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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.

RichoC My story and no help. And hated for it,
  • replies: 2

This is my story. Trying to see what has caused issues for me. My Wife hates me for it. I'm done, Thoughts why I have changed as I'm told I have, Previously I was very calm and kind easygoing all the time. Nothing bothered me. Did good things, played... View more

This is my story. Trying to see what has caused issues for me. My Wife hates me for it. I'm done, Thoughts why I have changed as I'm told I have, Previously I was very calm and kind easygoing all the time. Nothing bothered me. Did good things, played music, all good. Had good mates and family. Job was good at the first job. All good. Then, Left that job to start a business. First year was ok, not brilliant but ok. Then it all went to shit. Fucked over, not paid, hated it. Drank a lot to self-medicate. Didn’t help. Didn’t know what to do. Was embarrassed felt ashamed. A loser. I knew how to do the work but couldn’t run a business and make a living. Eventually, I gave up and got a job. Failure massively. Then changed jobs. Hated all of it they were assholes at this job. Ripped me off. Lied to me about pay. Hated being there. Was in a really bad state at the end, mouthing off on family holidays, seeking help, got none. It was a battle what to do. Then got the job at another place thank God. Great day! Thought yah this will be good. I’m back! It wasn’t. Stupid ways of working. Accusing me of failure. Hated that. Was in a real panic about what to do. Then got a call from a bank offering me a job. I thought wow this is so wonderful, thank you! So, I left. Though this will be so good. Then started turning on me. My boss didn’t like me because I was more qualified than him. Knew way more and proved it daily. Then ripped me for a small error that I fixed with no issues perfectly. Then went to sack me anyway. Told them they can’t. They did it anyway broke the law 100%. Then no job for 2-3 months. No income. Applied for 200 + jobs got nothing. No replies at all despite my qualifications and experience. Then got a job at a school. Thought this might be ok it’s a job. Pay was worst I’d ever had in my life. But it was a pay so ok. Then I got f---ed over there and booted because old mate coming back. Worked at new school. Hated it. Stupidity of people. Rudeness to me. Hated it again. Then applied and got the job at a uni That was the best day in years so happy still am. Very grateful. Very lucky. But only temporary. So have to manage that and apply fast. It’s hard again and a bi worry for me daily. So yeah, I’ve has some traumatic shit happen to me that broke me 2015 and beyond. Pushed me to the edge. Gave me anxiety for first time in my life. Depression badly. Drank to numb it all. No support. Very bad for me. So yeah, it changed me. But now I’m the asshole they don’t want to hear the why’s. Don’t care. Oh, and sacked from the band after 13 years of friendship. Pretty upsetting for me. I’m happy doing my thing now but miss doing gigs so badly. So why? Personality disorder? Maybe? Anxiety – yes! Feel on my own – yes. Feel hated by my wife – yes. Feel unwanted by my wife – yes. Feel like be good if I died today. Yep! Worthlessness 101. So yeah, I’m miserable a lot. I fire up to protect myself when people attack me. Feel like they want to hurt me, get rid of me. Then I get accused of being an abuser. Lovely. That’s my story since 2015 to 2023. 8 years of shit. Some really bad. Traumatic actually. Had a deep impact on me all of it. Perhaps it has damaged me and I just don’t know it? No one has been able to help me with any of it at all. What do I do now? Go away leave. Disappear for good. That be good for you! Seek help? Seems to not be there. Die somehow. That’s all I got, not a lot. Never in my life have I had issues with a job, nothing. Always fantastic. Then copped a string of it 8 years. Nasty cruel people.

