mental health problems/illness and diet and exercise

honsi

I was attending hospital 5 days a week for many years for treatment for mental health problems and when I was discharged I started going to the gym to replace the routine of going to hospital. And I've found it has been a very positive move and I'm really please that more than a year half later I have stuck with it and it is now part of my lifestyle.
I put on a lot of weight a few years ago due to a mix of mental illness and medication to combat it and I'm now losing the weight.
I've made friends at the gym, which means I am less isolated and diet and exercise gives me a focus which can help with intrusive thoughts etc
One thing I have found is that the physical effects of having mental health problems tends to get over looked as well as the side effects of medication.
It just seems to mess with everything- I have migraines, heavy limbs, muscle pain, vertigo, fatigue and I always look exhausted.
Can anyone else relate to this?

Camera_BagintheUK

I used to work for a charity in the UK called Mind, and I'd say most of the people I knew experienced similar things. In particular I knew lots of women especially who were really upset because of the weight gain if they were on Lithium - and they couldn't do anything about it. I knew one woman who suffered sever liver damage because it was being wrongly prescribed and they accused her of alcohol abuse even though she didn't drink!

Most people I knew were on things like Largactil and it just completely stultified them! They struggled to rouse themselves to do any activity at all, much less exercise. Somebody described it as like being down a long tunnel, peering out at life, but unable to get closer. It seemed like it made people very flat - people would move very little, and react very slowly.

And some of the anti depressants people were on meant they had to avoid certain foods.

And self confidence, motivation, maintaining a routine, eating disorders and other distorted thought patterns, and being able to afford things were issues too.

But the flip side of course is that exercise helps improve your mental health and confidence - in fact in the UK some years ago they introduced exercise on prescription, where GPs could prescribe sessions at gyms and leisure centres for people instead of medication. I don't know how well that worked or if they still do it, but it seemed like a positive move.

honsi

Ah yes the ' Largactil Shuffle'
I'm in the UK, although Mind are not in Scotland where I live. I was prescribed exercise a few years ago and had the initial consultation at the gym but I couldn't do it at the time. I think they are now realising that its more exercising outside that really helps mental health.
I don't like exercise much and its not helped by feeling rubbish much of the time and it wipes me out but I've managed to stick with it. I think its the focus that I like.Quite often going to a class is all I can manage for the day.

Camera_BagintheUK

yes you have Support In Mind Scotland up there Used to be the Scottish Association for Mental Health, a sort of sister org to Mind I think!

What about other non-gym exercise? Is there a walking group? Or have a try at some kind of sport - you could get on a beginners class or something - don't have to be an Olympiad :laugh:

Well, you say you've stuck with it - well done you! I'm crap at dragging myself to anything when I feel rubbish, so you've more backbone than me.

ELEANOR43da

I certainly relate to your topic. I have searched for some answers and never seem to come up with anyone who has been there or who is there. I have Bipolar and as one may know it goes from depression to hypomanic stages. I cycle often. I find I am tired,sluggish, lose use of my legs at times .I sleep til 2 pm a lot of days. No motivation and eat when depressed.When I go through manias I have no interest in food til evening time and then I binge on junk food.
It frustrates me that I am on Epival, lamotrigine, and tegretol all for the Bipolar which cause the weight gain and other symptoms.
I started this 2 weeks ago and can honestly say I am very determined to stick with it .Even if I don't lose the 100 pounds I need to I will be healthier and feel happier that I am being active which makes me be positive through this . I do need the support and this is why this works.

Camera_BagintheUK

I certainly relate to your topic. I have searched for some answers and never seem to come up with anyone who has been there or who is there. I have Bipolar and as one may know it goes from depression to hypomanic stages. I cycle often. I find I am tired,sluggish, lose use of my legs at times .I sleep til 2 pm a lot of days. No motivation and eat when depressed.When I go through manias I have no interest in food til evening time and then I binge on junk food.
It frustrates me that I am on Epival, lamotrigine, and tegretol all for the Bipolar which cause the weight gain and other symptoms.
I started this 2 weeks ago and can honestly say I am very determined to stick with it .Even if I don't lose the 100 pounds I need to I will be healthier and feel happier that I am being active which makes me be positive through this . I do need the support and this is why this works.

