Hi everyone! I'm trying a new RUclips tool called 'Premieres', where you're sent a reminder about the video when it actually goes live but you're able to chat and comment here before it does. Let me know what you think about me doing it this way: if you'd like me to use it just for livestreams or if you just really enjoy being able to have a space to talk pre-release of the video...??? In this video Rowan Ellis and I chat about our experiences with mental health and mental health provision. Rowan talks openly on her channel about having OCD and I've previously been misdiagnosed with anxiety and been given treatment for a different mental illness that I also didn't have (yep, I REALLY wasn't listened to by doctors when I was younger!). We both want to break down stigmas around talking about mental health ❤
But at the same time - the two windows open at once on my computer is a bit confusing - lol. Which would you rather we chatted in? There's maybe more obvious chronological markers in the chat window, but there's a lot to get through then when you begin the chat and it's already difficult to read for both content makers and viewers. Hmm. chin-stroking thoughtfulness/lovely people!!
This would have been great if it had actually notified me when the session started and not when it was over. This will be cool when they fix the glitches. Have a lovely day!!! AMB...Rose
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard -Love the idea of the “reminder” prior to a video. With the comments/chat, would there be 2 different sections (i.e. before & after)? Also, would they be in two different spots such as chat would be under a pinned comment yet regular comments would be in their normal location? That could get confusing, but maybe once we see how it works we might be able to make a better decision! 💜
FUN FACT! Van Gogh's best paintings came after therapy and after he treated his mental health. A lot of people use his mental health as "Oh you've got to suffer to make good art," when in fact it was when he went to therapy and actively treated his mental health that he actually made his best art.
That reminds me of Nanette by Hannah Gatsby. She talked about how some guy told her that medication for her depression would kill her creativity and he said that if Van Gough medicated we wouldn't have the sunflowers. Then she went on about how the medication he took for epilepsy (I think it was for epilepsy) has a component that makes you experience the color yellow more vividly, so we probably have the sunflowers BECAUSE he medicated.
Madison M. this is sort of a mixing and conflation of events. his possible illnesses aren’t exactly known since then diagnoses weren’t what they are today. any treatments he received aren’t all well documented either. it’s accepted that his doctor said he had a certain type of epilepsy, but he was given a medication that didn’t help that type but coincidentally did help bipolar disorder. there’s no certain way of knowing if he had bipolar disorder, but he did experience dramatic shifts in mood so it’s possible he did and that that treatment helped. he may have been treated with digoxin, aka foxglove, for epilepsy, which can cause some visual disturbances and light-altering effects (not hallucinations) but it isn’t known for sure.
@@ala4935 There's a portrait Van Gogh did of a psychiatrist and he's holding foxglove, which can make you experience the color yellow intensely. While we don't know for sure, it's very strongly believed that Van Gogh at least took foxglove, as well as receiving in-patient treatment for his mental health, which was the time I was talking about. The most prolific time in his career was during the time he received in-patient treatment. (Also, Madison was referencing something that Hannah Gadsby said. She wasn't claiming that she knew for a fact that it happened, only that Gadsby said it.)
I can confirm, as an art student with depression problems, depressed periods are when I can't create. Or, well, I can make a mess on a paper, but. When I feel normal human emotions, I am the most creative. That includes love, heartbreak and moarning, but with depression, it's like someone stole my driver and put me on autopilot, that doesn't get the basic jobs done so well. Totally a zombie. Not an artist or any other sort of professional human. And my teachers who have taught many students with mental health issues confirm too. Artists tend to be sensitive people, and that makes them both creative and more likely to get mental health problems. Those latter two can come together, but they aren't a cause and effect. On my first year, almost the first thing, we were introduced to a local artist that killed himself, and showcased how the community took bride of him after his death, and your mental illness doesn't make you better art, it just kills you. And people like a dead artist, because they are easy to take advantage of. So the point was, you should stay alive and fight for your right to feed yourself with your work.
I definitely use my past pain and trauma to influence my writing, but I can't write when I'm in the middle of a depressive episode. I just don't have the mental capacity for it.
I just wanted to say that for me depression feels completely different than being sad. Depression to me feels like i am unable to feel positive emotions. I can only feel things like irritation, anger, sadness, selfhate and guilt a lot of the time. For me it's definitely something else than an extension of being sad. But thank you for the video! It's important to talk about mental health.
Yeah, this is exactly what I was thinking. I know they come from a good place, but actually saying you know how depression feels like cos you've been sad is like one of the worst things you could say to someone with depression or bibolar. Along with "Smile and be positive" etc. Depression causes sooo many different symptons mentaly and physically. For me when my depressive episodes are at their peak(bibolar), I feel like I am a ghost, not really living nor dead, I feel constant agony, anxiety, anger, fear.. The agony gets so bad that I can feel it in my body, and like I would do anything to make it stop cos I can't take it nomore. I feel like I am not worthy of anything, just a human garbage, with no hope nor future, whom everybody despises. I mean, just to begin with. Never really feel sad.
I don't feel sad when I'm depressed, I just feel blank and UTTERLY unmotivated. Like, I won't bother to write a check to pay a bill, or make an appointment I really want to go to, because it is really hard to care.
This was why it took me so long to understand what was wrong with my mental health. I knew something had changed in the last few years, I wasn't who I used to be and I wasn't functioning the way I used to, but I didn't feel sad or scared, so I assumed it couldn't possibly be depression or anxiety. Day to days I felt passively content just as I always had. I just felt exhausted and like my brain was on overdrive to keep up with everything I needed to remember. I'd start feeling less motivated like, "I want to turn off the telly and take a nap now please" kinda way, and I also felt like - I'll use Jessica's box and shelve metaphor, I felt like I had a great system that worked for processing trauma, but I ran out of shelves for my boxes and so in the back of my mind it was cluttered, none of that clutter actually mattered, like Jessica says, if I opened a box I'd look inside and think "pffft" and want to throw it away like I used to.... But I can't find the bin anymore! that thought just sits there and won't go away even though you deep down don't care about what's in that thought box. It's like my subconscious says "we need to clean up" and my conscious inner monologue says "duh, but how? I'm trying, shut up, just let me focus on the now" and I argue back and forward in my mind. I never thought that was an anxiety disorder, I thought anxiety was that sense of "have I left the oven on?" that never goes away, or being frozen with fear or predisposed to panic attacks, because that's how most awareness campaigns talk about it. I've only just started CBT for it, prior to that I was in talk therapy for depression (because I felt unmotivated and tired all the time) and it made my emotional state so much worse because it was making me overthink things and try to work out why the thought boxes wouldn't go away, instead of learning to accept and cope. But I'm still not sure it's the best management plan, I think I'd benefit from multiple therapy types or would at least like to try, but this is the only one available to me under the current healthcare system, which as the women in the video discus, is a huge problem for people trying to manage their symptoms and conditions effectively.
True! The description of beeing sad is a very bad one and the reason why so many people think someone who is depressed is just whiny. It's true that one clearly isn't happy in a state of depression but that doesn't mean one is sad. The word itself describes it very good - the person is depressed (= reduced), all moods are depressed and finally it can affect the whole body and depress the strength of a person. Not talking about not beeing able to lift something heavy but to move the own body in the first place because of pure physical exhaustion, e.g. not beeing able to work, talk, walk, stand up or just to brush the hair seems like a huuuuge, unsolvable task and takes 2 hours to do, if it get's done. Depending on how long it's going on and on many individual facts, it can happen that sadness is the last or the strongest emotion that is still there or the only one possible for the person. And if the person is sad mostly the depression itself is the reason for one to feel bad or to get sad, because it's very hard when everything is held down and reduced and it affects your social skills etc. it's actually quite rare that it's the other way around. But exactly that is what most people think, because they get told depression is sadness or that it feels like sadness and some even think if a person is sad or mourns "too long" the person will get a depression. Both is bulls**, but they'll tell you that they know how you feel and what to do, to be happy again etc. Honestly, that's really not helpful at all, the only emotions that this causes are anger or despair (true for me and for many depressed people I know). I have chronical depression for over 15 years now and I'm working in the health sector and therefore I know many people with mental health problems and I know their story and how they feel. Personally I'm usually not sad in a depression but when it's really bad, it hurts and I'm in pain. Burning or stinging pain in my chest that won't stop (the body has just one possibility too construct and cause pain, it's the same neurotransmitter and the pain is as real as every other pain one can have). That obviously can make me feel sad, but usually I'm feeling helpless and hopeless, if I feel emotions at all. I've a personality disorder that can also stop my emotions but this does still feel like beeing empty (I know that sounds strange), while in a depression even that feeling isn't there.
Hi, Jessica, i have a weird OCD: I have to count in pairs of two and four, either 2-2-4-4-4-4-2-2, or 4-2-2-4, you get the point, sometimes even my steps. I manage it and force myself to just stop, by thinking at a 3 or 7, or get the numbers too complicated and long so i mess up and change my train of thought, as i age it happens rarer. I like what you are doing, and am happy that you are sharing your experience, be it a good or a bad day, and this exists. Besides a bells palsy i 90% got over, i'm fine, and watch the videos, for the pleasant vibes, in lack of a better word... i am in no way disabled and you are still making one's day better, that's what i'm saying, i wish better days to you too. Cheers!
