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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.

Spanz Health condition
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Hello..I am struggling alot right now. I have been diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia since seeing a dentist for a tooth extraction in July. I am a nz citizen been living and working in Australia for 2 years up to this point. I usually can get a hol... View more

Hello..I am struggling alot right now. I have been diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia since seeing a dentist for a tooth extraction in July. I am a nz citizen been living and working in Australia for 2 years up to this point. I usually can get a hold of my anxiety and depression but since this debilitating condition I cannot work or drive until I get used to the powerful meds. I am under neurologist and GP for this condition.. still waiting results of MRA. Since July my savings is all gone and my mental health has gone from bad to worse.. I have had councillors ring and want $295 for one session.. and I no longer have an income. Nor can I drive... i am scared I will have to go back to nz if I can't get help here. What do I do? Is there help here?

PsychedelicFur Car accident & lost my job
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Hello folks, After finishing my Bachelor’s degree, I landed what I thought was my dream job. I moved three hours away to regional Victoria, excited to begin my career in the field I’d always wanted. But the reality was different. I worked 40 hours a ... View more

Hello folks, After finishing my Bachelor’s degree, I landed what I thought was my dream job. I moved three hours away to regional Victoria, excited to begin my career in the field I’d always wanted. But the reality was different. I worked 40 hours a week, pushed myself to exhaustion, and quickly burnt out. My boss told me my work wasn’t good enough. When I broke down in tears, he told me to “grow up” because “this is the real world.” At just 22, with no real mentoring, I was expected to know everything straight out of uni. I gave the job everything I had, taking every piece of criticism to heart, until I eventually burned myself out completely. Despite that, I was constantly told my efforts weren’t enough, and my boss made it clear that termination was always hanging over me. A few weeks before I was let go, I was in a car accident. After a microsleep behind the wheel, I hit a reflector, overcorrected, and rolled my car. I was trapped upside down for an hour and a half until the SES cut me out. When my workplace found out, not a single person sent a card, flowers, or even asked if I was okay. Only one colleague checked in—and that was because they were surprised I wasn’t at work that day, even after I’d told them I needed a week off to recover. I felt invisible. Feeling like I failed. I moved three hours away, in regional Victoria for this job. And now I am back on unemployment benefits, feeling my Autistic burnout. And I'm so physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Rossco Does she really love me
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I feel so down right now. My wife doesn't understand and often her actions are making me feel worse. Instead of being their for me and showing some support she goes off and has a drink with her friend.....a questionable friend because my wife has pre... View more

I feel so down right now. My wife doesn't understand and often her actions are making me feel worse. Instead of being their for me and showing some support she goes off and has a drink with her friend.....a questionable friend because my wife has previous purchased smokes for us and groceries.

Depression

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

Guest_28755086 Teen with anxiety and depression
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Hi i have been really struggling with anxiety and depression i always feel sad but try to act happy because my mum thinks its not real i did get diagnosed but she said that the doctors are wrong. I feel so alone and don't know what to do.

Hi i have been really struggling with anxiety and depression i always feel sad but try to act happy because my mum thinks its not real i did get diagnosed but she said that the doctors are wrong. I feel so alone and don't know what to do.

Tam100 Broken family
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I walked into our lounge room to find my husband consoling our 22 year old son who has been arrested for graffiti. My husband did all the talking and said our son feels terrible and is not in a good space mentally. My son also shared that he thinks h... View more

I walked into our lounge room to find my husband consoling our 22 year old son who has been arrested for graffiti. My husband did all the talking and said our son feels terrible and is not in a good space mentally. My son also shared that he thinks he may have Borderline Personality Disorder. On top of that, he has been caught using AI at Uni and is meant to have an interview about it tomorrow but will defer that because he is not in the right head space. I didn’t say much because I was letting it all sink in. My husband kept saying “I’ve told XXX we will support him and help him get legal advice” . My son went to his room before I could say anything. I honestly don’t know how I should respond. He has had mental health problems on and off since he was 15. He uses drugs and he has always been difficult to live with. We have another younger son who hates my eldest and they haven’t spoken for 5 years and we haven’t had any family celebrations together because of this. We also can’t leave them alone together in case they blow up so my husband and I have out our lives on hold for them. Their relationship has brought me to breaking point and now the graffiti thing feels like too much for me to cope with. How do I deal with my son - give him unconditional support? At the moment I don’t feel supportive. I feel I have nothing left but want to do the right thing.

