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My mental health issues are mainly bouts of depression and anxiety which is something I would never wish upon anyone. Depression can floor me but it affects me for a fairly short period of time making me lethargic, dull and uninterested where anxiety is almost a constant companion and is an awful feeling of impending doom but not knowing what shape that doom will take.

I did take medications for my mental issues for a while but it didn't really make a lot of difference to me so I stopped taking them. 

 Mark Graham Clench

As someone who is on medication for panic attacks, I can relate. Its about Time Men spoke about MH. You have my full support and anything I can do to help. Just let me know. My Job Role means I am trained as MHFA and also suicide awareness trained.

Just e-mail bcfctheproject@outlook.com

or

Private Message on the Group to any of the Admins or Moderators. Strictest confidence is guaranteed.

 A lot of Men hide their feeling too well and put on a brave face, like you I have had Depression and severe anxiety for too many years 

My solution was Alcohol and eventually it got the better of me, I'm proud to say I've been dry now for a Year and a Half, (sounds better than 18 Months) 

If there's anyone out there who is struggling in the same way then there is a way out, it's not easy and your life has to change. 

My reward is that I got clean and the Anxiety attacks have totally gone. Hangovers and Anxiety love each other. 

I always have time to listen to anyone who feels that Drinking is not fun anymore. 

By the way this is the first time I've shared this outside of my Family, I guess I've found another family that cares to.

Whilst I am not mentally trained and I do not suffer any mental health issues,

I live with someone who does. 

My wife of, then almost 30 years, tough robust woman raising kids and grandkids and achieving so much in life as a community nurse for many years and BANG!  all of a sudden anxiety arrived, more or less wiping her out. She had been hiding it, but it got so intense she imploded and had a serious breakdown.

I thought at one point I was going to lose her to this dreaded illness and did not know how I was going to cope. I was financially stable enough to visit private psychiatrists and therapists, but it was not working.

So I took it on myself to read books, listen to podcasts and reach out. I was honestly dismayed how much this f@@king illness was around me. Good friends suffering in silence, on the verge. 

I learned mental health comes in various guises. All my research lead to the same starting point, to try and get my wife to speak out and accept her condition. This was by far the hardest part. The next point was openly discussing it, this is were I found the key. Going public was a game changer. More and more people, family, friends even strangers came forward and it was at that point my wife realised she was not alone.

She is now on the road to a good recovery, still taking the citalopram, but now back at work and leading a normal life as possible. It was a hard few years but you can beat this if you speak out.

You know as well as I do, that this is not as easy as it sounds, but it can be done. Speak Share and take comfort you are not alone. I hope my story from outside looking in puts a little more insight and hope.

(Sorry about the language but could not think of another word to describe it.)

Supported self-help is a free, 6-week guided programme. We give you the materials to understand and manage your feelings. And we call you regularly to give you support.

You don't need a GP referral to sign up for supported self-help.

This is a one-to-one guided self-help service, not a counselling service. But our practitioners do use counselling based skills in their support. It incorporates some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) style tools but also provides other kinds of support.

Click the Link Below

https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/supported-self-help/

Whatever you're going through, you can call us any time, from any phone for FREE.

CALL 116 123 Day or Night

or click the link below

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/