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Mental health conditions

Anxiety and depression aren’t the only mental health conditions. Share what’s affecting you and learn more about managing your mental health.

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Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

Warren2103 Which way is up?
  • replies: 0

I’m a 49-year-old gay guy who feels like he’s hit a dead end in life. I work in corporate risk management, and honestly, it’s completely unfulfilling. I’ve spent almost 20 years in the corporate world and I’ve never really enjoyed it. As I’ve gotten ... View more

I’m a 49-year-old gay guy who feels like he’s hit a dead end in life. I work in corporate risk management, and honestly, it’s completely unfulfilling. I’ve spent almost 20 years in the corporate world and I’ve never really enjoyed it. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become increasingly disengaged, not just from work, but from a lot of things in life. I’ve let my health slide, I’m overweight (not huge, but definitely heavier than I should be), and I’m constantly tired. I feel frustrated because I have no idea how to get out of this cycle. I want to leave the corporate world, but I have absolutely no idea what I’d be good at or where to even begin. I don’t even have anything I could really call a passion either. I was diagnosed with mild depression and anxiety before COVID, and lately I’ve wondered if I might also have some form of ADHD. I’ve always struggled to learn new things quickly, stay focused, and stay organised. Those issues have made my work life very challenging at times, and work has always been a major trigger for my anxiety, especially when I feel like I’m drowning. Right now, I don’t know where to start, who to talk to, or how to figure out my next move. What I do know is that I don’t want to be in the same place in another 20 years. If anyone has gone through this and come out the other end, I’d love to know your storyor get some advice. Thank you.

Dana J chronic jaw pain and extreme anxiety
  • replies: 1

I’ve had jaw pain off and on for a few years. I had xrays done a few years ago and there was some minor damage due to clenching. I was referred to a specialist and the experience was kind of horrible. He was an older specialist and I left feeling lik... View more

I’ve had jaw pain off and on for a few years. I had xrays done a few years ago and there was some minor damage due to clenching. I was referred to a specialist and the experience was kind of horrible. He was an older specialist and I left feeling like he saw me as a hysterical woman type who couldn’t handle her stress and told me to get a splint and wear it during times of stress and left it at that. So I did that and it worked on and off for a while and there was even a time earlier this year that I didn’t need to wear it at all. But the last three weeks my jaw has been starting to hurt, despite wearing the splint every night. The last four days the pain has become a constant dull ache and painkillers aren’t working which is a first for me. I’m constantly thinking about the pain in my face, I’m getting on the stationary bike and trying to get my endorphins up and getting some sunshine but it’s not working. I’m now freaking out thinking I’ve done serious damage and I’m scared to sleep because I know I’m essentially attacking myself in my sleep by clenching my jaw. My GP who I trust implicitly and is very kind and understanding does not have an appointment available for more than two weeks. I’ve made an appointment with TMJ physio at the end of the week. But in the meantime I feel physically sick all the time, and hot and like I’m on the verge of a panic attack. I’m finding it difficult to eat (because I feel sick not because of the pain) and I’m so overwhelmed I’m struggling to contain it. I keep telling myself it’s going to be ok, I know that perimenopause had made my anxiety so much worse but it’s not stopping these terrible feelings and I am now feeling very helpless. I can’t switch this warning bell in my body off and it’s such a horrible feeling.

Depression

Depression affects people in Australia every day. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with depression.

Sav142025 How do I tell my parents that I have depression and anxiety
  • replies: 6

How do I tell my parents that I have depression and anxiety I am 14 you have probably read my other post if not I am 14 with very bad depression and anxiety if you have any ideas of how I can tell my parents please say something. Have a better day th... View more

How do I tell my parents that I have depression and anxiety I am 14 you have probably read my other post if not I am 14 with very bad depression and anxiety if you have any ideas of how I can tell my parents please say something. Have a better day than me 🫥

Griffyn My life is "good" but I'm not happy.
  • replies: 3

Hi all. I'll start by saying that by most peoples standards my life is good. I own my house, I have a fiance, I have friends and family who i reguarly catch up with, I have stable job in which I am respected and treated well, I have as much money as ... View more