And you'll be in control! Good luck! :flowerforyou:

honsi

I'm happy to add you as a friend if you want.

"What about other non-gym exercise? Is there a walking group? Or have a try at some kind of sport - you could get on a beginners class or something - don't have to be an Olympiad laugh

Well, you say you've stuck with it - well done you! I'm crap at dragging myself to anything when I feel rubbish, so you've more backbone than me".

Yes there are walking groups and so on, I'm happy with the classes that i am doing at the moment, and I am getting to know people there. If I miss a class people notice which is nice.
I suppose I was posting more to discuss some of the difficulties that mental illness can cause particularly physically as it gets overlooked I think but for me it has just as much impact as my mental health difficulties.

honsi

sorry i haven't figured out how to do the quotes yet...

jade2112

I can relate. I take a cocktail of 6 different psych drugs a day.

I've been on so many I can't list them all.

The worst of the bunch caused me to gain 65 pounds in just a few months. I craved sugar so bad I could have sat in the floor with a bag of sugar and a spoon.

grimendale

I have definitely found that exercise has helped reduce my symptoms. The natural endorphin rush and confidence boost of losing weight has done a lot to combat the social anxiety from my Asperger's. It's not a panacea, but it's definitely been a good thing.

tarynchatfield

When I sought to stop self-harming, I turned to exercise and it makes a tremendous difference in my life. The only slip ups I've had were in periods where my diet was poor and fitness minimal to none, and I'm going on one year with no slip ups at all!

Even though I found other ways to cope with depression when I'm not able to be active, I am a MUCH happier person when I'm healthy. I prefer discouraging days of feeling bloated and a couple binges here and there than to feeling hopeless every single day.

Camera_BagintheUK

sorry i haven't figured out how to do the quotes yet...

Look to the bottom of the post you want to quote and you can see Report Post; Quote; and Reply - if you just click quote, it quotes the post in the top of the little box, and you can just type underneath.

neandermagnon

I have PTSD, and have found that exercise, heavy lifting in particular, has been the 2nd most effective thing that's helped me, after therapy/counselling. It's not just the "happy hormones" or the fact that it gets rid of stress hormones from the body (PTSD and other anxiety disorders result in too high levels of stress hormones like adrenaline remaining in the system which causes a whole range of physical symptoms), it's also the fact that PTSD makes you feel terrified and vulnerable, and being able to squat and deadlift really heavy weights chases away those feelings and beliefs, and makes me feel strong and capable again.

With regards to diet, there are scientific studies that show a lack of healthy fat in the diet is associated with a greater risk of suicide... personally I find that low blood sugar levels makes PTSD worse (i.e. more vulnerable to being triggered).... people forget that the brain is an organ in the body that needs nutrition just like any other organ. If it's not getting adequate nutrition it's not going to function so well. If you have a mental illness, then anything that makes your brain function less well is likely to make the symptoms worse.

Also, don't forget sunlight. Low vitamin D levels are associated with depression. SAD is a form of depression that is caused by a lack of sunlight. So in some people this factor alone is enough to cause mental illness. In most cases, it's not the cause of mental illness but getting enough vitamin D and sunlight helps a lot of people. Also personally I find being outdoors especially around green trees, grass etc, really helps as well.

So for me, lifting heavy weights + healthy diet + sunlight + outdoors really helps a lot. But therapy/counselling is the main thing that helped, so I'd recommend anyone who has mental health problems to seek proper treatment, but also do the lifestyle stuff as well (or at least as much as you can manage, and work up to doing more)

honsi

sorry i haven't figured out how to do the quotes yet...

Look to the bottom of the post you want to quote and you can see Report Post; Quote; and Reply - if you just click quote, it quotes the post in the top of the little box, and you can just type underneath.

