Mental illness knows no boundaries...

[ModeratingTeam]

Mental illness recognises no boundaries, including racial, cultural or ethnic boundaries. However, one’s experience of mental illness and the treatment and support offered may be influenced by such matters. If you would like to share your experiences of mental illness that by may have been influenced by your race, gender, culture and/or ethnic background, sexuality, disability, this is the place where you can feel at home. Welcome!

[Andrew Lorimer]

I would like to offer the proposition that the boundary of mental illness is sanity. Some are sane by any human standard - pace Freud re: civilization ergo neurosis.

[Andrew Lorimer]

Hi Andrew,

I think you are being unfair! What is meant in the original post is that no person is immune to mental illness by virtue of being a member of a group or set of persons. That mental illness is a human problem, not a problem of only certain groups of persons. The sane are susceptible to the threat of mental illness; and that is why they keep their distance - a reason for (what is seen as) stigmatization.

As for your disagreement with Freud: are you sure? After all, you believe that you're sane and that is not what held you in a psychiatric unit during January and early February this year!

[Andrew Lorimer]

you believe that you're sane and that is not what held you in a psychiatric unit during January and early February this year!

Beg to differ; but it was because I was sane that I hung on so successfully.

[kittypae]

Title: Hearing Voices
Sharing Theme: February 2018's theme, "What has helped me most"

Hearing voices is one of the symptoms I deal with and it becomes more symptomatic when I am anxious, emotionally stressed, or even physical stressed like, for example, when I get a cold or when I am unable to get a good night's sleep. Since 2011, it has morphed into many different voices, people, strangers, and reasons I still don't understand until this day. But, most importantly, I will try to stick to this month's theme in answering what has helped me most through these distressing times as it also relates to this form's topic and I'd like to share my experiences from my disability.

1) Does medication cure all?
No, I don't believe that medication cures everything, however, I still believe it is important to be on a regimen (maybe medications or some sort of therapeutic regimen) and very important to discuss with a psychiatric professional and have an open dialogue, yes a communicative relationship, with the professional as hard as this is (for me).

2) Should I go to my friends for support?
Over the years, I've learned that some things can be extremely stressful and distressing to hear. First, I took the experiences very personally, but understanding as well. Lesson learned from small experiences here and there and through therapy, I've learned what and how much I can share without overwhelming my friends and stressing my friendships. In other words, when in doubt, go to the professional psychiatrist, psychologist, a peer support, or have even a warm-line phone conversation. This doesn't mean that you can't talk to your friends about it. I am just saying be conscientious of the topics. Also, what has helped is writing down and journaling subjects I can talk to with whom and subjects i should avoid with with whom as well. I think this is being conscientious of both yourself and your feeling - in the long wrong, it has helped me learn how to have a healthy dialogue with the right people when you need it.

3) What do I do when I'm distressed?
Finally, I believe that coping mechanisms and therapy comes in all forms. Personally, I've been playing piano since 4 years old, and so I use music as a form of therapy. It's almost a beautiful mind because I like to control and write something I imagine to hear, and then can produce it; a beautiful mind because I know exactly how it will sound. Crazy, but an interesting concept I use and I am laughing about it now because it is kind of my way in coping and controlling what I hear, if that makes sense (hopefully). Also, sounds tend to evoke a lot of emotion to me. So I like to stare and look at something visually peaceful like a nature's picture while listening to something stimulating that keeps me distracted from the voices I hear. For example, my home page of my website is a droplet of melting ice. I find this oddly calming because the song that accompanies this homepage is written and comes from a very insecure place and time in my life. In a way, the melting ice represents movement and change for me to be confident in myself. Here is what I am talking about if you are curious... at www.kittypaemusic.com

All in all, this world is full of voices and noises, and instead of fighting and getting anxious over it, I've learned to try to not care about it so much. What that means is instead of becoming anxious when the voices happen, or when the voices appear, I have learned to relax and just accept it?... Like as if I'm listening to music now. The world is full of music-the voices are part of the music of this world I live in and hear.

4) Be Passionate
Find something you're passionate about and focus on yourself. Share it with your friends and don't worry about what strangers think. For example, and so my music isn't top100, I have a lot critics telling me how things should sound... Sure it's been a mix of feelings at first because I was trying to feel accepted. But all in all at the end of the day, it's my passion and not theirs.

Share your passion. What are yours?

Kindest Regards,
Kitty Pae

[brahimus]

This Is going to be a long post so please be open minded, because this is one of the hardest things I have every done, but I have to do this. I'm also sorry to my friends and family who have to find out this way.
Where to start?
To be honest, I wish I didn't have emotions. Life would be so much simpler without them.
I have always been timid when it comes to expressing myself, speaking my mind, and standing up for something. This stems from being raised in a culture where showing emotions is frowned upon. Men aren't suppose to show their thoughts or feelings.
So I’ve always played it safe and stood by the sideline, and I never wanted to rock the boat. And sometimes, when I’ve felt like saying something, I’ve wondered if people would even care, or if what I say would hurt someone or make them feel uncomfortable.
Because, frankly, sometimes people talk just for the sake of talking or because they want attention, and that bothered me. However, I also envied those who could just say what they think and speak their truth, even though I may or may not have agreed with them.
Nothing I ever did seemed good enough. There was constant criticism that I could do better, and I know I should of done better. I was raised to never to talk back to my seniors and not to say anything when I had nothing nice to say.
I know my friends and family have always had my best interest at heart. They have always tried to help me and be there for me. Push me to what I could become, but not achieving this has made me feel worthless, a disappointment and a failure.
Nevertheless, as years passed, the more I stayed muted, the more horrible my body and mind felt. I pushed people who I care about away and wish I could open up and tell them about everything I feel. But I've become afraid of being open.
Feelings now make me feel vulnerable and weak. Like I am less of a man for having these thoughts and feelings.
I feel like I'm not good enough, I don’t know who I should be, and I feel lost and alone, even when I'm surrounded by those who care about me.
I'm afraid of failure but with no motivation to succeed.
I feel everything and numb all the time.
I know many people will like and respond to this, and I thank you for it, but until I start liking myself. Everything you say will feel empty to me.

[maisi]

Hi Brahimus,

Argh, pressures to be how other people expect you to be, so unhealthy for you and it's hard to keep up over time if you don't get to be you, or aren't accepted by your nearest and dearest unless you conform to what they want. If you don't have a chance to do what you want, and only try and fulfil other people's expectations, how can you succeed, without true motivation?

There are ways to develop your own life, separate to your family, without having to challenge the status quo- can you go out, make friends etc separate to family? How old are you, do you have siblings, if so are you oldest, youngest or in the middle? Different pressures apply to older and younger adult children, I reckon.

You don't have to believe what people around you think, and you can still respect them, and be a sensible part of their lives. And find other people who accept you for your other sides of your personality. Family (and maybe extended family/community) for some stuff, new friends for other stuff. Make a bit of space for yourself, and I think you'll find you're ok with not meeting all the expectations placed on you, when you see that not everyone feels like that. Humour them but don't let them dictate everything.

Take care, Maisi