Hi all. I'll start by saying that by most peoples standards my life is good. I own my house, I have a fiance, I have friends and family who i reguarly catch up with, I have stable job in which I am respected and treated well, I have as much money as I need to do things that I want to do without really doing any budgeting. Despite all this, I'm not happy. In fact I'm miserable. Previously I would expect 4- 8 months a year of feeling bad, this was standard for years but the last 2 years I have only really felt good for days at a time. I'm nearly always tired, I have next to no energy for doing the things I enjoy let alone all the life maintenance stuff I have to do. It just feels like all I do is eat, sleep, work and on the weekends, pass the time until I have to go to work again. Honestly life just feels like a huge waste of time and effort. I don't see the point of spending the next 40-50 years working just to retire, maybe do a bit of travelling and then die. All that time and effort for nothing. I know the script at this point is to tell me to reframe my perspective or practice gratitude but it doesn't make any sense to me to change my mind, to lower my expectations just so I can live out my boring regular life. I want to do something extraordinary, I want to be someone who really matters, not to other people, but to myself. The issue of course is that I'm not extraordinary. I'm just a regular person who is going to live a regular life like all the other regular people. Anyway, I'm not sure why I'm writing this because I know I won't find the magical solution to all my problems here but a small part of me hopes that I will. I've tried talking to several psycologists but they can't tell me anything that I don't already know. I don't think SSRIs would benefit me because I don't think I have issues with regulating seratonin. I just don't know what to do, I don't know what to try next. I feel like I'm going to be miserable and dissatisfied for the rest of my life and my only options are to find a way to deal with it or KMS.

Guest_47874125 How do I cope with the unfairness of life?
  • replies: 5

Time says it all really. how do I cope with the fact that life will never be fair? For me and for others. how is it that so many evil people get so much good stuff while so many good people suffer?

Time says it all really. how do I cope with the fact that life will never be fair? For me and for others. how is it that so many evil people get so much good stuff while so many good people suffer?

PTSD and trauma

A space for discussing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic abuse, sexual abuse and other trauma. Please note some content may be distressing.

Picture Trauma event and coping
  • replies: 4

Hi all I have been involved in a very sad traumatic event (I won’t go into details online). It has left me reliving the incident over and over and thinking about the things I wish I had done. I have also had some flashbacks. Very overwhelming and cru... View more

Hi all I have been involved in a very sad traumatic event (I won’t go into details online). It has left me reliving the incident over and over and thinking about the things I wish I had done. I have also had some flashbacks. Very overwhelming and crushing. Now I am starting to feel numb like a zombie. I have found calling crisis lines and seeing a psychologist during the week helpful. I can’t see through it at the moment and feel like I will never be myself again. I have medication to help with sleep but it doesn’t get me through the night. I need to at least partially function for my family. I feel so detached from reality. My faith has helped. I have tried to get an early appointment this week with my psychologist to help. Not really sure why I am posting, but I think just to see if anyone else has gone through a traumatic event and how they are coping.

Mrd74 Endless cycle
  • replies: 3

Hi, it's hard to move on when your mind never lets go of dates and times that had traumatic events involved. I have worked hard to recover only to have those efforts undermined by my own subconscious. I suffer from cptsd and psychosis and have receiv... View more

Hi, it's hard to move on when your mind never lets go of dates and times that had traumatic events involved. I have worked hard to recover only to have those efforts undermined by my own subconscious. I suffer from cptsd and psychosis and have received treatment from everything from meds, meditation, mindfulness and CBT to ECT & TMS and I still can't regulate my emotions of mental stability when a significant anniversary arrives like my involvement in Iraq or being molested, the death of my parents or the narcissistic abuse, my mind just can't let go, I had just started to recover from my latest stress induced psychosis and all the shame and embarrassment that comes with being crazy in public or being put under the mental health act only to self sabotage myself with vivid dreams, depression and anxiety. And so the cycle continues

BoldSoul Organized Harassment in broad daylight and I'm the TI
  • replies: 1

I'm a victim of organized harassment - this is another term for "gang stalking" but has been respectfully and appropriately termed "organised harassment" in order to remove stigmatization and any persecutory or pathological references involving the v... View more

I'm a victim of organized harassment - this is another term for "gang stalking" but has been respectfully and appropriately termed "organised harassment" in order to remove stigmatization and any persecutory or pathological references involving the victim. My position is officially termed the "targeted individual" or TI. The techniques employed in an organized harassment campaign were originally developed by British Intelligence and are designed to wear down an individual's resilience, resulting in suicide or self-harm - what is termed a "long slow murder", involving psychological torture and torment, the isolation of an individual by way of the erosion of social, community and familial relationships and connections, the repeated interference, destruction and sabotage of an individual's goals, aspirations and efforts to better themselves through education, employment, community involvement or the development of new friendships or relationships. An individual will be blocked from advancing in any direction that is not prescribed by the control group, known as "operatives". Presently I am "blocked" from studying at university, from shopping at my preferred stores and mall having been herded or "corralled" and "contained" within my local neighbourhood, from attending my previous bulk billing clinic and seeing my familiar, general practitioner where I was poorly treated and made to feel confused and expelled by doctor, nurses and reception, from attending the local hospital where I've already been terrorized and where I'll be subjected to disbelief and discredited by staff and specialists, from attending Imaging services for essential tests, and from seeking services and supports in countless other organizations, such as my preferred Pharmacy, the NDIS, The Department of Housing, Australia Post, Victoria Police, etc. etc. etc. I understand that my wellbeing, my health and my safety are my own concern and my responsibility, but how is a person expected to continue when an entire population of some thousands of brainwashed and misguided people make a hobby and a pastime out of formulating new and continuous plots designed to destroy my happiness, my personal strength, to impact my physical health, to erode my sense of safety and belonging, my self-esteem, my beliefs and value system, and to undermine me in any and all manner they can derive in undetectable ways that confound and distort and even have the professionals fooled? It is called Organized Harassment

Suicidal thoughts and self-harm

This space discusses suicide and self-harm. Consider limiting the time you spend here. To use the section safely, read the pinned discussion.