My ocd, since I was very young, had always been with even numbers. If I "encountered" odd numbers I would add or multiply in some way to make it even. It would freak me out if could not come up with an even conclusion. I have gotten better about it as I've gotten older but with that came other obsessions such as washing my hands 2 to 3 times in one sessions or if I do not have my cup of coffee in the morning I am set up for failure the rest of the day. It's not like I'm dependent on that extra kick coffee gives people but I mentally need it because that is how I need to start my day. That's my foundation for my day. It's part of my routine.
I'm glad more people are talking about mental health, but I was also disheartened by how Rowan said everyone can relate to anxiety and depression because they are exaggerations of feelings everyone has. On a very basic level that is somewhat true but they have so much more to them than just feeling sad or afraid. They can make everyday functioning extremely difficult. You might lose your ability to eat or know you're hungry, not be able to sleep, or be tired all the time. You can lose who you are and become someone that is just an empty shell. It's a lot more than being very sad or afraid. Lots of people I know as well as the media really miss the mark when it comes to what having a particular mental condition entails. I'm so tired of the debilitating conditions of OCD, anxiety, bipolar, and depression being glossed over as shallow personality flaws that everyone feels a little of sometimes. No, it is a medical condition. You wouldn't tell someone with extreme muscular pain that you get it because sometimes you feel really sore after an intense workout. Well some idiots might but it is clearly not the same intensity or close to a level of understanding. Saying sometimes you feel sad so you understand how it feels to be clinically depressed or that you can't stop thinking about something for a short period of time so you understand OCD makes me so frustrated. They are so much more than a blip of intense emotion, they are an intrusive force the sufferer has to live with every single day.
I don't think Rowan meant it like that, even if it might have come across in this manner. I think it's more from the person who is a friend of someone with depression or anxiety. That in this persons mind they feel they can understand the illness to an extend and thus talking about it with the ill friend is a bit easier than it would be with personality disorders, shizophrenia, etc. But of course you are right, just feeling sad, but more amplified, doesn't encompass the true experience of what depression is like and there needs to be more education about that.
@@AndroidInHumansClothing I agree, I don't think she meant it like that at all. I just wanted to validate the experience of severe anxiety and depression for myself and others that might have felt dismissed. Talking about mental health is a tricky subject and a slightly flawed attempt is still so much better than not saying anything at all! I'm really grateful for Jessica and Rowan taking the time to talk about their experiences with it. There is so much work that needs to be done with raising awareness and reducing stigma for all mental illnesses and I'm excited to see these lovely ladies doing just that!
@littlelunanova : Thank you so much for putting your thoughts out here so eloquently! ♡ This is such an important point! And one I felt should be adressed here - due to personal experiences with my clinical depression and other mental health issues I'm fighting/dealing/living with for more then 20 years - but I couldn't find the words. So thank you! :-)
Hey! Thanks for your comment - as someone who has severe anxiety and depression myself I didn't mean that it was the same feeling at all, but like @androidinhumansclothing said, that the concept of what it feels like could be potentially more understandable than issues like psychosis and hallucinations etc that most people don't necessarily have ANY experience comparable to, if that makes sense? It doesn't dismiss depression or anxiety to say that some of the ways of explaining it can have a basis in emotions and experiences that mentally healthy people also have.
littlelunanova well, everyone does have depression and anxiety at some point in their lives. those are just symptoms. major depressive disorder and generalized or social anxiety disorder are diagnosable mental illnesses.
I'm usually very fond of the content on this channel, but now I need to correct something as I feel very strongly about it: psychosomatic symptoms aren't when you think of pain or something and then it happens. It's not fake or self-inflicted pain. That sounds more like being a hypochondriac, which in turn is a huge stigma associated with things like fibromyalgia or psychosomatic illnesses and that is very hurtful. It pushes people away from getting treatment and shames those who do. You might get symptoms considered particularly "bodily" like heart rate fluctuations, shortness of breath, head aches, muscle pain or ache, body temperature fluctuations, shivers, sweats or insomnia, hypersomnia, nausea and loss of appetite with a number of conditions. Being associated with an illness considered "mental" doesn't make it a fake symptom. Even if your pain had been caused by depression, it would still have been real pain. Psychosomatic pain is very, very real and just as horrific as when you'd stab your toe or have a migraine. It is never "just" psychosomatic. Your vomit is just as real whether it's associated with a stomach flu or an anxiety disorder. In that case it's not you making yourself vomit by worrying too much but your stress hormone levels peaking so strongly that it makes you both vomit and feel like something dangerous is happening, even though you know it's not. People with psychosomatic symptoms are not faking it or imagining it or making it happen themselves and what is said here goes uncomfortably close to suggesting that. That "just psychosomatic" or "just depression-related" pain you're laughing and joking about is my pain and listening to it feels bad. It's good that you're talking about mental health issues and it's good you're usually careful with it. Maybe next time give voice to the person who has actual experience about it. It's giving agency and space for the people the topic actually concerns, not unlike when "physical" disabilities are discussed.
yes! I'm also quite frustrated and dissapointed mostly about her saying that, as well as about depression described as feeling sad and everyone can relate to it. There where a few things that bothered me. They should have researched the topics at least a bit for a video with this title and length, instead of just talking their mind in a way people will think these are facts and explanations and give even more wrong informations about the topic. At the same time saying that wrong assumptions and prejustice are a big problem for affected people but causing some.
Thank you for bringing this up! I wanted to comment on this as well. Psychosomatic illness is not "where you think something and then your body makes it happen", it's just as real as other illnesses. I have a friend who has intense physical pain caused by trauma (i.e. psychosomatic) and they're definitely not "faking it" or imagining it just because their pain doesn't have a *physical* cause. Their pain is just as real as other pain.
I'd just like to add as someone with health anxiety (formerly known as hypochondria) I have psychosomatic symptoms all the time and they are not self inflicted. There is such a stigma around health anxiety. I agree with everything else though. :)
Trying to convince doctors that something serious like a seizure is psychosomatic is hard as well. It took almost 2 weeks to get my mom's doctors to believe me. Long long fun story of mental illness. FINALLY I convinced them and she got the proper treatment.
I have the same thing with ADHD where when I first found out about all the symptoms I didn't know whether I actually had any personality of my own. All these identifiers that had been "my thing", I just couldn't tell from ADHD anymore. I came to terms with it by realising that ADHD is also a part of me.
Same! I've had major depressive disorder ever since I was a child and recently I've been struggling with my identity. I can't tell if I react the way I do because of my depression or If it's because it's who I am.
I'm trying to wait until after COVID vaccines are out and most people have the vaccines to get assessed to see if I have ADHD; I have a lot of similarities in behavior and shit, genetic risk factors that increase my likelihood of having it, and yeah, there's a lot of things pointing to "you might have this", so I want to get assessed to see for sure if I have it or something else or what. Hnng I don't like having to wait, though. XD
@@TheKarret I get you, waiting and being left not knowing is the worst. It's like you have the word to tell people and yourself within an arm's reach, but you can't quite use it yet for fear of being wrong and getting judged.
I have Schizophrenia, GAD, depression, and panic disorder, my Drs. are looking at possible OCD. And watching videos like this has made me feel so much more welcomed in this world, and it gives me hope that people can accept me and see past my illnesses. That, and, its just nice to hear from people that feel the same things I do.
My doctor said they believed my pain and stomach issues was anxiety. They sent me out to a psychologists. He prescribed a medication that made me so sick. I was vomiting and having extremely bad diarrhea, sorry for the TMI. Then my immune system got shot. I got acute bronchitis. I've had two rounds of antibiotics with no avail. I have a Sinuplasty on the 17th (hopefully). I've yet to completely recover and will have two more rounds of antibiotics so all the build-up can be drained. Long story short, sometimes dealing with being chronically ill whilst waiting for diagnosis generally sucks.
Similarly, when you've been diagnosed with a mental illness, especially anxiety and depression, everything that's wrong with you is put down to that. It becomes almost impossible to get further investigations ordered, compounded by the fact you have anxiety and probably struggle with conflict (like fighting to get referrals etc.) HOWEVER, this does have some merit as the exhaustion from mental illness can make you more susceptible to illness like colds, but still i've heard of doctors missing kidney and liver dysfunction by putting the symptoms done to anxiety.
@@jasmineling5517 Right! I've also been diagnosed with anxiety and depression but I'm usually a bit hesitant to talk about because I've had so many doctors or other people think its just "in my head". It's frustrating. My anxiety and depression can get worse when my health is very bad, but that doesn't mean it's the cause.
@@JusticeAnimeGeek also, like, i've been mentally ill for a long time. I know what my symptoms are, what 'normal' is in terms of my own mental illness, so please believe me when I say i am experiencing something outside of that!
