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Mental Health

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by Royal1985, Mar 4, 2022.

  1. Royal1985

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    A mod told me I was allowed to make a thread like this as long as it doesn't get out of hand. So let's talk about mental health. I was wondering if there are others here like me that have mental health issues. I have depression and anxiety. I see a therapist regularly and I'm on a new set of meds (I won't know if they fully work for about another week.) Anyway if you do have a mental health issue, is it easy to navigate your life? Do you date?
     
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  2. quebec

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    Royal1985.....It's a bit difficult to answer your question as there are many types of mental health issues. I met my therapist for the first time on December 15, 2015 and have been talking to him on a weekly basis ever since. I talked with him today. There are just so many things that I needed help with, and I think that's the norm for most people. At first I had to deal with coming out. He was the first person that I ever said; "I'm gay" to. It took me at least 30 minutes and waterfalls of tears to get those words out. After finally getting those words out, there was a lot of work for me to understand why it was so difficult to say them out loud. There was a tremendous amount of depression that went with hiding my sexuality for over 40 years. That depression had led to shame and me creating a false personality that I hid behind. No one knew that I was gay...I had even kept it from myself for most of those 40 years. So we had depression and shame to work through as well as acceptance of my sexuality. So you see, going to see a therapist...if you are serious...is not just a one-shot deal. To really be effective, there is often more to it than that. I'm not trying to scare you away from seeing a therapist. Seeing a therapist was one of the best things that I have ever done. My life has changed and is so much better because of it. How will it effect your dating life? That I don't know as what you and the therapist dig up may or may not have an effect on dating. The most important thing about seeing a therapist is that you will start to learn who the real you is. I guess that could effect your dating as knowing who you really are could change the kind of person that you look for when you are looking for a date.
    .....David :gay_pride_flag:

    EDIT: I need to clear something up a bit. I said in this post that my therapist was the first person that I came out to. I should have said that he was the first person that I every came out to face-to-face. I came out here on EC in December 2014 and survived for the first year that I was "out" by only talking to folks here on Empty Closets. Then almost exactly a year later I came out in person to my therapist. I find that it says a lot about how difficult coming out can be, when it still was so very difficult to tell another person that I was gay after a full year of being out here on EC. Computers and the internet have allowed us to communicate with people all over the world, but they can not and never will replace the humanity of face-to-face contact.
    .....David
     
    #2 quebec, Mar 4, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2022
  3. Warrior999

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    You know I recently started cognitive behavioral therapy / psychotherapy, and the results have been splendid. I feel so calm and composed after being done with the sessions. I too came out to her (difference is, I am already out to my immediate family who have been very supportive of me) so it wasn't exactly some earth-shattering announcement. Nevertheless, coming out to her felt like a relief, especially since she knows about such stuffs. She was completely non-judgemental and supportive. Plus...she said she has many clients with similar issues: a married bi guy who is very promiscuous and cheats on his wife with both other men and women; a gay guy who went abroad with political asylum; an 11 year old girl who thinks herself as a lesbian etc etc. And so on and so forth. Hearing these stories make me realize that there are people like us everywhere, and I am not alone. In fact it made me realize I am so much luckier and in a better position than so many. Plus I am going through my anxiety and depression and other issues with her which is helping me. I wish I started it earlier though. That said I haven't done it with as much regularity as you do (once a week, though it's recommended)... I never even believed in these cognitive behavioral therapy until I found her...
     
  4. quebec

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    Warrior999.....I am so happy for you! :old_smile: Sometimes it takes a lot of convincing to get a person to consider and follow through with seeing a therapist. So many people have the "head shrinker" image and believe that anyone who sees a therapist is slightly (or even more so) crazy. They just don't understand how much a therapist can help them work through the problems that they are facing every day. I am glad that things have worked out well for you and hope that you can continue to work through them. Sometimes we have problems that we have no idea how to handle and a short session with a therapist can show us how to deal with them!
    .....David :gay_pride_flag:
     
  5. Warrior999

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    Nah that was never an issue for me tbh. It's just that I thought therapy will not work or solve my problem. It seemed useless. but boy, I was wrong...
     
  6. Rayland

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    I am similar to you and I also have adhd and it's not easy to navigate everything, but I keep it up to the best of my ability. I accept that I can't have control over everything and that it's okay to make mistakes and learn from them. I also know what are the triggers for my anxiety and do deep breathing exercises, whenever I start feeling anxious. I move forward with taking small steps every day and learn new things about myself.

