Opening up about being mentally ill

[brewer]

Chronic addictive personality disorder. Has ruined one career and many relationships. There may be some BPD, OCD and NPD traits mixed in also but not officially diagnosed. Have also had psychologic/situational depression and anxiety but those are self limiting. Do not confuse psychologic with biologic even though often medically treated the same.

Admitting is tough due to all of societies intolerance and lack of understanding. Might as well have three heads some times.

Medication is not a magic bullet. There needs to be therapy also. The activity (keeping active) that was brought up (inappropriately at first) can be part of the therapy, particularly CBT. Activity without a purpose or goal can also be harmful.

Do what you need to and recover. Best wishes.

[Brakeman]

How does one "try to be positive?"  Isn't that like trying to believe in jebus?

No. Unlike deities, there is plenty of evidence that positive things can and do happen.

No, that's not what I meant. In the same way you can't make yourself believe in jebus because either your already do or you are only denying you true thoughts, you can't "make" yourself be positive, you can only deny or avoid your true feelings.

[Excited Penguin]

I think people sometimes go overboard with attacking religion and it spills into other stuff.

[Thumpalumpacus]

No. Unlike deities, there is plenty of evidence that positive things can and do happen.

No, that's not what I meant. In the same way you can't make yourself believe in jebus because either your already do or you are only denying you true thoughts, you can't "make" yourself be positive, you can only deny or avoid your true feelings.

That's exactly my point: You can only adduce a deity by feelings. However, with conscious effort, one can find the positives in life right there in front of you. It doesn't rely on feelings, when there's evidence, and there usually is.

I'm not trying to say that one can "cure" oneself of depression, but as Rob (and, I'm sure, others) show, it is possible to mitigate the effects of the disorder with conscious effort.

Because that conscious effort can show immediate and actual results, it is unlike faith, which as you correctly note is not amenable to will.

[brewer]

Ah shit. I forgot my picture. Is not playing well with others an illness?

[Whateverist]

I just expressed myself poorly. I didn't mean it that way, that's all I'll say.

And you're back (off my ignore list).

[IanHulett]

I have bipolar disorder with psychotic features... Borderline OCD, ADHD and Oppositional Defiance disorder... in addition to those, I have Asperger Syndrome... and although I have no official diagnosis on this issue, I also have a mildly antisocial personality. It has resulted in me living in my bedroom for the most part and if I leave my bedroom, I get irritable really easily... and as a result, a chore to hang around. Really sucks living like this tbh. 90% of my interaction with the outside world is via the internet... because I'm mostly room bound.

[Excited Penguin]

I have bipolar disorder with psychotic features... Borderline OCD, ADHD and Oppositional Defiance disorder... in addition to those, I have Asperger Syndrome... and although I have no official diagnosis on this issue, I also have a mildly antisocial personality. It has resulted in me living in my bedroom for the most part and if I leave my bedroom, I get irritable really easily... and as a result, a chore to hang around. Really sucks living like this tbh.

  Hug?

[robvalue]

Brakeman: I try to be positive in various ways:

1) Looking at what I have, rather than what I don't have

2) Trying to do things to lift my spirits

3) Focusing on the good in the world, and seeing how I can add to it, rather than focusing on bad things that I can't control

4) Accepting things how they are rather than railing against them

5) Trying to find humour in everything and to laugh

6) [This one is a bit difficult to explain] Attempting to aspire to be how I want myself to be, which is positive. I focus on the better parts of me and my thoughts, try to do positive actions, be helpful to people even when I feel like shit, and to hope that my subconscious will tend towards this better version of me. It seems to work. I guess it's a "positive attitude".

These are just a few examples, and they are personal, it's not supposed to be some get well quick scheme. It's a summary of how I have dealt with my depression, and how I've worked on my attitudes.

I totally agree that medication is not enough. I view medication as giving you the strength back to help yourself. It can put the balance back in your brain a little bit, so that you can seek help. The thing that has been key in my recent therapy, and which has given me somewhat of a breakthrough, is:

Even when you can't change things, you can change your attitude towards them.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Brakeman: I try to be positive in various ways:

1) Looking at what I have, rather than what I don't have

2) Trying to do things to lift my spirits

3) Focusing on the good in the world, and seeing how I can add to it, rather than focusing on bad things that I can't control

4) Accepting things how they are rather than railing against them

5) Trying to find humour in everything and to laugh

6) [This one is a bit difficult to explain] Attempting to aspire to be how I want myself to be, which is positive. I focus on the better parts of me and my thoughts, try to do positive actions, be helpful to people even when I feel like shit, and to hope that my subconscious will tend towards this better version of me. It seems to work. I guess it's a "positive attitude".

These are just a few examples, and they are personal, it's not supposed to be some get well quick scheme. It's a summary of how I have dealt with my depression, and how I've worked on my attitudes.

I totally agree that medication is not enough. I view medication as giving you the strength back to help yourself. It can put the balance back in your brain a little bit, so that you can seek help. The thing that has been key in my recent therapy, and which has given me somewhat of a breakthrough, is:

Even when you can't change things, you can change your attitude towards them.

This is a beautiful post, and these are steps that are pertinent even to those of us who don't suffer your depression, Rob.