BeyondDepression Anxiety over my effect on others
  • replies: 13

Over the years I have been slowly withdrawing from contact with people. In that time my anxiety has been manageable. However lately I have HAD TO have contact with more people and have noticed as a result that my anxiety symptoms are increasing again... View more

Over the years I have been slowly withdrawing from contact with people. In that time my anxiety has been manageable. However lately I have HAD TO have contact with more people and have noticed as a result that my anxiety symptoms are increasing again. This has brought on self reflection, and I think my problem can be summarised as follows: "when I interact with people and have the potential to hurt them in some way, then I catastrophise about the worst case scenarios of the resulting POSSIBLE damage to an excessive degree, and this causes me a huge amount of anxiety. This anxiety really is unfounded as these worst case scenarios have never come to pass, but to me they take over my life until I have shown that they are in fact unfounded" I am not meaning to hurt them, I should make that clear, in fact that is the last thing I want. Examples Physical - when I do meet someone I can catastrophise for days afterwards about whether I am in the early stages of for example covid or some other communicable disease and that I have inadvertently passed it on. Yes I know I cannot possibly help that sort of thing, but my mind nonetheless goes into overdrive thinking of what MIGHT happen, not to me, but to them, who they might pass it onto and how that might affect those people. Emotional - if I am chatting to someone and I say something, and in assessing the response, I may think I have offended someone and caused them some hurt. I will then catastrophise to an abnormal degree about the repercussions of this. How I have hurt their feelings and possibly made them feel bad about themselves. I have come to realise that my withdrawing is in truth due to me not wanting to cause myself unnecessary anxiety, but can also see how this is self defeating in the long term. I KNOW this is not normal, and when people do mention it to me on occasion, it makes me want to withdraw even more as I know it is not normal and feel therefore that I am not normal. It is causing me a huge amount of mental anguish, and so I am wondering if anyone has any tips, books, websites etc or insight on the problem?

Ash_music ALWAYS HERE
  • replies: 7

No matter how low you are feeling you have friends and family and people who can help you do much that love you. You are all amazing and smart and strong. And you CAN tell people that your not actually ok. Make them listen. They will want what's best... View more

No matter how low you are feeling you have friends and family and people who can help you do much that love you. You are all amazing and smart and strong. And you CAN tell people that your not actually ok. Make them listen. They will want what's best for you. So whatever your going through, and whatever challenges your facing, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. WE ARE ALWAYS HERE.

Depression

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

Guest_57468504 idek if im doing this right but hi
  • replies: 0

hey this is my first post thingy and i wanted to test it out. I just want to clarify that I am not diagnosed with any MH conditions and only have concerns for my own MH. I hate to be that person who self diagnoses but im curious to see if I have any ... View more

hey this is my first post thingy and i wanted to test it out. I just want to clarify that I am not diagnosed with any MH conditions and only have concerns for my own MH. I hate to be that person who self diagnoses but im curious to see if I have any MH conditions. I worry that I may have (high functioning) depression and possibly ADHD. Again, I hate saying that though because I hate to self diagnose. Many of my friends tell me that they suspect I may have it. and now that I look at my family members (including uncles and younger cousins) I see that that might actually be a possibility. BUT, I come from a middle eastern household that doesnt really talk abt MH or Mental Illness and dont really see psychologists (which is funny bcs I wanna be one when I'm older). So no one I know has been diagnosed and I'd feel weird to go up to my parents and ask to seek help. And the depression started in the beginning of Febuary last year but I had experienced periodic episodes previously which would last for a couple months at a time (but I wasnt aware of what was happening at the time). So, every since the beginning of last year, I have been feeling strong feelings of emptiness and numbness bacically. Don't get me wrong, I have a large group of friends who I love so much and I am always energetic around them only because none of them know how i truely feel (except one but we dont talk that much anymore. its a long story). Sometimes I feel that I have to cry due to so much anger, self hate, and self doubt but can't get the tears out. Or have full converstations regarding my MH struggles (like this one) but when it comes to talking to an actual person I either freak out or avoid it completely. I have been recently getting alot of flashbacks of a SA incident but because I was so young, the same 2 seconds replays in my head. Also, the fact that I am doing a drama piece on PSTD and MH does not help (the flashbacks started getting more frequent once I began working on the piece). Anyway, I hope you have the best day!And remember, Jesus Christ loves you 💛

