men and women in 12 Step programs breaking their own anonymity and others just for their own agenda.

All this is ok at the start,but over the years people actually cringe at the thought of years ago outing their mental illness,or addiction problems.

Hopefully Bressie is helping lots of people,I'm sure that he knows he has to put himself and his recovery first.
Because if he's not well he's no use to himself and others.

Depression is a horrible thing,you could have all the money and fame in the world.

DEPRESSION WILL TELL YOU SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO TAKE ALL THAT MONEY AND FAME AWAY.

One eyed Jack

bridgettedon wrote: »

Go to your doctor and speak to them if you have been feeling the following symptoms for 2 weeks or more http://www.aware.ie/help/information/what-is-depression/

Online self-diagnosis is actually making more of a contribution to the issue of people becoming paranoid about their mental health than any old wives tales (can't remember the last time I heard a good old wives tale tbh).

But for some of ye here keep spouting theold wives tales and shove the mental health issues under the carpet once again. It is actually opinions like this that are destructive, not people like Bressie highlighting mental health issues.

When you say "mental health issues", it's been mentioned already that it's a vast array of mental health illnesses that can affect a person, and Niall Breslin is just one person, who isn't going to resonate with everyone. Clearly, if this thread and previous threads are anything to go by, he appears to be more of an annoying cnut than someone I'd actually want to talk to in person tbh.

Penny Tration

Richard Hillman wrote: »

My problem with the whole talking about it and awareness theories is that they'll be going into secondary schools and telling teenagers that they are depressed. When in reality they are just feeling down in the dumps.

No... Education will be telling teenagers the signs of depression and coping mechanisms they can use, so they can try to figure out whether how they feel is hormones or a problem. Also, teenagers do get depressed. It happens. There are some teens out there who have been through more in life than some people in their fifties, and that experience at such a young age has consequences.

Every Teenager already has ADHD and will soon be genderfluid. Now they are being told that they are depressed and they should 1) talk about it 2) get medical help 3) buy bressies book* 4) run Bressies triathlons. *somebody actually proposed to put it on the school curriculum.

Every teenager is not suffering with ADHD, though I agree it's over-diagnosed. Telling people to talk about their problems and seek help can only be a good thing. how many young people here in Ireland kill themselves? I know of about ten where I live in the last year. So mental illness is clearly a problem.

Now the other steps are a waste of time and money but if they go to a doctor and get prescribed pills, they will be "depressed" for the rest of their lives. You don't just come off those sort of drugs. And for the rest of their lives whenever the going gets tough, they will feel the need to go back onto the prescription drugs. They will have an emotional dependence on then for the rest of their lives.

That's bollocks. I've got mental illnesses, arguably worse than depression and was first medicated at the age of 17. I'm now 26, weaned off all medication ages ago, which took a few months, and if I have a particularly bad period, I don't go back on medication, I go to therapy. I'm someone who was told I'd be on meds for life. Now, I'm stable and happy and unmedicated with approval from my doctors. Being put on medication does not mean you'll be on it for life. A standard SSRI timeframe is 9-12 months before weaning off.

If you are going to constantly expose and "educate" teenagers on depression, guess what??? They are going to think they are depression. Just like they all have ADHD.

I agree that being mentally ill has become the "cool" thing. However, those who aren't mentally ill will be put straight by a psychiatrist and if ten confused or attention seeking kids seeing psychiatrists convinces one genuinely ill person to seek help - good.

It's is the kids with psychiatric problems that need help. Not young Billy that just broke up with Jacinta, who was the first person to put out for him and he thinks he loves her.

Who are you to judge how a person feels after a break up? Many people, from teens to adults, can end up in a particularly bad place after a break up, that can lead to needing help.

You seem to have serious disdain for teenagers in general. Some teenagers ARE mentally ill and DO need help. It's not all hormones and drama and if you believe it is, go talk to the families of teenage kids who have killed themselves.

bridgettedon

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Online self-diagnosis is actually making more of a contribution to the issue of people becoming paranoid about their mental health than any old wives tales (can't remember the last time I heard a good old wives tale tbh).

