Recovery from mental illness..

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.

Since you said you have PTSD, this one is more focused on that:

http://ptsd.about.com/od/treatment/a/DBTforPTSD.htm

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.