Firstly, I would like to apologise if I have so enraged you Slim that you needed to start a new thread to get back at me (this is not some sarcy post). You had enraged me and just like you admit to posting this thread after seeing red, I too rattled off a post, pressed send and forgot about it.



You have, however, started quite the eye opening thread and I would certainly like to wish those that are or who have suffered with depression in the past my most thought filled wishes. I know that it can be one of the most diabilitating things to enter a person's life.



I personally have suffered with depression since high school; however as such a young person not only was I reluctant to address my behaviour, but this wasn't helped when, after I finally went to see a medical professional, I did not disclose the truth and was told it was something else. This led to a very dark period that, although was probably natural of a mental condition, some of the actions I took then I look back on with regret. Ultimately I did eventually find the solution to my problems. It came with drugs, therapy at Garven Place and a new outlook on life. I have had bad times since going to University but I thought more like myself now than I have for years an I think I could say for the first time in years I am happy. However, as I said, I have bad periods and I know that will probably be the case forever.



However, I think of my case as extremely trivial compared to some of the people I have met. I have not many people with Dementia or Schizophrenia and personally no very little about the subject. I have met many people with very severe forms of depression. People who have not been able to leave the house through fear and this has been the case with a few people very close to me.



In answer to the question that has been tagged on the end of your post; I think you have asked a very open question. Should we hold someone with schizophrenia accountable for their actions? I would find that question difficult to answer, as I don't know a great deal about the condition and, as with all mental conditions to some extent, there is a changing in the person when suffered. When does someone not become themselves? That is the problem when we talk of mental health issues. The brain[i is[/i the person. I can only talk from my experience and my views on my own condition. I am embarrassed by some of the things I have done. I realize I was selfish at times and I don't think I am alone in that thought. I suppose my answer varies on degree of mental illness; as alien as that sounds.



I look forward to a response and some illumination, as I know this is your area of expertise, Slim.

Rest assured Ian, farce = locked

Absolute poppycocki, it sounds like your other half is part of the problem with mental health in this country, depression and stress is quite easily treated with correct therapy, we tend to use the "crack a nut with a sedgehammer" teqnique and proscribe drugs into treatment too easily, the brain is a finely tuned instrument thet we barely understand and introducing chemicals into it on trial and error basis is asking for trouble.

Fair enough - wasn't a criticism by the way. It is an interesting subject.

An old friend of mine is deemed mental unstable. The doctors put this down to all the drugs he had taken in his early years. Now if what the doctors said was ture,then how come all my other friends who have participated in certain activities. Have not gone the same route. Surely we all must possess something in the way our brain works that if something triggers a chain reactions. The brain becomes un balanced and sends out signals which make us unstable.

correct

Manco from experience therapy doesn't work in every case and in some cases will never work.



I knew a guy who has a condition in which is body chemisty actually changes and then when that happened he would try to kill himself, he needed medicine to balance out the change.



Trust me in the majority of cases you need to elevate peoples mood before they are willing to listen and except therapy and drugs for some is the only solution.



Some people bless them don't have the mental awareness or capacity to understand cognitive therapy.

I think the problem with mental illness is that, like other issues people don't fully understand, words are used light heartedly or turned into terms of derision and ridicule. Listen to the way people talk. People under a bit of pressure say 'I'm stressed', a bit down and it's 'I'm depressed', if they are in two minds about something they are schizo. I've even heard people saying that they are 'a bit OCD'. When people really are suffering from stress or depression they are expected to pull themselves together and get on with it because what we think of as stress and depression are so far from the truth. The easy use of these terms show a complete lack of understanding to the suffering of people.



The mental health nurse may think that my musings show that I really don't know anything, but at least I am trying to understand and surely that is the start of removing the stigma of mental health?

that is an excellent point. I remember when Myspace was being used by all the youngsters (before Facebook) there was a mood option on it; to tell people how you were feeling. One of the moods was 'feeling depressed' and I always thought that weird; especially in my mindset at the time.

only something like 3% of cases are down to a physiological change, a lot of the mental health problems in this country are a direct result of previous treatments (usually drugs), trust me!

A guest on 'Something for the weekend' has just said he is a bit OCD in that the only way to deal with bad news, wars nad the bombardment of technology is to tidy his desk. That is exactly the point I was trying to make earlier - arggh!

I don't have much experience of this matter, but here's my twopenneth. It is the workshy generation who have trivialised things such as depression and stress. When they want some time off work they go to their GP and tell them some tale to get signed off work for a while. I would wager that 90% of people in the world could find something in their lives to get depressed about. There is a difference between feeling depressed and being depressed. It is a serious illness, but people just dismiss it because the chances are they know somebody who is using it to get off work. I used to work with a bloke who was off for 12 months with stress. 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay. He was so stressed that he conveniently turned up at work laughing and joking on the day his pay was about to stop.