OK great thanks, I'm such a techno thicky!

honsi

When I sought to stop self-harming, I turned to exercise and it makes a tremendous difference in my life. The only slip ups I've had were in periods where my diet was poor and fitness minimal to none, and I'm going on one year with no slip ups at all!

Even though I found other ways to cope with depression when I'm not able to be active, I am a MUCH happier person when I'm healthy. I prefer discouraging days of feeling bloated and a couple binges here and there than to feeling hopeless every single day.

Yes I self harm, I have nerve damage which can sometimes restrict what I can do. Well done for going 1 whole year that's a great achievement. :flowerforyou:
I find the likely hood of me self harming is pretty much nil if I am tired so if i do a couple of classes than I am usually pretty done in and just want to eat and sleep so it helps in that way.

honsi

I have PTSD, and have found that exercise, heavy lifting in particular, has been the 2nd most effective thing that's helped me, after therapy/counselling. It's not just the "happy hormones" or the fact that it gets rid of stress hormones from the body (PTSD and other anxiety disorders result in too high levels of stress hormones like adrenaline remaining in the system which causes a whole range of physical symptoms), it's also the fact that PTSD makes you feel terrified and vulnerable, and being able to squat and deadlift really heavy weights chases away those feelings and beliefs, and makes me feel strong and capable again.

With regards to diet, there are scientific studies that show a lack of healthy fat in the diet is associated with a greater risk of suicide... personally I find that low blood sugar levels makes PTSD worse (i.e. more vulnerable to being triggered).... people forget that the brain is an organ in the body that needs nutrition just like any other organ. If it's not getting adequate nutrition it's not going to function so well. If you have a mental illness, then anything that makes your brain function less well is likely to make the symptoms worse.

Also, don't forget sunlight. Low vitamin D levels are associated with depression. SAD is a form of depression that is caused by a lack of sunlight. So in some people this factor alone is enough to cause mental illness. In most cases, it's not the cause of mental illness but getting enough vitamin D and sunlight helps a lot of people. Also personally I find being outdoors especially around green trees, grass etc, really helps as well.

So for me, lifting heavy weights + healthy diet + sunlight + outdoors really helps a lot. But therapy/counselling is the main thing that helped, so I'd recommend anyone who has mental health problems to seek proper treatment, but also do the lifestyle stuff as well (or at least as much as you can manage, and work up to doing more)

Yes I agree about both the weights and Vit D. I also have PTSD and I have found getting stronger and having more visible muscle etc makes me feel more in control and capable , I definitely feel less vulnerable. It interesting how these things have such a strong psychological effect. I also started taking a Vit D supplement this year as its a problem here in Scotland due to lack of sunshine.

honsi

When I sought to stop self-harming, I turned to exercise and it makes a tremendous difference in my life. The only slip ups I've had were in periods where my diet was poor and fitness minimal to none, and I'm going on one year with no slip ups at all!

Even though I found other ways to cope with depression when I'm not able to be active, I am a MUCH happier person when I'm healthy. I prefer discouraging days of feeling bloated and a couple binges here and there than to feeling hopeless every single day.

i also have this thing where if I want to self harm (by cutting) then I think about how I won't be able to go to the pool or certain classes till the injury heals and that can take months so that kind of puts me off a bit or at least results in less severe wounds.

haidos

I get really bad anxiety (not diagnosed) but I find it hard to leave the house or be in areas where there's lots of people
So I've had to workout at home mainly, it is working and I'm slowly trying to introduce 'outside' activities but it's really hard because I don't know if the stress is going to help the weightloss and it certainly effects my sleep.

honsi

I get really bad anxiety (not diagnosed) but I find it hard to leave the house or be in areas where there's lots of people
So I've had to workout at home mainly, it is working and I'm slowly trying to introduce 'outside' activities but it's really hard because I don't know if the stress is going to help the weightloss and it certainly effects my sleep.

