Recovery from mental illness..
Replies
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I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and severe ADD. More recently, they have tried to slap the bipolar type 2 label on me as well. I have been suffering with these things going on 20 years now. Many, many ups and downs and one complete nervous breakdown that landed me in the hospital for a couple days. I have really come to the realization that with a relatively healthy diet and exercise at LEAST 5-6 days a week (along with an antidepressant and ADHD medication), it keeps my symptoms pretty much in check. Also, weird, I have noticed the less I watch TV, the less depressive and anxiety symptoms I have, so I've cut out about 90% of my TV watching.
Really?
That's very interesting..
I only watch 1 TV show a week (Supernatural) so unfortunately that does not apply to me but hopefully it does to some other members which see it.0 -
DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It is most commonly linked with treatment for Borderline PD but can be helpful for lots of people. It shares a lot of similarities with both Buddhism and CBT. (It technically is a form of CBT.) To sum it up quickly, it gives you lots of options for ways to handle troublesome symptoms as well as ways to decrease those symptoms. It teaches skills in: effective interpersonal relationships, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. Most of us could benefit from learning more about at least one of these areas.
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Hi all,
I had depression from the ages of 13-19 and was in recovery for a year. I also have PTSD and anxiety.
I have since relapsed about a month ago and am finally getting help again.. meds/therapy but sometimes it is still so hard.
I know mental illnesses are meant to be a taboo subject and that you should not talk about it but in all honesty, I don't really care.. I think that talking about it is something that you really need to do or else you keep it all in and then after awhile, you explode. I know from experience..
What are your experiences? Do you have any mental health issues? Are you in recovery? Have you relapsed? What are your coping mechanisms?
Also, feel free to add me, or inbox your experiences if you don't feel open enough to sharing it here. :flowerforyou:
I was diagnosed with high anxiety and bipolar disorder about three years ago. I saw a therapist for about a year and a half and took xanax to calm my panic attacks down. Therapy really helped me. Then, my therapist left the facility and got a new job elsewhere. She no longer took my insurance at the new place, so I had to stop seeing her. Since then, I've developed bulimia, and my anxiety/bipolar disorder has been worse than ever. I keep trying to recover on my own, but it's just not working out. I'm nervous about starting to see a new therapist, but I know I need the help. I actually left a voicemail with a therapist today hoping to make an appointment in the near future.
I'm sorry to hear that
I'm not too sure how I will go seeing a therapist.. last time I went to one she ended up getting me kicked out of home, she told my parents what I told her and I was not meant to tell anyone. I'm scared they will do the same..
Good luck!
Thank you.
How old were you when that happened?
17. Due to unforeseen circumstances I ended up going back just over a year later.
Gotcha. When you're under eighteen, therapists can tell anything you say to your parent.0 -
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Since you said you have PTSD, this one is more focused on that:
http://ptsd.about.com/od/treatment/a/DBTforPTSD.htm0 -
Hi all,
I had depression from the ages of 13-19 and was in recovery for a year. I also have PTSD and anxiety.
I have since relapsed about a month ago and am finally getting help again.. meds/therapy but sometimes it is still so hard.
I know mental illnesses are meant to be a taboo subject and that you should not talk about it but in all honesty, I don't really care.. I think that talking about it is something that you really need to do or else you keep it all in and then after awhile, you explode. I know from experience..
What are your experiences? Do you have any mental health issues? Are you in recovery? Have you relapsed? What are your coping mechanisms?
Also, feel free to add me, or inbox your experiences if you don't feel open enough to sharing it here. :flowerforyou:
I was diagnosed with high anxiety and bipolar disorder about three years ago. I saw a therapist for about a year and a half and took xanax to calm my panic attacks down. Therapy really helped me. Then, my therapist left the facility and got a new job elsewhere. She no longer took my insurance at the new place, so I had to stop seeing her. Since then, I've developed bulimia, and my anxiety/bipolar disorder has been worse than ever. I keep trying to recover on my own, but it's just not working out. I'm nervous about starting to see a new therapist, but I know I need the help. I actually left a voicemail with a therapist today hoping to make an appointment in the near future.
