Mental illness survivors

[reallytinyamy]

I thought I would start a group of support for those of us who suffer with mental health issues.

Sometimes it really does help just to have a random rant to someone who kinda knows how you feel.

so....... I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder/ manic depression in feb 2005. I am bipolar 2 which means I get hypomania and mostly suffer from the depression side of things.

I have been on various medications and the like and I am currently med free and stable.

Anyone else out there who would like to share their experiences and join in the support?

 

[babystar]

can i join please?
I have bipolar and borderline personality disorder and PTSD. I suffer form self harm issues as well from the age of 11. (have not harmed in a yr tho but lately am fighting it very very hard)

I am not on medication right now during pregnancy but was diagnosed 6 yrs ago with the bipolar and then 1 yr ago the personality disorder.

I have been on various diff meds but have not found the right one for me (apparently)

I have had CBT and just plain old therapy too but thats stopping whilst I am preg as they wont b able (so they claim) to determine which is hormonal and which is related to the other issues.

 

[babystar]

I am glad this has been started.. I was going to suggest a group like this start...sometimes (esp the last few days) I feel I need to vent or talk to someone who would know roughly how my mind is workin when in a bad cycle... and I am often too scared to post about it in any other of the forums for fear of looking.... I dunno.... silly??? or weak??? or a freak sometimes too.

 

[Chris77]

Awesome thread!

Can I join too please? I was diagnosed with anorexia from the age of 16-23 years old and then EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified). I am very proud to say that I have kicked the eating disorder or ED in the ass and have successfully recovered from it (perhaps a bit TOO well as I am now about 50 pounds overweight) BUT I am 100% happier. I also suffer from Major Depression (and have been since around the age of 12) for which I have been taken Prozac since 2003.

I have had 2 hospitalizations. 1 hospitalization for anorexia and the 2nd for depression in 2003.

Hello ladies

 

[reallytinyamy]

welcome ladies

I have been thinking about starting this for a while but have been unsure. I figured that, statistically there must be more than me here but didnt know if this was the place etc etc. I guess anywhere you can get support is appropriate, so, here we are!!

I will tell you a bit more about me now then.

I have suffered with depression since I was tiny. I started self harming at 12. went on prozac at 15 and thats it from then on, between the ages of 15 and 25 I had 6 major depressive episodes and was finally diagnosed when work sent me to occ health saying I was "odd" helpful of them I felt. I was diagnosed and then work sacked me!

I have been on many dfrugs, including quetiapine, duloxetine, citalopram, and my own personal favourite, sodium valproate.

I have been med free since july 07 when I started TTC and so far, other than 6 weeks on prozac during pregnancy, I have been ok. I have the old classics every now and again but on the whole I am ok, I want to stay stable for Chloe and, if I'm honest, she has been more effective than any med. I think its the routine and knowing whats coming that helps me.

Babystar...........if you dont want to post on the forum I am happy to chat via pm anytime hunni

 

[jenny_wren]

hi!!
can i join please!
i'm bi polar/manic depressive
was diagnosed when i was 13 and ive never taken meds for it
i've always refused meds due to the fact i didn't
want to become dependant on them ... so i've been
coping by myself ... with the help of my folks and family

i started self harming when i was 12 silly little things like
marking myself with a broken ruler then it obviously went
onto more serious things and i ended up in hospital a few times
after trying to commit suicide so my hospital notes are booming!
i was then sent to a shrink thats when i was diagnosed ...
and ive been self harm free now for about 3 years which im super
proud of even if i have moments where i'd like to continue!

and now after having my little girl the doc confirmed i have pnd
and a real difficulty bonding so ... thats me!!



xx​

 

[babystar]

i am ok with posting in here just out there in general I didnt know what to post or who too lol thanks

I have other physical disabilities too that can really get me down.. Psoriatic arthritis (diagnosed at 12), M.E and benign joint hypermobility syndrome (diagnosed 7 yrs ago.)

I was put on citalopram for 4 yrs and then they decided to change my eds etc etc... have been on duloxetine too, mirtazapine, amitryptaline prozac....the list goes on....and on..... nothing has helped.

I started self harming at the age of 11~ish. My mother tells me I used to slit my thumbs with my dads razors and try and hide it. She also tells me that I cut off all my eyelashes etc too.

I got into drink and drugs at the age of 14 after yrs of bullying at school and the self harm escalated. I gave the drugs up a couple of yrs later.

I had my oldest is 2002 and suffered from PND real bad plus my bipolar etc was undiagnosed. It took me a very long time to bond with her or even touch her. (months)

I suffered form domestic abuse real bad too. That had a huge impact on my self harming as well. But I don't really wanna get into all that just now.

I have attended self harm groups etc etc. Lately im having real bad urges again but I get frustrated cos I cant.. OH gets very angry when/if he sees them. Sometimes if he thinks the being angry isn't gonna work he turns it around and I guess he kinda tries to make me feel bad about doing that "to my beautiful body".

A yr ago I was diagnosed with personality disorder with borderline schizophrenia. This runs in my family and my younger brother also suffers form the mental health problems... although he is anorexic and an alcoholic too.

hm mm that's about it from me as for now

 

[orange-sox]

Can I join?

I have a history of depression, which has plaugued me for a long time, I began self harming at around 12 or 13, which progressively got worse and worse once my father left. My illness was up until recently dismissed by my mother as being teenage angst... that is until I was hospitalised for an overdose.