Yes I can understand that . and stress is a funny things as it can either make you put on weight ( esp around your middle) and make it hard to shift or the weight falls off and you end up underweight. Working out at home is a good way to go. I know what its like to find it hard to leave the house, I find being outside very stressful a lot of the time and thats when I get vertigo etc

cranium853

The manufacturers of Zoloft released an article a couple of years ago that stated that people could cut their medication use in half if they would just walk 45 minute a day. They then admitted that they didn't know how to make people who were depressed become willing to walk.

Sunshine, walking, and monitoring Vitamin B consumption are critical to addressing symptoms of depression. Almost everyone I saw in years of hospital work had low Vitamin B and we're only just starting to check Vitamin D, which is affected by sunlight and which does impact mood. If you do a computer search on food and mood interactions, there is a wealth of good information about how to use your fork to change your mood. Small changes add up.

There's also a therapy where the person lists pleasurable activities from the healthy days and then does them no matter how she feels, even if the therapist has to come to the house and drag them to the pool or the walking trail, and it helps stabilize the mood. The Nike slogan, "Just do it!" comes to mind.

paula228

Fu Show! I have BIPOLAR

MamaCatO

I suffer from depression and I have found that exercise and keeping my body moving help immensely. Also,one of my favorite quotes here "Food is the most widely abused anti-anxiety drug in America, and exercise is the most potent and underutilized antidepressant."

Catlady87

I'm recovering from depression and anxiety and I pretty much didn't leave the house for most of January and then forced myself to leave the house and go for a walk every day. Even if it was just into town and back. This was also when I started on MFP and wanted the extra calories. I found it good for my mental health - just getting out and breathing fresh air, not being in the same 4 walls, making a decision and seeing through, sense of achievement. All really small things but huge achievements for me back then.

phillipakj

I was attending hospital 5 days a week for many years for treatment for mental health problems and when I was discharged I started going to the gym to replace the routine of going to hospital. And I've found it has been a very positive move and I'm really please that more than a year half later I have stuck with it and it is now part of my lifestyle.
I put on a lot of weight a few years ago due to a mix of mental illness and medication to combat it and I'm now losing the weight.
I've made friends at the gym, which means I am less isolated and diet and exercise gives me a focus which can help with intrusive thoughts etc
One thing I have found is that the physical effects of having mental health problems tends to get over looked as well as the side effects of medication.
It just seems to mess with everything- I have migraines, heavy limbs, muscle pain, vertigo, fatigue and I always look exhausted.
Can anyone else relate to this?

Sorry for what you are going through but you are on the right track. As for feeling sluggish, do you eat enough magnesium. I had been feeling so exhausted and having muscle pain, vertigo...etc but my doctors didnt help much. Taking multivitamins and magnesium supplements helped. I figured I was actually suffering from magnesium deficiency and that worsened because of working out too much and not eating any magnesium at all. I hope this will help you. All the best!

spiritedsaviour

I can relate. I take a cocktail of 6 different psych drugs a day.

I've been on so many I can't list them all.

The worst of the bunch caused me to gain 65 pounds in just a few months. I craved sugar so bad I could have sat in the floor with a bag of sugar and a spoon.

You sound exactly like me. I've taken so much medication to help me with my depression and psychosis that I can't remember what life without regular meds is like!! I've put on 4stone in the last year and have gone from not being bothered by chocolate to needing at least a kit Kat a day otherwise my tastebuds go a little crazy!! I've made my peace with my weight as I know I'm doing my best, however I'm using the gym and healthy regime to give me a new focus and with it hopefully I'll be able to come off everything organically

lithezebra

I think that medication made it easier for me to diet. I'm on something simple, just one, that doesn't prevent me from eating anything. Exercise has always been my self medication of choice .... actually my entire family is riddled with anxiety disorders and all of us are daily exercisers, and no fun to be around if we can't get our daily dose of endorphins.

