Mental health issues..

BeautyFromPain
BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
Hey all,
Wondering if there is anyone out there which can relate? I wanna find someone who understands what I'm going through.

I have PTSD which has been getting worse by the day, and I had depression for 7 years, but exercising has really helped. I am now off all antidepressants due to exercise but still get down days.

Replies

  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I don't really have much personal experience. I did have a little PTSD after I cut my finger badly. I had an out of body experience when it happened and then had some recurring nightmares. But it didn't last long and didn't really affect me much. My husband has PTSD from being in the Marine Corps and fighting in Iraq. So, I do have to deal with it, just from a different perspective.
  • ebelliss
    ebelliss Posts: 126 Member
    i have moderate/severe anxiety. but like you said, exercising and exerting my anxious energy onto working out has really helped me to overcome a lot. there are still some bad days though. just know you are not alone!! and you are doing the best possible thing for your health right now and you have a lot to be proud of!
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    thanks both, feel free to add me if you'd like :flowerforyou:
  • JoeD1968
    JoeD1968 Posts: 167
    there is always gonna be a bad day now and again
    the important thing is the way you handle it and move on:smile:
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    there is always gonna be a bad day now and again
    the important thing is the way you handle it and move on:smile:

    cause PTSD is something which is so easy to "handle it and move on" :huh:
  • Krazy_Kat
    Krazy_Kat Posts: 212
    I have something akin to PTSD, Anxiety, don't like out doors much, sensitive, panic attacks etc.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I have something akin to PTSD, Anxiety, don't like out doors much, sensitive, panic attacks etc.

    what do you mean by something akin? :S
  • Krazy_Kat
    Krazy_Kat Posts: 212
    A lot of the same symptoms.
  • taliasometimes
    taliasometimes Posts: 301 Member
    I have depression and anxiety and im on lots of meds and antidepressants.
    I quit the gym for three weeks and thought i was going mad, i started again and my whole head feels lighter.
    i understand completely :)

    x
  • cabaray
    cabaray Posts: 971 Member
    Bipolar here. Having a mental disorder does make losing weight more difficult I think. If you are still having down periods, don't think twice about trying anti-depressants again. My meds have allowed me to have a normal life again.
  • toadiejones
    toadiejones Posts: 605 Member
    (((hugs)) There is a mental health support group on here if you are interested. Its not too active but at least you know the support is there.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/982-mental-health-support
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Bipolar here. Having a mental disorder does make losing weight more difficult I think. If you are still having down periods, don't think twice about trying anti-depressants again. My meds have allowed me to have a normal life again.

    The problem with meds with me, is that every single one I have tried has made me more suicidal than before I started taking them. Plus they made me puke and pass out.. I'm fine with my depression now mostly it's just the PTSD which is really getting me down atm.
  • JoeD1968
    JoeD1968 Posts: 167
    there is always gonna be a bad day now and again
    the important thing is the way you handle it and move on:smile:

    cause PTSD is something which is so easy to "handle it and move on" :huh:

    just saying with it or without we all have bad days
  • HelloSweetie4
    HelloSweetie4 Posts: 1,214 Member
    The best thing you can do for PTSD is see a regular therapist to teach you coping skills and talk your worries out. I work in the mental health field and I have seen first-hand the wonders a good therapist can do. It also doesn't cost a ton of money, as many people still think. There are therapists in every mental health organization, around here they're called Master's Level Clinicians (MLCs), and most insurance companies pay for it.
  • Crying_In_Color
    Crying_In_Color Posts: 246 Member
    Bipolar, severe depression and bulimia.
  • shygur
    shygur Posts: 171 Member
    PTSD (complex variety), Major Depression, Anxiety, Eating Disorder (compulsive overeating) exercise helps, therapy helps a lot.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    The best thing you can do for PTSD is see a regular therapist to teach you coping skills and talk your worries out. I work in the mental health field and I have seen first-hand the wonders a good therapist can do. It also doesn't cost a ton of money, as many people still think. There are therapists in every mental health organization, around here they're called Master's Level Clinicians (MLCs), and most insurance companies pay for it.

    Oh right, unless you live in Australia...
  • Starla_
    Starla_ Posts: 349
    Go see your local GP and get a referral to a psychologist. Under medicare you can get a certain number of visits per year. I live in Australia, I had/have had PTSD for 14 years and I know you can get free therapy.

    With PTSD I found learning how to manage my triggers and how I reacted to them really made a difference in how badly they effected me. You need to learn coping skills otherwise it can totally cripple your life.

    I was non medicated for PTSD (stubborn and refused to take them, I hated feeling numb), I used art and music to cope. I havent had a severe episode since last year so I like to say I have finally gotten rid of it (I used to have one every 3 - 6 months sometimes more). I do know I am more likely to fall lower when something bad happens in my life but I have been handling set backs a lot better and I step out of my comfort zone a lot more these days so fingers crossed :).

    Best thing I ever did in regards to my PTSD was to go to my sisters wedding and face the guy who abused me for 17 years and realise how much of a pathetic person he really was and I realised I was no longer scared of him. If you can face up against the cause of the trauma that goes a long way in aiding recovery.

    And yes there will always be bad days, and it is very important how you handle them and move on from them when you suffer from PTSD. Learn how to cope, then you can heal.
  • I'm in Australia too - as Starla said you can get medicare paid for sessions with a therapist. Go and see your gp and ask for a mental health plan, you can get 6 sessions to start and then it gets reassessed after that.

    To the guy who said we all have bad days - yep, I get where you're coming from, but until you have had mental health issues don't assume you understand them. I used to think people with depression just needed to push themselves out of their funk like everyone, then I fell pregnant and had severe anti natal depression and still deal with it and have to take medication daily - it is like nothing I ever imagined. I have crap days like everyone else, and then I have really crap days that are due to my mental health - both are totally different. And PTSD is a whole other ballgame and I wont pretend to understand it as I don't suffer from it, I have only watched as friends deal with it.
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