When you say "mental health issues", it's been mentioned already that it's a vast array of mental health illnesses that can affect a person, and Niall Breslin is just one person, who isn't going to resonate with everyone. Clearly, if this thread and previous threads are anything to go by, he appears to be more of an annoying cnut than someone I'd actually want to talk to in person tbh.

Well if you follow the advise of the link then it advises you to speak to a doctor or mental health professional, not to diagnose yourself. So its better to speak to one of them rather than dwell on it.
Yes I know that a vast array of mental health illness can affect a person. I also say I'm not Bressie's biggest fan but I do believe he is doing more good than harm.

The Bishop Basher

Gbear wrote: »

The majority of people in the Western world have easy lives.

I don't mean that they don't suffer tragedies, have bad periods of their lives or that they don't have any issues that could be reasonably expected to make them unhappy.

What I mean is that they're not fighting for survival. They're fed, watered, they've access to fantastical technologies, they've warm places to sleep, they've free education to varying degrees... That kind of thing.

We've done a remarkable job at removing the struggle from life in the past 50-100 years.

Ideally that'd free us to devote more and more energy to be productive or do something that makes us happy, but I don't think it works like that for alot of people.

I think you make a really good point. Progress is supposed to be a good thing for us but the more "comforts" we get the sicker we seem to become.

A sedentary lifestyle and poor diet are both consequences of that progress and I believe play a huge role in our overall mental health.

One eyed Jack

bridgettedon wrote: »

Well if you follow the advise of the link then it advises you to speak to a doctor or mental health professional, not to diagnose yourself. So its better to speak to one of them rather than dwell on it.
Yes I know that a vast array of mental health illness can affect a person. I also say I'm not Bressie's biggest fan but I do believe he is doing more good than harm.

I'm just unsure that an over-saturation of information about mental illnesses in society and encouraging people to talk about mental health and mental illnesses really is doing more good than harm if I'm honest.

whatismyname

Azalea wrote: »

Oh god... Yes. I think it's a good idea to normalise something that people cannot help experiencing and should not be made to feel bad about, or "loony". Things are bad enough for them. Those attitudes belong in the distant past.

Hear hear!

smash

Azalea wrote: »

Do you have any expertise (experience of mental illness yourself or experiencing a loved one having it)?

myself? No. People I care for? Yes.

Azalea wrote: »

Do you have any professional/academic expertise?

No

Azalea wrote: »

Sure, you have your opinions but opinions that contradict fact are wrong.

What fact did I contradict with an opinion?

Azalea wrote: »

Oh god... Yes. I think it's a good idea to normalise something that people cannot help experiencing and should not be made to feel bad about, or "loony". Things are bad enough for them. Those attitudes belong in the distant past.

But only for people with depression, yea? I mean you wouldn't say that about paedophiles or psychopaths would you?

bridgettedon

One eyed Jack wrote: »

I'm just unsure that an over-saturation of information about mental illnesses in society and encouraging people to talk about mental health and mental illnesses really is doing more good than harm if I'm honest.

I disagree one hundred per cent. I suffered in silence for years. I lost nearly ten years of my life due to mental illness. It robbed me of my friends, my personality, my career, relationships. That was so difficult to come back from. I'm still working on beating this illness. What's even worse is that there are people out there suffering in silence, people worse off than me. There is a depression and anxiety thread in the long term illness forum, many people there wished they sought help sooner. I know of no one who goes running to a doctor because there have been feeling sad for a few weeks. And even if they do what is the worst that will happen? People stilll suffer in silence for years because they think they are the problem, not due to mental health issues. I literally had to rebuild my life from scratch at the age of 27. It is the thing that I am most proud of. I have a very different life path to the one I could of had, but you can't change the past. If it wasn't for my family I don't know where I would be. To know there are people out there going through similar is so nice to hear. It makes you feel less alone.

ponzook

And whoever says he gets 3k is lying through their hole for an appearance. He seems pretty sincere here.

