Please tell me it gets better

[Jade31]

Everyone tells me it will get better, but they dont understand, i want to hear it from someone who understands

[Zeal]

Hi Jade,

For many people with mental illness, things do and will get better. I don't know about your situation, but hopefully you can somewhat relate to mine. I was painfully shy up until my late teens. I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) aged 13, as well as general anxiety and mild to moderate depression. I still have OCD now, but it's mild and manageable. It became severe in my mid-teens, and affected my school life (both academically and socially), my family life, and my state of mind. I was always anxious, and found many actitivies and situations difficult.

My OCD mainly involved excessive handwashing, and fear of contamination and illness. I got very anxious if someone in my household was sick. I would stay in my room a lot. I was diagnosed with Anorexia at 19. It was an atypical eating disorder. I ate, but only healthy food, and not enough of it. My OCD made the eating disorder worse. I was hospitalised for 2 months in mid 2012, in a mental health ward.

Right now I am studying second year psychology, and I regularly respond to posts on this forum. I volunteer for an organisation that helps kids and teens with intellectual disabilities. I go on group outings with kids and a staff member, and I mentor a 13 year old girl. I babysit regularly, which I enjoy. My OCD is in the background now. It's there, but it does not negatively affect my life anymore. I stopped seeing friends and socialising when I got sick in 2012. For the past year and a half, I have built up a good network of friends. I've told some of my friends all about what I just told you, and they didn't judge me at all. When you meet the right people, they will do their best to accept you as you are. I am positive and more confident when I interact with friends now. I still have doubts sometimes, but I am so much happier and healthier than I have been in years.

You can get better too. Find things you love doing, and do them. If you love reading, read all the time. If music is your thing, practice it. Having hobbies and interests outside school and work is really helpful.

I recommend also seeing your GP. Explain your situation and thoughts to them. If they think you need extra help, they may refer you to a psychologist. The first step is making the appointment with your doctor (GP).

I hope things get better for you.

Best wishes,

SM

[White_Rose]

Hello Jade

Welcome to Beyond Blue. I like to believe we can support those who write in here. So can you describe how you feel and what you are anxious about?

As SM has said, people do recover from mental illness. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you can click on fact sheets about various illnesses. These are worthwhile reading and may give you some direction in your thinking. There is also a one minute questionnaire for depression, though you may already have a diagnosis and not need this.

Please write back soon with a little more information so that we can assist you more.

Warm regards

Mary

[geoff]

dear Jade, no need to be shy or afraid on this site, you are amongst a heap of friends here, in which every one of us either still have depression or have learnt to control or perhaps overcome it and by saying overcome it means that we are still prone to have a relapse, but we learn to be able to know that we can and will get better.

This has happened with me several times, as I believe that I have overcome my long struggle with this illness, how long I have it, well who knows but I was diagnosed in '95, but like SM I too have OCD.

What happens as we go through depression, we see a psych, take antidepressants (AD), but nothing seems to work, although if we click with our psych then it's such a relief to be able to talk to him/her, because we discuss many issues that we don't talk to anyone else about.

We do have a memory block when talking to them, so that's why it's always good to write down on a piece of paper what we want to talk about.

As time progress's we may have days where we feel slightly better, but then we crash again, so on the good days it's good to write down what has made us feel this way, and we do this because eventually we learn for it.

For someone we may meet who has never had depression often say, 'get over it, or tomorrow will be better' have no idea the atrocities that this illness inflicts on us, so it's best to try and block their comments, because if we worry about what they have said, this will only deepen our depression.

If we are still inclined to do any hobbies we have then this can help, but don't push it too much.

My circumstances changed immensely as I had to move out of our home as it was sold, because my wife divorced me, so I decided to rent a property, so I was alone with my puppie, and because of these changes I began to see the light and overcome my depression, that was 12 years ago or so.

On this site there will be many people offering you ideas, suggestions but most of all support and any help, some you may agree with or find it too difficult, but eventually with your psych, AD and people who have been to hell and back, hopefully you will slowly get better.

Hopefully we will hear back from you. L Geoff. x