Depression

Pigeons and cats are amongst each other. The BBC Have You Say is going all guns. In the first 3 hours of this article being posted on their website, the current stats are polling at:

Total comments: 905

Published comments: 281

Rejected comments: 1

Moderation queue: 622

Not bad for 3 hours. Wonder if mentalnurse.org.uk can create that sort of blogsteria?

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Thanks to everyone who offered advice in my last post. Was seen last week by a whole host of people – some said hospital was what I needed (and suggested detention if I “couldn’t go voluntarily), others weren’t sure and some said hospital would be the wrong place for me. So I was “offered” a voluntary admission although allowed to stay home if I chose not to go.

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Hi would really really appreciate any help or advice that anyone could offer on how to avoid being detained under MHA.

I’ve been “ill” (altho that doesn’t seem like the right word) for the past 11mths with PTSD and depression and have felt suicidal to a greater or lesser extent for alot of that time. Things get a little better then MUCH worse and it seems like I’m heading towards worse.

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Hi i have an interview next month, for my nursing diploma, i have wanted this for so many yrs. I have suffered bouts of depression for yrs, due to a bad childhood, but always worked through them, and carried on working. But last year i had a personal tragedy, the worst thing that could happen to a mother, i stayed strong for couple of months but then cracked. had a breakdown and tried suicide. I have never felt this feeling of despair ever in 40yrs of life. A monster took over me, i am now in therapy and feeling much better, i now look forward to the future again. I have been in college doing a-levels in all this trauma, so i know i can do it, i am so determined, i just had a flash of weakness. Anyway what i want to know, does my doctor have to give all my details like the suicide, as i am so ashamed now. I know OH have to look up records, but to what extent, and should i wait till it comes up to explain, or discuss it in the interview. Please help i am really worried, because i have done so much to get this far.

Thanks Calligas

Similar posts can be found here:

Mental Nurse - Help Wanted and also here.

Some sixty years ago the term “depression” did not exist. People experiencing what we would today consider to be depression were diagnosed as having a nervous disorder, possibly nervous exhaustion. I suppose a nervous breakdown equated to a depressive episode. Of huge interest to me are the official government statistics of the time which suggest that just 50 people per 1,000,000 suffered with this type of disorder. Rather a stark contrast to the modern day. 1 in 4 seems to be the currently accepted proportion of the population who experience mental health problems, although it is not at all difficult to find a 1 in 3 quote. I am living in anticipation of a 1 in 2 estimate appearing somewhere shortly. Returning the focus back to depression, some statistics suggest that 1 in 5 of us are likely to suffer a period of depression in our lifetimes. An astonishing 3,500,000 Britons, or 1 in 17 of the entire population are prescribed anti-depressant medication. That`s a monumental change over a mere couple of generations.

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The author of the Secret Life of a Manic Depressive blog has been an on-off acquaintance of mine for some years.

She made a post recently that left me a lot to think about, in which she suggested that accepting a diagnosis of mental illness is comparable to a grieving process.

After my diagnosis, I did go through, “The Five Stages of Grief”:

1.

Denial. Manic depression? Look, that shit is serious. There’s nothing seriously wrong with me. I’m just a bit, y’know *whistle*. Don’t be stupid.

2.

Anger. I was raging! After all I had been through in my life, why did I have to be manic depressive as well? This isn’t fair! Can’t something good happen to me? Why can’t I be normal? I’m so young! How could I let this happen? How could I let this happen to myself? I’m so weak. I’m so pathetic. Why wasn’t I stronger? What is wrong with me?

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In today’s Daily Star there’s a story that shows a complete lack of understanding of mental health services. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that in terms of sheer crassness it’s pretty much up there with the Sun’s “Bonkers Bruno Locked Up” headline.

TOP shrinks have claimed stressed-out bully Jade Goody should be locked away in rehab for six months.

And they dismissed her stay in London’s Priory clinic as a “publicity stunt” after it was revealed she was planning to visit India later this week.

Well, the bit about her stay in the Priory being a publicity stunt is probably fair enough. Admittedly I’m no more privy to her mental state than any other viewer of Celebrity Big Brother. Even so, it’s hard to imagine her symptoms being anything more than would get us mortals dependent on the NHS anything more than a prescription for some Cipralex and, if we’re lucky, six sessions of counselling. If the Priory really are allowing celebs to use their facilities as a holiday camp, then shame on them.

It’s more the first paragraph I have the problem with. “Jade Goody should be locked away for six months”? Seems a tad excessive for a bout of depression.

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CHANGING YOUR MIND

POINT 1: The human brain weighs just over 2lbs. Yet it has the capacity to consume 15 – 20 % of our energy.

POINT 2: Dr. David Horrobin wrote an interesting book named “The Madness of Adam and Eve”. Among other things he focussed on our evolutionary history. Man moved out of the east African rift valley along rivers and coastlines. Our ancestors ate a lot of fish, game and foraged on nuts, berries and the like. Dr. H emphasised the importance of diet and the particular importance of Omega 3 fatty acids. He believed that if we don’t provide our brains with the nutrients that evolution suggests we require then our mental states become increasingly vulnerable to illness.

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Have a post from a newly signed up member of the site:

hi!

I’ve just been referred to my local mental health team via my GP after suffering from depression for at least 6 years. got my appointment with CPN in October and not really sure as to what will happen when i go.

Would be really grateful if anybody could tell me what will happen when i go (facts, not fiction please!)

Any CPN’s in the audience wanting to explain what happens next …

Just seen a gushing report on the BBC news. That seems to be based on this article:

Therapy could ‘cut benefits bill’

The UK incapacity benefit bill could be cut by spending more on psychotherapy, a group of economists says.

The team from the London School of Economics says expanding therapy services would even pay for itself.

The report can be found here.

I’ve not got round to reading it yet The news report was a gushing piece on the wonders of CBT, with the figure that 1 in 6 adults suffered from anxiety and depression, and left me with the feeling that everything would be alright with the power of psychology.

From the Depression Report:

The treatment costs £750. The result is nearly two months extra in work, and
nearly two months less on incapacity benefits. And the cost of one month on incapacity
benefits is £750 (if we include the fall in tax receipts as well as the benefit payments). So
the treatment pays for itself.

Probably just me but this looks like it was a back of the envelope calculation.

Did anyone else catch it ?

Cybertherapy effective for depression (ref)

Cognitive behavioural therapy for depression can be effectively delivered over the internet, according to new research.

Right I am going to try this therapy over the Internet thing:

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“What should I do next ?”

The question came up while trying to convince my partner that the Muppet Show had hidden depths, it does. Trying to make me stop talking about Muppets the issue of Mental Nurse was raised. I asked the above question.

“Do something serious”

Was the suggestion. I was shocked. Serious ? More serious than the cynic’s guide to job adverts or the psychiatric hotline.

“Write about something that affected you deeply.”

This did not sound good.

“You mean ..?”

I said.

“Yes.”

So here it is. A brief snippet of my worst shift ever and a little about the effect nursing had on me. I strongly suggest you don’t read it.

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Sitting at home watching what has to be the worst Easter Songs of Praise ever. The songs and hymns are alright, the linking bit is awful. Someone, Prunella Scales, is reading and ‘acting’ bits from the Gospel of John, she’s doing it really badly.

An easy way to blot it from my memory would be to give myself ECT. Two wires and a plug socket and away I go.

That was my subtle introduction to the topic of this entry. Did you like it ?

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