Monday, 20 February 2017

Update On Psychotic Depression

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you might remember this post, in which I explained how someone close to me had Psychotic Depression, and how it affected both his and my family’s lives. I’d now like to give you an update on how things are going, because a lot’s changed since I posted the last post. When I wrote the last post, things were very early on in the course of the illness, and therefore I wasn’t as informed about it as I am now. I’d like to share the benefits of this enlarged knowledge in order to inform, aid, and encourage everyone (in particular anyone who has struggled/is struggling/will struggle with illness of a similar ilk).


Firstly, the basics. He is no longer suffering nearly as much as he was in October - he was given the wrong dose of medicine which led to him unnecessarily deteriorating, but once this was sorted everything started going uphill again. The lesson from this is to always query something that you think is incorrect. My mum was the one who noticed the incorrect dosage, not any doctors. If she hadn’t done this, then I’m almost positive that his current situation would be different.

Secondly, my family is now a lot closer. This part of my life has made me realise that it is so so so important to work through issues with other people, as opposed to trying to solve everything by yourself. When tragedy strikes in the form of an illness (either physical or mental), sometimes it seems like you have to take it all on alone, especially if you’re the one who is ill. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Working together as a cohesive team is imperative in aiding both the sick person’s welfare and that of everyone else.

Thirdly, it is almost just as important to talk to other people about such issues. Whether those people be few or many, friends or counsellors or therapists or teachers or anybody else. When the problem first arose, I spoke to the counsellor at my college. If you’re considering counselling or any kind of therapy, don’t be afraid! These people are like qualified listeners. Their job is to help you, so believe me they won’t ever be inherently against you or your cause. The counsellor advised me to confide in one of my friends about my problem, which until then hadn’t even crossed my mind (I was still in the previously mentioned mindset; that I had to face everything on my own). You know what? I think that telling my friend helped me more than anything else did. We didn’t ever speak about it in person, it was solely one message that explained what was going on and why I was telling her. If you’re ever struggling with anything of the same ilk, I really do advise you to tell a friend. Or, if you can’t face that, tell me! Like I always say, my messages are always open.

Fourthly, I am now majorly more aware of mental illness in today’s society. It still seems to be abnormally glossed over and stigmatised more than any other form of sickness, but I’ve noticed that at my college there is a much bigger focus than there was at my secondary school, which I see as a huge improvement. The only way to prevent mental illness and to help people dealing with mental illness is education! If people don’t know what mental illness is, then how are they supposed to help someone who is suffering?

Finally, I am now so much better off from having this bad experience, which seems a really odd thing to say, yet still makes sense to me. I know what to do if this happens to my family again, and I know how to help if somebody I know starts to suffer from the same or a similar situation. And if you yourself or a friend is worried about anything I’ve mentioned today, or anything at all, once again please do not be afraid to contact me and I’ll do my absolute best to either help you myself or refer you to a helpful person/site. Thank you, and be safe!

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