I always explain OCD for people like this: have you ever been too a really high place, a building or a tower or something like this, and thought "what if i jump off?" (People who are scared of heights might relate more if you ask if they thought "what if i throw my phone off the egde".) That is an intrusive thought, often more common in Pure-O OCD, but might be able to convey the absolute fear you get over a "silly" thought your mind puts out to you (and how uncontrollable intrusive thoughts actually are). When you think that, you WILL do something about it. Either you will step back from the edge, or just shake the thought away by focusing on something else, but you will do something to feel more comfortable. The difference between this and OCD is that your mind cant put the thought away, to the point that even when you're on the ground already, you might think "i almost jumped, what has gotten to me?" and repeat the scene of yourself jumping over and over again for you. That is how I explain the feeling of having OCD for other people
I sincerely appreciate the wave of mental health support and awareness going through the internet lately. It has made me begin to consider my own mental health as opposed to just ignoring signs and symptoms as being "normal" or just "being emotional."
I spent some time in a psych ward too, and the running and screaming is a real thing. Thank you for being so visible and talking about your chronic illnesses and having this conversation about mental health. It's something we should all be more comfortable talking about if we want to.
I think I might have OCD thats related to religion. When I was a little kid in church and I was told that bad people go to Hell, I came to the conclusion that every mistake I ever made meant I was going to Hell. It was was like "I have to do this thing in this way or I will go to hell" or "I need to finish this task before this or I will go to hell"
I think the differences in what causes mental health issues is really interesting. I have friends whose mental health issues are very clearly a result of trauma and they've found therapy much more useful than medication. Whereas I'm pretty sure my mental health issues are mainly genetic as I have family members who suffer from anxiety, depression and OCD. I've struggled with depression and anxiety my whole life and only took medication as a last resort but once I did I was amazed at the huge difference they made. I was in a very hopeless mental place and really didn't think they would help but they've completely changed my life.
I’m actually really glad to hear from Jessica talking about how you can have bad mental health for a short moment because of reasonable reasons, and that means you need to do whatever you need to do to deal with those circumstances, rather than allow people to tell you you have anxiety when you clearly don’t. I’ve had people try to wrongly diagnose me with anxiety too when actually I was having a hard time at home and school with being forced to come out before I was ready. That’s it.
Can I just say that this is the first time the notification button has actually worked for a video for me EVER... also I'm really glad you have made this video
You'd think SAD wouldn't affect people in sunny/hot places but I live in a place where we get, on average 333 sunny days a year. But because my climate is northern (Canada), I start feeling the beginnings of SAD in September/October because the days are also getting shorter and the quality of the light is different (longer rays/at an angle). I'd be willing to bet even if you live somewhere tropical it could still affect you in a big way. Humans are super sensitive to light so any minuscule change can be picked up on and reacted to.
Yes, I live in West Africa (tropics) and in the dry season when sunlight is blocked by atmospheric particles, I get quite down. But the worst was when I was living in the UK and it got dark at 3pm.
I live in Alaska and I find that I might have the opposite? I feel quite sluggish and useless during the daylight hours and when the temps are above 75f so summers are bad on me. I love the winters here though. I’m more me during that time. I’m more active, i work better, think better, feel better when it’s dark and cooler. I even found a great job that I work nights that way I’m at my most productive.
I think it's also worth knowing that there are other forms of treatment for mental health issues, beyond talk therapy and medications. Cognitive behaviour therapy, EMDR (particularly good for trauma, but many other things too), mindfulness etc etc. You don't have to settle for sitting an a room and re-traumatising yourself by talking about an event over and over with a therapist. You have options, and control over your treatment goals and process. Thanks for talking about this! :)
This video has been uploaded a while ago but I feel like I should comment about an specific topic you guys talked about. While some people do get better only with medication, therapy can and, if done correctly, will change the way the chemicals in your brain are produced or distributed. Just like your mental disorders that are molded by your life experiences can change the chemical aspects of your brain, a successful treatment with only therapy can do the same. I know that this can change depending on the culture or the doctors' approach, but on uni we learn that it is actually recommended to the psychiatrists to ask their patients if they are going to therapy, and if not, they should be advised to do so. Medication can only go so far, but of course that, depending on the case, so does therapy.
I want to start by saying I genuinely laud the makers of this video for raising awareness of mental and physical illness, the awkward overlaps and the gross inadequacies at treating them in Britain at the moment. But it should be pointed out that 'somatic' doesn't mean you think something and then your body makes it happen; somatic manifestations/physical symptoms can occur with no conscious knowledge by patients/sufferers of why they are occurring, therefore seeming very 'real' and evidence of organic disease. It's often very difficult for doctors to decipher what is organic disease and what is somatic (i.e. real symptoms but harmless in the sense that they are not real disease). For anyone interested in learning about body-mind disorders and how to be completely free of them read John Sarno's book 'The Body Mind Prescription'. PTSD can also present with somatic symptoms which are not because the person has worried about getting a certain illness or disability; the symptoms just appear out of the blue and are translations of stress and distress; for instance foot drop, paralysis, balance issues, tinnitus - and into this group, it could be be argued fall M.E. CFS, Fibromylagia etc. To overcome these check out Reverse or Mickel Therapy. And there is no need to subtly poke fun at people incarcerated in mental health institutions ('locked up with some other people with *interesting* conditions'); they are victims of the system more than anyone, may in fact have nothing wrong with them mentally but have been misdiagnosed and never got out (hence desperation; madness; insanity; despair) or be drugged off their heads. In any case, there but for the grace of god go any of us. No need for throwing shade on anyone in that dreadful condition.
Rowan is so brilliant in the way she explains certain mental illnesses. I just luv her approach and simple rationale in order to make it easy for others to to relate. I swear u all are so much better, sweeter and easier to understand and others are actually able to learn from u without judgement or condicention and can 'normalize' mental health or other medical issues so the general public can relate. Respect and luv!!♡♡
I had a conversation recently where I shared that there are diseases or conditions where one's immune system is compromised, or in some cases, can turn against you. I think of mental disorders or conditions as if your own mind has turned against you. Sometimes it feels as if it's just as, if not more, challenging as other physical conditions. One of my favorite videos of Jessica's (I love it so much I turned the link into a QR code so I could paste it into my journal) is her How I Became Mentally Strong one, because she talks about how her mind helped her through some harrowing physical challenges. But if the mind itself is "compromised" (forgive my use of the word!), what can you do? How can you push past the negative emotions? It requires a whole different set of tools and therapy and techniques.
Woah okay what Rowan was saying about her purely obsessive OCD was something I related to on a slightly milder level... I always put it up to "overthinking" but hmm...
This video was so great. I'm glad you guys talked about the good and bad of mental health services. Once, a therapist didn't like the fact that I had to go to the hospital for back pain and decided to end the relationship over texts. But therapy can be incredibly helpful and it's important to talk about your mental health and listen to others when they choose to speak about their mental health.
I tended to ask politely to know as much as I could with anything going on physically or mentally & don't say if it is too much or something bad. Shared my stuff that related to topics they said, to make it more equal trust & less vulnerable. I loved learning new things struggles anyone had, stories not listen to / told. Might be one of the reasons why people tended to trust me soo much
There is a reason the quote “Knowledge Is Power” is so popular, it’s because it’s true. If only we could see the future so we could take actions to fix/prepare for the bad & know we will be ok. So many lives could be saved if people with mental illnesses could only see that, yes they are going to hit rough spots, but they can come out the other side utilizing all the resources they can get their hands on. That’s why it is so vital that those resources are visible ALL THE TIME, so that anyone who has an episodic mental illness with moments of clarity, can easily find them (or hopefully have a friend like Rowan who’s love for a friends life is worth jeopardizing a friendship over)!! Ever since being diagnosed w/chronic illnesses, my anxiety (that I’ve had since childhood & got from my dad who has OCD) has SKYROCKETED!! I CONSTANTLY play the “🤷🏼♀️ what if” game in my head; what if I get injured, 😨 what if my husband gets sick since he is my sole caregiver & I’m also ill, OMG, 😰 what if I become so ill I need to go to hospital, 😱 what if I’m in a different country & there is a language barrier?!?! (this just happened last week at the end of a 12 day trip to the Dominican Republic & they were wonderful, but it freaks me out even more now)! However; every one of those thoughts has more & more anxiety building behind it & I usually end up in a panic attack, (which is another “what if”...what if I have a panic attack in public!🤦🏼♀️) & end up missing out on lots of things I could do! I would love to know how you or ANYONE with chronic illnesses &/or anxiety disorders mentally (& physically) prepare to travel! Not only long distances even, I’ll “panic” myself out of a 3 day trip that is less than 2 hours from home! (That would be a fantastic video FYI!!)!! Do you carry medical documents w/you, make arrangements to leave if needed, etc. Thank you & Rowan for a great video! Much Love To You All 🤗💜🤗
I had a lumbar puncture that went wrong last year in much the same way as Jessica, although fortunately for me it only took me about 3 months to 'recover'. It left me with persistent tremors, nerve damage, and PTSD from the experience of lying there letting three different doctors shove a needle into my spine 28 times. My wonderful fiance found this channel and introduced me to it and I'm just so so grateful for Jessica's videos, especially on the days that I'm losing my mind because I've dropped my pen five times in a row.
