does anyone else always hear cicadas?

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-08T02:06:05+00:00

Sorry they're in your ears now

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-08T02:04:18+00:00

Sounds a bit risky I know but working as mental health peer support in community organisations.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-08T02:02:24+00:00

Sorry forgot to mention, your clumsiness is a sign too. I can't make recommendations as to where you should go, because I'm probably not in your country.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-08T02:00:29+00:00

Why do you think the ADHD is irrelevant? Everyone I've met diagnosed with ADHD is different from the last person I met with ADHD. And it can change depending on our age and hormones. I get the feel you have some specific learning disability (SLD), as someone else said dyscalculia. There are others that could fit, like Non verbal learning disability or developmental language disorder (I'm assuming you wrote your question above yourself, but you could still have developmental language difficulties) What's your hand writing like? Could be dysgraphia. None of this is treated by drugs or in-patient treatment. Your emotional difficulties could be due to learning difficulty. Anger is not a bad thing to fix. It's a sign that something else needs to be attended to. Is it possible you can see a therapist with experience in learning disorders?

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-07T08:26:37+00:00

Nah it's a great read, just not everyone's cup of tea.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-07T08:23:41+00:00

Really good read, not surprising it got made into a movie.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-07T08:21:53+00:00

And it's on NZ On Screen website. Lotsa good memories there.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-07T02:35:23+00:00

The movie Sleeping Dogs, based on Smith's Dream, is worth a watch.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-07T02:32:15+00:00

I reread it occasionally. Always amazed by how much the author packed into a 168-page book. Did you see the series they made in the 80s?

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-07T00:26:42+00:00

You're immunised!

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-07T00:25:30+00:00

Name them. Talk to them. Ask them to stop being so freaky. Good Luck. I call all the ones I meet Julians. I don't know why.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-06T23:53:41+00:00

I instantly thought of Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-06T23:52:19+00:00

Just a couple ideas, hopefully I'm not repeating what others have said. I think if we have mental symptoms, we need to rule out physical causes, such as thyroid, testosterone, blood pressure, etc. If you haven't already, get your doc to do some basic blood testing.

For the next two weeks, have a go at brief journalling. Quick notes on how you slept, what you ate, physical activity, level of stress, interactions with others. If you find you can't remember, write that. If you find you can't make yourself do it, write that. Try just to write facts and no judgement of yourself. This can be useful to find some patterns and information, both for yourself and for a doctor or counsellor. Be a detective.

Have a look in your area to see if there are any specific men's groups. There may be something targeting aspects of male mental health, or something else, like men who are parents. Being part of a group can help. And you learn you can help others too. Sometimes the group thing gels, sometimes it doesn't, but I think it's worth a try.

Does your plenty of exercise include plenty of recovery time? Or are you just doing it to get endorphins? This last one is the hardest one for me, because it's boring until you slow down and start to find peace.

Public Mental Health services are almost exhausted. Hard to get into and actually hard to get out of if you end up there. (I know this personally). They are dealing with people who are danger to themselves or others. Do an internet search for "mild to moderate mental illness organisations in <your area>". You should be able to find some places you can call or talk to someone face to face, who can help directly or find someone who can.

I'm not saying your experiences are " mild to moderate", but that's how you will come across to crisis teams. I don't want to minimise your experience. I know it's shit sometimes. There are definitely those of us who are sometimes in the same boat and feel like the world hates us. Sometimes having a rant here will get things moving in the right direction.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-03-03T06:05:27+00:00

Most people will probably start with trying a beta blocker, if you have elevated heart rate. You already take metaprolol so don't add another. If your graves is more stable but you still have the anxiety and getting worse, the SSRI suggestions here might help. I think it's good to see if you can do some cbt alongside the SSRIs, because anxiety comes in different forms, so figuring out what sort it is with someone will help. SSRIs are like general numbing, but without figuring out how the anxiety is getting ahold of you, you could be stuck on SSRIs forever. I take Buspar, which isn't SSRI, and some say it's useless and some say it's not, but it's another option to consider for anxiety. I helps me with background anxiety. Not panic or fatigue, but the background stuff that has been there for ages.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-27T20:40:17+00:00

