Involuntary commitment

[RetiredGySgt]

I don't exercise and the therapist and the doctor get on me about it. Don't really care enough to eat right. Plus I don't cook much and the wife does not cook for me. I eat what I can microwave mostly. Again the doctor and the therapist get on me about that as well.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

Most problems people have are their own doing. That may sound cold but it's the truth if you think about it. Just use logic and reason more and quit letting emotions guide you. Take the showering thing for example, there are good reasons to bath regularly and none not to.

The brain forms pathways that we choose to use, focus on problems and your problems will grow. Focus on solutions and you'll have more solutions than problems. And don't rule out the possibility that the meds are doing more harm than good. They may be helping, or they may make things worse.

Iceweasel, for the most part I agree with all this. Yet I still think there are brain "illnesses" you cant will yourself out of. People would never say to a cancer patient "kill those cancer cells with only positive thinking and logic".

Yes, I know. I also know there was a time I would have gone that route and am glad I didn't and got productive instead. Some people do need meds but in my opinion it should be the last resort due to other complications, there seems to always be a trade off.

My belief is that a lot of these cases (I don't know the OP so am not saying him specifically) are somewhat self fulfilling prophecies. If you mope around and dwell on your problems the problems will seem bigger. If you get busy and focus on solutions your problems will seem smaller. Been there done that.

I guess my main point is that meds can only do so much and I'm a big believer in nutrition, it's the fuel for your body and brain.

Medication is usually a last resort, in my experience. And it isn't the only treatment. Generally therapy is a combination of treatments, cognitive (like you are talking about), as well as meds and other forms of therapy like eye movement and group therapy.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

I don't exercise and the therapist and the doctor get on me about it. Don't really care enough to eat right. Plus I don't cook much and the wife does not cook for me. I eat what I can microwave mostly. Again the doctor and the therapist get on me about that as well.

Get out there and PT, you bag of doughnuts! Seriously, I know it's hard to have the motivation but it will help you sleep better and feel better. Take a half hour a day and just go for a walk. It makes a big difference.

 

[TyroneSlothrop]

One can take an inventory or make a "tracking" of sorts of the depressive feelings and thoughts ...

Make a rudimentary measuring instrument that you use to self rate the way you are feeling ...1 through 5

1........................2....................3...................4...................5

1 = terrible
2= worst than usual
3=same old bad
4= better than usual
5=feel good

Rate yourself once an hour during your waking day...do this for a week...get an average reading from this scale for each day of the week...If Wednesday had an average reading of 1.5 and Monday was a 2.5 day what made Monday better ? Identify those things that make things better...Is there an hour in each day when things are better ? find the exception when you might be at 4 and identify what helped ?...Identify people places things that are around you when you are feeling better ? is there a person helping you feel better , a pet , a bit of music a TV program ?
Are there things that make things worse...learn what they are avoid them.....See the depression like the military sees an enemy...you must develop intelligence about the enemy to defeat it to protect yourself from its attacks ....

 

[RetiredGySgt]

This time of year is bad for me, from November to March. I do less I am more depressed and I interact less. My main form of outside interaction is the Internet, I have one friend I almost never see as I stay indoors in my house unless I must go out. Further on December 6 is when I had my breakdown so that is a bad anniversary as well.

As for meds I could stop taking them but I know from experience that as time passes I slowly get worse, better to take what works.

 

[Cassy Mo]

Further on December 6 is when I had my breakdown so that is a bad anniversary as well.

As for meds I could stop taking them but I know from experience that as time passes I slowly get worse, better to take what works.

Again, I'm no expert, but could it be possible that instead of remembering how awful the breakdown was, you could start seeing it as a breakthrough...a turning point?

 

[TyroneSlothrop]

This time of year is bad for me, from November to March. I do less I am more depressed and I interact less. My main form of outside interaction is the Internet, I have one friend I almost never see as I stay indoors in my house unless I must go out. Further on December 6 is when I had my breakdown so that is a bad anniversary as well.

