Anxiety and Depression Help????

[ditzygirl]

I hope I have put this in the right section!!!!!!

I love this site and get a huge amount of support from it but I'm curious - depression and anxiety are extremely common as I was advised recenty by a GP.

There are endless posts on here about doctors who don't are unsympathetic.

There are many of us struggling to stay in work because of our health and then struggling to get and keep benefits etc.

But who is actually doing something about it ??????? I don't mean us.

There is help to give up smoking, there is help to give up alcohol, I hate going to the Drs with an anxiety issues coz it seems so trivial, I also hate claiming benefits (although I have paid in for 20 years) but i have to live.

So my question folks - if you could change the world what help would you give to people in our situation?

More counsellors/self help groups/educating companies so that they can help and support staff going through this???????

I wouldn't wish anxiety and depression on anyone so look forward to your comments.

[paula lynne]

Take away all the stigma x:mad: anx and depression affects 1 in 3, just like cancer. Spread awareness x :)

[debs71]

I agree with Paula....stigma is the biggest battle when it comes to anxiety and depression. People either don't understand the debilitation of depression and just think you are 'a bit down' and should get a grip or else treat you like some mad leper.

More funding is needed for counselling services as well. I had 18 weeks of counselling through my local branch of MIND and I was lucky to have it as I was amongst the last clients receiving free counselling via my GP referral as they had to close their counselling service due to lack of funding.

Like Paula said, mental health problems affect so many people and yet it is treated so ignorantly in my opinion. The trouble is, when people can't see something - like if you have broken legs - they don't 'get it' and treat it as an illness, just like any other illness.

The sad irony is that these kind of outside, public misconceptions and worries aren't something an anxiety and depression sufferer needs on top of everything else!!:mad:

[Baggie]

I would definitely say that stigma is a major battle when talking about anxiety and depression. No one really wants to admit to having experienced either or both for fear of other peoples reactions. It's really sad when you think about it isn't it? If 1 in 3 people with suffer from anxiety or depression in their lifetime, shouldn't the wider community at large show more understanding? People who go through depression and or anxiety often feel isolated and even more so when they feel that they won't be treated with understanding and compassion.

The saddest thing about all of this is that when people are at their lowest, they often feel unable to ask for help for fear of being judged by others. Society as a whole needs to stand up and address this issue. No one knows when it could be their turn to be affected - it can happen to anyone.

[Nigel]

Hi Ditzy,

“So my question folks - if you could change the world what help would you give to people in our situation?”

Hmm... :unsure:
I like to keep in mind the line – ‘People aren’t broken – people don’t need fixing’.

For the most part, a person’s mind is working just the way it’s supposed to work only they’re using it incorrectly. Doing the wrong sort of thinking, ether through habit or simply by not having learnt more effective ways of coping with certain aspects of life.

So rather than a system where a person is made to feel at fault or inferior and that there’s something wrong with them, what about a system where it’s looked upon as a ‘learning’ experience? Like going back to school. Getting a better understanding of the problem because ‘knowledge is power’, and that makes it much easier to keep things in perspective. I know there are some issues – like serious depression – where it does start to become an ‘illness’ and a more medical approach is needed, but for a lot of problems, learning new, more effective ways to deal with old problems is all that’s required.

Another thing is the way medication is often seen as the be all and end all by many professionals. It’s like turning to that big hammer in the toolbox because somehow it seems to solve most DIY jobs! It doesn’t mean there isn’t a more effective tool for the job.

Admittedly, meds do help some people cope when things get too hard, but what should happen is that while the meds are taking the edge off the problem, the real issues are being worked on. Sadly that often never happens.

I wonder how much of that is due to money – from both sides. On the one hand there are vast fortunes being made by the drug companies, so it must be in there best interest to promote their effectiveness as aggressively as they can get away with. How much might this influence the doctors who prescribe them?? And on the other hand many medical and mental heath centres find themselves under staffed and over worked. Meds are a quick answer, whereas solving the real problem takes a lot more time and money.
People aren’t broken...
People work perfectly...
People don’t need fixing... :winks:
Nigel

[ditzygirl]

Thanks guys - there is some really interesting points.

I am toiling with bugging MP's about it.... am I nuts?????lol

[Rollercoaster]

I've been waiting for help from the NHS for 2 years. Even my GP is frustrated. I had a breakdown 5 months after I first asked for help, and ended up in a Bupa hospital for 3 weeks. It's the only help I've had, but I was so ill it was just fire fighting. I am so happy I had work private health insurance, now I know how long it takes to get help from the NHS. Medication hasn't helped my anxiety or depression, and now I'm having to move for the third time in 2 years so will have to go back to the bottom of the waiting list for a second time, as when you move you start from the beginning again. You can get instant help for smoking, drug addiction, alcoholism etc. but I can't even get to see a psychiatrist to get a formal diagnosis. I've pretty much given up on the NHS and medication.