Depression - TalkSport Diagnosis

[worm]

Thanks mr Worm, for the stuff you've posted. There's been some derailment and there was a point last night I realised I was responsible for some of that. 4 weeks ago today I was in a psychotic state, 3 weeks ago my brain was firing wildly and connecting things to such an extent I genuinely believed I would suffer a stroke, 2 weeks ago I was harassing the EDL with my every waking moment and today I am reading about psychology and physics.

[Spindles]

Cheers though, genuinely, alot of what you and others have written has helped me understand stuff, alot of what you and others have written has just plain helped me.

[worm]

Cheers though, genuinely, alot of what you and others have written has helped me understand stuff, alot of what you and others have written has just plain helped me.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I think that takes us into another debate: Should drugs be legal as the vast majority of the population can take them without suffering addictive problems?

You should watch that Russell Brand documentary, it is very insightful and maybe you might recognise traits in the people it speaks to or the statements made that you are able to connect to experiences in your own life/the lives of people around you and helps to enrich your knowledge/opinion in the area. It certainly did for me.

Edited August 23, 2012 by Rufus Gwertigan

[Spindles]

Not going to argue with that.

I was a smoker, we all know it can be stressful coming off fags. I also suffer from mental health issues, so the stress of trying to quit is likely to exacerbate that condition. I knew, for the last 17 months, that I have no option, no option whatsoever, but to quit smoking. Just stopping dead would have (and has in the past) sent me batshit crazy, so I reduced my input over a period of months, changed to a chemical substitute (patches) before the lung op and have been reducing the dosage of those ever since. This has enabled me to reduce the stress involved in quitting, which has therefore made quitting easier.

What I found fascinating with the documentary were some of the phrases he used, the way he and other addicts described addiction that rang true with experiences I have had with mental illness: The first time I saw Amy I thought "yeah, she's got it", that people with a particular weakness can recognise that in another and will gravitate towards them. I don't necessarily agree with every conclusion he makes.

I do know, from people I have known who have had opiate based addictions that they all report that methodone doesn't work for them, that they have continued to top up illegally, which put them in contact with people in whose interest it was for them to be addicted. I do think he is right to say that our current system of treatment doesn't work as it should.

*edit - added from this point rather than double post, no edit to above text*

While I no longer smoke cigarettes, I am still a smoker, still addicted to nicotine, even if I do not smoke for years, I will be a smoker who is not currently smoking. That is how it is with cigarettes, one moment of weakness can lead to an occasional one when stressed, can lead to one after sex or a meal, can lead to 4 a day, 10 a day....

Edited August 23, 2012 by Spindles

[eFestivals]

I have just watched this documentary and, as with everything Russell Brand, I was lucky not to kick the TV in. What you got was one persons view and I think that was incredibly one sided.

I've not seen it, but I read some stuff about it yesterday in Private Eye - and it said much the same thing.

He apparently kept banging on about how only one method of treating addicts was successful (when the facts prove otherwise), and then also had a sample junkie in the programme who was going to use that method. The programme didn't follow up on how she did, but in the end credits there was a tiny line that admitted that she failed to overcome her addiction - thus proving all that Brand said as wrong.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Not going to argue with that.

I was a smoker, we all know it can be stressful coming off fags. I also suffer from mental health issues, so the stress of trying to quit is likely to exacerbate that condition. I knew, for the last 17 months, that I have no option, no option whatsoever, but to quit smoking. Just stopping dead would have (and has in the past) sent me batshit crazy, so I reduced my input over a period of months, changed to a chemical substitute (patches) before the lung op and have been reducing the dosage of those ever since. This has enabled me to reduce the stress involved in quitting, which has therefore made quitting easier.

What I found fascinating with the documentary were some of the phrases he used, the way he and other addicts described addiction that rang true with experiences I have had with mental illness: The first time I saw Amy I thought "yeah, she's got it", that people with a particular weakness can recognise that in another and will gravitate towards them. I don't necessarily agree with every conclusion he makes.

I do know, from people I have known who have had opiate based addictions that they all report that methodone doesn't work for them, that they have continued to top up illegally, which put them in contact with people in whose interest it was for them to be addicted. I do think he is right to say that our current system of treatment doesn't work as it should.

*edit - added from this point rather than double post, no edit to above text*

While I no longer smoke cigarettes, I am still a smoker, still addicted to nicotine, even if I do not smoke for years, I will be a smoker who is not currently smoking. That is how it is with cigarettes, one moment of weakness can lead to an occasional one when stressed, can lead to one after sex or a meal, can lead to 4 a day, 10 a day....

[Spindles]

Well, I am not an addict (well, I've been taking codeine daily for 16 months and morphine for 5 weeks, so until I stop that I won't know but I staged down to lower doses without a problem) but those who I know tell me that methadone is like giving you a bowl of plain rice instead of a 3 course meal and telling you to be satisfied.

If that were the treatment for obesity, would people snack? If people snack, would they therefore go to shops that sell snacks and be more likely to not show willpower?

I make no claim of being an expert, so going to step out of the conversation, because I have noticed that (and don't take this the wrong way this is not aimed at you mr rufus), on this forum it is hard to make any observation without things rapidly swinging to "you are wrong, I am right, I will pick holes in what you say and then focus on you, not the subject", which I find distressing.

Similarly, I would have found being the GP in that documentary distressing, he did not treat her fairly or give her any chance to give her case, just shouted her down.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

My view is based purely from observation and experience. I was diagnosed with alcohol dependance years back. Since then I have sorted my life out and qualified as a counsellor. Most people I know thought I would move into addiction services due to my experiences. Fuck that for a game. The few clients I have are violent offenders and I do that for free as I am working towards becoming a Forensic Psychologist. I have very biased views on addicts, addiction and treatment and all my opinions are personal. The addict friends that I still had soon realised just how vociferous I could get. While I had no problem hanging out with them while they got drunk or high I would just walk away if they then started going off about how they wanted to stop blah blah blah.

[eFestivals]

I am working towards becoming a Forensic Psychologist. I have very biased views

that doesn't sound the best career choice for you to me.

[zahidf]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/oct/29/ed-miliband-time-mentally-ill

About time i say. I have to say, stuff like this makes me like Ed more.

[rachbon]

http://www.guardian....me-mentally-ill

About time i say. I have to say, stuff like this makes me like Ed more.

[kaosmark2]

His comments won't change anyone's opinion. Intolerant arseholes will stay that way. But obviously it would be great if they could impove treatment for mental illnesses.

[feral chile]

They could actually. It wasn't so long ago homophobic jokes were incredibly common. They're still around, but getting rarer, and a change in society to eliminate the acceptability of dismissive comments regarding mental illnesses could lead to greater general tolerance.