As for meds I could stop taking them but I know from experience that as time passes I slowly get worse, better to take what works.

Rely on your Health professional for advice on medication is probably the best option...what kinds of things did you do that helped get you through December 6 , 2014 ? what strength resources are you drawing on to help get you through this bad period...? Are you making sure to give yourself credit for being able to get through the bad period and still take care of you family .... that takes strength... can you start an incremental challenge to yourself starting with maybe:
Day one open the door to the outside and just look out from there...
Day two open the door take one step look around return...
after a while Go for a walk in the park even though you do not have to but merely want to ...

 

[pillars]

She fought for patients rights then she was put in a hospital against her will - The Washington Post

Not sure what the laws are in NC. I have never been involuntarily committed.I am not bipolar, my problem is recurring major depression with delusional paranoia.

The woman in the article was held longer because she does not bath regularly,,,, I have that to. Maybe once every couple months I take a shower, usually because my wife forces me too.

The therapist is always trying to get me to shower it is one of my goals I have never met. Even when I am not depressed I do not like to shower. Sometimes I am not sure why other times I thin it is because by showering I admit to myself I am going to continue to live.

I have suicidal thoughts all the time. Don't get me wrong they are under control, because of my medications. But basically I don't want to be alive. I stay because I am the main provider for my family with out me they could not make ends meet .

This Country needs to change how it sees and reacts to mental health issues.

I think that you are very brave for posting this, and I am sure that it was not easy for you to do. Is there a reason that you avoid showering?

I think it is good that you see your family as keeping you connected to life. Those connections are what sometimes force us to get through the dark times.

I wish it were easier for people to access necessary mental health services. I know that some people really struggle to get help. I am glad that you are connected to a therapist and medication. Do you think that working with a therapist has been helpful for you?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I learned AFTER my break down that talking can in some ways help yes.

 

[whitehall]

Is it possible that somewhere in that 3,000 page horror story called Obama care there are provisions for incarcerating people for being a pain in the ass to local government or having a belief system that offends the administration? As for the other part of the story, democrat state senator Creigh Deeds actually used his personal problems and the suicide death of his son an a campaign ad to get reelected. Nothing is sacred to democrat politicians Wouldn't you think that a state senator would spend the money to place his son in a private institution rather than waiting for a free bed in a state hospital?

 

[RosieS]

Everyone gets the blues now and then.

Clinical depression, the kind that needs therapy and medication, is the blacks. The depression is so deep and painful that help is truly necessary.

I go thru the painful process of a shower before each doctor appt. so that no doctor shoves me into a nursing home.

Too messed up to walk, but still I better be Summer's Eve fresh.

Go figure.

Regards from Rosie

 

[pillars]

I learned AFTER my break down that talking can in some ways help yes.

It's good. Posting on here can probably be therapeutic, too. At the very least, it is a form of social interaction that helps to keep you thinking and engaging. I went through a serious depression a few years ago, and like you, I had to take medication to help with it, which made a huge difference. I was encouraged to keep a journal and that was helpful, too. When you are in the middle of the black times, it sometimes seems like there will never be a light at the end of the tunnel, but when you journal, you can sometimes look back at what you have written over time and see that you are making progress.

Sometimes just getting out of bed and doing what you are supposed to do can be a major accomplishment. I applaud you for writing/talking about this. People who have not experienced depression often don't understand how debilitating it can be.

One thing I did that I think was helpful was to focus on gratitude. I made it a point to write three things each day that I was grateful for in my journal. I also made mix tapes/play lists of songs that were positive and I listened to them every day.

If your "break down" got you to a place where you were able to get help, it wasn't a break down, it was a break through. Words matter. You didn't break, because you get up and keep going every day.

A broken person would have given up and died. You're a survivor every single day that you keep going. You made progress in surviving. Good for you. Getting to a place where we admit we need help actually requires a lot more strength than keeping up the facade that everything is peachy.

