Danny From Leeds Aged 22

[Danny1994]

Hi I'm Danny from Leeds!

so this was a big step for me last week I finally went to the doctors after breaking down twice in a few days! I have a habit of bottling things up and trying to act strong in front of people and I have been doing it for the past 3 years. About 8 months ago I ended up having a break down and was rushed into hospital they promised me I would get help and people to talk to! How ever once I was discharged no one ever got in contact with me again, so I carried on bottling my feelings up to a point last week I ended up breaking down twice in the space of a few days.

so after being dragged to the doctors by a friend worried about me I ended up speaking to someone about everything for the first time it was really hard just broke down in tears so after all this the doctors have ended up putting me on fluoxetine.

my main problem is trying to put and finger on what has started this all off to try and cure it but I can't seem to work it out! I'm working full time and I like my job also in my spare time I like to keep busy and keep my mind of things but as soon as I get home with no one around it just gets worse.

I'm also struggling to sleep on a night I'm lucky if I get 4 hours sleep each night which is really not helping me as I just feel drained every day.

I'm just looking for advice on what I can do to try and improve my life?

[Hidden]

Hello Danny,

First of all may I say well done for posting on this site and well done to your friend for getting you to your doctor.

You mention speaking to someone for the first time about everything. Was this your doctor? I think you would find counselling beneficial. With support you can explore the reasons why you feel this way. You can also look at how you can help yourself to stay well. Your doctor can refer you for counselling however, you may have to wait as their services are in demand.

I understand that you are having problems sleeping. If you have trouble getting off to sleep have you tried usual sleep hygiene, i.e. do not use mobile phones, tv etc close to going to bed, avoid alcohol or caffeine close to going to bed.

Have you tried listening to Mindfulness guided relaxation/sleep routines? You can download guided routines from YouTube, some are free.

If you continue to have problems sleeping then I would suggest you see your doctor for further help.

I wish you well. Please let us know how you are doing and if you need any further help do not hesitate to ask.

Lottie x

[20Voices]

Hi Danny,

Welcome to the forum. When I had my breakdown at the start of 2015 I was also asked what had caused my breakdown. I spent many a sleepless night trying to figure it out and just got so afraid that everyone would think that I was just being lazy because I couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until I was seeing a psychologist that it started to make sense.

She explained to me that sometimes it is not one big issue that has caused the the problem. It could be many things that over time have built up. She described it as a glass where everytime you are stressed or something major happens in your life stress and anxiety is added to the glass like drops of water. When we do something relaxing and destressing water is taken out of the glass. If our stresses are more than our actions to destress the glass eventually becomes full and it may take just one more drop of stress for the water to overflow and cause a break down.

So I am one of the sufferers from anxiety, stress and depression where it wasn't one major issue that caused the problem, but just the build up of many things. Major events are easy to identify, the deaths of my Nana and Gran. It could all have started from when I was 5 and we moved from South Africa back to Scotland, but I will never know because I can't remember that period of my life.

I decided that I wanted to look forward and get better and be a better person so I asked my doctor if we could do that.

I also found that I couldn't think straight because I couldn't sleep. This changed when I attended a Stress Control class that my local NHS authority ran, I had to be referred by my doctor to attend, but I believe you can now self refer for the class if you are in my area.

It was good because each week it looked at a different area of stress and how to deal with it. Unfortunately sleep was the last thing they dealt with. I asked if I could do the class again because I didn't pick up on alot of what was said. From the class on sleep I picked up a lot of advise and they even have details of 2 methods of getting your sleep pattern back to normal. I'd recommend you check and see what is offered in your area with regards to classes and CBT programmers.

I was put on Fluoxetine, but it didn't react well with me so my GP and I tried other medications until we found the ones ideal for me. I had made it clear to my GP that I wasn't going to be on pills for my life so I wanted more help than just medication. I was referred to see a psychiatrist. Then I paid privately to see a psychologist. I have tried many things and I see my GP on a regular basis, which has really helped.

You are very lucky to have such a great friend who took you to see the doctor and I hope your friend is going to be there to support you because it is good to have someone that you can speak to without being judged. I found it helpful because you can say things that just sound like nonsense but having someone who will listen and not judge while you work things out or remind you of what you are working on or even to take your medication is a good thing.

I wish you every success in getting better. Take your time and focus on one step at a time, don't be upset if you have set backs and keep focusing on going forward and the future.

It does get better.

I look forward to hearing how you are doing and see what questions you may have for the forum.

Also check out the Shaw mind foundation website they have resources on there you may find useful.

Take care.

[Splodge62]

I just painted my living room 😊 i put a rain app on my phone to help me sleep. I search through sights like this and realize im not alone. I just took a hol abroad(didnt help) my dad jyst had heart attack, hes wanted to dissapear for a while, but now fighting to be stay here, gona stick with it for as long as pos, but if i do decide not to be here, im not going to do it on a lonely whim, i will think it through properly x

[20Voices in reply to Splodge62]

Yes you are not alone and there is things you can do to get better.

It is tough when one of your parents has a heart attack, it can be a worrying time, but there is so much that can be done these days to help them.

Please take care of yourself. A good sleep routine, eating healthily and exercising helps.

There are lots of different apps you can get these days for your phone to help with sleeping and relaxation. I don't use apps on my phone because I find the buzz of texts being received wakes me up.

Redecorating is a good way to help you relax if you like painting.

Take care and I hope the app works for you.

[mysmugcat]

Welcome to the forum.