Mental health

iuventus · Post edited by iuventus at 2014-02-03 17:57:05

Of course. We all exhibit some of them to some degree; they are not unique to people diagnosed with autism. I view it as though we're all somewhere on the spectrum. A diagnosis of autism simply depends on where and to what degree.

iuventus

It's almost trendy to consider oneself an Aspie.

Halloween_Jack

We're all aspie-rational! (sorry)

ping

^ oh dear... Haha
I think as well ASD is about how you handle challenges, like.. A lot of people struggle with waiting for things, that's normal. But whereas to a neuro-typical person its an annoyance they have have to deal with Someone with ASD may react completely inappropriately to been asked to wait, maybe with aggression and it could affect their whole day or more.
I see traits in myself all the time but like iuv says it's about the degree of them. I'm fairly sure my dad is on the spectrum but he gets through life fine, he sees no reason to know one way or the other cause he doesn't see it as a problem. For others it is though.

KatRobin

My best wishes to everyone who has posted on this thread ((( ))). Last time I posted on it , a few weeks back, I was quite confident that I was going to do ok in my attempt to wean myself off the Prozac after 20 odd years. Well, it didn't go to pla, the panic attacks etc came back,. I had no support whatsoever from docs, and the side effects were horrendous, despite my weaning myself away v gradually. It was difficult to cope with the physical as well as the mental side effects and carry on at work etc, so I gave up on giving up. This time however I'm not despondent about that. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, just accept it as my need ( though it galls me that there is so little support out there, as we all know). I am in a good place emotionally and feel a dreadful guilt for feeling the way I sometimes do when there are so many people going through their own hell with flooding etc etc.. but that's the way I was built. I think it's great that there is this thread so at least us Frappers can find a supportive shoulder to cry on and share our experiences honestly. Best wishes xx

ping

^ there's not a lot of support out there is there? You're very reliant on how good your GP is, and if they're not great you're buggered! I stopped taking Prozac last year and I had no idea there was gonna be the physical side effects there were when I stopped! It took about 3 months for them to finish which doesn't help when you're anxious about stopping them anyhow. Oh well, good luck katrobin, you'll do it when you're ready! X

KatRobin

Thanks Ping :) . If it never happens then hey ho. 4 things get me by- my loving girlfriend, my pets, being v lucky to have I job I enjoy, and great music ( which is why I'm here!). I'm glad to hear you managed to come off the pills, and hope you succeed long term. X

Minsku

Wow, having read these recent posts I'm a bit freaked out now! :o I didn't know it would be so difficult to stop using antidepressants? Sounds really tough, to say the least!

I guess it's kind of a double-edged sword. Right now I'm using Cipralex and Mirtazapine. Obviously I would rather not take any meds at all, but then again they are the only thing keeping me from killing myself at the moment.

Meh, there are just no good decisions in these issues...

cw37frapp

From a couple of people who i know that have taken them they are hard to stop. They have loads of different effects on people. In one way that is good because a Doctor can tell if someone is lying about being depressed when they are not. Say they need to take the tablets. Do not take them. The Doc would know.

A few times i have been really down. Mainly because of family troubles.I always get by. Simply by totally concentrating on my football and shutting everything else out. Listening music. Visiting places that remind me of happier times. Really i act like i did as a kid.

TBH i think i should have had professional help at times.

I am going through a good period right now. But with the life i have and the family trouble is never too far away. So i guess i have half become used to it.

Minsku

cw37frapp said:
A few times i have been really down. Mainly because of family troubles.I always get by. Simply by totally concentrating on my football and shutting everything else out. Listening music. Visiting places that remind me of happier times. Really i act like i did as a kid.
TBH i think i should have had professional help at times.
I am going through a good period right now. But with the life i have and the family trouble is never too far away. So i guess i have half become used to it.

Don’t worry, professional help can definitely be quite overrated at times.

For example, at the moment I’m seeing this therapist who seems to be keener on judging rather than actually helping. Last autumn a friend of mine committed a suicide, a close family member was diagnosed with a serious illness, I had some career problems and a lot of other shit was also happening simultaneously, which altogether resulted in my current depression and anxiety.

Well, my lovely therapist has come to a decision that all my mental problems are caused because of my “bad attitude”. Apparently I should just “cheer up” and think “positive”.

So really, fuck professional help. Maybe it’s just better not to have any outsiders meddling in your business?

wild_corgi · Post edited by wild_corgi at 2014-02-12 14:49:02

Yeah, sound familiar, Minsku

Minsku said:
Well, my lovely therapist has come to a decision that all my mental problems are caused because of my “bad attitude”. Apparently I should just “cheer up” and think “positive”.

So really, fuck professional help. Maybe it’s just better not to have any outsiders meddling in your business?

I had a really bad time a couple of years ago and my GP suggested Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, which basically consists of the NHS subsidizing a quack ... bit like homeopathy, in its quackiness and judgementalness.