Depression has become a kind of catchall word for a spectrum of different feelings all with varying degrees of intensity. Anxiety is a little the same. As for them being both sides of the same coin well that is often the case. Comorbidity exists between clinical depression and generalised anxiety disorder.

Clinical depression can be difficult to diagnose and many GP's are simply not skilled enough in spotting the signs. They are reliant on the patients self-reporting. So they may jump to medicate a person who is feeling a bit down over a break up and miss the person who is functioning outwardly but is crumbling inside.

Clinical depression is also known as major depression or unipolar disorder. It is characterised by a persistent and pervasive low mood along with low self esteem and no longer getting enjoyment from the things they love. The key words here are "pervasive" and "consistent". There is simply no let up in the feelings of complete despair.

An individual going through a major depressive episode will be filled with the most horrible feelings. They will hate themselves, believe they are worthless, experience helplessness.
According to the DSM-IV for an individual to be diagnosed as having an episode of major depression they must experience a severely low mood for at least two weeks.

In to the mix we have five subtypes of major depression. Ranging from seasonal affective disorder to catatonic depression which is characterised by unusual physical symptoms sometimes found in schizophrenia.

As we know we are a very complex group us humans. So managing an illness that attacks the psyche is one hell of a task. That is exactly what clinical depression does, it attacks. Like a little army of rotten feelings being constantly thrown at you. The waters get muddy when depression is likened to having a few bad days. I know very little about Bressie or his own experiences. He is indeed raising awareness but I wonder what it is he is actually talking about?

People need to be aware of the devastating affect major depression can have on a person and their family. Open a dialogue about people's experiences of psychosis and prolonged hospital stays. Or the effectiveness or not of their anti-depressants. Acknowledge what treatment methods worked best. Was it CBT or psychotherapy? Talk about what it's like to give birth and despise your child for turning your life upside down.

This is where the stigma lies.

Azalea

smash wrote: »

What fact did I contradict with an opinion?

That talking about it is no help.

But only for people with depression, yea? I mean you wouldn't say that about paedophiles or psychopaths would you?

But people experiencing depression are not necessarily harbouring thoughts of harming people, or worse again, actually harming people. A person with depression is not always a potentially dangerous person. To compare it with paedophilia or psychopathy is total stigmatisation.

Ms. Pingui

Azalea wrote:

But people experiencing depression are not necessarily harbouring thoughts of harming people, or worse again, actually harming people. A person with depression is not always a potentially dangerous person. To compare it with paedophilia or psychopathy is total stigmatisation.

Eh paedophilia and psychopath are also mental illnesses. Do you also want them normalised or just depression???

One eyed Jack

bridgettedon wrote: »

I disagree one hundred per cent. I suffered in silence for years. I lost nearly ten years of my life due to mental illness. It robbed me of my friends, my personality, my career, relationships. That was so difficult to come back from. I'm still working on beating this illness. What's even worse is that there are people out there suffering in silence, people worse off than me. There is a depression and anxiety thread in the long term illness forum, many people there wished they sought help sooner. I know of no one who goes running to a doctor because there have been feeling sad for a few weeks. And even if they do what is the worst that will happen? People stilll suffer in silence for years because they think they are the problem, not due to mental health issues. I literally had to rebuild my life from scratch at the age of 27. It is the thing that I am most proud of. I have a very different life path to the one I could of had, but you can't change the past. If it wasn't for my family I don't know where I would be. To know there are people out there going through similar is so nice to hear. It makes you feel less alone.

I understand where you're coming from and all, but I meant encouraging people to talk about mental health and mental illnesses in wider society, not just from an individual perspective such as yours or mine or anyone else's if that makes sense?

I'm wondering just how much knowledge is too much, and if we as such "normalise" ill mental health, will having ill mental health literally become the new "normal" as such?

I don't mean to diminish anything you're saying or your experiences, it's just something I wonder about is all.

Arghus

There's a lot of generalisation going on about how easy it is to be prescribed pills if you go to your GP and complain of feeling depressed.