stormyinfinity

I know how you feel, OP. I've been dealing with clinical depression, generalized anxiety and panic attacks since I was about 12 years old. I was put on various medications over the years and didn't appreciate the side effects. I dealt with all the same ones you had to put up with. My memory was messed up, my hands shook, and I felt like a zombie most of the time. Plus all the weight I gained was hell on my body. One day I just decided I was going to deal with my mental heath on my own instead of using medication (since we've all heard the jokes about side effects being worse than what the medication actually treats!). After all the stages of withdrawal, I've never felt better. The weight is slowly coming off and I feel more like myself. Sure, the anxiety and depression won't ever fully go away, but I've come to accept that. I'm not advocating just stopping medication without advice from doctors, nor is this medical advice. But I just want to let you know that things can and will get better. Mind over matter.

saoirse32

Hi,

I am glad I found this thread, I have recently being diagnosed as going through my third bout of depression and have just started medication to help with this. This time my new side to my depression is anxiety / panic attacks which started a couple of weeks ago which pushed me to go to my doctor.

I am currently finding it really hard to sleep at night and can still be awake at 3am meaning the next day I can barely function meaning I don't leave the house only to take the dog out, currently signed off work. I managed to go to the gym yesterday with my OH which I enjoyed. How did you cope in the first few weeks until you got used to the medication?

honsi

Hi,

I am glad I found this thread, I have recently being diagnosed as going through my third bout of depression and have just started medication to help with this. This time my new side to my depression is anxiety / panic attacks which started a couple of weeks ago which pushed me to go to my doctor.

I am currently finding it really hard to sleep at night and can still be awake at 3am meaning the next day I can barely function meaning I don't leave the house only to take the dog out, currently signed off work. I managed to go to the gym yesterday with my OH which I enjoyed. How did you cope in the first few weeks until you got used to the medication?

I've been on medication a really long time so its hard to remember but I have changed it a few times over the years and I agree it can have a bad effect on you, just take it easy and listen to your body until the meds have settled, you don't want your anxiety to get worse .
Its good that you where able to go out and enjoy the gym and had someone supportive to go with.
Focus on the things you are managing to do each day, no matter how small. Even write them down each day; I walked the dog, I did laundry, I had a shower etc
You might find that the initial side effects of the drugs change; eg some days you are dizzy, another day you might be hyper etc but it should even out after a while. If it doesn't then you may need to try a different dose or a different drug.
The sleep thing is frustrating , I have problems with sleep too and I end up having to take naps during the day which isn't ideal. But maybe at this stage you should do what you need to do to manage both the symptoms of your illness and the side effects from the drugs.
I think there will be ways to tackle the sleep problems, when the drugs start working you may find it improves or maybe some kind of course will help, stress management, mindfulness, massage , that kind of thing.
In the meantime you should try and implement what is called 'sleep hygiene'.
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/insomnia-poor-sleep
I try and do this as much as possible and it can help but only up to a point as my mind just won't wind down.
Feel free to add me as a friend if you think that may be helpful.

fishgutzy

Turns out there is a known link between the oft pushed "low fat diet" and mental health problems. Depression in particular.
The brain needs fat to function properly.
Pharmaceutical companies love low fat diets. It helps them sell drug to treat depression and high cholesterol.

Multiple articles can be found.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/the-risks-low-fat-diets
http://health.learninginfo.org/mental-illness-modern-diet.htm
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=60


More general nutrion related links to mental health as well.
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/D/diet/

benol1

I was attending hospital 5 days a week for many years for treatment for mental health problems and when I was discharged I started going to the gym to replace the routine of going to hospital. And I've found it has been a very positive move and I'm really please that more than a year half later I have stuck with it and it is now part of my lifestyle.
I put on a lot of weight a few years ago due to a mix of mental illness and medication to combat it and I'm now losing the weight.
I've made friends at the gym, which means I am less isolated and diet and exercise gives me a focus which can help with intrusive thoughts etc
One thing I have found is that the physical effects of having mental health problems tends to get over looked as well as the side effects of medication.
It just seems to mess with everything- I have migraines, heavy limbs, muscle pain, vertigo, fatigue and I always look exhausted.
Can anyone else relate to this?

Congratulations, Honsi!