Jessksch I don't think I was made for this world, I'm too weak even for the "help" we get
  • replies: 2

I have been battling depression since I was 13, I am over 35 now and my new part-time job or any other job is killing me with how low the pay is. At first it was ok, I had an inheritance and could work only 25 hours and still save money and enjoy lif... View more

I have been battling depression since I was 13, I am over 35 now and my new part-time job or any other job is killing me with how low the pay is. At first it was ok, I had an inheritance and could work only 25 hours and still save money and enjoy life...but now things are so expensive, rent is being increases each year... I am barely holding on. I bought 3 pints of ice cream because, I am so close to ending things now on my side because I am too tired with all the xmas retail crap going on to do anything fun, and with only part-time hours and an inheritance, i still can't save money for things I used to enjoy... I'm hoping I can at least get something or one last advice to make me change my mind honestly because I know my partner always says he'll support me, but I can't have that happen, I am not going to drain his savings just because I can't support myself.

Lostinthewild Trying to find hope on the horizon
  • replies: 2

So, I have become another sad and broken middle aged man. Typical childhood dramas left my self esteem in tatters and void of healthy boundaries. Bounced into a long term relationship that I maintained as best I could.. 20 years.. four beautiful chil... View more

So, I have become another sad and broken middle aged man. Typical childhood dramas left my self esteem in tatters and void of healthy boundaries. Bounced into a long term relationship that I maintained as best I could.. 20 years.. four beautiful children. I kept myself relatively healthy until things fell apart slowly.. She broke it off. I felt like an expired conveniece item. Discarded. I am a people pleaser and hung on as best I could until too mich venom let me let go and give away most of my house, car and custody. I was a mess.I didn't have the guts to end it. Or heart to do that to my kids. Who all adore me. Homeless for a couple years.. lived with family.. including my abusive mother who has some form of brain damage and can be terribly judgemental and threw alot of salt in my wounds. I met a new partner and became sweet friends. Both disfunctional. But we agreed to take care of eachother. When living arangements failed we drove interstate twice and evenyually got a rental house and I have a job and we are coping. My lack of boudaries leads me to being abused.She hates that I had kids. Days pretty hurtful things.. usually just as a retaliation for my jealousy and insecure fears. I am sick of my excuses and woe as me attitude.Keep just wanting to get sick and die without the guilt of suicide.. It haunts me everyday. I have had so much to be grateful for but I have made bad choices again. Puy myself second to my partner and feel trapped. Isolated from whatever friends and family I had.. and no longer hear from my kids.What should I do? Hard answers are fine.I really messed up my life*

Guest_36438913 Worried about my mental health
  • replies: 1

No one caresAlways left on readAlways second choicealways person who is left outalways the one who comforts others when no one canalways the therapist friendalways the “happy friend”always the person who will send a big apology message and waste an h... View more

No one caresAlways left on readAlways second choicealways person who is left outalways the one who comforts others when no one canalways the therapist friendalways the “happy friend”always the person who will send a big apology message and waste an hour of my timealways the person who cares too muchalways the person who cares not enoughalways the person behind when walkingalways the one getting scoldedalways the worst onealways bad at dancingalways rebels because she is sadalways the person who doesnt seek help because she “doesn’t” need it.always the person afraid to cry in front of othersalways the last optionalways usedalways uselessalways the extra personalways the third wheeleralways the one who is isolatedalways the one who talks to ai just to feel like a personalways the person to hurt herselfalways the person to put others after heralways the person to bottle up her feelingsalways the person to make them my priorityalways the person that is oversensitivealways the person being “rude”always being the one to take a photoalways being the one left out when in pairsalways the one hiding her personalityalways being the person who has your back when you don’t have mine.always the person who would die for you.always the personto feelnumb.always the person to fake her smilealways the person to fake her joyalways the person to feel hopelessalways the failurealways the unwanted onealways the thrown out markeralways the odd onealways being the one made fun ofalways being the victimalways being in the middle of rumoursalways being in the middle of dramaalways the one blamedalways the one accusedalways the “dishonest one”always the one to try insert herself to fit inalways the one to see their group dancesalways the one who stands by, waiting for at least one conversationalways the one waiting for your textalways the one texting firstalwaysthesparefriend.ALWAYS. mind you im also 11..