Juno_11 Fighting the depression
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Hi!  I've been experiencing an intense period of depression that gets worsened by PMDD. Essentially what I'm wondering is if anyone has any tips on stopping the fight between my brain and myself (since it's essentially just... me)? I'm autistic, so ... View more

Hi! 🙂 I've been experiencing an intense period of depression that gets worsened by PMDD. Essentially what I'm wondering is if anyone has any tips on stopping the fight between my brain and myself (since it's essentially just... me)? I'm autistic, so I'm very much hyperfocused at the moment on finding answers to try and "solve" my depression, but I've already done a lot. I'm on a break from uni, am looking for a new job, and am getting involved in different social activities. But with all of my free time due to the break and no structure, I'm often alone with my thoughts, and get bored to the point of anger. I rely on my closest friends and family, but they're always busy to some extent. I used to be an introvert, and really enjoyed time to myself. Now, it's a burden, and it feels like I can't be alone with my thoughts, or else I'll get upset. I'm extremely restless, tired, and burned out. So, I'm wondering how I can accept what I'm going through, and stop fighting it? It seems like every time I try to accept it, or internalise positive messages, it just goes in one ear and out the other, or makes me more upset.

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.

Guest_70646410 Greif & PTSD
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A few days ago, I was informed that one of my cousins had committed suicide due to bullying, I wasn't super close with my cousin but this hit really close to home as I had attempted due to bullying. These past few days I've just been trying to distra... View more

A few days ago, I was informed that one of my cousins had committed suicide due to bullying, I wasn't super close with my cousin but this hit really close to home as I had attempted due to bullying. These past few days I've just been trying to distract, but come nighttime when it's time to sleep, everything comes rushing in. I have thoughts of it and see images in my head (the way she passed and the way I planned to). It's a weird feeling, I feel numb and sad and confused. It's hard because I know exactly how she felt. I haven't been sleeping well lately, getting less than 5 hours of sleep, waking up during the night, waking up early, which is unusual as I'm normally a heavy sleeper, once I'm asleep, I'm out like a lightbulb. I'm also feeling really confused with my feelings, I don't know how to explain it or how to cope.

Guest_15955900 Is it normal to struggle so much as a teen and does it get better?
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I'm going to just get straight to the point. I don't want to trigger anyone, so I'll just summarise it with what my friend told me when I told her about my life: "It sounds like a princess story before the good stuff. Like Cinderella when she was wit... View more

I'm going to just get straight to the point. I don't want to trigger anyone, so I'll just summarise it with what my friend told me when I told her about my life: "It sounds like a princess story before the good stuff. Like Cinderella when she was with the evil stepmother, y'know?" Now my mum is sick, I've been rapidly declining in health (both physical and mental) and every time I tell people about it, they say it's just hormones or that it'll get better. Does it? I've tried everything I can think of. I've reached out, tried fixing it on my own, been as open as I can with others so that maybe they can help, and I even begged God for help every night for years, but nothing works... So does it get better??? We've been going through some financial issues, so that affects how much help I can get. Is it so bad to want that fantasy life that princesses have? I mean sure I know they're just stories, but if I look forward to having something similar (finding love or even just purpose in life), will I get better, or is it an unrealistic standard?

Cee123 Stuck in an abusive parental situation, no way out
  • replies: 2

I am 39, and my father has completely ruined my life. I am still stuck living with him on a daily basis now that he has retired... I am constantly fighting with him, I never feel at peace here and I'm stuck with him controlling me on a daily basis, b... View more

I am 39, and my father has completely ruined my life. I am still stuck living with him on a daily basis now that he has retired... I am constantly fighting with him, I never feel at peace here and I'm stuck with him controlling me on a daily basis, but I have nowhere else to go or I will be homeless and living on the street. I can't even get a job now because my mental health is destroyed, suffering long-term anxiety disorders and major depression and I am socially isolated. Things which I am only now realising were largely caused by his selfish actions, and not being allowed to have a life and grow as a person. I've also been long-term unemployed now with no major skills or experience etc and feel as though I am old now and my life has been completely wasted. I never got to do anything I wanted to do in life!-He had to control everything growing up, and still does today. He controls me, he controls my mother, controlled my brother up until last year when he moved out with a friend of his. But basically everything he does he has to be in CONTROL. And if he doesn't get his own way with things he gets angry about it. Most of the time, we always have to eat what he wants, go where he wants, do what he wants. But other than that, he doesn't want me to go anywhere, he doesn't want me to do anything, he doesn't want me to have money, he doesn't want me to have a job. He just wants me to stay here for the rest of my life and do nothing. But I am going absolutely nuts and I am often snapping and yelling at him! Same with my mother. He doesn't want my mother to go anywhere or have a life of her own. Treats her like a domestic slave. He often wants to know where she goes, where she is etc, and the same with me. I look at her a lot of days and it looks like she's given up on life.-He basically kept us isolated growing up, and I missed out on having a lot of experiences that would've helped me grow as a person. We only ever went to the same places, did the same things probably about once or twice a year. He never took us anywhere or did anything with us as kids. He would go out and live his life and leave us home. My cousins went everywhere, and did a lot of things with their parents. They had a lot of things to talk about and found it easier to make friends. My dad took off in the car and was never home, and expected my mother to always stay home with us. But fortunately she worked, as he would never share his money with her. As a result, I barely had any friends growing up, always struggled to make and keep friends, couldn't form healthy relationships. I would go to school and we would have news day and the teacher would ask me what I did on the weekend and I would say "nothing". I never got to do or experience a lot of things that other people got to do and experience and missed out on A LOT in my life, and a lot of stuff that I never got to learn. Having autism doesn't help, as that isolated me even more and I was a regular target for bullying.