I was a morbid, self-obsessed and frequently down in the dumps teenager. I spoke to my GP about it on a number of occasions and she never once in all that time tried to make me take pills for it. I always got the impression from her that there were a lot of avenues that had to be explored or exhausted before she'd consider putting a teenager on anti-depressents. Now that's only my experience, of course, but I just want to put it out there to counter the myth that pills are being flung at people with abandon and that complaining to your doc will give you a golden ticket to prescriptions for the rest of your life.

Ms. Pingui

Ms. Pingui wrote: »

Eh paedophilia and psychopath are also mental illnesses. Do you also want them normalised or just depression???

Paedophilia and psychopathy are very very different em illnesses shall we say, to depression. However there is something not right with the word "normal" here and it has been used many times on this thread when referring to mental illness. Personally I hate the word. We are too unique to fall in to a bracket of "normal".

But. For the purposes of this discussion and how we view mental illness it is important to note that it is not "normal". It is very common and doesn't discriminate between sex or colour or economic status but it isn't "normal".

Arghus

Ms. Pingui wrote: »

Eh paedophilia and psychopath are also mental illnesses. Do you also want them normalised or just depression???

That's a ludicrous question.

Nobody here is arguing for the normalisation of paedophilia or psychopathy.

I don't even know what this has got to do with the debate.

Tell me how

Well said Persepoly for the most reasoned explanation I've read in a long time.

I would caution that for those who are long term sufferers, the constant message of "just talk about it" can become frustrating. What happens when you have talked about it, you've talked your ass off about it and more? And yet you're still suffering...
I think that Bressie is very well intentioned and has experience of what he is talking about I just think that the narrative has swung somewhat to a kind of " Just chat to your mates, they'll understand and you'll be grand"
Truth of it in my experience is you can say it, they can try to understand and so on but yours or their good intentions alone are no guarantee of success. And it's a lonely darker place when that becomes evident.

That's my issue with celebs talking about it but I still recognize its way better than ignoring it completely so fair play to them.

PressRun

I think it's good to normalize conversations about paying attention to your own state of mind and that of people around you, and also raising awareness about the availability of services. What shouldn't be normalized is the notion that 'everyone' will suffer with clinical depression. Like I said before, there's a difference between having an emotional response to negative things happening in your life and feeling down, and being clinically depressed. Clinically depressed people have an illness. Not everyone who feels down has this illness. I read an article that quoted the Journal of Psychiatry that said 69% of Americans taking anti-depressants have never experienced clinical depression. Poor diagnoses and the might of the pharmaceutical industry are surely key in this statistic, but this notion that everyone who experiences a low mood has a mental illness that needs psychiatric treatment has also pervaded society over there. The same could happen here. There has to be a distinction between feeling down about something and the illness known as clinical depression, which actually requires medical treatment. I don't think that distinction is always clearly made, rather people tend to lump all negative feelings under the umbrella term of 'depression'. If we're going to have a wider conversation about mental health, then that needs to be discussed too.

And none of that's to say that people experiencing a low mood as a reaction to something should bottle it up or 'get over it' (many would probably benefit from counseling and lifestyle adjustments, and I'm personally of the opinion that most people generally would benefit greatly from at least one good counseling session in their lives) but let's not start suggesting that every one of those people has an illness either.

Taco Chips

Deleted User wrote: »

Clinical depression can be difficult to diagnose and many GP's are simply not skilled enough in spotting the signs. They are reliant on the patients self-reporting. So they may jump to medicate a person who is feeling a bit down over a break up and miss the person who is functioning outwardly but is crumbling inside.

I agree with the rest of your post but this part isn't accurate. GPs actually undergo a lot of psychiatric training and are very well skilled in diagnosing and managing depression. The problem is once depression is diagnosed, the general mental health services available to people on the public scheme is poor. The waiting lists to see clinical psychologists, for CBT, CFT and other therapies is scandalous. 18 months in many places. A waiting list that long is pointless, the issue should be addressed and brought under control well before then.

