Introduction:I have been reading a lot of takes about mental health and have being inspired to write a take about my own views in this area.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or trained in any area of this field so all my perceptions are homespun garnered from my experiences and the information gathering I did plus the conversations I have had with other people.
My Backstory: I was diagnosed with mild bipolar disorder around 2008. I am 47 years of age. I have had fairly bad insomnia since I was in my mid teens sleeping anywhere from 0 to 3 hours a night for 30 years. I have had the bipolar symptoms with some anxiety and a small bit of OCD in the mix during that time as well. At times during the bipolar episodes I drank heavily to "cope" and gambled heavily to get a "buzz". Also while on medication I abused the prescription sleeping pills, often taking a month's supply in a couple of days. I was never hospitalised but saw a consultant, a therapist, several counsellors and attended a 10 day outpatient programme in a psychiatric hospital.
By 2012 the symptoms were taking their toll on me and I was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. This was being compounded by my father's increaing dementia which meant he now needed someone with him at all times with ever growing care needs. I decided to take a career break to become his primary carer to help him and my family but also help myself because I felt that since I couldn't afford not to focus on him a 100% it might take my mind of the situation I was in. My father developed pancreatic cancer and passed away in the summer of 2014 (I miss him but that is another story). My plan to an extent had worked because I came out the other side in a better, more content place.
(1) Each Person's Path Is Different
I feel everyone has the potential to develop a mental health issue in much the same way each person has some self doubt , insecurity and self esteem issues just some people are better at hiding it than others. If a person gets a mental health issue their symptoms and how it affects them will be individual to that person. Also what is needed to help alleviate the symptoms or help them cope will be unique to that person as well. The classification or type is just a good starting block for the person or their support network to use as a keyword for their research into their condition.
(2) What Is A Mental Health Issue?
Okay, so the person feels that something may not be right. How do they know if it is a mental health issue? - My definition of this time when it becomes a concern is if a person's has episodes of behaviour for more than a short period of time plus they are happening in decreasing regular intervals or constantly and they are affecting the person's health, wellbeing, persona, psyche, safety and functionality etc.
(3) Bad Places
I am not going to sugarcoat it as anyone who has a mental health issue will know, it is varying degrees of hell. For a person who has decided that they are having trouble, what can they do? - First of all most people will explore the self help route. For me I keyed in my symptoms, experiences and feelings into the internet and was pointed towards bipolar. Having a word or description was big thing for me, I was able to move forward, research the help sites, read about other peoples' experiences and look for advice on medication or possible coping mechanisms to see if any of them suited me but sometimes that is not enough.
(4) Should A Person Look For Professional Help?
Yes, I do accept there will be cases of people who don't realise how bad they are and who need intervention but this take is talking about people who are aware that something is wrong.
This seems to be the most contentious part for a lot of people and I do agree to a certain extent. I hated therapy and gave up medication because the side effects were worse than what they were actually curing. On the flip side I found the occupational counsellors very helpful and the people I met on the outpatients programme very inspiring.
My advice here is that you don't have to blindly follow every instruction they give you but they are a useful asset to have as you build up a framework around yourself and your support network. Listen to their points of view and see if you think what they suggest, could be useful to you.
(5) Outside Support
In a lot of literature about mental health there is talk of ignorance and malnevolence against people that suffer from it. Maybe I was just very fortunate but I have to insert an "In Fairness" paragraph here. My family, friends and work/society in general could not have been more helpful or supportive. I decided at a very early stage in receiving treatment to be completely open about what was going on. My family and friends knowing my nature just said we will be there for you, you can talk or not talk about it, if you need anything let us know. Work was amazing trying to accomodate me, helping me with counsellors , up to holding my position and helping me get Carer's Benefit for the time I cared for my father.
(6) In Conclusion - A New Day
As I have said, thankfully I am in a better, more content place now than I was in 2012. A big thanks to the other GaG users who played a part in helping me get to where I am today.
For anyone in a dark place, you are in my heart and my thoughts. I hope your dawn and new day comes soon
Thanks for listening to my musings on mental health and hearing my story.
Anyone who wants to talk to me privately, feel free to PM me.
Take Care,
Dave (KDA20)
A Sidelong Look At Mental Health - My Experiences And Perceptions
Your my take is awesome! I wrote a similar one about my specific experiencewww.girlsaskguys.com/.../a25220-my-experience-with-depression-anxiety . I think the main point in our matches up (although I think the way I wrote mine was a lot more dramatic than yours XD) yours is very well put though. :)
I've had depression since I was 4. It's been a life long struggle not to die. I tried suicide at 16, not to die but just to get the pain to stop. It's still a struggle but I'm on meds now and feel like eh life sucks but it might get better someday. It has to right?
You are in my thoughts - I would love to say it always gets better but I can't - That said on the flip side I firmly believe it does get better in the vast majority of cases - Keep investigating all the coping devices to try and find the one that suits you the most - Hopefully you will get some peace someday
Great take! I enjoyed reading it very much. It's one of the best takes I have read
I admire how candid you are , which makes it all the more meaningful. You spoke from your own personal experiences, which helps to reach other peoples hearts, and it can help them to know... they aren't alone!! I think a great number of people will appreciate this and will benefit by it :)
To be honest I kinda picked up bits and pieces from everything I did - I tried most things and if I felt it worked, I kept it as much as possible - In essence it is my own plan but I did take heed of the advice that others gave me. As I said I feel everyone experience is different and what works for me mightn't work for others, I suppose the journey is to keep exploring to find things that help at that moment in time, some may be temporary and others may become more long term. I did find having a open mind about things a great help, a view that they were there to help you rather than hinder you mostly. It depends on your circumstances but one of the first things I try to do is keep things as simple as possible. It might mean taking a step back and analysing what is going on, to think about what is going on. Work out where any negativity is and can you do anything about it.
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