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Does anyone suffer from mental illness on here?

glasgowspur said:
I think that's a bit harsh, we all have our problems and can appreciate some of the trials and tribulations that others are going through but not have the capacity to articulate them, feel comfortable telling them or think that anyone would be that interested.

Its two years tomorrow since my mum passed away, it still hurts like fudge. Like many i was denied the proper process of grieving due to covid restrictions. That's taken a real toll.
In that two years I've been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and put on meds, meds that can lead to mood swings and bouts of depression, something I've always been prone to.
According to my consultant the trigger for the UC is stress and anxiety, something again I've struggled with all my life.
Friends that I've made in the last 20 years or so don't recognise me, they say I'm a different person, not the confident, social, outgoing person who would take the lead that they know.
Old school mates tell me that I've regressed back to the shy and surly kid who was afraid of their own shadow i was as a young teenager.
I fight the fight and I'm trying to rebuild, but sometimes it all comes crashing down on me, its tough and tbh sometimes if it wasn't for my wife i don't think I'd get through it.
We all cling to someone or something, that reason to swim up from depths to the light, maybe sometimes it feels like you've been down there so long your lungs are going to burst but keep swimming people, the light is there, and it can bloody beautiful.
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That’s a really honest post, buddy. Sounds like you have amazing support, and a very good attitude to it all. Look after yourself.
 
spurspinter1 said:
So perhaps we should go down Facebook's route of different emoji responses rather than just a like? It seems odd to like a post of someone in potential distress. Does that make me the bad guy for feeling that way? Sorry, let's all grin like a Cheshire cat at difficult times, not like that's a horror film in itself.

It wouldn't be appropriate if I "liked" your response would it? (and I am truly sorry to hear of the circumstances but have nothing positive to offer as I'm lacking experience on that front but wish you all the best!). Be lucky you've got any friends nevermind ones from twenty years ago and appreciate them I guess? I know that might sound a bit arsy but you could have nobody concerned about you, consider that.

Edit - I'm already a little bit wary that I've cone across a bit cold and not properly considered the depth of your post, I was mainly responding to your first paragraph and apologies if the rest seems a bit ill-thought out.

We should have a "sad" response alongside a "happy response, I think that would help @scaramanga or whoever does this stuff..No doubt we want to show support to each other but brick, "liking" honestly sad or troubling posts seems way off to me.
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I totally get what you're saying, many a time my finger has hovered over the like button on a post full if someone's misery. You want to reach out, show support and empathy but a like seems so inappropriate. I don't always have the words to express that support and usually when I do they seem to trivialise the situation. My default reaction is to like the first post that echoes my own support. Dumb maybe, but "insert shrugs emoji here".
That's not a fault of us as people, it's a limitation of the platform, which is not a criticism of those running the platform, it does the job it was set up to do. We as a group have evolved beyond the normal Internet chat forum.
 
When we see a post about mental health on an internet forum we have 3 choices

Ignore it
Like it
Reply to it

The last one is not easy, number one people may not know what to say but are keen to show some support. They do not post regularly but again care enough to acknowledge it. etc. etc...

I think the idea that to like a post and not commenting is some symbol of societal decay is a little far fetched. In this era it can be enough as it is more than nothing.

My view.
 
Mikey10 said:
That’s a really honest post, buddy. Sounds like you have amazing support, and a very good attitude to it all. Look after yourself.
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Thanks mikey.
lock down was a really big problem for me, i use routines and repetition as a coping mechanism for my anxiety.
Lock down totally wiped it out. I was an essential service so our factory never closed, 8-5 was a totally normal day, outside work everything was gone. No routine, no coping mechanisms equals chaos in my head.
This was compounded by my mum being ill and my own health suffering.
I have some monumentally good support from my wife and a work colleague, there's not a day that goes by that i don't appreciate that, they help me to keep everything in perspective, give me hope and that reason to keep looking for the good in life.
I hope my experiences shared here can maybe help someone else.
 
Sorry to see my post has indirectly triggered some negativity! For what it’s worth I actually appreciated the likes on my post - it was enough just to feel listened to. But I appreciated your sentiment too Spurspinter, and your more full response. And I know that you’ve been going through struggles of your own too - hope you’re doing okay at the moment.
 
spurspinter1 said:
Big shout out to everyone who "likes" a post on someone's struggles without actually replying (Elltrev's honest account of where they're at). What an odd part of social media, yes glory glory is social media sorry about that, liking Elltrev's post without commenting is akin to someone telling you their Mum/ Dad has just died and you just smiling and walking away.