    I also see a psychiatrist regularly and take medication and that has helped me a lot and also talking to others who understand helps too.
     
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  7. BlueLion

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    I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. But I think I was mis-diagnosed and that has brought a lot of problems for me.

    In the end, all that I was going through was fear of loving and not be loved. I used to be a very shy person, and I was very embarrased of being gay because it wasn't "socially accepted".
     
  8. TinyWerewolf

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    There's one condition I hate to admit I have because it has been a thorn in my side my entire life. The way others treated me due to it was horrendous, it may have been a major part in my anxiety. I do think I have depression as well- I know I've had a lot of depressive episodes over the course of my life that almost caused me to end it and repress my emotions in severe distress at times. My mind likes to torture me in short. The result is being jumpy, withdrawn at times, outright self hatred, keeping my head down and not talking to strangers and a general mistrust in people (especially from this place and anyone my age). I know I need therapy but can't get it at this time. Therapists are usually homophobic/transphobic here anyway and don't have patients like me. So I write here and in my journal, draw, spend time with my dog, and try to talk to the seven real friends I have left and my girlfriend.
     
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  9. Tightrope

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    I have had depression and anxiety for a long time. I first got medicated for it as a young adult and I wonder what things might have been like if I had access to medication and therapy as a child or teenager. It wasn't denial. I had never heard of depression until I took the basic psychology course in high school and at my university. It took more years to seek help for it and medication. it has taken the wind out of me for extended periods of time.

    I am very open to people about taking these medications. Most people are very okay with it. One acquaintance who wanted to be friends with me said, "Why do you take that stuff?" He even put down someone who got those hair plugs. It was all judgmental. This guy doesn't take care of his appearance. There are a few people out there who make negative comments about my condition and medications - even today.

    Therapy can be weird. It only works if you have a therapist who is not judgmental and you should look forward to going more often than not. If it's the other way around, it's time to get another therapist. This would have been even tougher when Covid-19 was raging.
     
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  10. Royal1985

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    Thanks to everyone that's been replying. I hope this thread can help others when needed.

    I'm in a bad place mentally right now but if I start to feel better I'll reply to each of you.
     
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  11. QuietProffessNL

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    Medical professionals seem to be the cause of my mental health issues primarily, and some confusion about my gender in terms of the fact that I have a big bushy beard that's came and gone since the end of puberty and a medical record saying I'm a female because of some disagreements I've had with doctors who haven't had time to discuss things with me.

    Anyone care to help me to find some sort of mental health support online since I appear to be in some sort of catch-22 where I don't fully understand how to get help from the people who seemed to cause the problem and more have to go to appointments to talk politics?
     
  12. QuietProffessNL

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    Kind of a off the wall question, but do y'all want some interesting ideas that might help you advocate for yourselves that I dug up about adhd, the whole homophobic/transphobic/schizoaffective thing that getting to the bottom of was the main cause of my ptsd and identity questioning in terms of misdocumentation that may be easier on you guys to present to your professionals since I've made it this far on doing my homework?
     
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  13. TinyWerewolf

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    Therapists aren't supposed to be like the experiences I had with some of mine- they did a pretty good job of hiding it. Betterhelp and Very Well mind are totally online I know.

    Can't hurt to take a look.
     
  14. HM03

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    I have anxiety. I makes life harder to navigate, although I'm thankful it's better now than it has been in the past.
     
  15. BradThePug

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    I have bipolar disorder, anxiety, and PTSD. I have thankfully been stable on meds for a while. It did have a pretty big impact on my life. I was constantly paranoid for a long time, which led to me being more defensive. At times, I would be read as being aggressive towards others. I also had a episode where I was on a medication that made me pretty constantly hypomanic, witch did not help me feeling paranoid. I still have my bad days, but overall I'm a lot better than where I used to be. I have learned to keep track of my moods so I am able to catch if I may need to consider contacting my doctor to update my meds. Going through mental health treatment has helped me to be more empathetic to how others are feeling. I didn't realize how I felt was not "normal" until I took the step of seeking help. Therapy also helped me to better understand how I feel and how that can impact my interactions with others.
     
    #15 BradThePug, Apr 23, 2022
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2022