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The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day (Read 129105 times)

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The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 09, 2012, 08:29:04 pm
The/My Black Dog?

"My biggest fear was being found out"

"He used to wake me up with repetitive and negative thinking and remind me about how tired I would be the next day"

"Activities that previously brought me pleasure suddenly ceased to" But I'm on the road to recovery.

It doesn't matter who you are, if you're in difficulty don't be afraid to ask for help, there's no shame in doing so, the only shame is missing out on life.



At its worst, depression can be a frightening, debilitating condition. Millions of people around the world live with depression. Many of these individuals and their families are afraid to talk about their struggles, and don't know where to turn for help. However, depression is largely preventable and treatable. Recognizing depression and seeking help is the first and most critical towards recovery. In collaboration with WHO to mark

World Mental Health Day, writer and illustrator Matthew Johnstone tells the story of overcoming the "black dog of depression". For more information on World Mental Health Day, please visit: www.who.int

Bubba

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#1 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 09, 2012, 08:51:55 pm
Nice one Ben :thumbsup:

I spent almost a decade fighting my own personal black dog and at it's worst it brought me very close to ending it all.  If you recognise yourself in this video then please try to get help or at least try talk to somebody who's been there and who understands what you're going through.   

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#2 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 09, 2012, 09:34:00 pm
That's a great little video. I might start suggesting it to some of my patients to have a look at, particularly those who are struggling to come to terms with their diagnosis.

Depression affects anyone.

Medication is just one treatment, unfortunately the waits for talking treatments are too long and given the NHS funding cuts will only get worse.

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#3 The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 09, 2012, 10:29:59 pm
Great film. Good post FD.

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#4 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 10, 2012, 06:33:52 am
I've met that dog as well in the past. He's terrifying.
Good post Ben.

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#5 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 10, 2012, 08:50:16 am
I'm currently having a dog fight with my own big dog (we've been scrapping on and off for far too long).

Spoke to a councillor for the first time earlier this year about it when I hit my lowest ebb for some time. I'd picked a place and a method of sorting it once and for all. Seemed to help a lot but circumstances have changed considerably since then (and not all for the worse either - some of the changes are great!) and it started again in the summer.
Spoke to a doctor recently (one who didn't inspire me at all - I took a printed test and scored moderately severely depressed - my diagnosis. On the bright side I could've scored worse) who advised that there was a 3 month waiting list for talking treatment. I asked about private practices he might know of. He suggested Spire hospital in Elland where, it transpires, they don't do talking therapy but I could get some testicular implants.
I was given a prescription for Citalopram (sp?) which I'm yet to get. Some of the side effects put me off.

I'm now seeing someone private.

Great post FD

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#6 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 10, 2012, 09:21:43 am
That's great, I don't think I've seen a better explanation of how depression can influence everything in your life that someone who has never experienced it can really understand fully.

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#7 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 10, 2012, 09:29:20 am
great post. I believe the images and words are from a graphic novel.

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#8 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 10, 2012, 09:32:37 am
To further Andys excellent post - when looking for a councillor, shop around. In some ways its like making a partnership - you need to be able to feel comfortable, yet suitably challenged by them. A "yes" man or woman won't help much, but neither will someone who preaches and does not understand.

If its not working with one councillor - that doesnt mean it will not work at all - its probably just that they're not right for you... dig out the yellow pages and look around....

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#9 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
October 10, 2012, 10:17:58 am
great post. I believe the images and words are from a graphic novel.

can't see the vid at work, but is it the Matthew Johnson book?

There were a lot more images from the book somewhere online, but work is getting in the way at the moment

http://ihadablackdoggallery.blogspot.co.uk/

edit
a google images search throws up a few

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Quote
I'm currently having a dog fight with my own big dog (we've been scrapping on and off for far too long).
been there, almost lost as well all through fear of stigma and not talking.
Cant see vid as am at work but never be embarressed at what illness you have or your need to find help.
All the best in your fight, it does get better.

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Yes Lagers - it looks like those cartoons/images. With an Australian voice over.

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I read this quote recently and though it summed it up well;

 “The shadow of the Black Dog touches us all, but it is possible to master and live with your mental illness so that it no longer dominates your life. It’s easier to say that you have had a Black Dog time than that you’ve been away suffering from depression.”

I think everyone has an encounter at some point in their lives.


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part of my (and plenty of others) management plan involves a daily (5 mins max) trip to moodscope.com

http://www.moodscope.com/about/how-it-works/how-does-moodscope-work

basically a quick tool that scores your mood and emails the result to anyone you tell it to - it also emails the user to remind you to do your daily thing

also plots your results over time - helpful to spot trends and increase insight - it is also possible to add note to each score on the graph to explain highs/lows/inaccuarcies

at first it seems a bit trivial and gimmicky, but after a few weeks, doing the quiz becomes automatic and it actually becomes a useful and reasonably acurate measuring tool

it helps a lot

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Good post!

The Black Dog scratched at my door for a while,  seems to have buggered off thankfully.  Talking helped, but for me I think it was exercise that sorted it.  I hear him barking outside occasionally, but I seem to be able to ignore him (thankfully). 

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Gonna be checking out that moodscope Lagers ta...

SA Chris

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for me I think it was exercise that sorted it. 

Being so used to getting out an doing stuff outdoors for many years, lack of exercise, endorphins and sunshine bring it on for me, especially combined with SADs.

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Great thread  :thumbsup: and I really like the vid/book.