Love this convo. Will say that it’s also a challenge when people “know” or are familiar, with the feeling of say depression. People may assume they can relate with a depressed person and really miss the mark in attempting to soothe and relate. Also, psychosis can come up in major depression! I think people have collectively made mild the idea of depression perhaps attempting to relieve stigma. There’s some undercare especially when m.h. is in response to traumas (especially when these are interpersonal: so rape, or growing up in a persistent lack of support or lack of initial modeling for emotional regulation). Coping or the lack of exposure to “how to cope” by an appropriate and nurturing parent can have major impacts the length of life.
I definitely relate to thinking people can hear my thoughts. In my case, I don't think people can literally hear my thoughts, but it's more a case of wondering whether I'd ACTUALLY said that thing in my head, or if I'd said it out loud without realising.
The stigma can be so hard to deal with. When I was working I heard many comments that equated any sort of disability mental or physical with stupidity and weakness. I felt like I had to remain silent on the subject or face ill treatment from those who spoke. I hope more people are able to talk about mental health issues without having to worry about judgement.
I had a friend once that tried to kill herself. She was messaging her other friend about it and this poor sweet soul had no idea what to do. In the end we managed to get our parents involved with her mother and made sure she was safe and okay. She hated us for months but it was worth it. It’s not been pretty but I don’t care that she hated me for a long while, because she’s still here
I’ve always said that I’d rather have someone I love safe over them hating me. My fiancé doesn’t like the idea of blood transfusions and I’ve always said that if something was to happen where he needed one and he wasn’t able to respond himself, I would let them give him blood. Even if he broke up with me and I never saw him again I’d rather he be alive.
I totally agree! It is so important to have open and honest conversations about mental health. It helps to take away certain negative stigmas and encourages people to ask questions and educate themselves, rather than make assumptions based on stereotypes...etc. I found that openly speaking about my anxiety and panic disorder allows people in my life to understand me better and to understand that anxiety and panic are very diverse and not everyone experiences it the same way and it also doesn't look the same on the exterior. Thank you so much for having this honest conversation!
Fascinating. I watched this video when it first came out, and again today. I've just realised that a week when I was excessively cleaning, tidying and eating was a reasonable reaction to unreasonable circumstances/trauma. I had been a bit worried it was OCD-like behaviour, but Rowan's explanation bonked that on the head. Thank you both.
THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS. we need fellow MI folks to be open and educative about mental illnesses. And we also need allies to listen and help us. So thank you thank you. You've both done us All a wonderful deed.
I’m going to share an experience I had. When I was young, early in college, I had an experience that really traumatized me. I told the person I considered my best friend about it in person. In detail. After that, she would make plans with me and then bail without telling me she was bailing. It hurt me so deeply. We aren’t friends now. My advice to someone who has a friend to whom they don’t know how to talk, just make sure you do talk to them. Don’t let your fear cause you to avoid them. That will hurt them. It will also hurt you. Lastly, it will hurt or end your friendship. If you don’t know what to say, just say “hey, I care about you.”
This video is fantastic. I didn't know you can get diagnosed with winter blues. My loved ones joke that I am a sunflower, I need sunlight or I'm not happy. I kind of chalked it up to me being dramatic, but to hear others have this issue is very encouraging. As for OCD you explained it perfectly! I have a close loved one who suffers from it. She gets an intrusive thought and cannot let it go until she's passed the thought on to someone else. Thank you for this video! Your explanations, expierences, and being light-hearted but serious makes this video wonderfully informative. 💕
Check out vitamin d3 supplements 5000-10000 iu , magnesium 400-500 mg, and omega 3 and check with you doctor if that would be ok for you plus there are Now ordinary lamps which you can buy in specialité stores which can be used in ordinary sockets where you can have them as ” morning/ sun light or as soft light - bloody excellent !
I had a chronic condition that I've since had treated with major surgery, but while I was searching for answers, there were many doctors that tried dismissing my issues as psychosomatic. It's a real problem - when the doctor can't find an answer, sometimes they just dismiss it as all in your head and that's VERY damaging.
TW: I had a friend who was in a physc ward a while ago, she was out on leave for a few days and she messaged me about planning to self injure when she got back to the ward. I had to put away all my concerns about her hating me and tell her parents, I waited until they were on their way back to the ward and messaged them to let the doctors know but not to say it was me who told them or anything like that. I'm so glad I did cause that night she tried to hang herself but because they were keeping an extra close eye on her due to my warning she was unsuccessful.
Thank you both for making this video! I am especially glad, and thankful that you talked a bit about how hard it can be to get used to a new diagnosis - if like Rowan said, it's a personality disorder, or life-long condition... without even considering the stigma. Personally, I found that being diagnosed with a personality disorder (bpd) was much, much harder to wrap my head around and accept than the handful of mood-disorders and trauma-based issues that I have. The description of the illnesses combined with the feeling of never being able to actually get better, because it's a "permanent" illness make it incredibly difficult to not feel that everything about you, to who you think you are to how to interact with others is Wrong, and that you are Bad. That you both took the time to explain how these illnesses are different than just 'intense normal feelings that everyone has', because there is still so much stigma and misunderstanding to correct and awareness to raise, and people that need help.
I have a whole list of mental health problems but I also finally found the perfect therapist for me last year who helped me after years of struggling through different treatments and therapists without it doing anything good for me. I have anxiety, depression, schizoid personality disorder, PTSD and a few other things and all of it got so much better just in the last year it's amazing. I have been in treatment since I was 17. Today I turned 26 and just one single year has done so much more than all the other years before. It also makes me kind of angry to think about this still because I wasn't treated correctly because there just aren't enough therapists available. I have physical health problems as well which also now get treated correctly because my therapist is also a doctor and made sure that my other doctors finally start doing their job which also made my mental health stuff better. Also yes my personality disorder also has a huge stigma behind it and we are generally seen as not very likeable or empathetic people. I'm in a mostly happy relationship for 9 years now and have a lot of people I call my friends so I already don't fit in that box because I somehow learned how to deal with this shit on my own over the years and are one of the more well adjusted people with this disorder. Unless you really know that I have this and know what this disorder is all about nobody would know I have it. I still got called an asshole just for having it even though I'm generally a nice person and know how not to behave even though I maybe want to behave this way. I got misdiagnosed before and it just wasted so much time I could have spend so much better.
I didn't know about premier feature until now, but already love it - I live in a different timezone than most of my favorite creators, so it's nice to get a heads up for online events in which I can actually participate! This would be excellent for livestreams. Looking forward to seeing this video :D
I am an avid #MentalHealthAwareness advocate and performer, and I love this so much. I travel the country trying to bring that awareness on stages, in classrooms, hospitals, and on my RUclips channel, so I get excited when I see other advocates. 💙❤
I am autistic with fibromyalgia, OCD and anxiety. I have undiagnosed depression because my GP phoned me unexpectedly and asked a list of questions about my mental which I was unable to answer due to my autism which means I am unable to identify my emotions and express my self. I told another doctor about my depression and how I feel but still have not got a diagnosis but I have anti-depression/anti-anxiety medication but have a feeling that they diagnosed it for my anxiety and not depression. Depression is very difficult to diagnosis in autistic people. I have unusual OCD where I have to close the blinds and curtains just to get my debit card or cash out of my petite cash tin which is locked and hid in several tote bags and put in a sports bag. I feel unconformable going out in the garden (when I am a bad day) dressed in night clothes as I think my neighbour will judge and think that I am lazy.
Katrine Basso check out voxra which affects dopamin deppression which is way common with autism rather than seretonin ( you can have both ) (usa wellbutrin not a copy) And buspiron for anxiety and just generelly autism but both in Very low dosages ( for me voxra was 150 mg and buspiron 2,5 mg X3 a to 5mgx3 / day during 2 weeks before period in My case and When I say check up on I mean read up on it and if you Think it would do something good for you discuss it with your doctor as many doctors are unaware that We often get dopamine dependent deppression rather than ” ordinary” for me it took a pain specialist to Work it out ;) the combo for me was great because it turned down the volume and gave me more energy to cope Another tip muscicians earpluggs to get the volume around to a more managable level thus helping the energy and cooping with people level ( didnt understand how others saw the world until got those earpluggs and photocromatic sunglasses with antireflex and suddenly every noise and light didnt hurt - just Wow!) still more sensitive than most but ......Phew!
And oh buspiron is also really good for ocd , might also want to read up on n- acetylcysteine and the research for ocd as that might also help and its a cheap supplement but again check with your doctor so all your meds Work together.
Thank you Anna for your help, I forget to put that I have anti-epilepsy medication (epilepsy under control) and I am very restricted about what medication I can take with. It was quite a struggle to get prescribed anti depression and pain medication. I am unable to use earplugs as my ears perspire due to skin problems and can only use on the ear or over the headphones. Thank you for the tip about photocramatic sunglasses with antireflex.
Yesterday i learned that a popular german childrens show “The Show with the Maus/Die Sendung mit der Maus“ is gonna air an episode on childrens mental health on sunday. they explain how invisible parts of you can become sick too and just because you cant it doesnt mean its not serious. they also what its like in a childrens mental hospital. and that makes me so happy. if i had known as a child what depression is i might have sought out a doctor earlier.
