Members new and old, introduce yourselves here

[Chris_B]

Hi everyone,

This is (what will hopefully become) a mega-thread for members, new and old, to introduce themselves.  I'll kick off:

My name is Chris Banks and I’m the online communities manager at beyondblue. Basically, I’m here to help out, contribute to discussions, and answer any questions you may have about beyondblue. I work with a team of moderators behind-the-scenes who keep the forums running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

I’m 37, originally from New Zealand, and have worked as a filmmaker, journalist, and musician.  I’ve spent a good chunk of time working in the mental health sector too. I have lived experience of bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, and have been living in Melbourne for nearly two years. In my spare time I enjoy movies, music, hanging out with mates, and I barrack for Hawthorn, much to the disgust of some of our regular members!

I’m not a psychologist or counsellor (although I have seen a fair few of them), so I can’t give medical advice. Like everyone else here, I can provide peer support only.
I really enjoy being part of the community and virtually meeting the many different people of all ages who come through everyday, even if they're not feeling the best when they arrive on the doorstep. Hopefully in your time here you'll feel less alone, and pick up some tips and encouragement for the journey.  

(passes on the talking stick)

PLEASE NOTE: This thread is for introductions only, if you have an issue you would like to discuss ongoing with the community, please start a new thread with your topic in the appropriate section.

[White_Rose]

Dear Ryan

Hello and welcome to the Beyond Blue community.  I do hope you make many friends here and I am certain many people will benefit from your experiences.

If you would like to talk about any specific issues I suggest you start another thread as replies to you will get lost in the Welcome section.  However if this is simply your introduction, great to have you on board.

I understand your frustration about the prospect of lifetime medication. I wonder if you would feel as upset it you were taking meds for high blood pressure or any other medical condition.I know the situation is not quite the same but it's worth thinking about. Having said that I bet you have been told this before.

My first thought when I read your post was that perhaps you had a sleep disorder but you have ruled that out. I think my AD contributes to my tiredness and it is really the pits. I believe I am taking the AD that is the best match for me, which is not perfect.

The other way to look at it is to think of the alternative, depression. I presume you have your Black Dog on a leash and trained to walk to heel. I'm sorry I cannot offer any alternative to you. I would be first in line if that was the case.

I hope you continue to write in here and support others with their difficulties.

Cheers

Mary

[White_Rose]

Dear Snow White

 I am so sad to read of your difficulties. When your children are involved it is always a devastating experience. Welcome to Beyond Blue where we will offer you all our support and care.

Please, try not to blame yourself for either your illness or your son's illness. They are not your fault and feeling guilty just prolongs the agony. I know this is easy for me to say but not so easy for you to do. Remind yourself that whatever the cause, it's done. What your task is now is to get well again and support your son.

All the problems that have been piling up all your life cannot be settled in a short time. I know that's hardly cheering for you but you need to get ready for a battle.

We all have had that experience of breaking into pieces and it really is dreadful. Picking yourself up and putting the pieces together will be hard. Do you have any professional help? Your GP, psychiatrist or psychologist?

If you would like to chat about this with me and other people on BB, would you please start another thread under Depression or Supporting Family and Friends, or Grief Loss and Separation or any other thread.  Replies to you tend to get lost amongst the other posts on Welcome and Orientation. Having your own thread means you can see all the responses and your own comments more easily.

I hope to "meet" you on another thread. Copy your post above if you wish on to the new thread.

Cheers

Mary

[White_Rose]

Dear Loz21

Welcome to Beyond Blue. I hope we can give you information and support.

I will not write a great deal here, she said chuckling to herself knowing how easy it is to get carried away. Seriously, it would be better for you to start a new thread under one of the other headings. That way the replies and your comments will not get lost amongst the other introductions.

In the meantime, explore this web site. BB has a huge amount of information about all the conditions you describe. In particular look under the tabs at the top of the page. The Facts and Resources will take you to information sheets and also information for family and friends. BB is a safe place to get information and far better than searching the internet where you will often find quite bizarre information.

BB will also send you any information you want free of charge. You can download this but if your BF is not willing to look at the computer, printed material may be better.

I am going to make a comment here that you may find upsetting. I suggest you look at when you talk about your anxiety and depression.  I know it can be scary to know you have a mental illness and even more so if the diagnosis of Bipolar is correct. Sometimes we find it easier to attribute all our actions to an illness. What I am saying is that you need to be aware of when you think something is happening because of your anxiety etc and when it is a convenient excuse.

I have no intention of dismissing your feelings. My husband refused to believe I had hay fever and that the constant sneezing exhausted me. He also refused to believe I had sleep apnoea despite me using a CPAP machine every night and his previous complaints that I snored. It's a bit like saying to someone that has been assaulted that they should just forget about it and get on with life. Not the most helpful of comments.

Your anxiety and depression will have a huge effect on you and I am not belittling that. So have a think and if you believe that all things are the result of your illness then OK.

I hope to hear from you on your own thread. Copy and paste your original post if it makes things a little easier. If you type Bipolar into the Search box at the top left of the page, you will find a number of threads on this topic.

Cheers

Mary

[White_Rose]

Dear Scarlet

Thank you for your post and welcome to Beyond Blue. My psychologist also suggested I look at the BB site. I wonder if we have the same psych. However please do not write his/her name here, or any other identifying information, as that is against the rules.