She really was all about thinking yourself happy, and crap like that, and rating how well you were doing - so no pressure, nothing to undermine yourself and make yourself worse. If I'd said to my GP I am going to try that Victorian stuff about Every Day in Every Way I am getting Better and Better, he'd have laughed. But no, call it something therapy, and it was OK.

I was lucky enough not to be on Prozac for long enough, or on high enough doses, for kicking it to be a real problem. But it did have a strange slightly sedative effect for a long time after, which could be the same sort of thing. I;d have liked proper medical support but you know what, the prozac alike was better than nothing and better than the therapy. So you do what you can for what you think is best in the situation in which you find yourself.

As for non-medicalised copying, I found Sydney Smith's Advice on Low Spirits to be really useful (selectively) - especially No 17 about being kind to yourself (no guilt splurges), and also the one about turning up the heating. Strange but true, that one really cheers you up.

But if you think the drugs are the only thing stopping yourself killing yourself in the short term, then they ARE good drugs and it IS worth taking them. Maybe not long term, but short term? Hell yeah.

rewak · Post edited by rewak at 2014-02-12 17:36:21

It's immensely easy to beat yourself up about being on medication or being in therapy but the end line is it isn't your fault that you feel the way you do. If you were in control, if it was that simple you'd just flick the switch from 'bad' to 'good' right? It isn't like that though, the human mind and body is just way too complex. If something bad happens and you fall into an anxiety/depression state when other people cope ok that doesn't mean your response is at fault or wrong, it just means that you're a human being with your own functions just like everyone else. If you need medication or therapy when others don't then that's totally fine, you're taking care of yourself and that's nothing to beat yourself up over. Everyone reacts and handles every situation differently because we're all our own person, which is why issues involving mental health aren't black and white because every person is unique. That's why it can take time with some trial and error to find the balance of medication and/or therapy that works best for you, there's no one size fits all approach. If your medication isn't helping a GP won't disregard that or tell you that you don't have a problem then, they'll discuss other options with you. If your therapist isn't working for you they won't take it personally if you ask to switch to someone else, you need to feel right about who you're talking to for it to be of any benefit. If you need to take some medication to level out an imbalance in your system that's fine, people take medication for all kinds of things. The important thing is to realise just because you have that imbalance that needs treatment doesn't make you less of a person. I've got more problems than you could shake a stick at and they bother me, of course they do, but i don't blame myself for having them or feel weak because i need some help coping with them.

Sartori · Post edited by Sartori at 2014-02-12 20:00:29

A small short story , we lived in Botswana in Africa from 1976 - 78 (you`ll see the context of why I mention that) , during that time my father caught TB Meningitis but within a few weeks , he went from a big 17 stone rugby playing physique to under 10 stone . He was flown to Bulwayo in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe now) on an emergency flight along with my mum . To save his life they pumped him full of drugs beyond belief - the side effects of those drugs that saved his life was that he stayed on anti-depressants from then until he passed away 2 years ago .

At times , it weighed on him and he was still prone to bouts of depression when he tried to stop and he (and I) did and do concur (with Rewaks point above) that he came to terms with it and accepted with a fatalistic pragmatism that he had to keep on taking those anti-depressants , they did the job and made his life livable . Now , I`m off for a sniffle as I miss him .

iuventus

It should be mentioned that pharmaceuticals are but one of many effective, or partially effective, treatments for depression and other mental complaints.

Happy remembering, Sard.

Minsku

rewak said:
The important thing is to realise just because you have that imbalance that needs treatment doesn't make you less of a person. I've got more problems than you could shake a stick at and they bother me, of course they do, but i don't blame myself for having them or feel weak because i need some help coping with them.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. Everyone needs help from time to time; there is no shame in that.

However, I do feel like the society puts unrealistic pressure on people. It’s like as soon as you get any help at all, you are expected to just bounce back and become a productive citizen again. God forbid if it takes you a little longer to get better. Then the fault is automatically in you, your attitude or your negative thinking. Because how can you not recover when you have help?

wild_corgi said:
Yeah, sound familiar, Minsku

Unfortunately there seem to be too many similar stories. Makes me wonder if these so called professionals have ever experienced any mental health problems themselves. If they actually knew how awful and vulnerable a person can feel, they wouldn’t be so condescending.

The main reason I ever agreed to go to therapy was, because I was hoping they would help me to get past these recent events, making it possible for me to move on with my life. I did not expect I would be just told to think positive and act like everything was fine. That’s a really great way of making people feel even worse than in the beginning.

Hmmm, maybe I should take a look at those advice on low spirits!

iuventus said:
It should be mentioned that pharmaceuticals are but one of many effective, or partially effective, treatments for depression and other mental complaints.

If you know any good non-medical treatments, then please do share them with us!

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