I'm sorry to hear that
I'm not too sure how I will go seeing a therapist.. last time I went to one she ended up getting me kicked out of home, she told my parents what I told her and I was not meant to tell anyone. I'm scared they will do the same..
Good luck!
Thank you.
How old were you when that happened?
17. Due to unforeseen circumstances I ended up going back just over a year later.
Gotcha. When you're under eighteen, therapists can tell anything you say to your parent.
Ahh. Love how they didn't tell me this before the session..0 -
Time is the biggest healer. I just have to keep that time filled with something. I notice that you mentioned PTSD. I might know a thing or two about that, myself. The more time that gets between me and 'that', the less severe it is. I've learned some new languages, learned a lot of history, spent a lot of time being a workaholic and also tried the burying myself in self pity and comfort food method for a while. Those last couple don't work so well. The problem with all that is, I may have picked up a little bit of agoraphobia after being a bit of a recluse for so long, so my advice probably sucks. At least going to the gym would get you around people though.0
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Since you said you have PTSD, this one is more focused on that:
http://ptsd.about.com/od/treatment/a/DBTforPTSD.htm
Oh, looks good!
Thankyou 0 -
Hi, I have walked free from borderline personality disorder for 6 years. i suffered depression, agression, hyperactivity, many addictions and suicidal thoughts and self harmed. I thought it would never end. medication didnt work , psyhcs and councelling didnt work either. rehab failed too.
Jesus Christ delivered me by the Grace of God.
There is no greater love than Jesus Christ Crucified.
The bible works! I strive to obey ALL the bible and the freedom in my life is PROOF Jesus is real!!!!
Turn to Jesus Christ today, be sorry for your sins, ask Him for forgiveness, invite Him to be the Lord of your life, and then you will become a true Christian. No looking back, once you become a Christian you must follow Jesus Christ with your whole life and in your entire lifetime or no guarantee can be given to your eternal destiny, to say this prayer and then turn back to sin could see the loss of your salvation, as it says in Rev 2:26 "And he that overcomes and keeps my works to the end, to him I will give power over the Nations."0 -
No problem! Best of luck to you. (There are much more informative resources on DBT on the web if you spend a bit of time looking if it interests you.)0
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Time is the biggest healer. I just have to keep that time filled with something. I notice that you mentioned PTSD. I might know a thing or two about that, myself. The more time that gets between me and 'that', the less severe it is. I've learned some new languages, learned a lot of history, spent a lot of time being a workaholic and also tried the burying myself in self pity and comfort food method for a while. Those last couple don't work so well. The problem with all that is, I may have picked up a little bit of agoraphobia after being a bit of a recluse for so long, so my advice probably sucks. At least going to the gym would get you around people though.
Despite all my conditions, I do still lead a VERY busy life.
I'm at school from 6am-8pm Mon-Thurs (I'm doing a Fitness Course on campus which is year long for the Cert 4..) I have clients from 6am-8am, classes 9am-4.30pm and clients 6-8pm. We also have a 2 hour lunch break so fit in a workout around my clients/classes. I work 7 hours/a day fri-sun. Never a day off (:0 -
When I was 12, I was diagnosed with generalized depression. About 2 years later, I started having real trouble with anxiety. After more testing and such, I was re-diagnosed as having bipolar NOS, social anxiety, agoraphobia, general anxiety, OCD and for awhile even mild pantophobia (I didn't leave my house [other than when my mom forced me to go to school, at which point I'd freak out and puke and cry from the fear] for over 8 months when I was 16.)
For years I only had to deal with the anxiety. I had a couple break downs (when I was in my teens) that lasted for a week at a time. I could eat, sleep, function or get my thoughts out of the obsessive pattern they were in.