I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety for a few years now. My depression embodies itself in a numb feeling for an extended period of time where I feel practically nothing with occassional bouts of sadness. When trying to explain it to a friend I told her to imagine that she didn't feel happy, sad or angry, she just felt nothing, emptiness. Then imagine that feeling of emptiness lasted for a whole day, then two days, then a week and no matter what you try the heavy emptiness in your chest just won't leave. You don't care about anything you used to. Things you used to find joy in seem pointless so you lay in bed wondering what the point of getting up would even be. This coupled with my anxiety creates a toxic cocktail where I know that I should get up, I should be productive, I'm being a disappointment, but what's the point? These also come with their own intrusive thoughts, commonly about self - harm or suicide. Such as the sudden urge to slice my fingers when chopping food or to step into oncoming traffic. My depressive spirals can last for months before going but it always comes back. I struggle talking to loved ones about it for fear of being misunderstood.
Rowan your hair is SO beautiful. And thank you for your perspective on OCD. it really helped be to understand it better. Also that psychosomatic doctor was wacky. Glad you got help Jessica!
This was really informative. Thank you so much to both of you. Hope you're having a lovely day I got the psychosomatic thing too from several doctors as a girl in my early 20s - turned out to be stage 3 Lyme disease! Good times, goooood times
Had I not been asleep I would have been waiting for the video to go up. That was a great chat. I think it is a wonder you didn't turn in to a basket case with all the Stupid misdiagnosis's and "oh lets not listen to the youngster" sadly common in the medical field. Glad Claudia has her light box. Thank you for sharing an important message your the best !
Loved the video thanks for talking about mental health. Helplines are hard when you hate phone calls (coz fear and often miss hearing things) & when you're under 18 and live in a house where mental health is a very taboo subject.
I would like this "premieres" funktion for livestreams! ♡ Or for very special anouncements. For regular videos I don't need it, but I wouldn't mind if you decided to use it for those too. One good thing about this "premieres" feature is - it erases those unnecessary comments, because lots of people will get to watch it first at the same time! :-D
Jessica, you are sooo smart, sympathetic and sweet you make me feel good at the start of my day when your videos come out. Thank for your candor and courage. As an aside, I like the music in the background. Good choice!
Fantastic. Its awesome because even though you don't have loads of experience you are still talking about it and point people in positive directions. Super thankful you made this video.
Something I like to stress when talking to people about my experience with major depressive disorder is that it does not make sense when you are experiencing it from the inside, it is no surprise that it does not make sense when observing it from the outside.
Speaking of personality disorders and stigma! I was diagnosed borderline personality at 19/20 and NOBODY TOLD ME. For like six years! I only found out after requesting my medical records last year. Turns out doctors can withhold information from you if they think it would be harmful.
Hearing Rowan talk about intrusive thoughts made me think about something. I don’t want to self diagnose as that takes away attention from the real issue, however, I was really able to relate to her talking about obsessions and paranoid thoughts. For some reason, I get incredibly dizzy very easily, and when that happens, I get nervous. Now, I’m aware of the fact that this is normal for me and that it will pass and I will be fine. However, I keep thinking about it constantly like “Oh, well what if I’ve gone pale? If I’ve gone pale, then I must be too dizzy. And if I’m too dizzy, I’ll faint.” That’s my thought process all the time. I constantly have to have people reassure me that I’m not pale and am in fact fine. I know you probably didn’t want to hear about my obsessive thoughts, but I thought it was interesting to hear Rowan talk about them as I was always told “You’re fine. Get over it. Stop obsessing. You’re being annoying. Stop that, you know you’re fine.”
Just wanted to say that there's nothing wrong with self diagnosing - doctors don't do anything other than check a list of symptoms to arrive at a diagnosis, either. Especially if the symptoms aren't physical and can therefore really only be assessed by yourself anyway, you are not doing anything wrong by coming to the conclusion that a certain diagnosis might fit you. It's certainly not taking away attention from the "real issue". I hope you'll find good ways to cope with your intrusive thoughts and I hope you can ignore people telling you to just get over it!
I’m autistic and had a pretty awful childhood because I went undiagnosed and I actually had to go after my diagnosis all by myself. Apart from that I have chronic joint and muscle pain and a lot of fatigue which has been diagnosed as psychosomatic and caused by stress, which I have apparently have had enough of to have had chronic pain and fatigue since I was like 7… 🤦♀️ In top of that I’m in a situation where next to nothing can be done to alleviate stress. For example, I live in a group home and started to pretty much break down bit by bit until I had a massive breakdown around four months ago (mid June) and we contacted an organisation to schedule an appointment to see if I could possibly move someplace else. That appointment is next week.
For me. Because of having m.e there are points when depression can rear it's head and for a while (3 years in the last stint) I was taking antidepressants - whilst I will say they can help, not to just reject help because of a particular stigma. It came as a surprise as I was weaning off of them just what I'd lost in terms of range of emotion, that in itself was distressing as grief for relationships which had broken down started to bob to the surface. It was quite surreal.
I've been watching your health related RUclips videos and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing them and about your experiences. I've just been diagnosed with MCTD and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome . I knew about EDS prior to diagnosis because my brother has it but I had never even heard of MCTD before. So I'm grateful for your videos talking about it because I'm learning a lot about it at the moment and it's very overwhelming. Could you consider doing a video for people who are newly diagnosed with MCTD? maybe talk about self care tips , things to avoid etc.
Thank you Rowan, I've never had intrusive thoughts explained so clearly, I realise now I get them occasionally, usually about doing something really awfully violent (it was when you said about parents thinking about killing their children that the penny dropped), I've never realised these were what was categorised as intrusive thoughts before. Luckily I don't get compulsions, and the intrusive thoughts are rare, so I guess that's just totally normal functioning. Just really interesting to think about, so thank you.
Oh I love Rowan’s videos! 💗 Thanks for having her in your video and discussing mental health. I do wish there was a sort of therapy that people who have family members with mental health issues could go to...sort of like an Alanon for mental health? I find it hard to understand and empathize with them even though I love them so much...
I had postpartum depression and I got intrusive thoughts about killing my child which were like watching the worst horror story ever. The thoughts were continuous and unrelenting. They ended up putting me on 2 medications to stop the intrusive thoughts. Luckily after a lot of therapy, I don't get the intrusive thoughts much anymore. Edit: I also have severe social anxiety and disassociation disorder not otherwise specified.
Thank you Rowan for talking about OCD!!! I have thought that I might have some form of OCD, but my compulsions are very minimal, so I wasn't sure. But your description of 'pure 'O'' OCD fits my symptoms, I think! I had never heard of it before!
I started following you channel after I discovered you via Stevie and I'm glad I did. I'm learning a lot. I suffer from anxiety/depression but it was interesting to hear a talk about different mental illnesses. Wishing you a good day!
I’m really looking forward to this video, mental health is something I struggle with everyday off my life along side my disability and chronic illness unfortunately it’s not explored enough and has a lot off stigma attached to it. Jessica will this be a discussion between you and ur guess or a Q+A xxxx
spoiler alert for anyone watching - years later Jessica has mentioned that, yeah, she probably did need to address this Trauma in a way that wasn't "putting it in a box". Growth, man
I was misdiagnosed with a psychosomatic illness as well when I was experiencing my chronic illness and to this day when I go to any doctor I’m constantly worried that they won’t believe me.
Thank you for the explanation of intrusive thoughts. My colleague, who I had supervised for all of three days, tried to commit suicide on a work trip after having extreme anxiety around his university experience (he has other mental health issues that they basically weren't providing reasonable adjustments. He is not going to that uni any more) How something which otherwise seems either mundane or mildly frustrating could push someone to try to take their life is something that I found a bit hard to "get" (of course I believes him and continue to try and support him in the way I'm supposed to as his supervisor) So, thanks for helping me understand. I've had post partum depression twice but not anxiety, and I know you can have both but I haven't.
When I moved away from home to another country for uni, I was very anxious about running out of money and not being able to get a job because of a language barrier so that manifested in everytime I was thinking about money or banking I would think in my native tongue because I developed a paranoia that my thoughts could be read, like calculating my balance, typing my pin at the ATM, etc.
You said that talking about suicide with someone isn't going to make them suicidal, but those conversations are actually pretty triggering for me. I've had doctors ask questions where they're clearly checking how bad it is, and then I feel way way worse for days afterwards. It's like poking around in that part of my head just makes it way louder and more intrusive.
I have cerebral palsy and when I was a child my depression was really bad but I didn't know what depression was. I thought that I was going to die before I was 13 I felt like my legs were sticks. I'm 26 now and am now diagnosed with major depression disorder. I had never talked about my mental health until now with someone
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Hi everyone! I'm trying a new RUclips tool called 'Premieres', where you're sent a reminder about the video when it actually goes live but you're able to chat and comment here before it does. Let me know what you think about me doing it this way: if you'd like me to use it just for livestreams or if you just really enjoy being able to have a space to talk pre-release of the video...???