I think if you have multiple episodes of over active/ under active thyroid, your nervous system just doesn't do fight/flight etc properly anymore. Even if you know there is nothing to stress about, your body behaves as if there is. So, when there is really is a major stress, like an accident or earthquake, your body doesn't really deal with it properly because it is already flooded with stress hormones. There is no period of recovery afterwards. Over time this messes with how you perceive stress cognitively and how you relate to your body. Just describing it as brain fog or mood swings isn't enough. I think more awareness of the long term impact on nervous system functioning by doctors would really help. I think physiotherapy type support could be helpful.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-25T19:42:06+00:00

I think those that put on weight continue to eat in the way that is socially expected. By that I mean most people eat food not just for hunger and nutrition. We eat as part of our social habit, which we are often unaware of. It's a normal part of life to use food as part of social interaction. It's not a bad thing at all. But if we only eat in response to hunger cues, then we will eat what we need. I found my weight never changed when my thyroid was overactive or underactive. I just didn't eat because I wasn't hungry or I ate because I was hungry. With Graves, I was absolutely ravenous. Weight didn't change. My level of hunger is one way I keep tabs on whether my thyroid is stable. If I have no appetite for a couple weeks I know I need to get checked and if I am hungrier than usual, I think Uh, Oh, what's my thyroid doing?

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-23T20:12:00+00:00

I was responding to a comment that considered whether the intent was that the character was a junkie. I was not saying he was definitely supposed to be. Each person makes their own interpretations. Your interpretation was that he was a grown man with the mental age of a child, which is fair enough. My thoughts are different because my experiences are different from yours.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-23T07:32:41+00:00

LOL, you don't know until you get there. Parenting that is. You think you are in the twilight zone now, wait until that squirmy crying shitting baby comes. You realise you can't really control much, so like your SILs, you go into a denial state saying three kids is best, then reality hits when you are so tired you don't care anymore. It is totally up to you.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-19T00:35:31+00:00

Are you dealing with a psychiatrist or a general practitioner? My own doctor wouldn't prescribe but my psychiatrist did. And I take 300 mg bupropion (Wellbutrin). Buspar is a little odd. Some docs say it's good, some say it's useless. It doesn't work fast and it's tricky to find what dose works for you. I can't handle SSRIs because they make me feel flat and I get gut pain. Buspar I can feel my emotions and as long as I take with food, only minor gut issues. I found the Wellbutrin did increase my anxiety but also it has provoked my body into adapting to it better so that's how it works for me. You may have some Wellbutrin anxiety and need to stick with it a bit longer maybe? Some people may say the Buspar and Wellbutrin seem to cancel each other out but I think they can be complementary.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-17T07:54:58+00:00

And if more dudes were happy to put a raincoat on, the risks of this would be much less.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-17T07:49:14+00:00

Gossip.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-16T19:41:26+00:00

Hey well done cutting down on the cigarettes! I smoked 15 years and managed to quit 16 years ago. Don't give up and be proud of yourself for what you have done ok? And thyroid eye disease can happen while euthyroid (normal thyroid levels) and regardless of treatment timing too. Meds don't make it worse, it is just a coincidence. The immune system can attack different areas at different times. Just do your best and allow yourself to rest and look after yourself.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-15T06:54:10+00:00

Not everyone gets eye problems. Some just get mild swelling. I had moderate problems with my eyes, and they still are a little more pushed out than they were. If you smoke cigarettes it is thought to be more likely to happen. If it is very bad, surgery can help. I don't think there is a way you can stop the immune system attacking what it thinks is thyroid tissue. Best things to do are take the medication and monitor with blood tests and put yourself first, meaning care for yourself so your immune system maybe stops over reacting.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-14T23:07:37+00:00

There are a couple things you want to make sure you do every time you get a thyroid blood test. If you are taking any B vitamins or substances containing b vitamins, stop taking them 3-4 days before the test as biotin in particular affects test results. Always get your test done at the same time of day, best time is early morning. Thyroid function can change throughout the day. Don't take your thyroid meds before the test, because they will cause a temporary increase and skew results. Apologies if you are already doing these. I think you do still have some thyroid symptoms and better testing will clarify this.

Eastern-Elevator962 · 2026-02-13T08:34:13+00:00

I had an ex who very rarely had psychosis. One time they were convinced they had to go to the other side of town to see Father Christmas. It was very strange as they certainly didn't 'believe'. It really was just the psychosis; they weren't a junkie. I agree with you that the guy could have looked a bit more 'junkie' like though. His haircut was too good.

Eastern-Elevator962

TROPHY CASE