A couple years ago, I went into a depressive slump. I hadn't had to deal with much other than situational anxiety and minor OCD symptoms for a few years, so I was super scared. I hurt my back so bad that I was taken out of work and told to apply for disability (which I never did get.. NY ****ing sucks with any sort of aid). My boyfriend of almost a year dumped me a week later. I spent almost all my time in bed and gained back all the weight I had lost before. A few months later, I became homeless (connected to the lack of work and having no money since NY said I WASN'T disabled even though my doctor said I was), and was forced to deal with people who used and abused me. After 6 months of that, my sister took me in with the understanding that I would start looking for a job again. I got my old job back (since I was technically only on medical leave), started seeing a wonderful guy, and things picked up. That's when I lost my insurance. I looked for psych clinics so I'd be able to keep going to therapy and taking my meds. There were some clinics that did group sessions, but mostly for drug addicts. None of them prescribed meds. So I was without my anti-depressant and my anti-anxiety medication for months.
To make an already long story slightly shorter, I moved in with the wonderful guy, got some anti-depressants from my PCP, things were getting better. I've had a lot of up and downs since then. With the low amount of meds and the lack of therapy, I am having issues dealing with stress. Things I would usually reason out in my head are just overwhelming me. Lucky for me, my boyfriend understands and does his best to calm me. We've had a few fights that have resulted from obsessive thoughts, but I usually chill out after we talk and I cry a bit.
I applied for medicaid not too long ago. Awaiting the decision and hoping to be approved so I can find a therapist and get back on my regular medication. I have found that exercise is helping me maintain more stability in my mood. I've also noticed that the hormones resulting from my workouts have given me back some of my severely diminished libido (something that most of use with co-morbidities suffer from.) Are you doing the same kind of work outs you have always done? Maybe you need to switch it up. I know that for me, when I exercise on equipment, I tend to zone out. But when I go for walks outside, I can organize my thoughts.
Feel free to add me if you'd like. I'm always one to give support and motivation. I feel where you're coming from and I hope that the relapse is short.0 -
Me too,, took them TEN YEARS to figure it out that I have TBI's related short term memory definency.I just found out Wednesday that I have Traumatic Brain Injury that happened in 2008. Only took them 4 years to diagnose me with it.
I always knew I seemed a little off after that explosion, just didn't know what it was.0 -
When I was 12, I was diagnosed with generalized depression. About 2 years later, I started having real trouble with anxiety. After more testing and such, I was re-diagnosed as having bipolar NOS, social anxiety, agoraphobia, general anxiety, OCD and for awhile even mild pantophobia (I didn't leave my house [other than when my mom forced me to go to school, at which point I'd freak out and puke and cry from the fear] for over 8 months when I was 16.)
For years I only had to deal with the anxiety. I had a couple break downs (when I was in my teens) that lasted for a week at a time. I could eat, sleep, function or get my thoughts out of the obsessive pattern they were in.
A couple years ago, I went into a depressive slump. I hadn't had to deal with much other than situational anxiety and minor OCD symptoms for a few years, so I was supper scared. I hurt my back so bad that I was taken out of work and told to apply for disability (which I never did get.. NY ****ing sucks with any sort of aid). My boyfriend of almost a year dumped me a week later. I spent almost all my time in bed and gained back all the weight I had lost before. A few months later, I became homeless (connected to the lack of work and having no money since NY said I WASN'T disabled even though my doctor said I was), and was forced to deal with people who used and abused me. After 6 months of that, my sister took me in with the understanding that I would start looking for a job again. I got my old job back (since I was technically only on medical leave), started seeing a wonderful guy, and things picked up. That's when I lost my insurance. I looked for psych clinics so I'd be able to keep going to therapy and taking my meds. There were some clinics that did group sessions, but mostly for drug addicts. None of them prescribed meds. So I was without my anti-depressant and my anti-anxiety medication for months.