I am currently on citalopram, and have been for the last 2/3 years, I continued taking it throughout my pregnancy, as it was considered more harm than to good to stop the medication. I see my doctor once a fortnight, and we are in the process of changing my medication as I have had a severe mood slump since the loss of my son.

I lost my job at a major highstreet bank as a result of my illness at the age of 18, which has affected the rest of my work life, I am not stuck in a job I hate, for fear of working for a large company again, and being treat like a freak.

I can safely say this is one of the first times I have spoken out about my mental health in detail, so be gentle with me

 

[Chris77]

Ho Orange-sox I'm so happy to see someone else who had to stay on medications during their pregnancy.

I'm on Prozac and was advised to NOT stop my medication during pregnancy and I have ALOT of mixed feelings about it. I am not pregnant yet, but I still worry about effects it would have on my baby, eventhough I have been assured that there would be no serious effects for the baby. Rather, there would be a greater risk to both me and baby if I chose to STOP the medication.

 

[babystar]

its good to see you guys

 

[reallytinyamy]

welcome everyone. I stopped my meds to TTC but had to go back on prozac when I was about 4 months gone.

I used to go to a mind day centre and a bipolar support group, both were great but I stopped going when I met OH.

I havent self harmed for around 18 months, still get the urge but so far doing well. For me the hardest thing is feeling like I'm waiting for the hell to strike again.

 

[massacubano]

Oh excellent idea...

I am bip... panic disorder... fun stuff and depression as well.. but it is okay PP thank goodness!

to all

 

[reallytinyamy]

welcome.

 

[jem_5500]

Hi,

Cant I pop in? I have suffered depression since I was 16 and psych thinks longer. I hit my biggest low in 2006 when I was on high dose of prozac thru the depression and eating disorder I also had a massive drink problem I also self hamred. My biggest low was in feb 06 when in 1 week I drove my car off the road on the M3 I dont even know what happened I dont rememebr getting in my car and nded up upside down on the fast lane of the motorway lucky to get out alive as the cars roof was squashed to bonnet level. My relief was no one else was involved. In the same week I then cut my self badly and tried to jump out of a window and then I overdosed a few days later.

It took all of this and a trip to the assesment unit conifers for me to realsie they were assessing me for admission and I didnt want to go down that route. It has taken a long itme and I still have periods where I am low but with my husbands support who knows all the signs I fight going back as low as I was.

My biggest fear is suffering in the pregnancy and after and I know at moment I borderline. Luckily I have a fantastic GP who has been brilliant and doesnt mess about either!

Its amazing what so many ppl have got thru to get to where they are and what ppl are still fighting and its a great idea to have this thread x

 

[massacubano]

welcome.

 

[babystar]

:wave:

 

[reallytinyamy]

Hi Jem!!!

There are many of us here who are living proof you can get through it hun- I did suffer a depression during my pregnancy and both me and my daughter lived to tell the tale.

We are all here for advice and support

 

[Catastrophe]

Hiya , thought I'd join you =)

I've suffered from depression/PTSD since my teens. Started self-harming and was put on Citalopram when I was 15 but it didn't really work for me. Pulled out of that incident but had another major slump when at college and was put on Venlafaxine. Was seeing a psychiatrist and generally wasn't very well. Had a year out and came off my medication suddenly due to unforseen circumstances. Stayed off them about a year then went to uni and got stressed about passing first year. Cue another course of Venlafaxine albeit a much lower dose which I am still on. Generally I think my mental health is much better these days I just haven't found a good time to come off my meds as go from one source or stress to the next! Hoping to come off them gradually in the next 6 months though

I haven't self-harmed visibly for a couple of years but must confess I still pull my hair when I get stressed and sometimes dig my nails in if I'm struggling to cope with a situation.

I am a bit concerned that when I have a baby people might be critical of my scars. They're mostly on my legs and covered but obv not if I'm being examined downstairs. I think I'm probably just being paranoid as my gynaecologist has never mentioned it but I worry midwives etc might think I am not capable of looking after a child IYKWIM. I also have a nasty keloid scar on my stomach and not quite sure what that will look like during pregnancy -I reckon I might be the only person glad of stretch marks as they might make it less obvious!!!

Oh and I gave up alcohol ~1 yr ago as I found it hard to control my drinking. Have since discovered that my dad and one of my siblings have similar problems.

Sorry for the essay!

 

[mrsstreet0417]

Hello, can I join you? I'm bipolar, but most of the time all I have is severe mood swings. Occasionally I have really bad bouts of depression for as long as weeks or months...Great idea to start this group I know sometimes when it gets really hard its hard to talk to some of the ppl who don't know as well what I'm going through (lucky me that DH understands completely, he's bipolar too and helped me get diagnosed). I know when I told my parents that I felt like I had depression we had this really awkward talk about what I had been feeling and talking about me being suicidal and all...VERY awkward but they try their hardest to understand and help...

 

[Pops]

What a great group

Some of you know our story, some don't but we have lived with very severe PTSD for a year or so now and life is very different.....still awesome, but very different.

We have decided to try and make a postive out of it and have set up a website and forum which is still very early days but we are getting a lot of work done behind the scenes which is great.

I was diagnosed with secondary PTSD and so have been seeing a Counsellor now for about 4 months....it took me that long to accept the help that was being offered as I was not convinced that I should be taking up the space of someone who was deserving of help. However, I am deserving of help and I take it every week and so does OH and we are doing ok.....good days and bad.

Anyway, Ill not go on but just wanted to say great group and if anyone ever wants to talk, I really do understand

xxx