topic Re: Mental Health Week in Community Spirit

Mental Health Week

bluecat*dancing — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 02:01:18 GMT

Mental Health Week commences today with World Mental Health Day on October 10th. To those of us with mental illness and those who have loved ones with mental illness, this is a week that will,hopefully, continue to break through stigma and raise awareness, as well as supporting our wellbeing. The message this year is "Mental Health begins with me." Stay safe and be aware that there could be triggers throughout the week.

http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/media-centre/events/mental-health-week.aspx

Re: Mental Health Week

jessicadazzler97 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 02:57:40 GMT

I have this postcard in my bedroom to remind me of simple little ways to stress less 🙂

Re: Mental Health Week

ecar3483 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 02:59:10 GMT

I feel like my "Story" is so ordinary. I'm not about to be interviewed by the ABC for some Sunday night special.

I am, as the character Hannibal Lecter put it, a boring, run of the mill manic depressive.

I was terribly unhappy for a long time, interspersed with bursts of inexplicable and on the whole unfocused enthusiasm for projects and undertakings that had a very short lifespan, determined as much by my mood as anything.

As I said, run of the mill.

I'm never going to be a poster boy for mental health. In my more cynical/sarcastic moments I like to say that the best I'll ever do is serve as a cautionary tale.

Re: Mental Health Week

polksaladallie — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 02:59:38 GMT

You know nothing.

Re: Mental Health Week

jessicadazzler97 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:01:13 GMT

Thanks for the reminder that I'm only just starting out on this wonderful thing called life 🙂

Re: Mental Health Week

jessicadazzler97 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:02:51 GMT

@ecar3483 wrote:
I feel like my "Story" is so ordinary. I'm not about to be interviewed by the ABC for some Sunday night special.
I am, as the character Hannibal Lecter put it, a boring, run of the mill manic depressive.
I was terribly unhappy for a long time, interspersed with bursts of inexplicable and on the whole unfocused enthusiasm for projects and undertakings that had a very short lifespan, determined as much by my mood as anything.
As I said, run of the mill.
I'm never going to be a poster boy for mental health. In my more cynical/sarcastic moments I like to say that the best I'll ever do is serve as a cautionary tale.

Look at the bright side... being manic depressive is more fun than being ordinarily depressed

Re: Mental Health Week

bright.ton42 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:07:24 GMT

Jessica no offense but I don't think Mental Illness is something to make light of in this case. I could be wrong but I thought you implied somewhere that you have had such issues yourself, so surely you should know better. And your Tips to Stress less has nothing whatsoever to do with mental illness. There are people on these boards and all around us who are wondering if they will make it to the next day. No laughing matter.

Re: Mental Health Week

ecar3483 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:08:02 GMT

Just because I've two words and you've only got one doesn't diminish you.

Re: Mental Health Week

tasfleur — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:13:14 GMT

I don't think you are a boring person ecar, quite the opposite. From what I've seen of your posts, I like the way you think and write; you come over as intelligent, kind, and someone who is willing to discuss topics with sensitivity and deep philosophical insight and never argumentative for the sake of it. For that I thank you.

We don't always agree, but we do agree to disagree agreeably which always leaves the door open xx

Re: Mental Health Week

polksaladallie — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:17:56 GMT

@bright.ton42 wrote:
Jessica no offense but I don't think Mental Illness is something to make light of in this case. I could be wrong but I thought you implied somewhere that you have had such issues yourself, so surely you should know better. And your Tips to Stress less has nothing whatsoever to do with mental illness. There are people on these boards and all around us who are wondering if they will make it to the next day. No laughing matter.

Clearly it is evident that porkies have been told. It is so tiresome.

Fantasies are fine as long as they do not harm others. This fantasy has.

Re: Mental Health Week

tasfleur — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:19:22 GMT

Thanks for bringing this to the forum Bluecat, it's good to know about it xx

Re: Mental Health Week

ecar3483 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:22:12 GMT

My first response, because I'm an ingrained cynic, is to wonder whether to scream, and run, or scream with laughter, at that.

On closer inspection there's "wisdom" in that I've heard, before, relative to managing my condition.

I know it's aimed at young people, it's supposed to be bright, and "out there' and funky - they're the target and Good on Mental Health NSW for putting the poster together. It's something. It probably doesn't reach out and touch everybody, but it's better than having nothing at all.

My "World" went awry when I was 12.

There was NOTHING, in any form, that came anywhere near help.

I was 12 years old and alone and lost and alone and lost and alone...