To make an already long story slightly shorter, I moved in with the wonderful guy, got some anti-depressants from my PCP, things were getting better. I've had a lot of up and downs since then. With the low amount of meds and the lack of therapy, I am having issues dealing with stress. Things I would usually reason out in my head are just overwhelming me. Lucky for me, my boyfriend understands and does his best to calm me. We've had a few fights that have resulted from obsessive thoughts, but I usually chill out after we talk and I cry a bit.
I applied for medicaid not too long ago. Awaiting the decision and hoping to be approved so I can find a therapist and get back on my regular medication. I have found that exercise is helping me maintain more stability in my mood. I've also noticed that the hormones resulting from my workouts have given me back some of my severely diminished libido (something that most of use with co-morbidities suffer from.) Are you doing the same kind of work outs you have always done? Maybe you need to switch it up. I know that for me, when I exercise on equipment, I tend to zone out. But when I go for walks outside, I can organize my thoughts.
Feel free to add me if you'd like. I'm always one to give support and motivation. I feel where you're coming from and I hope that the relapse is short.
Nope, I change up my programs every 6-8 weeks. I also do different stuff a lot of different days.
I hear you on the lack of meds/therapy.. where I live, even with health cover you still have to pay a certain amount of money (usually about $60-80) for drs appts which you get about half back from. The meds and therapy and psychs all have to be paid outright though.0 -
Sounds like you know a thing or two about PTSD too then. At least being productive is better than being at the bottom of a bottle all the time. That's a pretty tempting path for some.Time is the biggest healer. I just have to keep that time filled with something. I notice that you mentioned PTSD. I might know a thing or two about that, myself. The more time that gets between me and 'that', the less severe it is. I've learned some new languages, learned a lot of history, spent a lot of time being a workaholic and also tried the burying myself in self pity and comfort food method for a while. Those last couple don't work so well. The problem with all that is, I may have picked up a little bit of agoraphobia after being a bit of a recluse for so long, so my advice probably sucks. At least going to the gym would get you around people though.
Despite all my conditions, I do still lead a VERY busy life.
I'm at school from 6am-8pm Mon-Thurs (I'm doing a Fitness Course on campus which is year long for the Cert 4..) I have clients from 6am-8am, classes 9am-4.30pm and clients 6-8pm. We also have a 2 hour lunch break so fit in a workout around my clients/classes. I work 7 hours/a day fri-sun. Never a day off (:0 -
If it's something you need to talk about, then that's fine. I have PTSD (and I generally don't like to admit it), from finding my sister dead two years ago. It's a very traumatic thing that happened to me, and I can't go one day without thinking about it. But sometimes you have to work on your mental strength to try to get 'over it' (though that may seem harsh.) It's very true when people say your mind is your own worse enemy.0
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I've suffered from depression, and got better. However, I've been relapsing as of lately. I saw that the you, OP, posted about keeping busy, and that's one of my go-to solutions, along with working out and spending time with animals. For some people, animals really can do wonders.0
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I suffer with depression. It's cylcical... Lasts a few months, then it abates for awhile... Then I'm okay for awhile and it starts again. I haven't found an antidepressant that works, so I'm on my own. I try to deal with counseling, but it only goes so far.0
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I have been dealing with depression/anxiety issues for years. Just went back on meds for it about a year ago. I still have times when even the meds don't seem to help, but I think its still better than taking nothing. It runs in my family and it was never discussed....took me many years to find out the truth of how it affected my mother, my uncle and grandfather. Now I understand better and do my best to deal with it.0
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Depression since I was 14. I refused to get on meds for years, which just made life miserable for me and everyone around me. And it would manifest in equal parts despair and rage, so not only was I miserable, I was also furious and unreasonable almost constantly. I attempted suicide at 16. I had failed relationship after failed relationship and serious problems making and keeping friends.
