• Question: Do any of you have mental illnesses

    Asked by to Anna, Elaine, Fiona, Kevin, Darren on 19 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Anna Bramwell-Dicks

      Anna Bramwell-Dicks answered on 19 Jun 2014:

      Yes. I suffer from severe depression and anxiety, but was only diagnosed a year ago so am still figuring things out a bit!

      I am on medication and see a therapist regularly. It took a while to find the right combination of treatments for me, but my condition is now manageable.

      For me, the most important thing is being able to understand my limits and to be aware of what triggers a bad episode.

      And, I am learning to be kind to myself when I’m feeling unwell and to be honest and open with people. The temptation is to just push through and pretend it isn’t happening, but when I’ve done that it the past, the end result is that I feel much worse and become more ill as a result.

      The stigma attached to mental illness still exists, but I truly believe it is nothing to be ashamed of, which is why I am happy to answer your question.

      My illness has not affected my ability to do my teaching job at all. I have worked to a consistent high standard throughout. However, I have had to take absence from my PhD so that I had time to understand my condition and work through some of my issues without the additional pressure of trying to do my PhD.

      Sorry for the long answer, but just simply replying “yes” didn’t seem sufficient!

    • Photo: Elaine Cloutman-Green

      Elaine Cloutman-Green answered on 19 Jun 2014:

      I think most people go through phases when they struggle even when they haven’t been diagnosed with a mental illness. My sister and niece died four years ago and for about 2 years afterwards I struggled with panic attacks and the grieving process. I still occasionally get them now but it is much less frequent. I didn’t seek out medication as I believe it was part of the grieving process that I needed to go through to come to terms with happened. Sometimes the brain and body just handle things in different ways. There is nothing to be ashamed when going through this kind of illness, it’s just like anything else when you’re sick you need to find a way to manage things in a way that works for you.

    • Photo: Zhiming Darren Tan

      Zhiming Darren Tan answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      I have been lucky not to have a mental illness yet, but I certainly know of friends who do – including one who unfortunately ended his life. If you are having trouble, it is well worth seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist for diagnosis and treatment, if appropriate.

    • Photo: Fiona McLean

      Fiona McLean answered on 22 Jun 2014:

      My only experience was whilst studying for my first degree where I was very stressed out and anxious. I learnt a lot about myself actually and learnt that your health and happiness is the most important thing. Mental illnesses are actually far more common than most people think and there are luckily more and more service becoming available to help people (this is a good list http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/mental-health-helplines.aspx).

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