Hope you can find a way out of your negative spiral @elltrev - I've heard sleep is pretty key so if you have a safe and secure space to rest up, that's a blessing. I don't want to get to personal but am intrigued as to whether you've tried any meds in terms of your anxiety, or properly explored what may be causing it ie if there is anything beyond tinnitus which I appreciate must be unsettling.
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My anxiety started out of the blue with a huge panic attack. I have some chronic physical health issues and had been told that my heart looked ‘a bit weak’ in a test. For various reasons I started to worry there was a serious issue with it, and I ended up having a panic attack - which at the time I thought was my heart failing and me dying (couldn’t breathe, felt on the edge of losing consciousness etc). Then the attacks started coming back more and more, until it was basically constant for a few days - I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t work, could barely move at times!

Turned out my heart was fine - false alarm - and so I gradually managed to get back to normality - the anxiety and panic gradually tapered off.

But it left me with tinnitus, which is the source of my current anxiety (though I’m already feeling better than two days ago). The thing with tinnitus is that it is constant and permanent - when people say ‘this too will pass’, that is not true with tinnitus! And if I start having thoughts like ‘Eurgh there’s no escape from it’, it can trigger that anxiety response. And then it becomes a vicious circle which is hard to break, because the source of the anxiety is always right there.

Initially I’d found meditation hugely helpful, but that got a bit ruined by tinnitus. So in the end it’s CBT techniques that I find most helpful - just trying not to see the tinnitus and the anxiety as a threat, and accepting them. Then the anxiety will at least ease. But the circle can still be hard to break.

I’ve also been on the antidepressant mirtazapine this whole time - don’t think it’s done anything for the anxiety, but it’s known to help with sleep, so that’s been a GHod send at times. (Though I’d warn that you can become reliant on it - if I forget a dose I don’t sleep a wink).

How about you? Do you know the cause of your issue? Have you found stuff that helps?
 
elltrev said:
Sorry to see my post has indirectly triggered some negativity! For what it’s worth I actually appreciated the likes on my post - it was enough just to feel listened to. But I appreciated your sentiment too Spurspinter, and your more full response. And I know that you’ve been going through struggles of your own too - hope you’re doing okay at the moment.
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Don’t see it as negativity, see as an opportunity to vent, to release tension.
Tension, stress and anxiety are killers, and imho the lock down and breaking of peoples social contacts is a big factor in the increase of mental health issues and even the death rate.
I understand why it was done and i don't disagree with it, but i think there has been a lot of long term consequences.
 
elltrev said:
Sorry to see my post has indirectly triggered some negativity! For what it’s worth I actually appreciated the likes on my post - it was enough just to feel listened to. But I appreciated your sentiment too Spurspinter, and your more full response. And I know that you’ve been going through struggles of your own too - hope you’re doing okay at the moment.
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Thanks mate that's really kind.

And I absolutely have to own the triggering negativity part and appreciate the additional posts from @glasgowspur and @LutonSpurs on the matter - It's an interesting discussion but I guess it's taking a thread off course where we should be focussing on showing support for one and other, and obviously that support can come in different forms, whether it's advice or a like.
 
elltrev said:
My anxiety started out of the blue with a huge panic attack. I have some chronic physical health issues and had been told that my heart looked ‘a bit weak’ in a test. For various reasons I started to worry there was a serious issue with it, and I ended up having a panic attack - which at the time I thought was my heart failing and me dying (couldn’t breathe, felt on the edge of losing consciousness etc). Then the attacks started coming back more and more, until it was basically constant for a few days - I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t work, could barely move at times!

Turned out my heart was fine - false alarm - and so I gradually managed to get back to normality - the anxiety and panic gradually tapered off.

But it left me with tinnitus, which is the source of my current anxiety (though I’m already feeling better than two days ago). The thing with tinnitus is that it is constant and permanent - when people say ‘this too will pass’, that is not true with tinnitus! And if I start having thoughts like ‘Eurgh there’s no escape from it’, it can trigger that anxiety response. And then it becomes a vicious circle which is hard to break, because the source of the anxiety is always right there.

