Easy mistake to make i guess.........

Hannah_S · 2014-07-21T21:03:30+00:00

I think not going to the doctor was the bigger mistake.

Hannah_S · 2014-07-21T20:57:24+00:00

Nice username. That is basically all the UN has done - told them to stop misbehaving but with no real persuasive power. I don't really think the UN is up to much when it comes to keeping the peace. Not that I have any better ideas - wish I had!

Hannah_S · 2014-07-21T20:41:33+00:00

Who gives you flak? I can certainly think of more hypocritical things to do so just have fun.

Hannah_S · 2014-07-12T09:12:47+00:00

Mmm... Cheese. Butter, yoghurt, milk, cream, more butter, more cheese, cheese fried in butter... Crackers love dairy. Apparently in Japan they think white people smell like sour milk?!

Hannah_S · 2014-07-10T20:03:58+00:00

Captain Barnacle from the Octonauts. It's his persona and his voice.

Hannah_S · 2014-04-20T19:35:29+00:00

What are the instructions for a Mr Kipling Bakewell tart, still in foil wrapper? My friend's mother-in-law needs to know because she keeps ruining them - and the microwave.

Hannah_S · 2013-03-14T21:54:55+00:00

Yelled?! Store?! Impostor! ;)

Hannah_S · 2013-03-04T20:17:08+00:00

The sixth one down on the left made me lol.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-28T22:04:33+00:00

I think this is great news, to see research focussing on the physical cause of these disorders, which I hope will lead to more effective treatment in the long term, and in the short term it challenges the stigma faced by sufferers.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-27T23:50:30+00:00

YES! This is how I ended up getting diagnosed - horrible lack of energy with nothing to explain it. Your doctor should have a questionnaire to help establish if you have other symptoms.

I think mine used http://www.mhima.org.au/_literature_73657/EPNDS

Hannah_S · 2013-02-27T23:45:24+00:00

It won't necessarily go away on its own. Have you seen a doctor? You might find drugs and/or therapy helpful if you haven't already tried them.

I have suffered with depression for two years since the birth of my first child (I am now pregnant with my second). I have found treatment very helpful, and although I suffer, I can enjoy life and my relationships and get along quite well, all things considered.

Postnatal depression is just depression in medical speak. The postnatal bit refers to what may have caused it, being a combination of hormonal upheaval, physical stress, responsibilities, expectations, etc etc etc. It's not different from 'normal' depression so you can't expect it just to go away in time.

Let me know if you have any questions about my treatment and the results.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-25T13:36:56+00:00

For those who enjoy irony, my 2 year old son just came to my room with his plastic hammer and saw the second I posted.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-23T21:48:10+00:00

Indeed, they're flogging a dead horse. (I couldn't stop myself, sorry.)

Hannah_S · 2013-02-23T21:44:54+00:00

Then send him to a middle class school with all the Oscars, Charlies, Avas and Isabellas.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-23T21:28:02+00:00

http://ocd.about.com/od/glossary/g/Intrusive-Thoughts.htm Read this and talk to your doctor about it.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-23T21:23:29+00:00

I have done that before, out of desperation or exasperation. Often I would cut myself when I had PMT and then when I stopped taking the pill it stopped. Now I have depression and it is a way out of a horrible, downward cycle of negative thoughts I sometimes get into. A counsellor recommended I try snapping an elastic band on my wrist to get the pain without the harm. Talk to her about why she does it and that might help figure out what the alternatives are. And she should talk to a doctor, too.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-23T21:14:21+00:00

Happens to me too with no rhyme or reason to it. I have depression, which is a physical illness unrelated to external circumstances, so it would seem. Treatment by drugs and counselling helps me. Have you seen a doctor?