In this video Rowan Ellis and I chat about our experiences with mental health and mental health provision. Rowan talks openly on her channel about having OCD and I've previously been misdiagnosed with anxiety and been given treatment for a different mental illness that I also didn't have (yep, I REALLY wasn't listened to by doctors when I was younger!). We both want to break down stigmas around talking about mental health ❤
I think it works particularly for a topic where people have their own thoughts to get out the way and then there's a direct response to the content.
But at the same time - the two windows open at once on my computer is a bit confusing - lol. Which would you rather we chatted in?
There's maybe more obvious chronological markers in the chat window, but there's a lot to get through then when you begin the chat and it's already difficult to read for both content makers and viewers. Hmm. chin-stroking thoughtfulness/lovely people!!
This would have been great if it had actually notified me when the session started and not when it was over. This will be cool when they fix the glitches. Have a lovely day!!! AMB...Rose
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard -Love the idea of the “reminder” prior to a video. With the comments/chat, would there be 2 different sections (i.e. before & after)? Also, would they be in two different spots such as chat would be under a pinned comment yet regular comments would be in their normal location? That could get confusing, but maybe once we see how it works we might be able to make a better decision! 💜
I loved the pree warning i got all excited about getting home to watch it
FUN FACT! Van Gogh's best paintings came after therapy and after he treated his mental health. A lot of people use his mental health as "Oh you've got to suffer to make good art," when in fact it was when he went to therapy and actively treated his mental health that he actually made his best art.
That reminds me of Nanette by Hannah Gatsby. She talked about how some guy told her that medication for her depression would kill her creativity and he said that if Van Gough medicated we wouldn't have the sunflowers. Then she went on about how the medication he took for epilepsy (I think it was for epilepsy) has a component that makes you experience the color yellow more vividly, so we probably have the sunflowers BECAUSE he medicated.
Madison M. this is sort of a mixing and conflation of events. his possible illnesses aren’t exactly known since then diagnoses weren’t what they are today. any treatments he received aren’t all well documented either. it’s accepted that his doctor said he had a certain type of epilepsy, but he was given a medication that didn’t help that type but coincidentally did help bipolar disorder. there’s no certain way of knowing if he had bipolar disorder, but he did experience dramatic shifts in mood so it’s possible he did and that that treatment helped.
he may have been treated with digoxin, aka foxglove, for epilepsy, which can cause some visual disturbances and light-altering effects (not hallucinations) but it isn’t known for sure.
@@ala4935 There's a portrait Van Gogh did of a psychiatrist and he's holding foxglove, which can make you experience the color yellow intensely. While we don't know for sure, it's very strongly believed that Van Gogh at least took foxglove, as well as receiving in-patient treatment for his mental health, which was the time I was talking about. The most prolific time in his career was during the time he received in-patient treatment.
(Also, Madison was referencing something that Hannah Gadsby said. She wasn't claiming that she knew for a fact that it happened, only that Gadsby said it.)
I can confirm, as an art student with depression problems, depressed periods are when I can't create. Or, well, I can make a mess on a paper, but. When I feel normal human emotions, I am the most creative. That includes love, heartbreak and moarning, but with depression, it's like someone stole my driver and put me on autopilot, that doesn't get the basic jobs done so well. Totally a zombie. Not an artist or any other sort of professional human. And my teachers who have taught many students with mental health issues confirm too. Artists tend to be sensitive people, and that makes them both creative and more likely to get mental health problems. Those latter two can come together, but they aren't a cause and effect.
On my first year, almost the first thing, we were introduced to a local artist that killed himself, and showcased how the community took bride of him after his death, and your mental illness doesn't make you better art, it just kills you. And people like a dead artist, because they are easy to take advantage of. So the point was, you should stay alive and fight for your right to feed yourself with your work.
I definitely use my past pain and trauma to influence my writing, but I can't write when I'm in the middle of a depressive episode. I just don't have the mental capacity for it.
I just wanted to say that for me depression feels completely different than being sad. Depression to me feels like i am unable to feel positive emotions. I can only feel things like irritation, anger, sadness, selfhate and guilt a lot of the time. For me it's definitely something else than an extension of being sad. But thank you for the video! It's important to talk about mental health.
Yeah, this is exactly what I was thinking. I know they come from a good place, but actually saying you know how depression feels like cos you've been sad is like one of the worst things you could say to someone with depression or bibolar. Along with "Smile and be positive" etc. Depression causes sooo many different symptons mentaly and physically. For me when my depressive episodes are at their peak(bibolar), I feel like I am a ghost, not really living nor dead, I feel constant agony, anxiety, anger, fear.. The agony gets so bad that I can feel it in my body, and like I would do anything to make it stop cos I can't take it nomore. I feel like I am not worthy of anything, just a human garbage, with no hope nor future, whom everybody despises. I mean, just to begin with. Never really feel sad.
I don't feel sad when I'm depressed, I just feel blank and UTTERLY unmotivated. Like, I won't bother to write a check to pay a bill, or make an appointment I really want to go to, because it is really hard to care.
I feel ike that, plus anxiety
This was why it took me so long to understand what was wrong with my mental health. I knew something had changed in the last few years, I wasn't who I used to be and I wasn't functioning the way I used to, but I didn't feel sad or scared, so I assumed it couldn't possibly be depression or anxiety. Day to days I felt passively content just as I always had. I just felt exhausted and like my brain was on overdrive to keep up with everything I needed to remember. I'd start feeling less motivated like, "I want to turn off the telly and take a nap now please" kinda way, and I also felt like - I'll use Jessica's box and shelve metaphor, I felt like I had a great system that worked for processing trauma, but I ran out of shelves for my boxes and so in the back of my mind it was cluttered, none of that clutter actually mattered, like Jessica says, if I opened a box I'd look inside and think "pffft" and want to throw it away like I used to.... But I can't find the bin anymore! that thought just sits there and won't go away even though you deep down don't care about what's in that thought box. It's like my subconscious says "we need to clean up" and my conscious inner monologue says "duh, but how? I'm trying, shut up, just let me focus on the now" and I argue back and forward in my mind.
I never thought that was an anxiety disorder, I thought anxiety was that sense of "have I left the oven on?" that never goes away, or being frozen with fear or predisposed to panic attacks, because that's how most awareness campaigns talk about it.
I've only just started CBT for it, prior to that I was in talk therapy for depression (because I felt unmotivated and tired all the time) and it made my emotional state so much worse because it was making me overthink things and try to work out why the thought boxes wouldn't go away, instead of learning to accept and cope. But I'm still not sure it's the best management plan, I think I'd benefit from multiple therapy types or would at least like to try, but this is the only one available to me under the current healthcare system, which as the women in the video discus, is a huge problem for people trying to manage their symptoms and conditions effectively.
True!
The description of beeing sad is a very bad one and the reason why so many people think someone who is depressed is just whiny.
It's true that one clearly isn't happy in a state of depression but that doesn't mean one is sad. The word itself describes it very good - the person is depressed (= reduced), all moods are depressed and finally it can affect the whole body and depress the strength of a person. Not talking about not beeing able to lift something heavy but to move the own body in the first place because of pure physical exhaustion, e.g. not beeing able to work, talk, walk, stand up or just to brush the hair seems like a huuuuge, unsolvable task and takes 2 hours to do, if it get's done.
Depending on how long it's going on and on many individual facts, it can happen that sadness is the last or the strongest emotion that is still there or the only one possible for the person. And if the person is sad mostly the depression itself is the reason for one to feel bad or to get sad, because it's very hard when everything is held down and reduced and it affects your social skills etc. it's actually quite rare that it's the other way around.
But exactly that is what most people think, because they get told depression is sadness or that it feels like sadness and some even think if a person is sad or mourns "too long" the person will get a depression. Both is bulls**, but they'll tell you that they know how you feel and what to do, to be happy again etc. Honestly, that's really not helpful at all, the only emotions that this causes are anger or despair (true for me and for many depressed people I know).
I have chronical depression for over 15 years now and I'm working in the health sector and therefore I know many people with mental health problems and I know their story and how they feel.
Personally I'm usually not sad in a depression but when it's really bad, it hurts and I'm in pain. Burning or stinging pain in my chest that won't stop (the body has just one possibility too construct and cause pain, it's the same neurotransmitter and the pain is as real as every other pain one can have).
That obviously can make me feel sad, but usually I'm feeling helpless and hopeless, if I feel emotions at all. I've a personality disorder that can also stop my emotions but this does still feel like beeing empty (I know that sounds strange), while in a depression even that feeling isn't there.
I have bipolar so it's fun when I wake up in the morning I never know if Tigger or Eeyore is gonna be making my decisions for me
That is a brilliant description of bipolar.
I wrote a piece about comparing the whinnie the Poo characters
My mom was bipolar and these where her two faves, which became mine too as a kid.
Hi, Jessica, i have a weird OCD: I have to count in pairs of two and four, either 2-2-4-4-4-4-2-2, or 4-2-2-4, you get the point, sometimes even my steps. I manage it and force myself to just stop, by thinking at a 3 or 7, or get the numbers too complicated and long so i mess up and change my train of thought, as i age it happens rarer. I like what you are doing, and am happy that you are sharing your experience, be it a good or a bad day, and this exists. Besides a bells palsy i 90% got over, i'm fine, and watch the videos, for the pleasant vibes, in lack of a better word... i am in no way disabled and you are still making one's day better, that's what i'm saying, i wish better days to you too. Cheers!