Initially I’d found meditation hugely helpful, but that got a bit ruined by tinnitus. So in the end it’s CBT techniques that I find most helpful - just trying not to see the tinnitus and the anxiety as a threat, and accepting them. Then the anxiety will at least ease. But the circle can still be hard to break.

I’ve also been on the antidepressant mirtazapine this whole time - don’t think it’s done anything for the anxiety, but it’s known to help with sleep, so that’s been a GHod send at times. (Though I’d warn that you can become reliant on it - if I forget a dose I don’t sleep a wink).

How about you? Do you know the cause of your issue? Have you found stuff that helps?
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I'm always so wary of saying "that sounds tough" as if you don't know it already but it really does, so you are coping well! Interesting on the "this too shall pass" point regarding tinnitus, I wish I had some suggestions on a strategy/ school of thought that would help, I'm absolutely not the best at dealing with changes whether good or bad so I'm not the best to advise on that one. Think you've got it spot on about it being about acceptance and finding ways to break the cycle.

Interesting on the meds / sleep front, it's excellent if you feel they're helping also awesome to hear the CBT techniques help! Even without the ringing I found / find meditation a hard one to get in to so that shows some good mental discipline.

As for me, it depends which moment you ask me haha. Life itself seems to be the cause of the issue. There's been a lot of added stress / trauma recently in addition to a switch of housing / area due to safety issues and a family that do want the best for me but just have absolutely no awareness of understanding of how to help. One minute I want to be alone, the next I am in need of company, one minute I'm inspired to right the wrongs of the world, the next minute I'm totally apathetic. I can be quite stressful to be around, I guess that could be said of anyone.

The irritating thing is I always get "complimented" on my awareness of my different states of functioning by various mental health professionals but in the family's eyes I'm just a nutcase (to be fair I'm sure I was in a few people''s DMs last night so probably considered a nutcase on here too!!). Drinking helps me share my feelings and helps me sleep, and moves the time along and being sober just sort of slows everything down. I appreciate it's not a healthy habits nor view to hold but it is what it is.

I was always told things would make sense when I was older but the older I get the more disappointed I am by the behavior of adults.

I am being helped by a charity locally, the mental health support is a joke (got a letter from the GP saying I've been referred to CMHT and they will be in touch within 18 weeks lol) - There are activities I enjoy but when I immerse myself in to the good things it's sort of painful to come back in to the real world so at the minute I'm just sort of disassociating / wishing time away until my next appointment with the advocates at the charity.
 
LutonSpurs said:
When we see a post about mental health on an internet forum we have 3 choices

Ignore it
Like it
Reply to it

The last one is not easy, number one people may not know what to say but are keen to show some support. They do not post regularly but again care enough to acknowledge it. etc. etc...

I think the idea that to like a post and not commenting is some symbol of societal decay is a little far fetched. In this era it can be enough as it is more than nothing.

My view.
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Agreed; we only have 1 button here, so it just means whatever is appropriate e.g. "I acknowledge this and hope for the best" but I really don't have the background to dish out meaningful advice. I agree with Pinter that it would be handy to have "Dislike" etc.
 
spurspinter1 said:
I'm always so wary of saying "that sounds tough" as if you don't know it already but it really does, so you are coping well! Interesting on the "this too shall pass" point regarding tinnitus, I wish I had some suggestions on a strategy/ school of thought that would help, I'm absolutely not the best at dealing with changes whether good or bad so I'm not the best to advise on that one. Think you've got it spot on about it being about acceptance and finding ways to break the cycle.

Interesting on the meds / sleep front, it's excellent if you feel they're helping also awesome to hear the CBT techniques help! Even without the ringing I found / find meditation a hard one to get in to so that shows some good mental discipline.

As for me, it depends which moment you ask me haha. Life itself seems to be the cause of the issue. There's been a lot of added stress / trauma recently in addition to a switch of housing / area due to safety issues and a family that do want the best for me but just have absolutely no awareness of understanding of how to help. One minute I want to be alone, the next I am in need of company, one minute I'm inspired to right the wrongs of the world, the next minute I'm totally apathetic. I can be quite stressful to be around, I guess that could be said of anyone.