The result is people are prescribed antidepressants and other medication to help manage their symptoms. They work, antidepressants are actually a revolution in helping to manage people with mood disorders despite the negative press about them. Psychotherapy is great and should be more openly accessible for sure. But that's not GP's fault that the government aren't funding clinical psychology training and hiring more. The ideal circumstance is that people should be managed with a plan best suited to them that involves some mix of therapy and medication.

GPs are excellent at the psychiatric aspects of patients on the frontline. But the other needs are not being met because of a lack of clinical psychologists.

Taco Chips

Taco Chips wrote: »

I agree with the rest of your post but this part isn't accurate. GPs actually undergo a lot of psychiatric training and are very well skilled in diagnosing and managing depression. The problem is once depression is diagnosed, the general mental health services available to people on the public scheme is poor. The waiting lists to see clinical psychologists, for CBT, CFT and other therapies is scandalous. 18 months in many places. A waiting list that long is pointless, the issue should be addressed and brought under control well before then.


GPs are excellent at the psychiatric aspects of patients on the frontline. But the other needs are not being met because of a lack of clinical psychologists.

I stand corrected. My statement regarding GP's was unfair. I don't doubt there are excellent doctors out there who utilise their training in the best way they can.

It is possible in this country for people to bypass the public system and seek psychotherapy themselves. There are quite a few centres popping up which offer therapy for as little as €20 a session and in some cases for free.

Taco Chips

Deleted User wrote: »

I stand corrected. My statement regarding GP's was unfair. I don't doubt there are excellent doctors out there who utilise their training in the best way they can.

It is possible in this country for people to bypass the public system and seek psychotherapy themselves. There are quite a few centres popping up which offer therapy for as little as €20 a session and in some cases for free.

A lot of cases of charities stepping into this role and offering therapy for a nominal donation per session. Very admirable and relieving that they are taking up the mantle on this but I wouldn't like to see a situation evolve where the government are shirking their responsibility long term. It shouldn't be up to charities to offer this kind of basic primary care. Government needs a major investment in this sector.

Taco Chips

Taco Chips wrote: »

A lot of cases of charities stepping into this role and offering therapy for a nominal donation per session. Very admirable and relieving that they are taking up the mantle on this but I wouldn't like to see a situation evolve where the government are shirking their responsibility long term. It shouldn't be up to charities to offer this kind of basic primary care. Government needs a major investment in this sector.

The centres I'm thinking of aren't quite charities. Some of them do receive funding but are also operating as a business. I'm not going to name them here but google will inform you better than I can. There are also private practices which offer a sliding scale. These would receive zero funding.

You are right regarding the government. It needs to take a greater role in providing mental health services. There are some fantastic people and therapies in this country but unfortunately it can be a long road to avail of them.

Penny Tration

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The centres I'm thinking of aren't quite charities. Some of them do receive funding but are also operating as a business. I'm not going to name them here but google will inform you better than I can. There are also private practices which offer a sliding scale. These would receive zero funding.

You are right regarding the government. It needs to take a greater role in providing mental health services. There are some fantastic people and therapies in this country but unfortunately it can be a long road to avail of them.

the problem is though, although the low cost services are fantastic, there's so much demand that the waiting lists are enormous.

Out of the people I've seen, these are the waiting lists I experienced (and I was considered high risk) -

Psychiatrist (public): 8 months, 4 months and 5 months.

Counsellor (public, hse): 4 months and 6 months.

Therapist (low cost): 4 and a half months

Psychiatrist (private): 5 days

Cbt (private): 3 days.

I only skipped massive queues by paying 260 for a consultation with a psychiatrist and 130 for each subsequent session, and 100 per week for cbt.

Waiting lists should never be that long for mental health services.

K-9

Richard Hillman wrote: »

It is quite strange. He was only diagnosed or realised that he had anxiety issues a couple of years ago. Since that incident a couple of years he has been coming out with loads of new stories about his anxiety as a kid.

