Not trying to hit a panic button, but...

So, I will refrain from talking specifically about the polemic topic outright -- and I ask that we try to stay on the question asked -- but you do need a little context.

RFK and his Make America Healthy Again agenda wants to make it harder and more stigmatizing to get antidepressants, antipsychotics, stimulants, and the like. He calls them threats and has even attacked things like Autism citing incredulous sources.

It rises fear in me, but that aside-- my question.

Are there those in your circle of friends or family who deny mental illness or your suffering or offset its blame on "what you eat" or "poisions you put in your body like medication"? How do you deal with that?

The one thing I've been very lucky of is a family who believes in mental health, medication, therapy, and wellbeing. I'm not sure how I would feel if I came across someone who didn't believe my suffering was real or it was just "I'm too weak".

I think at first my family didint understand. my mom did though. she took me to dr bc she said i was depressed. but since getting stable they see how meds have changed my life for the better

It took YEARS for my husband to fully embrace the idea of my mental health and the need for medication. I think what finally did it was there was a point where he had to become a high school physics teacher because his unemployment had run out and he couldn't find a job. There was a mental health training unit in getting his education certification where they had some activities and info/stats things like what it was to have racing thoughts, etc. And then the school district he taught at had a lot of kids in difficult circumstances with mental health issues, some who confided in him. When I got extremely psychotic and hospitalized and he realized how much my pdoc cared and would call and text him regularly, he started coming around to liking my doctor and attending a few appts. when I was freshly released from the hospital. One time, I got a text from my mom when I was in the hospital blaming me for everything and saying I was going to ruin my marriage. Yeah, that was nice.

Once, there was a discussion on Nextdoor saying everyone with a mental health diagnosis should be locked up in a psych hospital for good. I believe this discussion came after one of those mass shootings. Of course, this being Texas, everyone was very pro-gun, pro-the easiest gun laws allowed, the most powerful guns allowed, etc. No thought for the fact that stats are 1 in 4-5 Americans have a mental illness. But of course, lots don't get diaganosed & put on meds (even when it is obvious they have mental health issues going on), in fact lots of these individuals get themselves elected to government and are more of a threat than nearly everyone getting help for mental health issues. The person with a mental health issue is most likely to harm or kill themselves than other people.

When I was doing my Master's in Education, I wrote a thesis on the Gifted Child and Suicide. Of the topics of choice, mental health issues with children was among them -- that was 2015. So I would hope many programs have expanded on their knowledge, research, and importance of this factor in school systems. It's so important for sure.

I'm with ya -- these elected officials cause more harm than most with mental illness.

Sometimes it takes just seeing the proof themselves of how things can help. I'm glad your family came around! Look at how far you've come and accomplished! I've been around longer than my username states -- I've seen how you've grown and soon to have your MSW!

thanks!!!! 3 days of pracitcum and two discussion posts and itll be:

Halliebeth87, MSSW

My family is very pro drugs. During my journey I often went off drugs with devastating results. They now the combo I’m on now is a miraculous combination. They encourage me to stay on when I’m thinking of going off. I’ve been the most stable I’ve ever been. But I agree that less is better. Back when I was on multiple poly drug combos I wasn’t well.

I think you mentioned a great point -- there's a fine line sometime between helpful and detrimental. What helps, helps, what doesn't -- stop. My psychiatrist does often go through my list of meds to see if they are still needed periodically, or if we should scale back. I appreciate that from him.

When my dad mentioned it (usually out of the blue with absolutely no connection to anything going on), he’d blame my ups and downs on being a female. “Every girl in my family is bipolar,” he’d go on. (He was too, I’m 99% sure. He had manic episodes and psychosis which could’ve been substance-induced, but I bet he was self medicating something).

He still rather would see me on meds than off them though. He knew meds meant I slept more than a few hours most nights. He knew sleep meant I wasn’t doing something “stupid” at 3am. He did kinda teach me that recreational drugs counted the same as, say, a prescription of Lamictal “if used to control your emotions.” I had to unlearn that and then learn how to ignore those types of comments.

My mom is very pro-meds.