My ocd, since I was very young, had always been with even numbers. If I "encountered" odd numbers I would add or multiply in some way to make it even. It would freak me out if could not come up with an even conclusion. I have gotten better about it as I've gotten older but with that came other obsessions such as washing my hands 2 to 3 times in one sessions or if I do not have my cup of coffee in the morning I am set up for failure the rest of the day. It's not like I'm dependent on that extra kick coffee gives people but I mentally need it because that is how I need to start my day. That's my foundation for my day. It's part of my routine.
I'm glad more people are talking about mental health, but I was also disheartened by how Rowan said everyone can relate to anxiety and depression because they are exaggerations of feelings everyone has. On a very basic level that is somewhat true but they have so much more to them than just feeling sad or afraid. They can make everyday functioning extremely difficult. You might lose your ability to eat or know you're hungry, not be able to sleep, or be tired all the time. You can lose who you are and become someone that is just an empty shell. It's a lot more than being very sad or afraid. Lots of people I know as well as the media really miss the mark when it comes to what having a particular mental condition entails. I'm so tired of the debilitating conditions of OCD, anxiety, bipolar, and depression being glossed over as shallow personality flaws that everyone feels a little of sometimes. No, it is a medical condition. You wouldn't tell someone with extreme muscular pain that you get it because sometimes you feel really sore after an intense workout. Well some idiots might but it is clearly not the same intensity or close to a level of understanding. Saying sometimes you feel sad so you understand how it feels to be clinically depressed or that you can't stop thinking about something for a short period of time so you understand OCD makes me so frustrated. They are so much more than a blip of intense emotion, they are an intrusive force the sufferer has to live with every single day.
I don't think Rowan meant it like that, even if it might have come across in this manner. I think it's more from the person who is a friend of someone with depression or anxiety. That in this persons mind they feel they can understand the illness to an extend and thus talking about it with the ill friend is a bit easier than it would be with personality disorders, shizophrenia, etc. But of course you are right, just feeling sad, but more amplified, doesn't encompass the true experience of what depression is like and there needs to be more education about that.
@@AndroidInHumansClothing I agree, I don't think she meant it like that at all. I just wanted to validate the experience of severe anxiety and depression for myself and others that might have felt dismissed. Talking about mental health is a tricky subject and a slightly flawed attempt is still so much better than not saying anything at all! I'm really grateful for Jessica and Rowan taking the time to talk about their experiences with it. There is so much work that needs to be done with raising awareness and reducing stigma for all mental illnesses and I'm excited to see these lovely ladies doing just that!
@littlelunanova : Thank you so much for putting your thoughts out here so eloquently! ♡
This is such an important point! And one I felt should be adressed here - due to personal experiences with my clinical depression and other mental health issues I'm fighting/dealing/living with for more then 20 years - but I couldn't find the words.
So thank you! :-)
Hey! Thanks for your comment - as someone who has severe anxiety and depression myself I didn't mean that it was the same feeling at all, but like @androidinhumansclothing said, that the concept of what it feels like could be potentially more understandable than issues like psychosis and hallucinations etc that most people don't necessarily have ANY experience comparable to, if that makes sense? It doesn't dismiss depression or anxiety to say that some of the ways of explaining it can have a basis in emotions and experiences that mentally healthy people also have.
littlelunanova well, everyone does have depression and anxiety at some point in their lives. those are just symptoms. major depressive disorder and generalized or social anxiety disorder are diagnosable mental illnesses.
I'm usually very fond of the content on this channel, but now I need to correct something as I feel very strongly about it: psychosomatic symptoms aren't when you think of pain or something and then it happens. It's not fake or self-inflicted pain. That sounds more like being a hypochondriac, which in turn is a huge stigma associated with things like fibromyalgia or psychosomatic illnesses and that is very hurtful. It pushes people away from getting treatment and shames those who do. You might get symptoms considered particularly "bodily" like heart rate fluctuations, shortness of breath, head aches, muscle pain or ache, body temperature fluctuations, shivers, sweats or insomnia, hypersomnia, nausea and loss of appetite with a number of conditions. Being associated with an illness considered "mental" doesn't make it a fake symptom. Even if your pain had been caused by depression, it would still have been real pain. Psychosomatic pain is very, very real and just as horrific as when you'd stab your toe or have a migraine. It is never "just" psychosomatic. Your vomit is just as real whether it's associated with a stomach flu or an anxiety disorder. In that case it's not you making yourself vomit by worrying too much but your stress hormone levels peaking so strongly that it makes you both vomit and feel like something dangerous is happening, even though you know it's not. People with psychosomatic symptoms are not faking it or imagining it or making it happen themselves and what is said here goes uncomfortably close to suggesting that. That "just psychosomatic" or "just depression-related" pain you're laughing and joking about is my pain and listening to it feels bad.
It's good that you're talking about mental health issues and it's good you're usually careful with it. Maybe next time give voice to the person who has actual experience about it. It's giving agency and space for the people the topic actually concerns, not unlike when "physical" disabilities are discussed.
Could not agree more! ❤❤❤
yes!
I'm also quite frustrated and dissapointed mostly about her saying that, as well as about depression described as feeling sad and everyone can relate to it. There where a few things that bothered me.
They should have researched the topics at least a bit for a video with this title and length, instead of just talking their mind in a way people will think these are facts and explanations and give even more wrong informations about the topic.
At the same time saying that wrong assumptions and prejustice are a big problem for affected people but causing some.
Thank you for bringing this up! I wanted to comment on this as well. Psychosomatic illness is not "where you think something and then your body makes it happen", it's just as real as other illnesses. I have a friend who has intense physical pain caused by trauma (i.e. psychosomatic) and they're definitely not "faking it" or imagining it just because their pain doesn't have a *physical* cause. Their pain is just as real as other pain.
I'd just like to add as someone with health anxiety (formerly known as hypochondria) I have psychosomatic symptoms all the time and they are not self inflicted. There is such a stigma around health anxiety. I agree with everything else though. :)
There are some doctors that could do with reading this comment!
In Australia we have teen therapists, so the one i saw was specialised in teen girls. She really helped me for the 2.5 months i was allowed to see her
Trying to convince doctors that something serious like a seizure is psychosomatic is hard as well. It took almost 2 weeks to get my mom's doctors to believe me. Long long fun story of mental illness. FINALLY I convinced them and she got the proper treatment.
I have the same thing with ADHD where when I first found out about all the symptoms I didn't know whether I actually had any personality of my own. All these identifiers that had been "my thing", I just couldn't tell from ADHD anymore. I came to terms with it by realising that ADHD is also a part of me.
Same! I've had major depressive disorder ever since I was a child and recently I've been struggling with my identity. I can't tell if I react the way I do because of my depression or If it's because it's who I am.
I'm trying to wait until after COVID vaccines are out and most people have the vaccines to get assessed to see if I have ADHD; I have a lot of similarities in behavior and shit, genetic risk factors that increase my likelihood of having it, and yeah, there's a lot of things pointing to "you might have this", so I want to get assessed to see for sure if I have it or something else or what.
Hnng I don't like having to wait, though. XD
@@TheKarret I get you, waiting and being left not knowing is the worst. It's like you have the word to tell people and yourself within an arm's reach, but you can't quite use it yet for fear of being wrong and getting judged.
@@JuMixBoox Lol exactly.
Yep same with being autistic and my adhd.
The medical abuse that Jessica has gone through fills me with grief but also rage
I have Schizophrenia, GAD, depression, and panic disorder, my Drs. are looking at possible OCD. And watching videos like this has made me feel so much more welcomed in this world, and it gives me hope that people can accept me and see past my illnesses. That, and, its just nice to hear from people that feel the same things I do.
My doctor said they believed my pain and stomach issues was anxiety. They sent me out to a psychologists. He prescribed a medication that made me so sick. I was vomiting and having extremely bad diarrhea, sorry for the TMI. Then my immune system got shot. I got acute bronchitis. I've had two rounds of antibiotics with no avail. I have a Sinuplasty on the 17th (hopefully). I've yet to completely recover and will have two more rounds of antibiotics so all the build-up can be drained. Long story short, sometimes dealing with being chronically ill whilst waiting for diagnosis generally sucks.
Jane Justice Doe I really hope your Sinuplasty goes well! That all really sucks.
@@Rhelanae thank you very much! I'm excited to have use of my nose again! Lol
Similarly, when you've been diagnosed with a mental illness, especially anxiety and depression, everything that's wrong with you is put down to that. It becomes almost impossible to get further investigations ordered, compounded by the fact you have anxiety and probably struggle with conflict (like fighting to get referrals etc.) HOWEVER, this does have some merit as the exhaustion from mental illness can make you more susceptible to illness like colds, but still i've heard of doctors missing kidney and liver dysfunction by putting the symptoms done to anxiety.
