ann m

sel - thank you very much for that - I have copied it to my friend and will follow that up in a day or so to see what she thinks !

and likewise Yoong - thank you for all your comments - more food for thought

birdynumnum

Hi Yoong

Out of interest, whats your view on flaxseed as an alternative to fish based omega 3 for vegetarians?
I've been vegan for years (23) & was recently advised despite eating a really good diet for a vegan, I should not really be a vegan.
Wondered if you have any knowledge on whole omega thing, sounds like you do
Cheers
T
xxx

Yoong

Hi Birdynumnum,
It is only lately that Omega3 from fish oil is being accepted as the
brain food and mood stabilizer on my unit.I have heard about flax seed
oil as another source of Omega3 but not sure whether it has the
same efffect as the fish oil.I like flax seed oil but it goes rancid easily.
I usually grind my flax seed to get the oil and fibre at each meal.

Must be hard to switch from a vegan to a non vegan.Is it because of B12
deficiency that you were advised not to be a vegan?No harm trying the
flax seed oil for omega3 and the anti cancer effects.These omega
stuff 3 and 6 can be quite confusing at times.
Best regards,
Yoong

Yoong

You welcome Ann.
Yoong

birdynumnum

Ahh thanks for that Yoong.
I have heard the odd thing about flaxseed re: mucks around with hormones etc.
Its not the B12.....she was a western trained / chinese medicine practicioner. It was a few things, she didnt actually run any tests but (not to bore you) I'm not eatin enough foods to provide me with enough blood, not iron deficinecy either.
I have wondered b4 about the long term implications of being vegan - if its affecting/going to affect my health in a negative way - ironically, a healthy nutritous diet is one of the reasons I like veganism. If its not working anymore, need to rethink. Odd thought.
Will keep at the flaxseed oil b4 going for fish oil.
Thanks again
xx

psb182

kellogs all bran is high in B12,also clams,mackrel,oyster,lamb and basically any liver product.
Most cereals have a good amount of b12 just read the lables

Yoong

Hi psb ,
This is an excellent website from Australia, for CBT exercises.
Actually we used the questionaires at work for patients to
do their CBT homework.Hope things are looking up for you
http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/reso...cfm?Mini_ID=36
This is a good source of information and I use the exercises myself to
do some fine tuning when I go out of line.
Yoong

Shivster

I went to my docs today to talk about my very up and down mood swings. It's been something that crippled my marriage and I really wanted to know if I was the total bitch my husband says I am or if there was something more going on.

As luck would have it she's a British doc so understood me and put me on two meds immediately, one to try and control my rapid cycling of moods and one to help me sleep. She's sending to to a Psychopharmacologist to get the balances right as one other med needs to be added to the mix. She did feel that going from England to France then Spain and America and now wanting to go back to England had sent my brain into overdrive and I just can't cope with it.

While I don't expect any miracles, I'm looking forward to a night's sleep and know that at the very least I have the support of a good doc who wants to see me every week.

SarahInTX

Wow. There's a lot of it about isn't there. I feel for everyone who's shared their stories and their struggles.

I too am "clinically depressed." Haven't reflected on it, I think I was depressed even as a child, and it's very possibly genetic.

I saw psychologists and psychiatrists on and off over the years, and then around 1996, when I was 42, started taking Prozac. What a difference it made! Life changing. I've been taking it ever since, but I recently changed to Effexor because I just didn't think the Prozac was as effective as it had been in the past. I'm not sure about the Effexor yet, but I'm on the lowest dose . . .

About exercise, I'll just say this. At my worst of times, I was doing aerobics three times a week. During the cool down, I would start crying . . . so not sure that it was very therapeutic, at least for me.

I think we're all different as to what works for us. I was talking to someone who's bipolar and she was very enthusiastic about CBT (she takes meds too), but I've never tried it.

Anyway, enough of a ramble . . . . Stay strong everyone.

Sarah in TX

king kong

The sad part about all this is the fact the wider community havent really cottoned on to the fact that depression is an illness and migrating and all the stress that brings only makes it worse .
My father has struggled with depression all of his life and as a youngster i used to wonder what was the matter with the old f---er but now as i have reached my mid forties and have tried to deal with the illness myself for the last ten years ,i actually realise how debilitating it is .
I too have gone to the doctors many times with my headdown low in shame trying to understand what was wrong with me .The doctor described it to me just as ''chance to be '' has and this elevated my self -esteem a little and along with course of ZOLOFT i was on the mend but human nature as it is i stopped taking them once i felt better and so i fell back into that black pit again .
For me i wanted to resolve it someway other than going to the docs every 6 months for a script and so i tried SJW and to be honest i havent looked back and so i take two tablets a day and i dont have real bad days anymore ,i just get the odd day thats bad that normal people get .
Im not saying SJW is the answer and certainly there is much debate on wether it actually works but all i can say is ''it works for me ''but for somone severly affected by the illness should go and see their doctor and get it sorted before it burys you for good .
Also my depression only really came to the forfront when i migrated to australia and i dont get the feeling of dispair when i am working for long periods in the uk ,so maybe its telling me something .

sme

It sounds like your doc is giving you some great support - hope it works out well for you.

Yoong

Hi Sarah in TX,
Thanks for sharing your feelings, below is a user friendly CBT work sheets
that you can do them on your own or with your friend.
http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/reso...cfm?Info_ID=37
We are seeing mental health illnesses as equivalent to brain injury.
At work, we are incorporating mindfulness meditation, walking,
and group therapy.
The whole ward is now on fish oil capsules, multi vit. in addition to
the psych. meds.
Keep the hope up
Yoong

Yoong

Hi Shivster,
I don't know whether you have tried listening to relaxation cds to help
you sleep? Just borrow a few relaxation cds from the library to find
out what works for you.Some relaxation cds contain positive affirmations
which are good for the depression and promote sleep.
The user friendly CBT work sheets below may be helpful
http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/reso...cfm?Info_ID=37
All the best.
Yoong

tillergirl

Hi

I've been told that i am suffering from severe depressive phase and panic attacks.

I'm on Paroxetine (antidepressant), Clonazepam (calming tablets), omega 3 and zopiclon (sleeping tablets.

Life has been so unbearable that i consider ending it quite often. These tablets have helped, but not as much as I'd hoped they would.

My psychologist is helping me to learn new coping skills. These seem to be really helping but still i get overwhelmed by the smallest of things.

Has anyone else been on any of these meds? If so, were they good for you.

I will be on them for at least 6-12 months. Is this normal?

I've been looking at the exercise suggestions. When i have a good day i will give them a go, motivation is very low.

Sorry to ramble, just feeling very desperate and alone.

Jerseygirl

Well done...IMHO you have taken a big step in the right direction. Try to take each day at a time...baby steps...eventually you'll get there.