I want to comment on what you say about other people being worse off than you. That may or may not be the case. It is not a competition to see who has the worst injury. And no matter what difficulties you have to cope with, yours are the problems you are dealing with. Other folk will deal with their own problems. If we prioritised getting help based on severity of injury, I suspect none of us would get help. So please, believe you have been sufficiently hurt to merit help. It has nothing to do with other people. Refusing help for yourself will not help others.

Accept my commiserations on the loss of your mother when you were so young. I can well understand how devastating that must have been.

Don't try and write wonderful posts. Just put it down as it is. We will understand and respond. On that point I suggest you start your own thread. This is so that all replies to you and your posts will be in one place and not mixed up and lost in the Welcome and Orientation thread.

It's great that you have read other threads. While everyone's situation is different there will be similarities and the replies to others will have information and suggestions that will be useful to you.

Something else that may be useful is the information available on BB about depression and anxiety. Look under the tabs above, in particular under The Facts and Resources, and follow the links. BB will send you any of this information you want. You will also find information for Family and Friends which may be useful to give to your family and partner if there is a partner.

I look forward to hearing from you again on your own thread.

Mary

[dbr]

Hello everyone, my name is David. I dont know why I feel so down all the time. I have been this way for as long as I can remember. All my relationships fail, I currently have strong feelings for a woman I know and I thought she felt the same way, I was wrong. This woman has a head injury and is mixing with the wrong people. It turns out she is a lady of the night, with a drug habit. I told her about the way I felt and that her past is the past. I thought we were gettijng somewhere but then the wrong crowd came back and I was put to the side again. I am also on the dissability pension because of a bad back, and havent worked now for 4 years. I cant do anything with the little amount I receive and certainly cant take her out anywhere. My life seems to be going nowhere, its been like this for decades. I have no one to talk to, I live by myself and rarely interact with people anymore. I dont know how to make friends and I find it difficult to talk to women. I feel like I'm winging but I have to get it off my chest. I feel so alone, worthless and useless, I dont know what to do. I'm sick of feeling this way. Thanks.

[Lars]

Hi, I'm a 45 year old bloke who suffers from depression and social anxiety. I've been dealing with these on and off since I left school but wasn't diagnosed until about 5 years ago. During my Uni days, I self-medicated with drink and other substances but met a wonderful woman when I left Uni and have not used alcohol or drugs since. Up until 5 years ago, I thought I was just being a bit silly or overreacting to things and managed to pull myself out of any funk before it got too bad. However, when I hit 40 (coincidentally, by the way), it all hit me full on to the point that I nearly checked out. I tried to keep it hidden from my wife and kids on the premise that they didn't need the worry. However, my wife can read my like a book and knew straightaway something was wrong, an it really hurt her that I didn't say anything. The problem, as we all know, is that you feel worthless enough and you don't want those you love to see you as a failure. My wife has been the most amazing support to me when some partners may have left. After 5 years on anti-depressants, I have accepted that this is just a wired-in state that is just part of who I am. It's like being an alcoholic - it's there for life. My main issue is that I am a teacher who deals with social anxiety. Every day is an absolute act of will to go to work and put on the mask to hide how I'm feeling. At one point, I used to stand at the school gate and take 5 minutes before I could set foot inside. Talking to parents and dealing with kids fills me with dread but somehow I get through it, even though I am exhausted when the day finishes. Anyone got another job? The only piece of advice I have for anyone is to share with your loved ones - if they really love you, they will understand and help.

Stay strong, everyone.

[Mitzy]

Hi everyone, i'm 31 years old and new here. I have suffered depression and anxiety on and off for two year's...going through a tough time at the moment, which is why im here, to reach out to others like me. 

[1234Jess1234]

Hey guys, my name is jess.. im not too sure how to exactly use this quite yet but i am going to give it a shot.

 Its taken me years to accept that I suffer from both anxiety and depression and those years have been very tough for me. The first time I had a panic attack was one of the scariest things of my life! and I would never wish a panic attack upon anyone! The thing was, i didn't know these things were called "Panic Attacks" i continued to have them and eventually got help from a school counsellor and my mother. My mum started taking me to a psychologist outside of school and that's when i was diagnosed with depression and many different forms of anxiety. You could say i am a very anxious little girl! I am getting better at every day things now, It takes courage to present a speech in front of the class and even if i do have an anxiety attack afterwards i am proud to be able to stand up and do what i need to do. Nothing makes me happier. It seems silly but i feel so great when i can get up there. It isnt like that every time though 😞 For the rest of my life i will continue to suffer with anxiety but its my choice how i accept it. And i have finally realised how :))

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi everyone 🙂

My name is Kara and I'm from SA.  I joined because I've got a bit of a history (both with me, friends and family) of mental health issues.  I myself have struggled with health issues, anxiety and depression.
I'm feeling a little bit more resilient now but I still have some pretty tough days.  I wanted to join to help make a difference to other people.

Looking forward to connecting with people and hearing all your stories!

[ciramen00]

Hey everyone my name is B and I'm 23, from Melbourne. I have had depression and anxiety on and off for the last 6 years (pretty much since I finished school). Thought I would join an online forum to connect with others and learn of their experiences. I'm currently working part time but I dont enjoy my work and it gets me down that I still can't find what I want to do in life and find a true passion. I use to be a high level athlete and has aspirations to go far but since that didn't come to be, I'm now finding that I'm a bit lost in life. I want to have a more positive outlook in life and I want to stop worrying myself other things I have no control over. Hopefully I can find some answers here.