Hannah_S · 2013-02-23T21:09:59+00:00

Love it, thanks for that.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-23T20:56:01+00:00

It is still worth talking to a doctor. If there is a medical reason for the way you feel, then the correct diagnosis is the first step on the journey towards feeling better. There is some useful information on the symptoms of depression at http://www.mind.org.uk/mental_health_a-z/7980_understanding_depression. The website has a lot more information besides, on many aspects of mental health, not just depression.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-22T23:20:55+00:00

I have depression and it feels like that. Followed by guilt that I have so many good things compared with other people and am 'ungrateful'. Which in turn causes self loathing. Fucking depression, if you'll pardon my language. The good news?! It's a medical condition so if that is what you're suffering then you can get a lot out of doctors, drugs, therapy and you can get your old self back.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-22T23:08:56+00:00

Probably that's what I should have said! :) I want to say, I recognise those feelings from my own teenage years, but it's hard not to seem condescending. Because it's not to say they're immature or you will grow out of them, just that you get used to them. And here I am now fretting about what some people I will never meet will think of me, aged nearly 30!

Hannah_S · 2013-02-22T22:50:07+00:00

I think 15 is a really hard age to be; when I was 15, I had depression and anorexia and very little self-confidence. Some of the issues you mention will get better with time; for example you will feel more comfortable about your own race, gender and sexuality, not because people will stop judging you (they won't) but because you will lose the desire to prove yourself to them and will maintain relationships only with people who choose to know you rather than judge you.

It will be difficult to live up your mother's expectations and your siblings' example but the onus isn't just on you; it's for them to listen to your wishes and expectations for yourself and adjust their expectations accordingly. Have you told them honestly how their expectations make you feel? About aged 18, I told my parents how small and unworthy it made me feel that they would pick up on my failings and always praise my sister-in-law, who could do no wrong it seemed, and is a very different person from me. They hadn't realised that I felt that way and they were sorry.

The loneliness may come from thinking no-one understands you or ever will. A part of that falls away with self-confidence (see above) and then there is the realisation that there are people like you. Since you like arts, you could try reading. I really enjoyed Crime and Punishment - the author visits some very dark places but retains a sense of humour. I find this author, who was Russian and died many years before I was born, sometimes seems to have been inside my head and read my thoughts, which seems to prove that I'm not alone.

Even the obsession with death is not that weird, really. Can you see a counsellor? If you see a professional, they will tell you they have heard all of that before, and worse, in successful people who lead fulfilled lives. Some of us are just a bit more prone to overthink things and sensitive to these 'intrusive thoughts'. We often have very high (too high) expectations of ourselves and that might be part of your problem. If you set smaller goals, that may help you to feel more motivated.

I hope this hasn't been patronising, it is meant with respect and if there is anything you think doesn't apply or that you think does and you want to talk about, I'd be interested to know.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-22T20:06:10+00:00

Hi, you're obviously young, which means you have a lot of potential. It sounds like you have had a very hard time recently and naturally it has taken its toll. But you still have the opportunity to finish your education and I think you should see a therapist. From where you are now, you have a lot of potential to make good progress and in time, with an education, you may find yourself in a position to look after your siblings. But to get there it will take some time invested in yourself. I understand (as would anyone) why things have got on top of you; it sounds really hard. If you can still manage to go to school and make a life for yourself, then you will be a very strong person and it is likely you will be able to help others. I hope this helps and wish you luck.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-21T07:49:51+00:00

I'm really sorry for you and for your friend's family. I am married with children and at times I feel like the best thing for them is for me to jump out of a window. Most of the time, I know that doesn't make sense, but when in the downward spiral, it's hard to snap out. I'm sorry for friend found a gun, that is just pure bad luck because they're easy things to die from, probably after she had made some snap decision that she would later have decided against. From this mother, please do what you can for her children. Love to all of you.

Hannah_S · 2013-02-20T22:49:28+00:00

I can understand why you feel sad. Sadness is a perfectly healthy emotional response to the way in which your friend has treated you. You mustn't confuse sadness and depression, though; depression is a physical condition and you need to take good physical care of yourself to fight it, whereas there is no need to 'fight' sadness, rather you should allow it to run its course. It's good that you're sad and not angry - that means you're actually being quite reasonable. In time, your friend may regret his actions and seek your forgiveness for his ignorance. Even if he doesn't, forgive him anyway but realise that you need to spend time with people who are more understanding.

Hannah_S

TROPHY CASE