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The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day (Read 129150 times)

lagerstarfish

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#200 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
September 29, 2017, 11:36:50 pm
Largers, I'm very glad to hear the therapy is working for you.

cheers dude

I'm OK at the moment and therefore in a good state to learn new stuff

a relapse prevention approach is new to me - feels odd doing this work when I feel/function OK - it's interesting when we discuss how to apply the techniques to depression related stuff; normally, when I'm well, I don't think about those bad times in any detail and try my best not to think about them at all.


Andy F

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Hope everyone is feeling okay today. If not, talk about it  :goodidea: :great:

Falling Down

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I thought about which thread to stick this in and figured this one was probably the most appropriate http://mountainjournal.org/when-tragedy-hits-a-mountain-town

I also don't think this need to measure up against peers is unique to the young. 


duncan

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Thanks Ben. It reminded me to get in touch with someone, so thanks for that.

I'm not remotely connected with that world any more, and I'm not a Millenial, so I'm not sure how much of it I go along with. I lived in Tahoe for a time and, if that was anywhere to go by, affluent mountain towns can be weird places.

More generally, I'm less pessimistic about Millenial mental health. Gut feeling: there seem to be fewer deeply f*cked up people than in my youth, a lot of moderate anxiety perhaps but more openness about mental health issues and willingness to seek help. Data: suicide and self-medication with hard drugs and alcohol all a lot lower than in the 1980s.


Andy F

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And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Can't face life on a razor's edge
Nothings what you thought it would be
All of us get lost in the darkness
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the cars
Turn around and turn around and turn around
Turn around and walk the razor's edge
Don't turn your back
And slam the door on me

Neal Peart may well get some shit for his earlier lyrics, but he combined hammer and nail here.

This is one of the songs I go to when things are hard.

Andy F

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#205 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
November 29, 2017, 08:34:40 pm
I should have listened to my own advice...

Just spent 3 nights in a MHU, voluntarily, after a major down on Saturday night. The family and staff in the unit have been amazingly supportive, things are looking a little brighter.

Wil

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#206 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
November 29, 2017, 09:10:54 pm
Sorry to hear that Andy, but glad you were able to seek help.

The people around you can be amazing with helping you deal with this stuff, even when you might feel guilty for having to take advantage of it.

This thread has been really helpful to me in putting some things in perspective, seeking help and understanding that the people in my life are happy to be there for me.

lagerstarfish

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#207 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
November 29, 2017, 10:05:21 pm
I should have listened to my own advice...

I recognize that, Andy!

I tried (several times) to make a video of my well self offering advice to my unwell self - I found myself laughing at times, angry at others, but still couldn't say what I wanted to the camera in a way that I thought would work.

I have stuff written down, but when I am really down I generally think it's not worth looking at and, if I do look at it, it doesn't mean anything to me (edit - this isn't quite true, it has helped a few times, but mostly I remember it not working, coz that's what us stupid humans do)

What works best for me is non verbal/language reminders - I have a few photos that usually remind me of feeling OK and a few videos (that I made) that can really hit the spot; not always, but way more than other advice I have tried to record.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2017, 10:12:30 pm by lagerstarfish »

lagerstarfish

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#208 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
November 29, 2017, 10:10:14 pm
Just spent 3 nights in a MHU,

not just for you Andy, but there is a lot of wellness to be gained from bigging up the people that help us

Radio 4's All in the mind awards

I've written stuff to people who have helped me and the process helps me a lot - also helps me be more clear about why help works.

manly  :hug:

iain

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#209 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
November 30, 2017, 08:12:15 am
... The family and staff in the unit have been amazingly supportive, things are looking a little brighter.
That's really good to hear Andy, take care

Monolith

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#210 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
December 01, 2017, 08:22:21 pm
Keep on the up Andy. Here any time you want to chat beast.

Fiend

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#211 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
December 21, 2017, 07:38:20 pm
Just finished reading Dawes' book. Very interesting overall. Pretty topical for this thread.