Makes perfect sense and simple to understand for me. . Your post is perfectly logical.

He wasn't aware he had depression or a severe anxiety disorder until a couple of years ago. Now when he looks back at his childhood, episodes make perfect sense.

I'm not seeing why you'd be skeptical based on that.

Eugene Norman

K-9 wrote: »

Makes perfect sense and simple to understand for me. . Your post is perfectly logical.

He wasn't aware he had depression or a severe anxiety disorder until a couple of years ago. Now when he looks back at his childhood, episodes make perfect sense.

I'm not seeing why you'd be skeptical based on that.

Did he not recognise the anxiety attacks when they happened?

the_barfly1

K-9 wrote: »

Makes perfect sense and simple to understand for me. . Your post is perfectly logical.

He wasn't aware he had depression or a severe anxiety disorder until a couple of years ago. Now when he looks back at his childhood, episodes make perfect sense.

I'm not seeing why you'd be skeptical based on that.

The severity of his case seems to have increased proportionally with the level of income/publicity/fame generated by him talking about said case over the past few years.

K-9

Eugene Norman wrote: »

Did he not recognise the anxiety attacks when they happened?

Going on RichardHillman's post, no.

If somebody doesn't know they've depression until their 30's or 40's, they wouldn't have had the knowledge to describe bouts when they were younger. Might have known something wasn't right but not know it was depression.

Makes sense to me logically.

K-9

the_barfly1 wrote: »

The severity of his case seems to have increased proportionally with the level of income/publicity/fame generated by him talking about said case over the past few years.

Sounds overly cynical and skeptical to me. Too much of that can be bad for the ould mental health too, you see a lot of it online these days.

K-9

K-9 wrote: »

Makes perfect sense and simple to understand for me. . Your post is perfectly logical.

He wasn't aware he had depression or a severe anxiety disorder until a couple of years ago. Now when he looks back at his childhood, episodes make perfect sense.

I'm not seeing why you'd be skeptical based on that.

He was quite specific that he didn't have depression in 2013.

He said "I don't suffer from depression. I suffer from anxiety. It's slightly related, but it's not the same thing".

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/the-fear-factor-228486.html

One eyed Jack

the_barfly1 wrote: »

The severity of his case seems to have increased proportionally with the level of income/publicity/fame generated by him talking about said case over the past few years.

Much as I find him an annoying cnut that I'll never likely relate to, it's ridiculous to suggest he's gained any significant income/publicity/fame from either talking about his own experiences, or sharing the experiences of others. It should come as no surprise that the more he talks with other people, and the more he encourages people to talk, the better he understands himself and is able to relate his experiences.

I wouldn't try and take pot shots at him for what he does, I've met far too many people whom he's inspired, not just talking about their mental health but actually doing something about it.

Eugene Norman

K-9 wrote: »

Going on RichardHillman's post, no.

If somebody doesn't know they've depression until their 30's or 40's, they wouldn't have had the knowledge to describe bouts when they were younger. Might have known something wasn't right but not know it was depression.

Makes sense to me logically.

Hmm. But somebody described clinical depression as not the same as normal sadness. Some kids are anxious, are all anxious kids at risk? Is that always a mental disorder?

One eyed Jack

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Much as I find him an annoying cnut that I'll never likely relate to, it's ridiculous to suggest he's gained any significant income/publicity/fame from either talking about his own experiences, or sharing the experiences of others.

Every social media link I see to Bressie refers to mental health.

I have yet to see one that refers to him solely in terms of his singing or sports ability.

I think it has done wonders for his profile.

the_barfly1

K-9 wrote: »

Sounds overly cynical and skeptical to me. Too much of that can be bad for the ould mental health too, you see a lot of it online these days.

Thank you for your concern

K-9

Deleted User wrote: »

He was quite specific that he didn't have depression in 2013.

He said "I don't suffer from depression. I suffer from anxiety. It's slightly related, but it's not the same thing".

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/the-fear-factor-228486.html

He could well have learned more in the last 3 years or so. You are looking at it from a a very defined fixed point, black and white with no in between.

