Is there any hope?

[furiousgrantobe]

Had some serious issues to deal with recently that are ongoing and at the moment I cannot begin to describe how I feel. 'Mental' health issues have always been dismissed by my family as being 'its all in your head, pull yourself together'.

Have tried to seek out counselling to no avail. Cannot afford to pay a private counsellor although, I did do originally for an initial assessment.

I am just so tired of everything now. The tablets that I take seem to make no difference and am possibly addicted to them which further adds to the list of what I see, as insurmountable.

I have no one to talk to or confide in. Am I going mad?

Well, mental health is all in your head!

I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean about the tablets you take. Are they antidepressants? Would it be a problem to be 'addicted' to them?

I'm having a horrible slump myself, so am not currently the right person to lift your spirits. But I empathised so much I had to post. It sounds as though you're trying to tough it out. In my experience, that's a surefire way to prolong the illness. Self-nurturing is called for.

As part of your self-care, you do need to tell your doctor the truth. They should be able to get you some counselling, albeit after a long wait. Meanwhile, have you ever tried the Mood Gym?

My gp has told me that I need to be a bit better before starting councilling... maybe your dr has a similar opinion?
How long have you been on your tablets? When was your last appointment? Can you go in tues for a chat and checkup?
My family is also... interesting about MG issues. Luckily, we have mumsnet :)

I believe MIND offers a reduced price counselling service. definitely do what Mrsmuddypuddles says and have a review with your GP. I find they pay more attention if you take a list of your symptoms in with you! Also you are well within your rights to ask for a referral to a specialist

I have bipolar and am struggling to come to terms with it and after 2 years of medication changes and 'tweaks' the meds are still not right and i am still suffering, and losing patience, so it might be that the pills you are on are not quite the right ones for you, or not the right dosage.These things can take a long time especially on the NHS

hope things improve for you soon

All in your head huh? I hate that phrase. Brain tumours, mout abscesses, toothache, headache, tonsillitis - all in the head too, but no one dismisses those

You are concerned about addiction. Are you on benzos then? (valium, diazepam). Because ADs are not addictive. You may need a higher dose, speak to your GP.

You say you've tried in vain to access counselling - has your GP refused to refer you?

I hate that "all in the head" phrase too, if only it was that simple.
Antidepressants may not be "addictive" like benzo's but they are bloody hard to come off for many many people.

There's always someone to talk to out there, furiousgrantobe.

Google for helplines such as The Samaritans and NHS direct who will guide you to reputable support.

If it is all in your head and it's going round and round in circles it sounds like you need CBT type counselling (there are MANY types - see BACP website). You GP should be able to refer you for psychotherapy which is free on the NHS.

Don't give up!

You are right strawberry they can be hard to come off. However if they were addictive your body would crave them, you would want more and more of them and they would eventually stop having an effect. None of that is the case with ADs.

My mum - who prefers made-up theories to mental illness - thinks I'm addicted to antidepressants. She was convinced my problem was this 'addiction' rather than depression! She reads too many of those American alternative health newsletters ...

I plan to stay on my ADs for as long as I need to, which may be the rest of my life. So what. There is widespread resistance to the idea of medicating mental illness, which is possibly caused by resistance to the idea of mental illness itself. Pull your socks up and all that.

I find that, when those who 'care' eventually get around to asking why I don't sort my life out, it helps to point out that I'd love to - and would have already done it if I could! But I haven't because I can't ... because I'm ill. Yes, I know, duh! But walking them through it like this achieves some understanding if not sympathy.

I don't hide my mental illness any more. People can make assumptions if they want. The social stigma is too much of a problem; I hope that, each time I tell someone, a little bit of that gets worn away.

That awful phrase 'it's all in the head' does my flippin' head in. Can you imagine if you had a heart attack or lung disease someone saying ' oh it's all in the body - pull yourself together, get over it'?