DAVETHOMAS90

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#212 Re: The Black Dog... WHO Mental Health Day
December 25, 2017, 11:10:52 pm
Hi folks.

Hope everyone's doing OK.

All I have to say about this video is..

ONE. HUNDRED. PERCENT.



For a long time, I've been revisiting climbing, and looking at it through the lens of bonding and separation.

How lucky am I to have such a healthy drug to turn to? There are distinct times when, like the rats and the drug infused water, I find myself not wanting or feeling I need to turn to it, and I'm painfully aware of that.

If you do have to join the club, there is no "price of admission" beyond the peace or enjoyment you find, no grade to mark your arrival .. and that is precisely what we should extend to the world and people around us.

xx

SA Chris

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Andy F

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I'm just bumping this. Because it's fucking important.

Downclimber

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It is.

Kudos to all the posters, and I hope you're all well :-)
« Last Edit: May 30, 2018, 11:17:56 pm by Downclimber »

Downclimber

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OK, so not so much of a black dog question, more of a technicolour kaleidoscope question but has anyone ever taken quetiapine?

DID IT MAKE YOU FAT BECAUSE I'M QUITE GOOD AT CLIMBING AND THIS MAY MATTER  :popcorn:? Also will it mean that I can no longer hang the beastmaker 6s with 5 kilos?  :weakbench: :dance1:  :beer2: :boxing:

Flip it, I'm gonna take it anyway and trying super hard but I can't take zopiclone forever, and it makes me sleep for about four hours before springing out of bed like a five year old on christmas day  :bounce:.

Also why is there a sexy times emoticon thingy? Hehe  :lets_do_it_wild:

Much love xx

hansmaro

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It wont make you fat, unless you are on very high doses over an extended period. If you take it due to sleeping-problems, most likely it will be sufficient with 25 or 50 mg. At such a low dose, the Quetiapine only has antihistamine-properties.

Offwidth

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Some positive stuff. This year was the most satistied I've ever been in my 30+ year academic career in terms of helping those students cope on my course who are dealing with ongoing mental health problems. Nearly a fifth of my final year students are suffering from mental health difficulties,  mainly varying degrees of depressive illness or severe anxiety. Support from my University for these students really improved just because each of the academic schools employed someone, and, importantly, we could refer students to them as course leaders. They acted in a triage role before appropriate further support could be arranged or just provided a regular extra voice of support. The guy in my school has seen several hundreds of students this year. This is in contrast to what happened until a few years ago  when students had to self refer for centralised Uni counselling and there was then often a massive queue for appointments at busy times  (not helpful, if problems are acute... often such students had to rely on the chaplain services).  I've railed against some pretty horrible treatment in the past, including students timed out of a degree course as in the past we had a 6 year limit: often bright students who had to take long periods away from their studies and in their better periods just couldn't quite get all the assessments completed in time.
« Last Edit: June 15, 2018, 06:11:26 pm by Offwidth »

Downclimber

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It wont make you fat, unless you are on very high doses over an extended period. If you take it due to sleeping-problems, most likely it will be sufficient with 25 or 50 mg. At such a low dose, the Quetiapine only has antihistamine-properties.

Cheers for the reply, it's 200mg for now, to be reviewed in a week or so. It's not really for sleeping problems.

Offwidth, that's awesome news. I had a terrible experience at the first uni I went to.I failed all of my second year university exams, in the midst of a period of severe depression. This signified the end of a somewhat disastrous first attempt to obtain a degree at Imperial College.

The interactions I had with some (not all) academics there were so discouraging that I'd never been able to ask for help. I'd received various levels of verbal abuse from those who were supposed to offer pastoral care, ranging from my personal tutor to my head of course. For example: “Your exam results are really, really bad (58%). Anyone walking past this university could get these results”.  Or on the fact that I knew, after year one, that my seventeen-year-old self had chosen the wrong course: “If you don't finish this course, you'll never finish anything”.