After 25 years of periodically suffering with it the largest black dog of my life turned up late last year and I finally went looking for help. The local NHS offering was woeful so I found someone who helped me through the worst of it.

The keys for me have been acknowledging the problem, challenging the unhelpful thinking and learning how to quiet my mind, (exercise plays a part in that.)

For management the books from these have helped a lot:
http://www.llttf.com/
http://mbct.co.uk/about-mbct/#about1
There's some good science to back up both.

I do a daily mindfulness/meditation using:
http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/
and they have a mobile app, (I'm sure others are available)
There's no omm'ing, no bullshit, just learning how to let the mind settle.

To further Andys excellent post - when looking for a councillor, shop around. In some ways its like making a partnership - you need to be able to feel comfortable, yet suitably challenged by them. A "yes" man or woman won't help much, but neither will someone who preaches and does not understand.

If its not working with one councillor - that doesnt mean it will not work at all - its probably just that they're not right for you... dig out the yellow pages and look around....
This is so important, and I like the link Lagers.

I'm currently having a dog fight with my own big dog (we've been scrapping on and off for far too long).
Stick with it, I hope things improve soon.

lagerstarfish

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Having some convincing science to back up whatever dog training you end up with is important

A good talking therapist should explain their techniques in terms that the client/patient understands - giving them good grounds to believe that the techniques will work and some estimation as to why/how they will work. If this doesn't happen near the beginning, it's probably time to try another therapist/therapy, or at least ask them to explain themselves better.

Self help should be similarly grounded

putting in regular effort is mostly what works. However, motivating oneself to do this in the first place isn't so straightforward - that's what talking is good for. Talking is also good for planning where/how the effort should be focussed. Us humans tend not to be too good at seeing the wood for the trees when dealing with our own minds.


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This Australian website is good.

It's a kind of self done - cognitive based therapy. I've had some patients who think its great, others not so keen.

https://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome

Exercise is interesting - lots of people feel it helps, the recent clinical evidence is less encouraging of its role. I still tell people to do some.

Citalopram is the first line anti-depressant. It works - however the side effects usually in week one to two do wear off.

Unfortunately the NHS can't provide what everyone needs. If you're seeing your GP for the first time - ask the reception guard who's good to see, they know. Also ask for a double appointment - I need at least 20 mins on a first consult, and usually get people back in within a week and certainly before prescribing. Yesterday's morning surgery was 4 new presentations of depression mixed with anxiety - by patient 4 I was pretty mentally exhausted. So if the first GP you see seems rubbish give them a second chance of try someone else. That's why GPs work In groups - we're all different

fatkid2000

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BTw - that printed test known as a PHQ 9 is a common test - it's forced on GPs to do.

It's a shit test but the DoH won't take out of assessment.

It massively over and under estimates depression levels & every GP I know hates it. If we don't do it our clinical performance indicators drop. I and a lot of GPs fill it in once the patient has left.

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reducing alcohol intake can be very important

I don't know why the link between alcohol and depression isn't more widely advertised

however the value of moderate social drinking (pub therapy) shouldn't be underestimated (I'm not a doctor etc...)

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reducing alcohol intake can be very important

I don't know why the link between alcohol and depression isn't more widely advertised

however the value of moderate social drinking (pub therapy) shouldn't be underestimated (I'm not a doctor etc...)

And if you're on anti-depressants prevents them working effectively.
It's amazing how many people find their mood picks up when they reduce their alcohol use to under 10 units ( not just those with a formal diagnosis)

One interesting thing is S.Yorks has some of the highest levels of anti-depressant prescribing in the UK - the highest specific area being Rotherham.

Although not always the case there does seem to be an increasing amount of turning to anti-depressants to deal with life events. Some of us and I'm in that group are starting to worry about the levels of prescribing and that we may be storing up problems for the future - similar to the problems caused by benzo . These meds take 2 months to work at least - then you need to be on them for 6 months with a stable mood before considering stopping, hence the average prescription length being 2 years in the UK currently.

lagerstarfish

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that's 10 units a week for those of you who were thinking that 3 pints of stella a day sounded easily achievable

for some people the depression or low mood that is due to the alcohol doesn't lift immediately

there can be a delay of a few weeks (sometimes a lot more) before the alcohol induced part of their depression lifts

this can be particularly frustrating, leaving them without the crutch/escape that booze was providing, yet feeling as low as ever - it's a difficult period to ride out and of course the rest of the depression will still be there



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I was given a prescription for Citalopram (sp?) which I'm yet to get. Some of the side effects put me off.
When my depression escalated to depression + anxiety/panic attacks (fun!) my prescription was switched from Prozac to Citalopram.  As well as it addressing the panic quite well, I found it far less intrusive than the Prozac - it didn't make me feel quite as "drugged" and didn't affect my libido as much. I found it a great help.

Citalopram is the first line anti-depressant. It works - however the side effects usually in week one to two do wear off.
I can confirm that this was my experience.  After the first 5 days or so of feeling a little weird with strange pins and needles, etc the side-effects were no longer noticeable.

then you need to be on them for 6 months with a stable mood before considering stopping, hence the average prescription length being 2 years in the UK currently.
Personally I'd also recommend reducing the dose for a period before stopping altogether though I'm not sure there's any medical evidence for this.  The first time I tried to stop (Prozac) I did it too suddenly and I fell back down again.  When I was eventually successful (took a few goes) I scaled down to a half dose for a couple of months before stopping, and also timed the stop with coincide with the onset of summer.

 

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