Hello everyone! :)

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Hello everyone,

My name is Ken.

I decided to join this online forum as I wanted to assist others who are experiencing mental health problems.

Like many people on this forum, I too have experienced the effects of anxiety and depression. I understand just how debilitating it can be to be afflicted with such disorders. I have witnessed first hand the cruelty of depression as my loved ones have also been affected by it. As a result of my experiences, I feel that this community is invaluable as it can provide hope, strength, and compassion to those who feel trapped in the darkest of places. Indeed, this is a service that is most noble in its cause.

In addition to my personal experiences, I'm currently undertaking a PhD in Psychology so I hope that my knowledge can assist others who are in need. As a caveat, I must state that I'm a researcher not a clinician (although I hope to be a clinician some day). Resultantly, I am unable to offer clinical diagnosis, however I'd be happy to offer suggestions or perspective on things if need be.

I look forward to hearing from you. 🙂

Cheers,
Ken

[Paul]

Hi Ken, Welcome!

Thanks for joining us and offering your friendship and experience. I'm sure there are people who you will find you relate to very closely if they share a similar life experience to yourself. Others will benefit from compassion and empathy and some are just glad to know they are not alone.

Many of us are either already diagnosed or are encouraged to visit a GP as part of a referral to get the ball rolling to better health. Personally my preference is to encourage people to attack being unwell from as many angles as possible. GP, stress reduction, talking about feelings on here and with trusted friends or family, exercise, nutrition, mindfulness to diffuse some painful emotions, meditation if that's what people like and so on.

So once again, welcome!

Paul

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Hi Paul,

Thank you very much for your warm welcome! 🙂

I absolutely agree with you in regards to having a multidimensional approach to mental health treatment. As a researcher, my view is that psychotherapy (I'm particularly biased towards Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with psychotropic medication as an adjunct (in certain cases; e.g., SSRI's) and/or the use of alternative therapies (e.g., meditation) is most helpful in the treatment of mental health disorders.

You are quite correct in listing exercise and nutrition as factors toward the road to becoming well. In fact, my honours thesis specifically dealt with the effects of lifestyle factors (i.e., diet and exercise) on mental health, so I can certainly relate on an academic level.

Indeed, an empirically based, holistic, multidimensional approach to mental health treatment is truly great way to tackle mental illness and mental health problems.

Thanks for your input! 🙂

Cheers,
Ken.