 

[Coyote]

I know it hasn't been that long since I posted this but let me make a prediction..... this thread will get very little traffic. Mostly because talking about mental health is frowned on and makes people uncomfortable.

I was going to read through the thread before replying, but stopped at this post.

Mental illness gets far to little traffick and when it does it's because someone does something extreme. I'm glad you talk about it. And I'm sad you still have those terrible thoughts. (((HUGS))) - it's all I can give on a virtual level. I have family members who struggle with this, and my only brother has schitzophrenia. We, as a family have had to involuntarily have him committed more than once. It's a very difficult thing to do but it's the only way we could get him help and keep him safe. I guess it makes people uncomfortable becuase there are no cute poster children to cover up the reality. My brother has has hygiene issues when he's been really depressed and/or psychotic. Just taking a shower is a major effort for him.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I know it hasn't been that long since I posted this but let me make a prediction..... this thread will get very little traffic. Mostly because talking about mental health is frowned on and makes people uncomfortable.

The people who care will respond. Those are the people you need to hear from anyhow, Sarge. I care about you! I think it is good to talk about it. Let me ask you something. What do you think of a warm bath where you just soak? When I feel stressed out from a long day - a bath is very relaxing and it is also a place of solitude to just be quiet and rest my mind. You might find it more relaxing to take a bath rather than a shower.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I had severe depression when I was young. It went on for years. After I got saved it wasn't as severe but I still had bouts of it and began to deal with it on the line of something that was happening to me physically - felt more tired - etc - but I refused to permit it to take hold of my mind. When I felt it coming on I'd sing praise songs and listen to gospel music and it would lift and be gone. You may want to try that. It would be similar to taking a walk when it is the last thing you feel like doing. Only singing is easier. You don't have to do anything but open your mouth and start singing a hymn. You can do that, Sarge. Try it and see what happens.

 

[JakeStarkey]

"Is it possible that somewhere in that 3,000 page horror story called Obama care there are provisions for incarcerating people for being a pain in the ass to local government or having a belief system that offends the administration?"

Shut the fuck up for once, you doosh (you don't even rate douche).

This is about RGS not you or your strange fantasies..

 

[JakeStarkey]

Rgs, you are LDS so ask your Bishop to put you in touch with them.

I am sure that a doctor in your stake will be willing to work with you on a physical regime that will make you physically feel better.

 

[September]

I can be sadistic, sociopathic, masochistic, misanthropic, hedonistic, malignantly narcissistic, efficiently nefarious, insidiously seditious, and I have explored multiple personalities in the past..

But I feel great. Obviously. Where some see flaws I see strengths.

You can get through your troubles with Willpower. Build up your Willpower and take your life into your own hands. Defy Fate by forging your own Destiny.

You sometimes don't shower for months at a time? That's fucking gross yo. And you need someone to be honest with you about it. Get in the shower and learn to enjoy it. Make sure your shower area is clean and nice and welcoming. Take two showers a day if it helps. Burn candles or incense to help you relax. Get some nice smelling body wash. Fucking ritualize that shit, yo.

And quit feeling sorry for yourself and depressed. Fuck that. Depression is a huge waste of emotion. Convince yourself that you want to be stronger and healthier, in mind & body & spirit, and embrace that choice. Let it become your lifestyle. Let it become Natural.

Every day we are evolving, either for the better or the worse. Our choices play a huge role in that.

Evolve yourself for the better.

​

 

[Politico]

I firmly believe talking about the issues and the conditions of ones illness can help. I know that at times it simply is not possible for those that are sick to do so, but believe that learning to explore ones illness and talk about problems or situations or just anything can help.

is the va helping?

I don't use the VA I have a private doctor and therapist. But they pay me disability so yes they are helping.

Good for you. Most are denied their disability and die horrible deaths.

 

[TyroneSlothrop]

It may be a question of balance ...balance the wonder and the challenges of life ...