Around 21 I finally sucked it up and did some trial-and-error with a few different meds. At 22 I got pregnant and had to go off all medication. That was probably the most miserable year of my life. I didn't go back to meds until last year, and it took until earlier this year to finally find one that worked for me. That, coupled with therapy, has really helped me improve over the past several months, but I still have my bad weeks.
I turn 27 tomorrow. I've been fighting this thing for 13 years. Sometimes I think about how I will probably have to deal with this crappy mental illness for the rest of my life and I feel utterly defeated. I get so tired of having to be strong, you know? But it's that or roll over and die, and I refuse to let this thing beat me. And with the meds and therapy and the support of my amazing fiance and the love of my little girl, my outlook is starting to improve. Fingers crossed it stays that way
I am glad you addressed this weird stigma against mental illness in our culture. I think people should talk about it. Talking helps. It's good to know you're not alone.0 -
It seems we may have something in common.If it's something you need to talk about, then that's fine. I have PTSD (and I generally don't like to admit it), from finding my sister dead two years ago. It's a very traumatic thing that happened to me, and I can't go one day without thinking about it. But sometimes you have to work on your mental strength to try to get 'over it' (though that may seem harsh.) It's very true when people say your mind is your own worse enemy.0 -
I am a domestic violence survivor and I have PTSD, depression, and anxiety problems. I have no shame in sharing any of that, and the burden of shame for the abuse rests on the shoulders of my abuser. Talking about things like this is what breeds understanding and increases awareness. You never know who might benefit from hearing your story!0
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Sounds like you know a thing or two about PTSD too then. At least being productive is better than being at the bottom of a bottle all the time. That's a pretty tempting path for some.Time is the biggest healer. I just have to keep that time filled with something. I notice that you mentioned PTSD. I might know a thing or two about that, myself. The more time that gets between me and 'that', the less severe it is. I've learned some new languages, learned a lot of history, spent a lot of time being a workaholic and also tried the burying myself in self pity and comfort food method for a while. Those last couple don't work so well. The problem with all that is, I may have picked up a little bit of agoraphobia after being a bit of a recluse for so long, so my advice probably sucks. At least going to the gym would get you around people though.
Despite all my conditions, I do still lead a VERY busy life.
I'm at school from 6am-8pm Mon-Thurs (I'm doing a Fitness Course on campus which is year long for the Cert 4..) I have clients from 6am-8am, classes 9am-4.30pm and clients 6-8pm. We also have a 2 hour lunch break so fit in a workout around my clients/classes. I work 7 hours/a day fri-sun. Never a day off (:
Yeep - already done that for a few years- never again!0 -
I was tested for Bipolar about half a week ago but they just sent me off to a Psych.. haven't seen her yet as is so expensive
They weren't sure whether I was actually Bipolar or it's just the endorphins kicking in every so often.
Can anyone specify the difference between the two?
I can certainly relate to all this. i was told that i was ADD and Dyslexic when i was younger which made sense when i later (20's) ended up with substance abuse issues. i was told that was likely attempt at self medication etc... but it took over 15 years for me to recover from addiction... so then for years after that i suffered from depression and anxiety. now i suspect that i may be bipolar, as i have learned of a family history with that disease and i have most all of the "symptoms"
Im open to friend requests from people here looking for support with weight loss, addiction, compulsive eating etc... its always cool to get more support/friends.0 -
I have a question for you... Where can I get that t-shirt?I was tested for Bipolar about half a week ago but they just sent me off to a Psych.. haven't seen her yet as is so expensive
They weren't sure whether I was actually Bipolar or it's just the endorphins kicking in every so often.
Can anyone specify the difference between the two?
