Welcome and Orientation

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Meet your community champions!

replies: 12

Hi everyone, We wanted to share with you the way that our wonderful Community Champions are here to support you. You may have noticed that a few of our Forums members are labelled ‘Community Champion’. Community Champions are volunteers within the Beyond Blue Forums who: have the time, skills and empathy to support other members regularly; help to welcome new members; are actively engaged members that help set the tone of our community. Our Community Champions are regular contributors to many conversations across the forums. They are a consistent and friendly voice that have committed to sharing their experience and expertise with this community. They are not health care professionals or clinicians. Like you, they have an experience with a mental health challenge or diagnosis – either for themselves or someone they care for. This forum is for people who understand what it feels like and have a lived and living experience of mental health challenges. Our Community Champions help everyone feel comfortable and confident by demonstrating what excellent peer support is all about. Click here to find out more about how you can become a Community Champion! This incredible team are excited to introduce themselves below, and we are sure you’ll see them around the forums in conversations important to you.

HELP..Am I posting in the right section?

replies: 10

Welcome to those who are considering posting for the very first time, welcome. Thought I would repost part of the words that Chris B posted awhile ago, (2014) as I can hear that people are unsure if they are posting in the right section or worried that they are posting "the wrong thing". 1.A good title makes the difference Just like a headline in a newspaper, when scanning the dozens of threads to click into, it’s only natural that people will choose the ones that resonate with them most. A title that entices the reader, or asks a question, is likely to get a better result than something non-descriptive like “Depression” or “I don't know what to do”. If you think you’re not good at choosing titles, leave it till last. Spend time writing your post, then perhaps choose a sentence from what you’ve written as the title. 2.Join in threads that have already been posted We all have our own unique stories, but part of the reason for joining a forum like this one is because you know that you will have a lot in common with others who are posting. Before starting a new thread, have a look through the current topics being discussed and see if there’s a conversation you can join in with. It can be quite common to have a handful of very similar threads happening at any one time, with members seemingly unaware that there are others right there who are going through the same thing. Talking to other members on their threads is a great way of getting yourself known so that when you post a thread of your own, people may respond quicker because they recognize your name. 3.Choose the most appropriate section for your post Many people browse the forums looking for stories specifically to do with pregnancy and parenting, employment, grief, loss, separation etc. Going straight for the “Depression” section may seem like the easiest option, but this section is often the busiest, so your post is more likely to get lost among the threads. Making good use of the different forum sections not only helps keep the forum relevant, but you’re more likely to find others who are going through the same experiences as you. Also, if you're wanting to discuss issues of trauma, abuse, suicidal thoughts or self-harm, it's really important you post in the designated section to avoid triggering others who may not wish to read about these topics. Mostly..just come and chat, we are here for you. Our amazing wizards in the background will see your message ends up in the right spot. Sarah

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Newbie

replies: 7

Hi to other people on this forum. Pretty new to this sort of thing but will sign in often to see what others have to say.

Gut wrenching angst

replies: 3

Hello fellow travellers:) I am a newbie here and having read some of the posts, I see I am not Robinson Crusoe in my situation. I am a (injury-forced) retired Murri (Qldr of Aboriginal descent) man, who has taken on the live-in care of an 18 yr old step-daughter who's been facing anxiety, depression and gender issues over several years now. This has resulted in several self-harm attempts. While I have organised various professional support groups/services for her, I recently found myself becoming over-emotional at any signs of strong/loving family images in books, TV shows and movies and realised that I also need some support and advice to stay strong enough to support any recovery. It's great to live in Australia and have the luxury of online forums to discuss my issues and hopefully support others in similar situations. May the Great Spirit of our wonderful land be with any reading this introduction.

Newbie to Forums but been fighting depression for most of my life

replies: 56

Hi all I write with some trepidation - after being diagnosed with depression almost 20 years ago and managed on one med with CBT very well, I recently have had a new major episode which has been absolutely crippling. On to my attempt at a 6th medication, with counselling and a fabulous GP, I have no faith in the psychiatrist who has seen me twice now. Main problem is sleep - averaging 4-5 hours a night. I react to almost every med I am put on and worst of all, I have felt my psychiatrist is not listening - saw him three days ago, gave me this new med and said It will be fine...see you in two months time. Do I look for another psychiatrist?

Am a Health Professional and a mother and have nothing left to give.

replies: 8

Hi, am new to all of this. I work in emergency and deal with life and death. I am sick of being abused by the public. Trying to talk people out of suicide and then dealing with heart attacks or someone complaining about some fake disease just to score opiates. Have been doing this for 30 years and am a single mother of a special needs child. Work/management doesn't care that we are overloaded with patients. People just take and take and I go home mentally and physically drained. I need to have something left for my son and my self. I put him first and then collapse. With shift work the only thing I look forward to is my bed. People have become so acopic with basic living skills and common sense that I feel like a second mother to the whole state I work for. zzzzz

Newbie and mostly confused....

replies: 7

Hi all, I'm the another new kid on the block (I seriously hope I've posted this in the right place - eep!), I've had depression, with a side of Anxiety and OCD thrown in for fun, for more years than I can remember now and up until a few weeks ago it was being successfully managed by medication and my psychologist. I know when I was first diagnosed my mum and dad called BeyondBlue for help and I thought this time around I'd give it a shot. I'm not sure what else to add other than 'Hello'. Cheers D

Am I depressed or just feeling disempowered

replies: 2

I've never been on a forum so here goes. I'm a 52 year old male, work as a Paramedic, married to a supportive wife and have 4 great kids. all ok so fast. However I feel that life has lost a lot of joy and I find it difficult to get involved with leisure activities or even enthusiastic at home or work. I often feel defeated, tired and feel that people tolerate me because I'm family. i feel pessimistic often and flare up in anger easily and am defensive. The only time I feel good is after exercise such as regular running or cycling or hiking. i love my family but feel it is difficult to be spontaneous and engaging. I attend church which I value highly but I so often feel negative. do I have a bad attitude or what? I don't know what to think thsnks