That experience destroyed my self-belief. I left broken. In the interview I had to determine whether or not I should be allowed to retake the year, they asked if I thought I had any extenuating circumstances. I said no. I wasn’t even sure if I believed in mental health; and if I did, I didn’t want to attribute my failure to it. To this day, I don’t believe that that was the main problem with my experience.

At the second uni I tried, I had a personal tutor who wanted to help, and felt able to ask lecturers when I didn't understand a concept. I made some amazing friends and I loved my degree. I think you are right, universities have made good progress here. If we want to get the best out of people they need appropriate support.



andy popp

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Like Offwidth I have 30+ years in academia. I am just aghast, appalled, at your description of the treatment you received at the hands of some academics. It is completely unforgivable, cruel and unnecessary. I'm truly sorry you had to endure that. The department you were in had clearly developed an extremely unhealthy culture, perhaps linked to seeing themselves as part of an "elite" institution. I'm glad you have since had a much better experience. Learning should be a shared, enriching experience.

Downclimber

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I'm truly sorry you had to endure that. The department you were in had clearly developed an extremely unhealthy culture, perhaps linked to seeing themselves as part of an "elite" institution. I'm glad you have since had a much better experience. Learning should be a shared, enriching experience.

Thanks Andy, I suspect you're right about the elite institution. It's a shame.

Having experienced a third university while doing a PGCE and then a fourth (trying to get a PhD if I can only get my mental health under control) I've met similar attitudes to you and offwidth, nothing like Imperial, and I'm glad.

On the plus side, I've been as involved as I've had time to be with teaching and demonstrating to undergrads which I absolutely love and I would do anything to help them learn so hopefully, If I can make it as far as teaching, I can use the experience wisely.

duncan

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Shocking. If it’s any consolation, I think institutions are somewhat better at supporting students today than they were 20 years ago, if mine is anything to go by. This has nothing to do with compassion and everything to do with National Student Survey results.

Meanwhile ~38% of academics report mental health problems but only 6% feel able to disclose them to their university.

Offwidth

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I dropped Imperial as my plan B on UCAS when I realised from talking to friends I met on my pre Uni industrial year as a graduate apprentice (a fabulous initiative that Thatcher did for soon afterwards)  that Imperial had a reputation in the late 70s and early 80s for almost testing some of the brightest students in the UK to destruction, in a few of their STEM teams. Progression rates were sometimes dreadful, which was idiotic given the quality of intake (3/4 A's and 2 S leveles were the norm).  From a course design perspective  Cambridge turned out to have the exact opposite attitude.. well planned courses with good academic support and superb flexibility if the course you started on was not for you. Plus a big push to do other stuff, than just academic work. Hardly anyone failed. Mental health support was still a bit patchy (depended on your colllege and tutors) and sadly I had friends take their lives in both institutions due partly to pressure to succeed. It was weird, even if prepared and healthy, moving from being one of the brightest kids in your school to being ordinary.

Anyhow, it all cemented my view on how I should treat students as an academic.

tomtom

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There are many issues at play with student mental health. Many universities now have good/excellent units for this - but - the student has to refer themselves. (They’re 18 so aside from ask students to go - we can’t do much else).


A big change since maybe some of us went to university is that now children are under FAR more pressure at school to pass exams - reach targets etc.. once they come to university - with the freedom and lack of parental support that comes of living away from home (and being 18 as above) then things can suddenly release - and people have real trouble. Like they’ve been patched together to get through A level s then......

The recent Bristol cases highlighted in the Guardian this week also flagged up how centralised student welfare has made getting help (for a student - from their perspective) much less personal an experience. There is a website or w phone number or a generic email address rather than a PERSON. for sure - for some this mah be preferable - but for most our research says not. This is what’s happened st our place - no more student welfare staff  in departments - instead ‘just call the Student hub’ etc...

 

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