[alk2601]

T3: Some of the people who were supportive during this time were pretty incredible. I was hell to be around but they went out of their way to at least listen to me and get me out of the house when I was too down and mopey to function. Hugs and a sympathetic ear went a long way. They also didn't seem to think less of me for struggling, and they never told me to just "cheer up" or ask why I was depressed.

[alk2601]

T4: I have no idea what's working, but I have plenty to say about what doesn't work. As a teenager and a college student I was legitimately discriminated against for my mental health problems. On more than o occasion I was suspended, and one school even tried to expel me just for being depressed. It sounds outrageous but it's completely true. The administrators in each instance told me to my face that my problems made me a "burden" (they used the word) and a liability (they didn't use that word, but it's what they meant. They were covering their asses because they knew I was suicidal and self-harming at the time). Once when a friend reported me to the university counseling office because she was concerned about my depression and anxiety, they contacted me and threatened me with punishment (in the form of putting a block on grades and housing) until I came in. I think it goes without saying that this was inappropriate and way, way over the line.

I am past school age now, but I still see the same types of problems in the schools that family members have attended. The reaction is first to cover their asses, then to worry about the healthy students being affected by a student who is struggling or "acting out". I have yet to see a positive, supportive response when it comes to mental health challenges among kids and teenagers, or even undergraduates. I would love for the day to come when the community is as supportive of mental health problems and the challenges that come with it as they are (required by law to be) of people with physical limitations and disabilities.

[vonmoxie]

T2: Think back to a challenging time in your life. What happened? What helped you get through it? What wasn't helpful?

When my husband passed on, through his own willful action, throwing myself into my work seemed to be the only way I could get through it. The degree to which people in my circles were able to be understand and be compassionate was not a close match for the anguish I was in, which is understandable as it's not something everyone goes through.. but it did contribute to my diminishing and putting off my own need to grieve, just as throwing myself into my work did. Soldiering through trauma had always worked for me before, and it even seemed to work for me then at first; but as it was not really dealing with my feelings, it compounded the situation quite a bit. The term "complicated grief" is an apt one for the situation I found myself in, as in my experience it can become compounded in many ways when time goes by without achieving healthy resolve. Healthy grieving is something most of us will have to do in our lifetime though, and yet it is such a neglected topic, so it does seem to me that the conversation about mental health as far as developing it in our country could expand some of the dialogue around similar situations in which negative situations of mental health might be better prevented in the first place. Seems like it's taboo to talk about grieving at all, because it references death and therefore is too spooky to discuss or something. I was so shocked to so suddenly and dramatically comprehend what will ultimately be the most inevitable sadness any of us will experience.

[vonmoxie]

T3: What did your friends or other people do -- or not do -- that made a difference?

To me the most helpful thing anyone can do is to simply "be with" what I've had to say about what I'm going through at any point in my life, be it positive or negative, without rushing to judgment or significantly re-characterizing my experience through their perspective. Sometimes we just need acknowledgement, and to know people actually are there for us, so that the act of sharing about the very things we feel most vulnerable about does not come to represent danger, or the possibility of feeling alienated, and cause compartmentalization in the process.

[vonmoxie]

T5: What are your ideas for ways to reach out and better support friends and peers who may be dealing with mental health issues?

Be active forces in the lives that we personally touch. "Think globally, act locally." Don't let go of people so easily. Let them know that we're a soft place to land: that they really can talk to us about anything, that we won't betray their confidence through judgment or ridicule or taking it upon ourselves to tell others what they've said without consulting with them. And then be good to that.

[tealBumblebee]

My turn to catch up I saw it this morning but, too, was wondering if we were actually allowed to post on here lol.

T1: What do you do to take care of your mental, social, physical or spiritual health?

Most importantly I see my counselor because she brings everything together for me; allows me to talk, pout, vent, laugh and just be me. She helps me navigate my emotions instead of allowing them to navigate me.

She also introduced me to a more "easy" relationship with God so I feel more that I can rely on Him now more than I ever thought I could or deserved to.

Lastly, there is music, movies, coffee, journaling and chocolate.

[tealBumblebee]

T3: What did your friends or other people do -- or not do -- that made a difference?

My friends have continued to accept me and not judge me for things that I judge myself on. They receive me for who I am and love the "crazy" parts of me. They listened to me blabber on my drunk nights, cry on their bed until I fell asleep for no other reason than I just felt so sad, and more. They treat me how a friend should be treated and don't separate "what society says I should do" vs. "what I do". They support me doing what makes me happy.

[DocJohn]

Thank you everyone for participating in this Talk, Text, Act event. While I wasn't quite sure what to expect, I think it was pretty neat (and awesome!) how we shared some things in response to these questions.

Best,
DocJohn

[eskielover]

I wish I would have more time to do more of the questions. It was a busy day

i don't know what this is about