Mental Health Awareness Week

[camble4eva]

Hi all hope you are well. Its Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK.

We all have mental health concerns and deserve a good quality of life.

However the term is often used as a catchall in relation to poor mental health which gives it a negative connotation. We all have time in life that are tough, so it's important for us to normalise talking about our Mental Health when we feel challenged.

Conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety can all affect mental health and cause us to feel physically and emotionally unwell.

- Every week, 1 in 6 adults experiences a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression.

- 1 in 5 adults has considered taking their own life at some point.

We should all support each other in finding a balance between life activities, responsibilities and to build awareness and resilience to allow ourselves to enjoy life and feel at our best.

Mental Health . . . Lets Talk About It

 

[tickle_prince]

Hi all hope you are well. Its Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK.

We all have mental health concerns and deserve a good quality of life.

However the term is often used as a catchall in relation to poor mental health which gives it a negative connotation. We all have time in life that are tough, so it's important for us to normalise talking about our Mental Health when we feel challenged.

Conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety can all affect mental health and cause us to feel physically and emotionally unwell.

- Every week, 1 in 6 adults experiences a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression.

- 1 in 5 adults has considered taking their own life at some point.

We should all support each other in finding a balance between life activities, responsibilities and to build awareness and resilience to allow ourselves to enjoy life and feel at our best.

Mental Health . . . Lets Talk About It

Coming from the UK myself I know how important this matter is! Particularly with it been pushed at Males, because a lot of Males think it’s a sign of weakness so they ignore any signs of it, thinking they would be labelled with a certain sticker, or because their male they shouldn’t look for help! Totally agree it’s such an important subject, having family members who suffer from this myself! Glad you posted this!

 

[camble4eva]

Coming from the UK myself I know how important this matter is! Particularly with it been pushed at Males, because a lot of Males think it’s a sign of weakness so they ignore any signs of it, thinking they would be labelled with a certain sticker, or because their male they shouldn’t look for help! Totally agree it’s such an important subject, having family members who suffer from this myself! Glad you posted this!

Thanks Tickle Prince more than happy to, think most of us have been affected by it in someway or other. Your right males tend to bottle it up and it shouldn't be that way whatsoever. Its nice that employers are now broaching the subject too and are starting to introduce Mental Health First Aiders.

As this forum reaches out to all internationally be very interesting to hear from others on their take on the subject and how it is perceived in other parts of the world.

 

[tickle_prince]

Thanks Tickle Prince more than happy to, think most of us have been affected by it in someway or other. Your right males tend to bottle it up and it shouldn't be that way whatsoever. Its nice that employers are now broaching the subject too and are starting to introduce Mental Health First Aiders.

As this forum reaches out to all internationally be very interesting to hear from others on their take on the subject and how it is perceived in other parts of the world.

Totally! It would make for an interesting read I am sure, let’s hope people take you up on that offer, as it could encourage people to spot any signs in themselves or friends and family, and get them the required help that need before it’s to late

 

[JosephineBlack]

Hi all hope you are well. Its Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK.

We all have mental health concerns and deserve a good quality of life.

However the term is often used as a catchall in relation to poor mental health which gives it a negative connotation. We all have time in life that are tough, so it's important for us to normalise talking about our Mental Health when we feel challenged.

Conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety can all affect mental health and cause us to feel physically and emotionally unwell.

- Every week, 1 in 6 adults experiences a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression.

- 1 in 5 adults has considered taking their own life at some point.

We should all support each other in finding a balance between life activities, responsibilities and to build awareness and resilience to allow ourselves to enjoy life and feel at our best.

Mental Health . . . Lets Talk About It

I see the occasional mental health post in the community and I love it! I'm in the US and while the discussion is more mainstream than in years past, the stigma has not changed all that much. Struggling with mental health is incredibly lonely and I truly hope that anyone going through that right now has the courage to challenge those unhelpful voices and reach out to those closest to them. And if that's not possible, don't be discouraged. There are pros out there that made a conscious decision to acquire mountains of debt because they believed helping others - helping you - was worth it. And you are worth it.