The irritating thing is I always get "complimented" on my awareness of my different states of functioning by various mental health professionals but in the family's eyes I'm just a nutcase (to be fair I'm sure I was in a few people''s DMs last night so probably considered a nutcase on here too!!). Drinking helps me share my feelings and helps me sleep, and moves the time along and being sober just sort of slows everything down. I appreciate it's not a healthy habits nor view to hold but it is what it is.

I was always told things would make sense when I was older but the older I get the more disappointed I am by the behavior of adults.

I am being helped by a charity locally, the mental health support is a joke (got a letter from the GP saying I've been referred to CMHT and they will be in touch within 18 weeks lol) - There are activities I enjoy but when I immerse myself in to the good things it's sort of painful to come back in to the real world so at the minute I'm just sort of disassociating / wishing time away until my next appointment with the advocates at the charity.
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I think it’s so hard for people who haven’t experienced mental ill-health to imagine what it feels like, let alone help. My sister’s lived with pretty bad anxiety and depression for decades, and whilst I always sympathised with her, it was only when I experienced it for myself that I could truly understand what she’s been going through all this time. It’s made me very proud of her, and proud of anyone who fights this stuff in their life. Even moreso for psychotic symptoms.

I’m glad your family do at least want the best for you - that’s always a start! And I’m glad you’re managing to get some support for a charity - thank GHod we do at least live an age where there is a bit more knowledge and support available, even if it is painfully slow via the NHS! I actually work for a mental health charity, and know that the government has very ambitious targets for growing the mental health workforce - so hopefully things continue to improve over time. Failing that, there’s always this thread on this Spurs forum full of strangers :)
 
LutonSpurs said:
When we see a post about mental health on an internet forum we have 3 choices

Ignore it
Like it
Reply to it

The last one is not easy, number one people may not know what to say but are keen to show some support. They do not post regularly but again care enough to acknowledge it. etc. etc...

I think the idea that to like a post and not commenting is some symbol of societal decay is a little far fetched. In this era it can be enough as it is more than nothing.

My view.
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Yeh very much this and look, the nature of this post speaks for its self and we all make mistakes. As far as Im concerned, regardless of views or debate I honestly hope all on this forum are well and only wish the best for you all and your families.
 
elltrev said:
I think it’s so hard for people who haven’t experienced mental ill-health to imagine what it feels like, let alone help. My sister’s lived with pretty bad anxiety and depression for decades, and whilst I always sympathised with her, it was only when I experienced it for myself that I could truly understand what she’s been going through all this time. It’s made me very proud of her, and proud of anyone who fights this stuff in their life. Even moreso for psychotic symptoms.

I’m glad your family do at least want the best for you - that’s always a start! And I’m glad you’re managing to get some support for a charity - thank GHod we do at least live an age where there is a bit more knowledge and support available, even if it is painfully slow via the NHS! I actually work for a mental health charity, and know that the government has very ambitious targets for growing the mental health workforce - so hopefully things continue to improve over time. Failing that, there’s always this thread on this Spurs forum full of strangers :)
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I didn't say in that post that my family want the best for me, I mean it should be a given but actions speak louder than words and both the words and actions are lacking, but that's how humans are.

"Ambitious Governmental targets" of growing the mental health workforce, oof! That's another sore point, 18 week timeframe, I'll post a screenshot of the letter to prove it as everyone needs evidence these days, I'm not arsed about anonymity, full disclosure helps. It's 18 weeks for a phonecall that will tell me brick I already know but I won't answer the withheld number it'll come from. The current government would execute me on site once realizing I'm not going to be good for the GDP, a burden considering I'm legally disabled in the workplace. Everyone just being less of a clam would see me right - It's not my fault I want to start a fight with everyone littering, maybe just stop littering as we all live on the same planet and then adopt that considerate approach in all walks of life.

That said I wish your sister the best, sounds like she has had a rough time of it, it's a shame it takes people to experience such circumstances to truly understand it but it's totally the same for me in other regards. Nobody asked to be born unless I'm mistaken.