Mr K Losing my grasp on perspective.
  • replies: 0

Some days are better than others but at the moment I feel like my life is slowly slipping out of my control and I'm just feeling utterly overwhelmed and isolated from support. I feel like all my close friends are out of contact, my remaining family m... View more

Some days are better than others but at the moment I feel like my life is slowly slipping out of my control and I'm just feeling utterly overwhelmed and isolated from support. I feel like all my close friends are out of contact, my remaining family my elderly father lives on the other side of the world, my last relationship ended last year and I'm afraid to speak to anyone at work in case the facade falls and they see me as a wreck. As a single dad, i struggle at the best of times to find time for myself let alone time to speak to anyone about this. I feel like my work is starting to really suffer because of my state and I feel overwhelmed trying to put it right and restore confidence. I don't want to end my life and I can't afford to not work but I wish I could just reset things somehow and start again. I don't know how much longer I can last in this constant state of survival. I feel like I'm running out of options and I don't know what else I can do.

Rach28 Feeling depressed and lost after bad news regarding study
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, I am writing this while tearing up for the second time this week. I spent the past 5 months waiting to study a course which would launch me into a career working with animals. It's my dream and still is! I applied online last week and ye... View more

Hi everyone, I am writing this while tearing up for the second time this week. I spent the past 5 months waiting to study a course which would launch me into a career working with animals. It's my dream and still is! I applied online last week and yesterday I got the results of my application and due to the fact I said YES to i need funding support they rejected it and I was unsuccessful. I've been grieving this course for 2 weeks now and all I can do is cry about it because I wanted it so badly. I even found out that my job coach pushed so hard that she convinced the manager of my Disability Employment Provider to provider funding so I could do the course pending I get accepted in. Which obviously wont happen now. I just feel so down the dumps right now, both my two psychologists (one for anxiety/depression and the other PTSD) are very aware that this has impacted me severely. I just did some researching after getting the rejecting and found out that this particular organization has terrible management and terrible staff turnover. I checked GlassDoor reviews and Seek.com.au. So in general I feel my passion for animals doesn't align with their focus on making money - even if they are a very well known animal welfare organization Australia wide. So as you can guess right now I'm depressed and anxious, I'm trying to not tell myself that I'm a failure and that good news will come to me soon. Note: Yes I've considered applying for Centrelink DSP but both my psychologists agree its a "band-aid" solution to a bigger problem. And yes the thought of applying for the DSP gets me very stressed out. So I'm back to Square one and trying to navigate what to do. I'm considering potentially a job working at at dog groomer (I would require training as I havent have NO experience or training). And otherwise I would be happy to be an animal attendant at another organization that genuinely values animals and doesn't priorities profit. So yeah - I dont know if anyone else is currently going through something similar to me. Dealing with constant doors closing infront of their faces and having to pick themselves up over and over again. I dont want to give up but right now I'm trying to fight for a career I want but so desperately confused how in the world I am going to get there. I wish there was a guidebook for this stuff. Signing off with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart. R

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_01984308 PTSD ANXIETY DEPRESSION
  • replies: 0

Hi, I'm new here & have PTSD Anxiety & Depression,I was in a DV relationship with a narcissist for 3 years & my ex-partner physically & mentally abused me.I lost contact with my friends I was isolated and thought I was going crazy. I have been suffer... View more

Hi, I'm new here & have PTSD Anxiety & Depression,I was in a DV relationship with a narcissist for 3 years & my ex-partner physically & mentally abused me.I lost contact with my friends I was isolated and thought I was going crazy. I have been suffering ever since. I have nightmares about the trauma caused and my mental health has deteriorated since. I keep thinking about it daily and can't get him out of my head. Some days are better than others and when I feel like this, I shut off from everyone. I don't speak to my sisters because they always blame me when something goes wrong as I have always been the black sheep of the family.