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.

_foxxed Mental health condition vs abuse?
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Trigger warning** Wasn't really expecting much. Just so unsure about whats real and what isnt. I am 40 and have been diagnosed with adhd early 30's and bpd a few years ago after my son was born. Now its looking more like cptsd and autism is going to ... View more

Trigger warning** Wasn't really expecting much. Just so unsure about whats real and what isnt. I am 40 and have been diagnosed with adhd early 30's and bpd a few years ago after my son was born. Now its looking more like cptsd and autism is going to be a diagnosis. I dont have a psychiatrist atm as bpd scares them all off, I I have my first appointment with a new one soon with the same place I see my psychologist weekly. Where I struggle is. Ever since my son was born, my wife and her family put me down about anything I did. It took 6 months before I reached out for help thinking I was going insane. And then the cmht told the police I hated my son and I got an avo taken out against me. It was later dropped in court. But ever since then. My family, her family have done everything humanely possible to make me look like I am a problem and its my mental health etc. I have done dbt & cbt. I have a psychiatric assistance dog. I was taking my meds as prescribed. And yeah I did self harm and hurt myself intentionally alot. I have been in icu once and er multiple times. A psych ward doesn't help me and do get extremely distressed in there. I got told that sui is manipulative adter I woke up on life support by a cmht manager cause I complained about their actions forced me to take that action on myself. I got read the story of the boy who cries wolf from cmht. Told if I didnt drink monster that I wouldnt experience what i called abuse. My mum made herself my next of kin, they proceeded to tell her I wasnt trying. Thing is. I done my best. I havent seen my son since jan. I dont get to say anything or see him. I am scared of her, so I shut up. My parents finance everything for her. I feel worthless. He is 4, I have gone at least twice not seeing him for 6+ months cause I am scared she will do anything to ensure I kill myself. I look back and check the facts and I really never did anything wrong, I tried to be a good dad and make good decisions. I was just told I was wrong and would get isolated for saying anything. It continues now. I get labelled as crazy and they get to keep up this silent treatment. Ignore anything I say. And according to the law they are doing everything ok. I found myself once again on the sanctioned site learning where I went wrong all these past attempts. I dont wanna fk it up, I dont wanna die. But saying I have to live for my son I don't see. whilst being gaslit by everyone and watching them get validated for hurting me. I dont know where to turn

imsohungry thoughts
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im 14 and ive been dealing with a lot of suicidal thoughts. i didnt grow up with great parents and even the people who are taking care of my right now arent that helpful i get bullied at school for and sometimes i jsut wanna end it all i once attempt... View more

im 14 and ive been dealing with a lot of suicidal thoughts. i didnt grow up with great parents and even the people who are taking care of my right now arent that helpful i get bullied at school for and sometimes i jsut wanna end it all i once attempted suicide my mother put me up on social media as a missing person and my whole school saw and i had like 8 meltdowns but no one cared and everyone made fun of me. it got so bad that i ended up in hospital 2x and even after that the bullying got worse and atp i dont even know what to do bc right now my whole life is messed up and im so tired and absolutely no one understands me and sometimes i self harm to relieve my stress but absolutely nothing helps at all the things is i escaped one thing which was trauma from my parents bc they abused me but now i have more problems to deal with idk how to cope with it .

eliz_a2998 It’s hopeless
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I am 17 years old doing my VCE online. I have posted once before about the pressures of VCE and my anxiety. In April, due to the stress of VCE at my main stream school and a medication that made me worse I got diagnosed with major depressive disorder... View more

I am 17 years old doing my VCE online. I have posted once before about the pressures of VCE and my anxiety. In April, due to the stress of VCE at my main stream school and a medication that made me worse I got diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety which led to an attempt and an admission. That was a few months ago since then it was has gotten a little better.. But now, I can’t do this anymore. I thought I was just getting better I was going on walks, eating, and even going out with friends. Everything was so great. I had this important event for my friend and I found out people from my old school were going to be there I was so excited and the day off I just felt ugly and so ashamed of the person I have become. I didn’t go and I shut everyone out I deleted all my social media I ghosted everyone who reached out. I don’t know what happened I am so embarrassed. Now I’m sleeping constantly staying in bed I have no appetite I don’t shower or go out. I was just getting better I don’t understand why this has happened I can’t do this anymore. Everything feels hopeless now. I had so much hope I really thought it was getting better. It feels like it won’t ever get better.