The guy must be on the take, here's an old article to support it. Confirmation bias basically.

Maybe he is milking it, but I doubt a bit of internet sleuthing or a dislike of him will prove it either way!

K-9

K-9 wrote: »

He could well have learned more in the last 3 years or so. You are looking at it from a a very defined fixed point, black and white with no in between.

The guy must be on the take, here's an old article to support it. Confirmation bias basically.

Maybe he is milking it, but I doubt a bit of internet sleuthing or a dislike of him will prove it either way!

And similarly I guess I unquestioning belief won't solve the...contradictions either.

Not sure where you got the "on the take" thing. I certainly would not suggest he has done anything criminal. Making up imaginary points to tilt at can be bad for the old mental health, you see a lot of it online these days...

K-9

Eugene Norman wrote: »

Hmm. But somebody described clinical depression as not the same as normal sadness. Some kids are anxious, are all anxious kids at risk? Is that always a mental disorder?

Certainly not. The likes of Brent Pope in that examiner article would be examples that need highlighted.

We are always learning and if that knowledge can be used to do things better than 20 or 30 years ago, that's exactly what advancements in health and life in general are for.

K-9

Deleted User wrote: »

And similarly I guess I unquestioning belief won't solve the...contradictions either.

Not sure where you got the "on the take" thing. I certainly would not suggest he has done anything criminal. Making up imaginary points to tilt at can be bad for the old mental health, you see a lot of it online these days...

Well played.

The suggestion is he is using it to get 3k a night. If there was nothing wrong with it, it wouldn't be highlighted.

One eyed Jack

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Every social media link I see to Bressie refers to mental health.

I have yet to see one that refers to him solely in terms of his singing or sports ability.

I think it has done wonders for his profile.

It's not like I've followed his career closely or anything, but he seems to have been popular enough already and more well known at the time for his sports and singing ability which is what put him in the position he's in now where he talks about mental health. I really don't think he's as well known to older generations as he is to younger generations. He's a role model for the social media generation and it's they who are more familiar with his work in mental health than I would be for instance.

It stands to reason that he's more well-known for the work he does now than what work he's done in the past.

smash

smash wrote: »

Maybe it's a reflection on modern day life, or current social pressures, or just of over diagnosis. But in recent years everyone seems to have mental health issues. Talking about it has done about as much use as liking a facebook post to cure a child of cancer.

This attitude makes me so ****ing angry

Richard Hillman

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Do you think that it is good for a persons mental health and for a person that has had depression to be constantly talking about depression? and I mean talking about depression every single day.

All you had to say was that you are spouting uninformed bullsh1t

One eyed Jack

[Deleted User] wrote: »

All you had to say was that you are spouting uninformed bullsh1t

It's a legitimate question to ask, and if you think they're uninformed, why wouldn't you try and inform them instead of telling them they're spouting uninformed bullsh1t?

It's something I was wondering too - is it healthy for a person with ill mental health, or mental health issues, to talk about it all day and to make ill mental health and/or depression and mental health issues, the focus of their lives?

smash

Deleted User wrote: »

This attitude makes me so ****ing angry

That's all well and good, but why is it that it makes you so angry? The part where I said everyone seems to have some form of mental health issue or the part where I suggest that talking about it isn't doing much good? At this stage mental health issues are a pandemic and especially where depression is concerned it has been documented to be over diagnosed. Regarding the talking about it part, it's become so fashionable to talk about it these days that articles regarding mental health are seen by a lot of people like banner ads and they are just ignored.

Deleted User wrote: »

All you had to say was that you are spouting uninformed bullsh1t

So you wont answer his question?

FAILSAFE 00

http://www.alustforlife.com/about-us

There must be some serious money in this to have all these professionals and Bessie involved.

It's funny that the site keeps talking about helping people yet they say they can't respond to individual emails and if someone is under 18 they should talk to someone like a parent or teacher. This absolutely stinks as some kind of scheme to get government money to pay some lavish wages.

