Hello everyone,

I have just joined this site and i really hope i can learn from it. I struggle everyday to survive these demons of mental health. If anyone can help to enlighten me with knowledge, strategies, NATURAL WAYS to help ADD, chronic anxiety, OCD, Depression, Body dismorfic disorder, racing thoughts Post traumatic stress disorder for my son, and maybe even border line skitzo frinic for myself than i would be more and welcome to read and take it your suggestions.

Thanks

I will post more when I get all my notes together


Here is also a note I posted in the depresson category

Hi, i was a person with server depression.( please excuse my spellingi have some learning DIFFICULLTIES) At first i started eating lot less processed food and drank alot of water, BIG improvement! Than i start excersing , after that everything started falling into place and was much smoother.

If i may get off topic for a second, i really wish people would stop thinking they have to "deal with it and move on"...that sounds like something your stuck with for the rest of your life. WELL YOUR NOT! I think people need to talk more, get resources, and follow your dreams thats all. As soon as i started eating better and exercising every thing else feel into place, i became more confident and motivated to do things. I seen a vibrant side come out that i did not want to go away. I can tell you the biggest thing i dealt with was motivation, well it doesn’t take much to cook, u have to anyway, midess well eat healthy. Different salads or rice each side order. Water , water , water, but no too much it can over work your bladder and go into failure .

Now i am starting acupuncture , which holly crap helps with my chronic anxiety by 80% and i have only went once so far , which is starting to take away my depression , which is making me more vibrant...see how every thing falls into place.

Monday i start yoga classes and also hypnotherapy. I have heard ALOT of goods things from these also. I keep falling into depression but the days are getting shorter of me being in it. I have been struggling a bit right now, but because of some issues i will explain a little more when i have my notes together.

ANYONE TAKING MEDICATION FOR WHAT EVER PLEASE CHECK INTO THE MEDICATION FIRST, AND NOT JUST A FEW WEBSITES 100'S , WHATS YOUR LIFE WORTH A FEW OR 100'S. GO TO THE LIBRARY, TAKE NOTES.

All i'm saying is you are never stuck with mental health as long as you believe it u will have it. And just because a doctor gives you medication doesn’t mean that should be your first route. One thing all doctors say no matter if there family doctor or homeopathic doctors, they will all say eating healthy and exercising is the best out of everything.

Will write more about all the difficulties and strategies i have latter.

Would love to hear replies of those who took these steps or are in the process

I saw your post and replied there as well.
It is one that interests me, because I personally have gotten a lot of relief from mild depression just by taking a variety of vitamin supplements, but the ones that I believe help me the most are the B vitamins. In fact, I take a separate B50 tablet. In addition, I think another "all natural" thing that is most helpful is regular exercise (which you already mentioned).

I have heard that the Omega 3 supplements are good for both depression and ADD.

Other things I have heard about that help to fight depression include:
Eating a well balanced diet, getting sunlight regularly, getting enough sleep each night and massage.

Some people take natural supplements when they have insomnia...like melatonin for example. Other things that help: warm milk, relaxation tapes, sea salt baths.

You might want to consider posting specific questions on the vitamin/supplement board.

On top of eating well, exercise, and getting enough sleep. CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a great start. It's geared towards everything from OCD to Schizophrenia. It's Rational Therapy. Another form of therapy out there, that I've heard is pricey is DBT. Diablectic (sp?) Behavior Therapy. It's a form of therapy that teaches how to not be controlled by your emotions.

There's a good deal of books out there today, that anyone can pick up and read and find rather useful. I'm of the mindset that it takes more than just pills to make therapy effective. There are a good deal of cases where meds may need to be used right away, and there's nothing wrong with that, whatsoever.

There are many out there that are apprehensive about taking meds, and with some of the side-effects, they certainly have their good reasons, as well. And there's nothing wrong with that, either.

I say so long as one can put themselves into a recovery pattern towards wellness, then there is no need to feel trapped by the term, mental illness.

Gladys...I totally agree! Therapy is very important. Having a healthy mental attitude/outlook is vital. I'm of the belief that happiness starts with controlling our thoughts. We can't always control what happens to us (although often we deceive ourselves into thinking we have less control than we really have), but one thing we always have control of how we can look at something or respond to it. I guess for me, responding to a health concern by exploring healthy alternatives in an effort to limit medication side effects is helpful and empowering.

