Mental Health Support Thread (NOT for giving medical advice, or debating)

Only that if it's affecting you negatively then it's a problem, and seeking medical advice is absolutely the right thing to do.

 

I'm pretty sure a lack of control, distracting thoughts about it, wasting time doing it a bunch, apparently potential personality affects, and the two or three times I was sore for weeks but used moisturizer rather than give up; which only made it less severe are negative symptoms. So I will.

 

As mentioned earlier, let's not debate whether thing X is really a problem but rather focus on supporting each other, for whatever it may be.

 

Ok, whatever, if people don't think it is important to understand what mental health actually is, and understand the differences in the different types, that's fine. I thought it might be good for people to actually gain a little bit of knowledge instead of just golf clapping for someone and doing the usual, "it's going to be ok..." thing. Knowledge and understanding of mental health is a key to controlling it IMO. So to know the differences between a bad habit and an addiction is extremely important to understanding how to solve the problem. But I'm over it. In fact if this thread is just going to be a RAh-Rah type of thing, It's not really something I am going to take part in anymore.

 

Yes, this is a support thread. People who'd like to debate mental health are welcome to make their own.

 

Anyway, back on topic.

I'm very up-and-down at the moment because of the whole agent thing, but on the whole I'm coping way better than I expected. I was afraid of getting 'the call' because I'm so bad on the phone, and especially because this was with not one but TWO strangers, but in the end it was fine. There were a few occasions where we talked over each other, but I didn't cringe with embarrassment and didn't beat myself up about it. I haven't been going over and over the conversation, convincing myself that I said something really stupid and they now think I'm an idiot.

I'm also growing a pretty good thick skin. I've taken the vast majority of criticism and rejection like water off a duck's back. Occasionally something bothers me, but I think that's normal rather than a result of my anxiety.

The long and arduous process of trying to get published has been good for my mental health, I think. Who knew?

 

No one is opposed to learning about the mental health and what the differences are. And in fact, if you were to start a thread to discuss it, I'd likely get involved. But this is supposed to be a thread where people can discuss their own issues and struggles and get support from people going through the same thing.

The only reason I think moving the discussion somewhere else is because it could possibly deter other people from joining the original conversation. No one is shutting down the conversation. Just discussing it here derails the original topic that the few of us still involved would like to keep on track. I'd like to discuss it more. Just not here.

 

Well let me add this last thing I thought about well I was in the shower. Though some are implying it, I never said that @Oscar Leigh didn't have a problem, in fact having a bad habit can be a tough problem to get rid of. The point I was trying to make, if people actually read the posts and the links I provided, is that the distinction between the two problems where addiction is much worse than a bad habit, and much harder to kick. So that should be a good thing? What this past discussion reminds me of, is like if a person gets sick to their stomach, and they go to the doctor to see what is wrong with them. The doctor runs several tests, and after everything is said and done they come to the patient with good news, "Sir it isn't cancer or anything like that, but it seems you have gotten some kind of parasite and after a few weeks on medication you should be fine." And the patient responds, "Oh, it's NOT cancer?" But they don't say it in a relieved tone, it's more in a disappointed tone. And THAT is a problem that's even worse than the original problem. So by trying to show some knowledge here and show that there could be a problem less as bad than expected, should be SUPPORT, but instead because the OP would rather the problem be a diagnosis worse than I am presenting, I'm arguing and derailing a support thread. So yeah, if you don't want people to actually talk about mental health, for one people should have cut off the OP from the get go when he brought up the topic and asked for information and suggestions about his problem. Secondly, you shouldn't call it a mental health support thread, and it would be better off being called the "Not Happy Thread," because it's basically the same thing, a place for people to go vent about bad things and people to just clap for them and say everything is going to be alright, which isn't really support. That's just positive reinforcement.

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support
play
transitive verb sup·port \sə-ˈpȯrt\
Popularity: Top 1% of lookups
Simple Definition of support

• : to agree with or approve of (someone or something)
  
  
• : to show that you approve of (someone or something) by doing something
  
  
• : to give help or assistance to (someone or something)
  

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/support

 

@Lewdog - For the love of God, man, just go make another thread about the discussion of mental health -- Oh fine, y'know what, I'll do it.

EDIT: It is done. Go here: https://www.writingforums.org/threads/mental-health-discussion-thread.144809/ Discuss away!

 

OK, so the Mental Health Support Thread was being derailed into a discussion of what addiction really was, and the different types of mental illnesses/treatments for it, etc. The purpose of the Support is to provide...y'know...support for those going through some mental illness.

Well this thread shall be it's kin, the Mental Health Discussion thread where we discuss what mental illness really is, the different types of it, and everything like that. @Lewdog , @Lea`Brooks ... you two may proceed.

EDIT: I'm not a mod, but just a reminder: please keep things civil and respectful. Failure to do so will result in the mods doing mostly bad things to us and this thread.

 

Practice makes perfect, I guess? lol My therapist always tells me that my fears and anxieties are based on the unknown (which should be pretty obvious, but I didn't seem to put them together). I've been looking for volunteer opportunities, but I've been too afraid to even call them. Afraid I'll fail, embarrass myself, or any of the other things. But when I go in for a job interview, I never feel those things. I'm always confident, in control, all the great stuff. I didn't understand why, especially considering jobs are so much more serious than volunteering.