I had an ex for too long that wanted me off them. He saw me gain weight on them and lose energy (this was a dude that used me as a sex toy so that wouldn’t do of course!). He plenty of times offered to “therapy me” with shrooms and just a comforting chat (I think he did understand that a lot more of my stuff comes from trauma than needing meds though and he was great at taking advantage of that knowledge). It was never comforting. I was able to cut him out entirely thankfully.

The great thing is, you don’t have to talk to anyone other than your doc about your meds.

Most of my family , even the nurse in the family treat me badly because of it. My dad use to hide my meds when I visited. He won't even use medication to treat his diabetes. My youngest sister is a " you do you, but not my family" and her family suffers for it. My older sister treats it like I'm on hardcore drugs and I put my child on drugs because I didn't want to parent. We do not have the best relationship as she treats me like I should be in rehab.

Most of the people in my life don't know about my bipolar diagnosis, but when I told my mom she didn't believe me (neither did a friend of mine). I know she supports me taking meds (I'd never tell her how many I'm on because I could see her questioning if I actually need five). I do know she believes America's food system is contributing to an uptick in mental health, and other chronic health, diagnosis. I have to just let her rant when she gets on this/partially zone out of the conversation because when she thinks she is right no one can speak otherwise-she just starts chewing them out.

Good point!

That's so heartbreaking. People go as far as to question you are fit as a parent for caring for your child's health. I know that has to be so hard. I'm so so sorry to read those things.

My boss at work has made the same comments about food dyes causing anxiety and the like. I don't try to change his mind, but I do offer alternative ideas on the subject and he is receptive to it somewhat. I'm sorry you don't have the luxury of someone who is willing to even hear you out on that regard. A

s far as not being believed -- thats so hard. I struggle so much with mental health for someone to brush it off as me just being a crappy person would be devastating. No one should ever have to feel their mental health makes them less of a person.

Today I went down to 25mg Prestiq about 3-4 days early. I just want it to be gone soon. So far I just have no appetite but my moods and anxiety are fine. I know some people go off it cold turkey. And I'm pretty much tapering off of it. My therapist agreed I should ask for visteril to be added permanently.

I'm just listening to music again. Music is my thing these days.

Sorry. Wrong thread

My mom thinks I can be cured by eating meat, and Jesus. And she doesn't believe anxiety disorders exist because, "everyone experiences anxiety." My dad thinks depression is just, "those who live in the past." My husband and his mom are very understanding though and my husband is definitely supportive of meds. My husband has an anxiety disorder and our daughter does too. My husband handles his without meds and our daughter is only thirteen, so obviously we're not going to put her on meds!

Wait... that crazy guy wants to make it harder for us to get our meds? WHY?

He doesn’t realize it’s also going to mess up the economy big time.

"Are there those in your circle of friends or family who deny mental illness or your suffering or offset its blame on "what you eat" or "poisions you put in your body like medication"? How do you deal with that?"

Yup, my family is like that. They feel I can think my way out of the situation.

They criticize that I take meds, and say bad things about them when they see me taking them. So I started taking them when the family is not around and I keep my meds hidden. I make trips to the pharmacy on my own even if we're in the store and my meds are ready - stupid things like that.

The funny thing is I've been taking those meds for them, so that I can stay productive and pay for and support their lives! And it's so horrible they then go and criticize me for taking them.

It's up to me to cope with my issues and how the family "deals" with my issues. I use the quotes because I generally hide my issues from my family but sometimes when it's really bad, it becomes apparent that something's going on.

I have become more effective at hiding what's going on and my family feels that I'm cured at this point, which obviously is far from reality.

The issue I'm facing now is that I'm participating in a study and cannot drive myself to certain appointments, so I'm dependent on them. They say they're supportive and will drive me however they expect that everything will be "normal" after the study. It's a lot of BS.

Oh I’m so sorry scooter. That’s terrible. It’s almost like it’s a rejection of who you are.

My father rejected the idea of mental illness. He was big on our name means we’re above all that. I didn’t talk to him his last few years. I don’t know what he thought of meds as I didn’t live with him and he never saw me take them. Mum was alway pro science. She went to classes and educated herself on bipolar. My dad blamed my husband for everything as I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 28.

It's really great your mother cared enough to educate herself, you're very fortunate.

Sorry you had to go through that with your father, it's understandable you didn't keep in touch.