Tuesday 20 March 2012

taboo subject....

Well im back,a few of you may wonder where I went,I needed time to recoup my thoughts
I have been considering doing this post but I suppose fear stopped me,people who judge a book by its cover so I decided to make a change by speaking out for the first time and also seeing it from my own point of view in  black and white for the first time.
Now I dont want to bum you out but this is my lifestyle blog and what my life revolves around is depression.
Now heres the word that made me scared MENTAL HEALTH,there I said it.
I thought id rip the band aid off quick then maybe it might be painless.
I have suffered from it for over 10 years now,starting around the age of 13 but I am only just getting the help I deserve at the age of 25.
Now I am not looking for sympathy,far from it but I would like to change views on it.Now I will admit before I suffered from it if I heard the words mental health I probably would of pictured someone securely locked in a mental unit but there are many different forms.
We have all seen those adverts where 'its time to change' and it really is.
I have had so called friends asking me to snap out of it,Ive been called selfish etc...(theres a long list!)
But did you know depression can be a chemical imbalance in the brain? Is it really that persons fault?
here are some statistics


The facts and figures around Mental Health in the UK are alarming.

  • 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year
  • Suicides rates show that British men are three times as likely to die by suicide than British women
  • Self-harm statistics for the UK show one of the highest rates in Europe: 400 per 100,000 population
How many people are also suffering in silence I wonder?
The whole point of this post is I am letting people know we all dont have the perfect life,Its not all cupcakes and sunshine and that I am a normal person who is a mum,has interests and can hold a conversation.I am recovering,this is where some people think you can be selfish.To look at me you would think there is nothing wrong but truth is my brain dont always function like people who dont suffer from this.So to all those people who think its as easy to snap out of it,I wish it was.Its a hard journey but I am finally tackling my demons.
Now I dont want to end this on a bad note so I will say that starting this blog has really occupied my mind of late and the lovely people I have spoke to.And also if you know someone who does suffer then it really is ok to ask how they are,It really does make a difference to feel like someone cares about you when you dont care about yourself.
Thanks for reading this post and I hope I have broken a taboo subject for some of you x 

6 comments:

  1. Well done for posting this. I went through a bad patch back in 2000 and it was an awful time. Blogging is a great way of focussing your mind and makes a pleasant diversion, too. xxx

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    1. thanks hunni,it is awful.But blogging is great I dont feel so couped up xxx

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  2. I agree with Vix because I too was HIT by this,unexplained horrid feeling ,just after I retired ,but on medication I am now doing so much ,and life is good ..love Jan xx

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    1. I am glad to hear your feeling so much better,my medication seems to help a lot too.Its nice to talk to people who have been or is still on that road to escaping it.xx

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  3. I've been on and off medication for most of my adult life. As I've gotten older I've developed better coping mechanisms and have had some fabulous unconditional love and support from my family. I also work in a Mental Health Trust where nobody knows about my condition. The positive thing I've seen from that is that the stigma is nowhere near as big as it used to be xx

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    1. Medication does help but im coping better after schematherapy,id never even heard of it and couldnt see how it would work but it really has.Im glad its finally being talked about more xx

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