Cocolee15 I think something happened to me as a kid?
  • replies: 1

Hello to anyone reading, I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and I'm on medication of it.The problems is that when I was getting on lithium I started having these repressed memories or false memories of sexual abuse as a kid.These mem... View more

Hello to anyone reading, I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and I'm on medication of it.The problems is that when I was getting on lithium I started having these repressed memories or false memories of sexual abuse as a kid.These memories feel very real to me and during that time they were going on they were the only False memories or repressed memories I was experiencing I had no other symptoms.It's also true that I used to play rape with my toys as a kid and I knew to keep it a secret.These thoughts circle around my hand till they drive me crazy.Could there be some truth to them?

BigAlan79 M abused by brother
  • replies: 3

I am not sure what to say, I need help, I am a 45 YO male and I have been verbally abused by my brother for 13 years now. I am at the end of my rope, and thinking of just ending it, but my sister is willing to let me stay with her, about an hour from... View more

I am not sure what to say, I need help, I am a 45 YO male and I have been verbally abused by my brother for 13 years now. I am at the end of my rope, and thinking of just ending it, but my sister is willing to let me stay with her, about an hour from where I am, I just need to figure out how to get there. The short version is I have never worked in my life, I have irritable bowl syndrome, it means I spend a lot of time in the toilet ( in my case cant stop), and it has made living any sort of normal life impossible, and as such I have had to live with my mum and dad (well mum since dad died in 2012), and so does my brother, although he has run a business but it is pretty much dead now. I guess I just don't know what to do beyond just fleeing and giving up on most of my stuff. What do I do when I get to my sisters place, its just 1bedroom unit but she wants to move. I am hoping a friend my help me escape, but what if he gets abusive, and I call the cops, would they even bother being male on male/brothers and not actually physical abuse. How do I go about getting help for all of this, especially the shame being a male, and the guilt, sadly my mum has been in hospital for almost 4 months, and will be bed ridden for the rest of her life, which is likely only months, and fleeing means it would be almost impossible to see her. How do I get help, he has been abusive not just to me, but also my sister, a friend who has his girlfriend but now just lives with us for his work, and she is almost 72, and uses our mums money for gambling.I know its dumb, but I really don't want to call the cops, I think that would make him worse.

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.

sriracha Anxiety and self harm
  • replies: 0

What can I do to stop? I’m not depressed, I’m not suicidal. I don’t want to die. But sometimes SH is the only thing that makes me feel in control of my life, like I don’t need to be so anxious and worried, because I’M in control of what happens in my... View more

What can I do to stop? I’m not depressed, I’m not suicidal. I don’t want to die. But sometimes SH is the only thing that makes me feel in control of my life, like I don’t need to be so anxious and worried, because I’M in control of what happens in my life. Does anyone know some things I can do other than SH? Things that aren’t actually damaging me?

Leo-child just wondering to help myself
  • replies: 4

does anyone have any ways to like reduce the urge to hurt myself like rubber bands dont work for me can my arm just ends up swelling up where it hits my arm and yeah i just need sidjestions how ever you spell that word { im very bad at spelling so so... View more

does anyone have any ways to like reduce the urge to hurt myself like rubber bands dont work for me can my arm just ends up swelling up where it hits my arm and yeah i just need sidjestions how ever you spell that word { im very bad at spelling so sorry in advance}

Guest_33484229 Lost, my life so far is aimless
  • replies: 3

I've been struggling with depression ever since highschool and I've only recently been seeing my psychologist for help. The idea of life and living has always sounded stressful to me, so i never really knew what i wanted to be or do with my life othe... View more

I've been struggling with depression ever since highschool and I've only recently been seeing my psychologist for help. The idea of life and living has always sounded stressful to me, so i never really knew what i wanted to be or do with my life other than kill myself at a young age. I confessed to my parents one day about how im not sure where my life is heading and not exactly sure what to do, I've only just recently turned 18 and was expecting guidance or reassurance, instead i get told off about how they would send me back to my country if i did nothing or didn't know what to do with my life, since then the thought of killing myself and harming myself only really increased. The next time i see my psychologist is next week and im willing to ask for help, other than that im not really sure what to do, as of right now.