It's a good poster, not my cup of tea, but I cannot begin to tell you how glad it makes me feel to see Something being done.

Re: Mental Health Week

jean2579 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:40:17 GMT

For the entire 50 years we have been married, my OH has had bipolar sometimes so bad that it needs 1 or more months in hospital, but mostly cared for with meds.

One thing I do know for a fact is that the discrimination, particularly in our case, from medical people is no better than it was in the 1960s.

It was only a few months ago that's I had to pull up a specialist doctor who knowing my OH medical record spoke to him as if he was a very young child with an IQ of 10.

In fact he is an amazing man of immense character, dignity and such personal strength that I do not know anyone else within a bulls roar of him.

when he was able to he always worked when it would have been so easy to just stay in bed. He said that he had to show our son that you never let your life dictate to you.

He has provided us with a safe home, but most of all he is a wonderful Husband, Father and Grandfather.

The discrimination is still there, although less obvious. I doubt if it will ever be conquered as people will always fear and ridicule what they do not understand.

The posters on here who are on this journey, all I can say is to take it a day at a time and be very proud of every achievement because you really are very special people.

Re: Mental Health Week

ecar3483 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:43:09 GMT

I started on Lithium while I was living in Melbourne, which is about 3 centimetres above sea level, then moved to Canberra which is about 600 metres above sea level. The increase in altitude means an increase in the intensity of sunlight.

I was probably told, in those early days, that Lithium use increases sensitivity to light, but somehow that slipped my mind...

Until I got to Canberra.

My rule of thumb used to be half a day out in the sun and you've had enough.

Used to be.

The first two years were a nightmare - 15 minutes and I could see my skin changing colour. I found it difficult to look, from a dark-ish room, out a window if it was sunny. Pretty close to the first things I bought were sunglasses and a broad brim hat.

There was a point there where the doctor's advice to get out and get some fresh air seemed like a cruel joke, but I've improved, over the years.

What I hated was that the bulk of the internet's information on Lithium was American - different pills, different doses, and most people either ignored the side effects or glossed over them. Expect for one one lady to whom I am eternally grateful - she wrote, simply, When you've got to pee, you've got to pee. They don't write that on the box of tablets!

It's been the better part of 16 years, now. Last night I read some stuff I wrote back in 2000, and it was familiar; they were my words, but it wasn't who I am, now.

I changed. I think, I hope, for the better.

Re: Mental Health Week

ecar3483 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 04:09:01 GMT

Thank you, Tas.

It's going to sound odd no matter how I put it, but I try to be a better person than I think I am.

Re: Mental Health Week

jessicadazzler97 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 04:15:09 GMT

@bright.ton42 wrote:
Jessica no offense but I don't think Mental Illness is something to make light of in this case. I could be wrong but I thought you implied somewhere that you have had such issues yourself, so surely you should know better. And your Tips to Stress less has nothing whatsoever to do with mental illness. There are people on these boards and all around us who are wondering if they will make it to the next day. No laughing matter.

You can actually download the poster on the Mental Health website, it's a resource they use at this time of year.

Re: Mental Health Week

jessicadazzler97 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 04:21:40 GMT

@ecar3483 wrote:
Just because I've two words and you've only got one doesn't diminish you.

Oh my goodness, I thought you of all people could take a joke 🙂

Re: Mental Health Week

bright.ton42 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 04:45:19 GMT

@jessicadazzler wrote:
@bright.ton42 wrote:
Jessica no offense but I don't think Mental Illness is something to make light of in this case. I could be wrong but I thought you implied somewhere that you have had such issues yourself, so surely you should know better. And your Tips to Stress less has nothing whatsoever to do with mental illness. There are people on these boards and all around us who are wondering if they will make it to the next day. No laughing matter.
You can actually download the poster on the Mental Health website, it's a resource they use at this time of year.

OK I missed that, my apologies then Jessica.

Re: Mental Health Week

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 04:56:43 GMT

@bright.ton42 wrote:
Jessica no offense but I don't think Mental Illness is something to make light of in this case. I could be wrong but I thought you implied somewhere that you have had such issues yourself, so surely you should know better. And your Tips to Stress less has nothing whatsoever to do with mental illness. There are people on these boards and all around us who are wondering if they will make it to the next day. No laughing matter.

look at the bottom of that poster.

it has the name of the website it came from.

it is very helpful.

stress can have a huge impact on mental

health.

Re: Mental Health Week

opmania — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 05:17:20 GMT

Try liver and fava beans with a little chianti

Might help 🙂