Hope people like @parklane1 feel really brave for mocking/ antagonising troubled people rather than showing an understanding approach. I would love to see us resolve it in the realms of peaceful combat but it never going to happen because of a lack of bravery. But that's just me overthinking things I guess.
 
elltrev said:
My anxiety started out of the blue with a huge panic attack. I have some chronic physical health issues and had been told that my heart looked ‘a bit weak’ in a test. For various reasons I started to worry there was a serious issue with it, and I ended up having a panic attack - which at the time I thought was my heart failing and me dying (couldn’t breathe, felt on the edge of losing consciousness etc). Then the attacks started coming back more and more, until it was basically constant for a few days - I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t work, could barely move at times!

Turned out my heart was fine - false alarm - and so I gradually managed to get back to normality - the anxiety and panic gradually tapered off.

But it left me with tinnitus, which is the source of my current anxiety (though I’m already feeling better than two days ago). The thing with tinnitus is that it is constant and permanent - when people say ‘this too will pass’, that is not true with tinnitus! And if I start having thoughts like ‘Eurgh there’s no escape from it’, it can trigger that anxiety response. And then it becomes a vicious circle which is hard to break, because the source of the anxiety is always right there.

Initially I’d found meditation hugely helpful, but that got a bit ruined by tinnitus. So in the end it’s CBT techniques that I find most helpful - just trying not to see the tinnitus and the anxiety as a threat, and accepting them. Then the anxiety will at least ease. But the circle can still be hard to break.

I’ve also been on the antidepressant mirtazapine this whole time - don’t think it’s done anything for the anxiety, but it’s known to help with sleep, so that’s been a GHod send at times. (Though I’d warn that you can become reliant on it - if I forget a dose I don’t sleep a wink).

How about you? Do you know the cause of your issue? Have you found stuff that helps?
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i had tinnitus, well actually i do have it still but i found a supplement on amazon and also some gingko bilbo, i dont know if they actually did anything, maybe it was the placebo effect but i stopped worrying/thnking about it, i still have it a bit but i barely notice it now, its very much a mind over matter thing,
 
Mr_B said:
i had tinnitus, well actually i do have it still but i found a supplement on amazon and also some gingko bilbo, i dont know if they actually did anything, maybe it was the placebo effect but i stopped worrying/thnking about it, i still have it a bit but i barely notice it now, its very much a mind over matter thing,
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Could you say what the supplement is?

I have what I’d describe as moderate tinnitus - bearable when I’m busy but can be quite bad in the quiet and at night. Some days better than others.

It would be nice to be able to take the edge off.
 
ricky2tricky4city said:
@elltrev @Mr_B @Hotshot-Tottenham ...can I ask how long you've all been suffering with tinnitus?
Mine came on after ear infections during COVID. It's constant but probably similar to your levels @Hotshot-Tottenham.

Ill try and dig out an interesting video I watched on YouTube. No, not some miracle or 5 minute cure, just an ENT surgeon sharing his own experiences. He's a nose guy but suffered with tinnitus.
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Thank you.

A few years now.

Believe it or not, I first noticed it when reading an article about tinnitus. I guess I’d had it before then but my brain had done a good job tuning it out for me - but the conscious act of reading of it made me notice it.

I know it sounds far-fetched but that’s how it happened.

I can live with it as it is. It does worry me when my actual hearing drops out for a few seconds now and then, and sometimes the ringing gets worse temporarily then fades back to the usual levels. If it stayed at the elevated level permanently then I’d be in trouble.

So I use earplugs when traveling, using the tube and sometimes just when I’m out and about to protect against loud noises and long periods of raised background noise exposure.
 
Mine started around two years ago. Though I think it’s worse now than it was then. But that could just be because I’m noticing it more at the moment.

I think mine is probably moderate too. There’s times where I can’t hear it at all, in a noisy environment. But it bothers me most when watching TV, as I can almost always hear it over the TV. And once I focus on it, I find it hard to let it go.
 
elltrev said:
Mine started around two years ago. Though I think it’s worse now than it was then. But that could just be because I’m noticing it more at the moment.

I think mine is probably moderate too. There’s times where I can’t hear it at all, in a noisy environment. But it bothers me most when watching TV, as I can almost always hear it over the TV. And once I focus on it, I find it hard to let it go.
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Sounds very similar.

I also feel mine has deteriorated a bit over time, so I’m verrry careful if I think I’m going to be somewhere noisy.

I also find mine is worse after alcohol.

My ears also feel physically semi-blocked (they’re not), like aeroplane pressure.
 
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