First post

replies: 6

Hi i want to just put in type where my heads at. I've been diagnosed with long term severe depression. shrink has me on medication. after a huge brain fart and having a massive blue with my wife I went cold turkey. I now see that as a incredibly bad choice. It was made for all the right reasons at the time. So now about 3 days later, I'm at home in bed. After coming home sick from work with what I thought was some kind of nasty stomach virus. Chills sweats excessive toilet visits vomiting heads spinning. A quick read of dr google (don't crucify me) seems to point more to withdrawal symptoms. I'm an idiot. i text my wife and told her all this, she agrees I need to at least taper off. i will rest and hope things calm a little.

Newbie: lost, unemployed, pregnant, desperate

replies: 1

Let me introduce myself as Wookie, as my husband affectionately calls me. I have suffered from depression and anxiety for much of my life (now 29 years old). I have sought help a few times, sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn't. I am fortunate to have a supportive husband, he also suffers from depression and anxiety much worse than me. My situation is this: I was working in a job that I loved, as a team leader in customer service. It was certainly not my calling, but I stumbled into it and really took to it, although being assertive was a huge struggle. It really helped me to overcome aspects of my depression/anxiety, but then one day I was made redundant. Now I knew this was coming, but I'm only feeling the full effects of it now. See, 2 days after my redundancy, I discovered I was pregnant. We were very happy of course, but there was a part of us that suddenly realised I needed to find work fast. It's been almost 2 months, and I have not yet found a job. I've applied for so many that I've lost count. My old work offered careers counselling which I jumped on, but I've lost motivation to engage with it now, which I know doesn't help me at all. I signed myself up with a recruiter to help me find suitable work, but they have been anything but helpful. The recruiter told me I shouldn't try for another team leading job because she felt my confidence was not up to scratch - that really made my heart sink. Here I was at my old job thinking I could conquer the world and in an instant one woman had obliterated that dream. I've lost motivation for everything. My husband is finding it hard watching me slip into this dark pit, and at the same time he is struggling to cope with day-to-day life as he hates his job and gets no recognition, so I'm having to stay strong just to keep him from slipping too. I tried to get some sort of welfare assistance, but my husband earns 'way over' the threshold for me to receive any sort of payment - he is on a low wage and on his income alone doesn't earn enough to cover our rent and other living costs. I just want to work, I'm desperate, but I can't get a look in. People say they'll get back to you and don't, which just makes me momentarily hopeful, then disappointed. Or they send the generic rejection email, or give no response at all. Am I really that useless? I'm a person that just wants to feel like I can contribute something, no matter how small. And the sooner the better; no one will hire a pregnant gal. Thanks.

Mum of 4, want to run away

replies: 2

I'm a married mum of 4 children age approx 2-11. I do 1 day/week paid work, so am mostly a stay at home mum. I feel increasingly less able to cope with normal life. I'm sick of it and want to run away. I wouldn't do that because I don't want to hurt my husband and my kids need me(sort of). I don't trust myself either! Sometimes I have dark thoughts, but am good at shutting them down quickly. I don't understand why I have no motivation for tidying or making proper meals. I used to be able to do those! Maybe only when I had 2 kids. It's getting worse. Now I rarely seem to be able to do the laundry. I used to enjoy laundry! It is an overwhelming task. I find myself doing things to escape from real life and my feelings - window shopping, phone games, movies, emotional eating. Escaping makes it worse due to wasted time that could be better spent. I'm sick of making school lunches, I'm sick of children complaining they don't like dinner, I'm sick of getting to school late. I'm sick of telling the kids a thousand times to put something away, I'm sick of behaviour issues with my 10 year old. My husband helps out practically, but he works long hours too, so I feel guilty when he helps. He seems to help begrudgingly too. Our relationship is okay, but we are more like housemates than husband and wife. We talk, but not about anything important. I feel my family would be better off if I wasn't around. They would be happier with a mum and wife who was motivated to do everything I should be able to do. If I spent all day everyday trying to look after my family and house I would still be falling so far below the mark, so why even try to do that when it's an impossible task. Am I lacking self disciple (to do my jobs at home, look after the kids properly, eat right) or do I have some type of depression? Am I a spoilt brat? Am I burnt out from it all? I don't recall ever being semi on top of things with 4 children. Maybe I was with 3? It should be getting easier now the youngest is getting older, but it's not. When I think something could help - getting meals delivered, hiring a nanny or someone to help me declutter I always give up because it will be too expensive. That won't fix inside my head anyway. I pray about my problem, but am struggling! I don't know where to go from here. I don't want my dominate thought to be that I want to run away from it all! I am very blessed and have a lot of good things going for me, yet I feel like I just want to escape my life.

Hi, struggling newbie

replies: 3

Hi everyone, I'm new here, thanks for letting me join. I've been really struggling with alcohol abuse on top of depression and anxiety recently, and not being able to find any solid, reliable employment just exacerbates things. So I really just neede... View more

Meet your community champions! replies: 12

HELP..Am I posting in the right section? replies: 10

Newbie replies: 7

Gut wrenching angst replies: 3

Newbie to Forums but been fighting depression for most of my life replies: 56

Am a Health Professional and a mother and have nothing left to give. replies: 8

Newbie and mostly confused.... replies: 7

Am I depressed or just feeling disempowered replies: 2

First post replies: 6

Newbie: lost, unemployed, pregnant, desperate replies: 1

Mum of 4, want to run away replies: 2

Hi, struggling newbie replies: 3