A thread about Mental Illness

Let's see if we can have a grown-up discussion about mental illness.

I know there is a stigma associated with mental illness with many people, but that may change if there are more conversations about it.

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Mental illness runs in my family, and just about everyone in my immediate family takes medication for mental illness.

I take meds for depression and anxiety, and they work great for me.

As far as I can tell, most people that are mentally ill do better when they work with their doctor/s and that usually involves taking medication, and many times engaging in therapy.

My father passed away when he was not taking his meds, and I believe he would be alive today if he could have stayed on meds that work for him.

So if you have a story about mental illness, I'd like to hear it.

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I don’t have any immediate family that I am aware of that has any type of mental illness. Though I wonder about my sister. She has been married 6 times, joined and quit 7 different cult like religions and is actively seeking to become a sister wife. Whatever that is.

I did have a close friend of mine that may have suffered from mental illness. Nobody was aware of it until he put a bullet in his head and the note that was left behind. I won’t quote it word for word but I will give you the cliff notes on it. He was an older gentleman, 78 to be exact. What nobody knew was, he was gay. I knew the man 30 years and I didn’t know. His family didn’t know. Nobody knew. The day and age that he grew up in, it wasn’t as accepted as it is now days. Back then it was something to be ashamed of and never ever talked about. So he kept it in. All those years, he never had someone close enough to him that he felt comfortable enough with to talk about it. I am positive that the family that he had still living and all of the other friends of his that I knew, would have been more than happy to listen without judgment.

So I am sure that this may have had to have some kind of mental effect on him over the course of his life. Nobody will ever know but, I am sure that wasn’t a easy thing to do on a daily basis. Ya know, put on that happy face and live life with a secret you think nobody would accept and leave this world not knowing that everybody would. It’s sad. It was great to call him my friend when he was alive and it’s a honor to remember him everyday.

One point I want to make is that it is very easy to believe that the state you find yourself in is a natural result of your circumstances.

You can be seriously depressed, to the point of paranoia, while not recognising that it is a mental state. You actually believe that everything is against you, and that there is nothing positive to live for. People telling you to snap out of it have no idea, anyone saying that is a clueless idiot on the topic of mental health.

You can be naturally sad because of circumstances, but mental health is an issue when you can be sad regardless of circumstances, and are often unable to even see that your state has transcended circumstances. basically your perspective is warped, and you are to some extent unaware of that.

Personally, I remember multiple times when I was in trouble, and unaware at the time that my view of the world was badly warped.
At my worst, circumstances were completely irrelevant to me, I lived my life like a robot, until it got to the point I couldn’t even eat because food seemed irrelevant and hunger was just another thing working against me that I didn’t care enough to address.

Looking back now it’s hard to believe that I never ended up seeking help, I have never been diagnosed with anything or been on medication.
I have never been around people aware enough to intervene correctly.

That’s the biggest problem, IMHO.

Generally when you’re in a healthy relationship or attentive family, slipping into mental illness is caught before it starts getting a foothold. When you’re living on your own, it’s VERY easy to slip into a mental state of depression, anxiety, withdrawal, etc. Or, if you live in a family that is ignorant or insensitive to your situation… can be just as lonely.

My parents divorced when I was 10 and it affected me significantly. I lashed out in various ways, as much as I would as a generally timid young boy. I didn’t become brash, disruptive, indulgent in dangerous things, etc. I just gradually withdrew, despite my mother dragging me to this class and that activity. The stepfather that “replaced” my father was too interactive. Neural scrutinizer. Examine everything, every though fiber in your mind. “What made you do that, exactly? We’re going to find out.” No, you’re not. My thoughts are my own and you’re never going to have them.

When parents inadvertently tie off your balls so you don’t feel confident.
When parents downplay what you’re feeling and claim to know what’s best.
When parents hear your voice but don’t accept your content.

I’m not a dad and probably never will be. I would be too OCD about raising a perfectly well balanced child into young adulthood. And they’d probably find a way to foil my good intentions anyway. Parenting is tough enough as it is when you’re in comfortable middle class. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for so many kids these days who are coming from broken homes, OCD parents, or out-of-touch super-busy parents… USA social programs are non-existent to help parents be the best they can be. Complete 180 degrees and you’re in Sweden or Denmark, where the help is overwhelmingly good.

as a police officer i have dealt with many people in crisis.

i believe that most folks dont realize that they are dealing with something that is out of their control and most times there are medical solutions.
i believe we miss these indicators in ourselves and dismiss them to just feeling bad or being in a bad place mentally.
sometimes we feel like we just need to tough it out.

i have found that family and friends are most likely to see the signs before we see them in ourselves.

i think that being a friend/family member means talking about these issues and helping/encouraging those we love to seek professional help.

please dont suffer in silence.

my mental …… started when i saw my parents fighting…regular…and they blamed ME for that—7 years old…crap.then i “tasted” marihuana and Jin was out of the bottle…never again.
now iam a social worker and mental illness client are my “customers”…poor children…

I’ve seen a hospital from the inside due to depression and panic disorder.
That was the hardest period of my life…but also the most efficient period of learning. Learning about myself. And it made me a much better person.
It is not something I would recommend to anyone but at the same time I don’t view it negatively.