 

[indivision]

I have struggled with depression and anxiety for much of my adult life. It has waxed and waned, but I can attest that it is something you don't want to talk about. Much of it is related to crap I dealt with during my adolescence. I do medicate it. I was on Cymbalta for a while, and then went off of it. Just last year I went on Zoloft, and it has helped. But yeah, we all need to take as good of care of our mental health as we do our physical health. I think the stigma on medication needs to be chipped away it, too. People like to criticize others for taking meds for mental issues. I've heard antidepressants called "crap" and "lifelong addictions." You wouldn't criticize someone for taking Lipitor to get their cholesterol down (most wouldn't, anyway), so you should criticize someone for taking medicine to get their depression under control.

 

[BrouYahes]

Hey there! Mental Health Awareness Week is so important for normalizing conversations about our well-being. I've personally dealt with anxiety and depression, and finding the right support and coping strategies has made a big difference. Have you ever considered trying antihistamines to handle anxiety? If so, what is the best antihistamine for anxiety? Please share your experience!

 

[RaphaelChou]

Mental Health Awareness Week is a fantastic opportunity to shed light on something that affects so many of us. I've had my own battles with anxiety and depression, and finding support has been key. Regarding antihistamines for anxiety, I haven't tried them myself, but I'm curious about others' experiences.

 

[ingridguerci94]

If you feel like you cannot cope, and one in every four of us (you too guys) will feel like this at some point in our lives, do the following:

1. Talk to someone and tell them how you feel - yes, it will be frightening, yes, you will feel exposed/stupid/vulnerable, and yes, they might not understand, but it will help you.
2. Talk to a Doctor, medication can take the ‘edge’ of things and help you cope. If your body stops producing insulin, you suffer from diabetes, and you get medication to replace the missing insulin. So think of your brain as a giant computer, but instead of running on electrical impulses it runs on chemicals and hormones. If, for any reason, your body produces too little or too much of a certain chemical or hormone, your brain will stop functioning properly. You will then suffer from anxiety and/or depression, or bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or psychosis, or any number of other mental health issues. Taking medication can help restore the balance of chemicals in your brain so it works better.
3. Find ways to cope with your mental health issues. Yes, it may seem like the end of the world, and yes, you may grieve the loss of the old you, but if you have a long term issue you need to develop proactive way to deal with it. If you developed a physical problem, you would adapt your living/lifestyle to cope with it, mental illness is no different, just no so obvious, so others may not cut you the slack you need, which means you have to be proactive:
4. Plenty of exercise and/or fresh air and daylight helps.

 

[DebonairDavid]

This is a topic I know all too well. I was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism when I was 6 (I'm 30 now), and to add insult to injury, I also had a bad childhood and upbringing. My parents inadvertently made it worse due to their own mental health issues and bad upbringings as well, but now that I no longer have to live with them, I've finally forgiven them for it. Its very possible my dad has Autism as well, but he was never given a proper diagnosis, especially since he was born in 1950 and Autism wasn't as understood as it is now. He's also suffering from Dementia, which may make a diagnosis of Autism more complicated. To make matters even worse, my mom died last year, so he's had to deal with the depression of being a widower, much like how both of my grandmas did when they were still alive (the grandma on my dad's side especially because she outlived both my grandpa and step-grandpa). My sister-in-law's half-brother also has Autism, and my niece has ADHD. As a result, all of us have dealt with depression in some form. The ironic thing about Autism, or other mental health issues, is most people have a very basic understanding of it, because they know someone who knows someone who has it, but they don't understanding of what it's like being in my shoes and all of the challenges I consistently have to face. While I can't hate them for not knowing how to work with me in the way I need them to, them being quick to judge because of my social deficits and behavior problems still feels like they're kicking me when I'm already down. Though my social skills and behavior have slowly but greatly improved over the years, mainly because I want to change and had to learn many things the hard way and on my own, I still have many ways to go in terms of development, which means I have to work extra hard just to be where I need to be in my adult years. Having to think about how most other people will always have their shit together longer than I will makes me feel inferior, which made me cry as I was typing this, but its something I'll always have to live with. The silver lining of all this is it's taught me A LOT about life, which in-turn has inspired me to become a life coach and teach people how to avoid many of the bad experiences I've dealt with. Knowing they'll in some ways have a better life than I'll have makes life coaching a double-edged sword.