Again, I totally agree in the idea that mental health counselling is an excellent way to start the healing process when faced with depression. Can you suggest any good books? What are your favorites?

I never got into reading books, but i bought my first book in years about 3 weeks ago. It's called " Just who am I" by Maria Striver ( Arnold Swartsnegger wife). It's not to do with mental health by just taking care of YOURSELF. The book is only 80 pages and took me about an hour in a half to read. I was so amazed by it that i bought it for my step mother and mother. This is the kinda of book that you read it about 20times and get something knew out of it every time. And like isaidi don't like reading books but this was very easy tp follow and just AMAZING!! And it's only $16 WOOOOOOOW

I am struggling right now, and just put a post up yesterday in the genral mantal health form, it's the first thread in themental health section.
Talk to you soon

If you are looking for a CBT book, I read and worked through "The Clients Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:How to lead a healthy and happy life no matter what"(Aldo)
I'm waiting on a DBT book called "Don't let your Emotions Run Your Life:How Dialectical Behavior Therapy can put you in control"(Spradlin)--I've read some of the authors blogs on-line and I'm interested to read this one..

Some of my favorites: :"Who's Pulling your strings"(Braiker)
"From Anger to Forgiveness"(Larsen w/Hegarty)
and right now, my ultimate fav that I'm finding most useful right now in my life, one that I'm considering re-reading..."Facing the Fire:Experiencing and Expressing Anger Appropriately"(Lee)

There's so much out there, many different things will appeal to different individuals at different stages of their lives. I'd certainly check out the reviews on the various authors through sites like amazon and barnes & nobles. I don't mind buying the used books and obtaining several at once for close to $30/give or take

When it comes to our emotional health, sometimes we've got to grab the bull by horns and get proactive with it.

Hope those suggestions are of some use

Thanks I actually have that book on my list through the MSAA's Lending Library

Here is an interesting blog, thanks Dr. John, about non-drug alternatives for ADHD.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...ven-effective/

Another way without medication

So if you do not remember me i am the hypnotherapy girl. Well let me bring you up to date. I love it. Its still kinda of hard to hypnotize me, but theres such thing as a real small trans something that i felt a little. It expensive through. I am paying $1200 for 12 sessions or $125 a session. An hour half. I am on disability, but i think other health plans may cover it. I rented a 3 bedroom plus finshed basement and now and renting out the 3 rooms. It gives me $950-$1300 a month plus my $1000 D.B cheque. Don't think i am some couch potato. I am a full time student, and will be starting the voulenteering at the Alzheimers socity and the sicence centre in a few weeks.

K getting off topic like i seem to do alot, hypnotherapy is also most like a spirtual healing, and i'm no even in to all that. One thing i have learned so far about myself, and this was not brought up yet in hypno, but i have figured out that i am addicted to my mental health. I knew i was in a sence , well i knew alot( lol) but it's almost like i have another piece of the puzzle.

For me i diaignose myself with alot of things, but so have doctors. But i will hear something , ex: Autism people can't look u in the eye for a long time, i dignose myself with borderline autism. I'm crazy huh. I learned from a good doctor friend of mine is that we all have a bit of paranoya, sitzo frinna, anxiety, so on. What i did was like always blow things out of extreme because i seen these things and heard about these things so i obssesses about them so much that the syptoms got worse to where i really starting liven the life of a person with mental disorders.

Have you ever heard of people being tricked into taking sugar pills when they think its there pills to help their mental health, and nothing out of the ordinary in personality change.

I still struggle alot, but things are always getting better especially the last couple days since i found out something knew about myself. It gets better than it gets worse, and it does that for a while but you have to push through that dizzy, nausa , rasing thought feeling and self talk yourself out of it. If like me you can't think of things to say good about yourself than write down 3 and just keep sayin them, it gets better, u know why?..is because theres proven psyical things in your body like little good cells that get released when praising yourself,going outin the sun, excersing why do you think they say prayer is so important not because of god but because it lets those good cells knock out the bad cells. Their not cells but you know what i mean i hope.

They say you should take 10minutes a day, in the morning they say is the best. But lay in your bed and just talk to yourself, not about " what i need to do or be" but self talking yuorself and praiseing yourself. I am not a religious person but i am starting to like prayer to MYSELF.

Wel i'm going ot end this off now, for now. But alway try something than just a pill for mental health.

Yes, many refer to it as meditation! Glad you are finding something to help you cope with your inner turmoil

Have you taken the test to diagnose the autism that you think you have?