Medication?
I needed it before the hospital. I needed it initially while there but I stopped taking it before I went out. Haven’t needed it since though I needed counselling for another 8 years or so.

Úf. What a Hard story… So you are out of it.?

So I said a little about my dad.

Mental illness hit him harder than anyone else in my family.

He actually attempted suicide, and his death, although probably an accident, was premature.

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I've been mentally ill since middle school, and I was diagnosed when I was 19 years old.

I've been on meds ever since, and they help me immensely.

I've done a little of therapy, but I'm pretty stable just taking my meds.

For anyone that has been on medication, and maybe it didn't help, I say keep trying other medications until you find something that works for you.

Luckily since most of my family takes meds, there's no stigma in my family.

My girlfriend has mental illness. She takes medication , and mostly is fine . There are times though , when something triggers her emotions. As Zulumoose said , perspective gets warped . She will believe situations schewed from reality .
I can generally perceive changes that she doesn’t realize are happening . Fortunately, having been together 10 years now , she trusts me to let her know this and can adjust her meds accordingly .

Didnt know we háve People with stories like this here… Well, we need more and more light for US…

Pretty much yes though it can never be certain.

I admire you guys for talking about something so personal.This is as personal as it gets for me on these forums!,Probably too personal!

I will say this. I think I have mentioned this once or twice on this forum. I have been sober almost 22 years. Put a drink in my and I can be insane! Went to jail several times and prison once,was misdiagnosed as bi polar.Having an addiction and being misdiagnosed is Not uncommon because of the insane behavior, depression ect. associated with the disease of addiction.

I could tell at least a dozen or so stories of insanity but they do not need to be mentioned………I think I am relatively sane without alcohol.,that is debatable!

My X girlfriend Barbara and I are still friends. She is the youngest of Seven. Two siblings committed suicide, Three siblings[including her] are on depressive medications, leaving Two[Out of Seven] that do not have a mental illness.

The Father died when Barbara was Two. He was a violent manic depressive alcoholic. He not only passed down the genes[of mental illness] to most of his kids, he also affected everyone in a negative and damaging way. The older siblings remember him and were actually relieved when he died[age Fifty-Two].

, :frowning: Very sad.

It is NOT uncommon for people with mental illness to self Medicate. So a lot of addicts can also have other mental illnesses[Dual Diagnosis] while others do not and can be misdiagnosed.

The first diagnosis is to determine what is normal for the person who is determined to be mentally ill.
If it is destructive behavior; the next step is to determine what caused the behavior.
The movie Good Will Hunting is a good example. Another one is The Punisher.
“Normally” It’s not your fault.
We all have crazy thoughts; we don’t all act on them.
Mentally ill people don’t know the difference between the “land of make believe” and reality. :face_with_monocle: although a good writer can portray truth using fantasy.(Walt Disney).
I can be someone I’m not on a forum. :innocent:
Non-conformity is not mental illness.
Perception is reality.

First I will say there are many types of mental illness. Perhaps the ONLY flavor of that “May” apply to your opinion, would be Schizophrenia.

I would disagree with that As a “Totally” inclusive statement, which is the way you wrote it.

I imagine your OPINION would not sit well with someone on here who has admitted to being mentally ill. I can not speak for them.

Although, I find it insulting.

I can speak for my Friend Barbara and Bill,your opinion which is FAR from Diagnosis[Are you a Doctor,I would doubt it because they would never make such a definitive and narrow minded statement] certainly does not apply to them.

I suggest reading the various types of mental illnesses and the symptoms associated with them before you pass judgement. :wink:

Not a doctor; worked as a mental health tec for about 10 years; from severe and profound to high functioning.
Not a judge.

I don’t find it insulting. But I do find it detached from the reality I live in.

In my case it was not about the sense of reality but purely about poor emotions management.

I would think you should know better then.

“Mentally ill people don’t know the difference between the ”land of make believe” and reality.”

That right there is JUDGEMENTAL,that right there is NOT true.

My friends suffer from Depression,that has NOTHING to do with NOT knowing the difference between make believe and reality!! They understand reality and can function in society with the help of medication and supportive friends,NOT people who stigmatize them.

I suffered from depression and anxiety since I was about 8 or 9. I was on medication since then since I also had ADD. I saw therapists but never found real relief, I feel they didn’t treat depression in young people as serious back then which was the mid 90s. My biggest mistake was self medicating with alcohol and drugs. They made the anxiety and depression go away for awhile but created worse problems. About ten years ago I decided I had to make a change so I quit drinking and smoking and all the other stuff and started taking my medication properly. I got heavily into exercise and going to church for support. It still is very difficult at times but I always remember that it doesn’t last forever and does get better.

I think three things are important. Your everyday job, your hobby or free tíme and friends/girlfriend… Som things needs everybody.I remember when i was unemployed for a long tíme… I change… Just example…