K-9

Sure everybody is an alcoholic these days too, in my day a man just liked a drink or 2.

And men had a touch of the nerves.

Talking about it does help over come the stigma, especially somebody like Bressie or sports stars who people think "sure what would he be depressed about". Why do you think talking about it is doing no good?

Over diagnosis is a separate issue, especially in America, but I'd say in Ireland it is much better than 10 or 20 years ago, when the village gossips whispered behind people's back about it.

Not all change is bad!

smash

smash wrote: »

That's all well and good, but why is it that it makes you so angry? The part where I said everyone seems to have some form of mental health issue or the part where I suggest that talking about it isn't doing much good? At this stage mental health issues are a pandemic and especially where depression is concerned it has been documented to be over diagnosed. Regarding the talking about it part, it's become so fashionable to talk about it these days that articles regarding mental health are seen by a lot of people like banner ads and they are just ignored.

Yeah both that talking about it does nothing and that everyone seems to have some mental health issue; a gross generalisation.

Unlike the breast cancer drives I often saw in college, where the aim was to raise money but failing that, was to just raise awareness, was largely useless; the actual solution to mental issues is talking about. There often no physical manifestations of someone suffering from depression. Facebook posts making people think twice about bottling up their emotions actually are a step in the right direction.

You claiming that its fashionable is disgusting to me. People are dying from mental health issues.

One eyed Jack

FAILSAFE 00 wrote: »

http://www.alustforlife.com/about-us

There must be some serious money in this to have all these professionals and Bessie involved.

It's funny that the site keeps talking about helping people yet they say they can't respond to individual emails and if someone is under 18 they should talk to someone like a parent or teacher. This absolutely stinks as some kind of scheme to get government money to pay some lavish wages.

That's sensible advice surely?

One eyed Jack

K-9 wrote: »

Sure everybody is an alcoholic these days too, in my day a man just liked a drink or 2.

And men had a touch of the nerves.

Talking about it does help over come the stigma, especially somebody like Bressie or sports stars who people think "sure what would he be depressed about". Why do you think talking about it is doing no good?

Over diagnosis is a separate issue, especially in America, but I'd say in Ireland it is much better than 10 or 20 years ago, when the village gossips whispered behind people's back about it.

Not all change is bad!

That's true that not all change is bad, but I'm just wondering has society reached saturation point hearing about and talking about mental health and mental illness not just to the point any more where it's become acceptable, but in fact normalised, and therefore there's very little actually being done to address the issues people are having?

I've seen support groups turn into social groups, where initially the idea of providing support was that people eventually learned coping skills and strategies and so on and were able to move on and leave the group, but the group became in effect these people's only social outlet and they then weren't able to move on because their mental health wasn't improving. Instead the group therapy simply gave them a place where they felt they had something in common with other people, it gave them a comfort blanket as such.

smash

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah both that talking about it does nothing and that everyone seems to have some mental health issue; a gross generalisation.

Like I said, it's become a pandemic and has been reported as such over the last decade. Which is why I asked if it was a reflection on modern life.

Deleted User wrote: »

Unlike the breast cancer drives I often saw in college, where the aim was to raise money but failing that, was to just raise awareness, was largely useless; the actual solution to mental issues is talking about. There often no physical manifestations of someone suffering from depression. Facebook posts making people think twice about bottling up their emotions actually are a step in the right direction.

Do they though? I mean, how useful are they really? How motivated are people who suffer from depression to even read an article? The only people who seem to promote it are those who have come through it and even at that, everyone is different. Why would someone who is really truly suffering be inspired to read an article by Bressie, or anyone at all? What's their actual motivation to do so when they basically feel nothingness?

Deleted User wrote: »

You claiming that its fashionable is disgusting to me. People are dying from mental health issues.

I know they are, I've already stated that I know people who have. I've also stated that it is in some way fashionable especially among teens to have even gone to the extent of cutting and self harm to gain instagram followers. This happened to the extent that one of the report features in instagram is 'cutting'.