I can certainly relate to all this. i was told that i was ADD and Dyslexic when i was younger which made sense when i later (20's) ended up with substance abuse issues. i was told that was likely attempt at self medication etc... but it took over 15 years for me to recover from addiction... so then for years after that i suffered from depression and anxiety. now i suspect that i may be bipolar, as i have learned of a family history with that disease and i have most all of the "symptoms"
Im open to friend requests from people here looking for support with weight loss, addiction, compulsive eating etc... its always cool to get more support/friends.0 -
sorry buddy. its just photoshopped in support of breast cancer month. check with this site
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I was diagnosed with situational depression/ adjustment disorder and anxiety a couple years back. It stemmed from when my mom passed away in 2009 and my grandmother passing away in 2010. I never took time to grieve, which is bad. I also don't adjust to change like most people, it takes me longer, and i get anxious when new situations arise and don't know how to act. I was in therapy for a year and a half and then when I left Heidelberg, i haven't gone to a therapist since. and after my pregnancy, they said i had mild post partum depression but felt it was because of stress at home that i wasn't adjusting too well.
Once I started exercising and participating in races, i felt amazing. My biggest accomplishment was running in the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure Northwest OH in honor of a friends mom (she recently passed as well) and if you would have asked me three years ago after watching my mom die if i would have ran, i would have said "no" and stuff my face with a cheeseburger. I find that if i don't work out and eat right, i feel sick, not only physically, but mentally. But the great news is that now after 3 years, i don't burst into tears when i see photos of my mom and grandma, and i can feel proud in almost everything i do. Time i guess is what i needed, and though i still get the blues when i sit around by myself and think, i can honestly say that now i am a lot better then where i was, but i still have a long way to go if i want to be the confident person i know i can be.0 -
Oh, heck yes. I was diagnosed with severe depression at 13, and also had an anxiety disorder. Later in life, I have added binge/compulsive eating issues. It got so bad in middle school that I essentially did not attend the second half of 8th grade, or all of 9th grade. I was so crippled with depression and anxiety that I feared just walking across the hall from the counselling office to the washroom, because I was afraid of every glance and anything else that I perceived as judgement by my peers (both places served as "cowering points" where I would just sit and bury my face in my arms and do nothing for hours).
I have been on medications since age 13, aside for maybe a brief 5-6 months when I was about 19 years old. There have been some better times (things improved somewhat, when I started high school in the 10th grade), but I've had bad bouts of depression, many of which were situational (negative real-life events), but amplified by my extreme emotional sensitivity, and I have definitely been suicidal. As I have aged, and gone through these rough patches only to land on my feet again, I have gained the wisdom to know that it can ALWAYS get better. The suicidal thoughts haven't cropped up in the past few years. I can still get somewhat depressed, but thankfully it is milder. One thing that helped me survive was to personify the illness. It was separate from who I am, and why should it get to decide that I should die? I got mad at the depression, and it gave me back some "fight"!
Whoever says that you shouldn't talk about mental illness is insecure and frigid, and needs to shove their opinion up their *kitten*, where it belongs. We need to talk about mental illness openly, because it is so common. It shouldn't be taboo. People with a mental illness shouldn't be treated like what they deal with is something shameful. In many cases, it is simply the curse of a gifted mind. Some of our greatest geniuses in history have struggled with mental illness (there are many, but a good example would be Vincent van Gogh). When you see the world in such a different way, it can be hard to relate to much of society, and being so misunderstood can take its toll on the psyche. The lack of acceptance for new and creative ideas in the rigid mainstream of society, I feel, definitely exacerbates mental illness in sufferers.0 -
One thing that helped me survive was to personify the illness. It was separate from who I am, and why should it get to decide that I should die? I got mad at the depression, and it gave me back some "fight"!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this way of looking at it! Going to try that myself from now on, as the thoughts are back as well
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I had a family member who was committed 2-3 times in the past 5 months, she lost it, wrote all over her house-crazy stuff, talked to people who werent there, wasnt sleeping, acting like the exorsist and destroyed her life, she just got on meds about 1 month ago, claims she was diagnosed with bipolar, but I believe she is a paranoid scitzo. I havent talked to her since she has been out this time, and i am almost afraid to because of what shes done. have you ever heard of bipolar doing stuff like that?0
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