But then she pointed out that I'm trying to volunteer to do things I've never done, while I'm interviewing for jobs I have experience in. I felt silly once she pointed it out. Because of course I know that. But when I get panicky, I can't think logically. She said that's just how it is. If you've never flown in a helicopter before, the first time you do, you'll likely be terrified. You don't know what to expect, so every bump and turn can send you into a panic. But if you fly in a helicopter every week or every day, eventually those little bumps don't even register with you anymore.

So I guess being forced to talk to people on the phone may eventually help you with your phone anxiety? Who knows! But I'm glad it went well.

 

How bad we talkin because it might just be my poison.

 

Yay, good job, Link! You're the best whale I know. I think I'll wait for Lew or @Boger to make the first post so I have something to respond to.

 

That's my cue.

Thanks for creating this fantastic thread.

Can we expect the sexual support thread, identity support thread, and physical support thread? If so, I really want to discuss what people would have to say there in the respective discussion threads.

(just joking around)

But for real, I don't consider masturbation a real addiction. There is probably an average, but just because you're above average doesn't make you addicted. If I had a more developed intelligence, that wouldn't make me addicted to solving problems.

That's called OCD, and there's a condition for excessive masturbation as well, which is a brain disorder causing people to orgasm constantly, dozens of times a day.

 

My mental health has took a battering (and my tongue—having bitten it so many times). Watching from the sidelines, not reacting to what unfolded and consequently spawned this thread. I've a stack of probably 300 inappropriate puns/innuendos/dry remarks yet but a handful of advice nuggets. Going to self-impose some home-brewed therapy for my self-diagnosed 'over facetious silent mind syndrome'. I really need to vent; a trip to an empty forest I say, printout of thread in hand and, once there, a machine gun turrets* style outburst to release such frustrations to the ether. Then back home again to be all polite.

* yes turrets (the condition) not turrets (the gun swiveller).

 

I actually kind of agree. The reason I was disagreeing is not because I wanted it to be addiction, not sure about whether it is anymore, but because I felt I had reason I to believe that. Which I do. It's a pretty strong habit if it's a habit.

 

You're a teenage male. That average isn't high at all. What's actually concerning is that you're even asking about this. I think you need to find positive ways to gain more self esteem/ attention. You're just a boy. We should be arriving to better ourselves at all ages, but as you get older, the being led by others to leading others ratio is going to (hopefully) flip. Look at all the threads you post in, contentious debate after contentious debate. Trust me, find yourself a real life role model, and start listening tto opinions instead of constantly giving your young, inexperienced ones.

 

I use plenty of knowledge and advice from other people. The vast majority of my backing for any point I hold is from other people. And I did already say I'm going to talk to a professional and that I'm not as sure anymore. Maybe it's just a strong habit and not quite compulsive enough to be an addiction. It's quite possible. I still want to reduce it though. A little too many consequences and too little control.

 

Does anyone else feel overwhelmed and intimidated by this world at times? You know, that sinking feeling as though you'll never overcome or conquer your fear and survive, even until the next day? How do you cope, when you experience this despair?

 

I don't know man. In my opinion if you're seeking help from an online forum instead of a doctor, your problems aren't actually that bad. If you're seeking a shrink, and working on yourself with the help of a professional, by all means use us as backup.

But if you're looking for a place to whine about problems that you aren't taking any steps to solve, I'm not interested in anything you have to say.

 

Well, if this isn't coping, I don't know what else is.

 

Actually, in most threads you can assume that any reply that doesn't tag you directly is either a response to the original poster, or a new thought. My post above was neither directed at you, nor did I consider your post when making it.

But calling another member a cunt (even when using asterisks) is pretty wildly against the TOS, no matter what they've said about you. That kind of invective isn't really conducive to the kind of discussion that @Link the Writer was trying to foster, so I think I'll stop listening to anything you have to say ever again. Enjoy your infraction points!

 

Off to the emotional support thread!

 

I wasn't really going to do anything with this thread, and was going to enforce a self-imposed restriction on talking about mental health on this forum, but I read this and had to wonder if it was directed at me. If it is, I'd like to know what about my posts pissed you off so much, because I backed up the points I had to make with links to professional information that supported my assertions. I also can speak from first-hand problems relating to the topic. And, as I said in the other thread, I never said that he didn't have a problem, but said that he did not have the problem he said he had, but something different, and if you read the article, there is a distinct difference between an addiction and a bad habit. A bad habit only affects one part of the brain, which makes it easier to work with, than an addiction that affects multiple parts of the brain and thus harder to rehabilitate from. In fact, there is a specific part of the article that mentions "triggers" with bad habits, and the OP specifically said that when he walks into his bedroom, it is a "trigger" to his problem. It's right there in black and white.

So, if it was me you had your problem with, put it out there. I'm a grown man and I can take it. But if you are going to argue against what I said, you should have some information to back it up, as I have provided links to professional information, I have first-hand experience, and as a one time Sociology major in college, I have taken numerous college courses about the subject.

 

I have to say, I kind of agree with this to a point, but as I said in the other thread, what worries me more is when the OP argues as if they want their problem to be something more major than what other people are asserting that it is. I'm sorry, but in my opinion that screams as if the person is begging for attention, and not really wanting to have their problem addressed.