@@jasmineling5517 Right! I've also been diagnosed with anxiety and depression but I'm usually a bit hesitant to talk about because I've had so many doctors or other people think its just "in my head". It's frustrating. My anxiety and depression can get worse when my health is very bad, but that doesn't mean it's the cause.
@@JusticeAnimeGeek also, like, i've been mentally ill for a long time. I know what my symptoms are, what 'normal' is in terms of my own mental illness, so please believe me when I say i am experiencing something outside of that!
THANK YOU FOR SPREADING THE TRUTH ABOUT OCD!!!!
I always explain OCD for people like this:
have you ever been too a really high place, a building or a tower or something like this, and thought "what if i jump off?" (People who are scared of heights might relate more if you ask if they thought "what if i throw my phone off the egde".) That is an intrusive thought, often more common in Pure-O OCD, but might be able to convey the absolute fear you get over a "silly" thought your mind puts out to you (and how uncontrollable intrusive thoughts actually are).
When you think that, you WILL do something about it. Either you will step back from the edge, or just shake the thought away by focusing on something else, but you will do something to feel more comfortable. The difference between this and OCD is that your mind cant put the thought away, to the point that even when you're on the ground already, you might think "i almost jumped, what has gotten to me?" and repeat the scene of yourself jumping over and over again for you. That is how I explain the feeling of having OCD for other people
Not only is it world mental health day but it's also OCD awareness week for anyone who didn't know, so this video is double well timed! :)
I sincerely appreciate the wave of mental health support and awareness going through the internet lately. It has made me begin to consider my own mental health as opposed to just ignoring signs and symptoms as being "normal" or just "being emotional."
I spent some time in a psych ward too, and the running and screaming is a real thing.
Thank you for being so visible and talking about your chronic illnesses and having this conversation about mental health. It's something we should all be more comfortable talking about if we want to.
I think I might have OCD thats related to religion. When I was a little kid in church and I was told that bad people go to Hell, I came to the conclusion that every mistake I ever made meant I was going to Hell. It was was like "I have to do this thing in this way or I will go to hell" or "I need to finish this task before this or I will go to hell"
I think the differences in what causes mental health issues is really interesting. I have friends whose mental health issues are very clearly a result of trauma and they've found therapy much more useful than medication. Whereas I'm pretty sure my mental health issues are mainly genetic as I have family members who suffer from anxiety, depression and OCD. I've struggled with depression and anxiety my whole life and only took medication as a last resort but once I did I was amazed at the huge difference they made. I was in a very hopeless mental place and really didn't think they would help but they've completely changed my life.
I’m actually really glad to hear from Jessica talking about how you can have bad mental health for a short moment because of reasonable reasons, and that means you need to do whatever you need to do to deal with those circumstances, rather than allow people to tell you you have anxiety when you clearly don’t. I’ve had people try to wrongly diagnose me with anxiety too when actually I was having a hard time at home and school with being forced to come out before I was ready. That’s it.
Can I just say that this is the first time the notification button has actually worked for a video for me EVER... also I'm really glad you have made this video
woo hoo! I think the Premier video mode is meant to help the notification button work in some way... 🤷♀️
I did not get a notice for it until it had been over for forty minutes
You'd think SAD wouldn't affect people in sunny/hot places but I live in a place where we get, on average 333 sunny days a year. But because my climate is northern (Canada), I start feeling the beginnings of SAD in September/October because the days are also getting shorter and the quality of the light is different (longer rays/at an angle). I'd be willing to bet even if you live somewhere tropical it could still affect you in a big way. Humans are super sensitive to light so any minuscule change can be picked up on and reacted to.
That's so interesting! goodness!
Yes, I live in West Africa (tropics) and in the dry season when sunlight is blocked by atmospheric particles, I get quite down. But the worst was when I was living in the UK and it got dark at 3pm.
I’ve seen people whose SAD is kind of in reverse, they feel bad in the hot sunny months and okay in the colder months
I live in Alaska and I find that I might have the opposite? I feel quite sluggish and useless during the daylight hours and when the temps are above 75f so summers are bad on me. I love the winters here though. I’m more me during that time. I’m more active, i work better, think better, feel better when it’s dark and cooler. I even found a great job that I work nights that way I’m at my most productive.
Spiffleh SAD is not just about light. i get more depressed in the summer with longer, brighter days. sunlight can be one factor but not the only one.
I think it's also worth knowing that there are other forms of treatment for mental health issues, beyond talk therapy and medications. Cognitive behaviour therapy, EMDR (particularly good for trauma, but many other things too), mindfulness etc etc. You don't have to settle for sitting an a room and re-traumatising yourself by talking about an event over and over with a therapist. You have options, and control over your treatment goals and process. Thanks for talking about this! :)
My reaction to unknown guests on a RUclips channel is excessive suspicion; in this case I was very glad that you introduced us to Rowan. Thank you.
This video has been uploaded a while ago but I feel like I should comment about an specific topic you guys talked about. While some people do get better only with medication, therapy can and, if done correctly, will change the way the chemicals in your brain are produced or distributed. Just like your mental disorders that are molded by your life experiences can change the chemical aspects of your brain, a successful treatment with only therapy can do the same.
I know that this can change depending on the culture or the doctors' approach, but on uni we learn that it is actually recommended to the psychiatrists to ask their patients if they are going to therapy, and if not, they should be advised to do so. Medication can only go so far, but of course that, depending on the case, so does therapy.
I want to start by saying I genuinely laud the makers of this video for raising awareness of mental and physical illness, the awkward overlaps and the gross inadequacies at treating them in Britain at the moment. But it should be pointed out that 'somatic' doesn't mean you think something and then your body makes it happen; somatic manifestations/physical symptoms can occur with no conscious knowledge by patients/sufferers of why they are occurring, therefore seeming very 'real' and evidence of organic disease. It's often very difficult for doctors to decipher what is organic disease and what is somatic (i.e. real symptoms but harmless in the sense that they are not real disease). For anyone interested in learning about body-mind disorders and how to be completely free of them read John Sarno's book 'The Body Mind Prescription'. PTSD can also present with somatic symptoms which are not because the person has worried about getting a certain illness or disability; the symptoms just appear out of the blue and are translations of stress and distress; for instance foot drop, paralysis, balance issues, tinnitus - and into this group, it could be be argued fall M.E. CFS, Fibromylagia etc. To overcome these check out Reverse or Mickel Therapy.
And there is no need to subtly poke fun at people incarcerated in mental health institutions ('locked up with some other people with *interesting* conditions'); they are victims of the system more than anyone, may in fact have nothing wrong with them mentally but have been misdiagnosed and never got out (hence desperation; madness; insanity; despair) or be drugged off their heads. In any case, there but for the grace of god go any of us. No need for throwing shade on anyone in that dreadful condition.
Rowan is so brilliant in the way she explains certain mental illnesses. I just luv her approach and simple rationale in order to make it easy for others to to relate. I swear u all are so much better, sweeter and easier to understand and others are actually able to learn from u without judgement or condicention and can 'normalize' mental health or other medical issues so the general public can relate. Respect and luv!!♡♡
I had a conversation recently where I shared that there are diseases or conditions where one's immune system is compromised, or in some cases, can turn against you. I think of mental disorders or conditions as if your own mind has turned against you. Sometimes it feels as if it's just as, if not more, challenging as other physical conditions. One of my favorite videos of Jessica's (I love it so much I turned the link into a QR code so I could paste it into my journal) is her How I Became Mentally Strong one, because she talks about how her mind helped her through some harrowing physical challenges. But if the mind itself is "compromised" (forgive my use of the word!), what can you do? How can you push past the negative emotions? It requires a whole different set of tools and therapy and techniques.
Woah okay what Rowan was saying about her purely obsessive OCD was something I related to on a slightly milder level... I always put it up to "overthinking" but hmm...
This video was so great. I'm glad you guys talked about the good and bad of mental health services. Once, a therapist didn't like the fact that I had to go to the hospital for back pain and decided to end the relationship over texts. But therapy can be incredibly helpful and it's important to talk about your mental health and listen to others when they choose to speak about their mental health.
I tended to ask politely to know as much as I could with anything going on physically or mentally & don't say if it is too much or something bad.
Shared my stuff that related to topics they said, to make it more equal trust & less vulnerable.
I loved learning new things struggles anyone had, stories not listen to / told.
Might be one of the reasons why people tended to trust me soo much
There is a reason the quote “Knowledge Is Power” is so popular, it’s because it’s true. If only we could see the future so we could take actions to fix/prepare for the bad & know we will be ok. So many lives could be saved if people with mental illnesses could only see that, yes they are going to hit rough spots, but they can come out the other side utilizing all the resources they can get their hands on. That’s why it is so vital that those resources are visible ALL THE TIME, so that anyone who has an episodic mental illness with moments of clarity, can easily find them (or hopefully have a friend like Rowan who’s love for a friends life is worth jeopardizing a friendship over)!! Ever since being diagnosed w/chronic illnesses, my anxiety (that I’ve had since childhood & got from my dad who has OCD) has SKYROCKETED!! I CONSTANTLY play the “🤷🏼♀️ what if” game in my head; what if I get injured, 😨 what if my husband gets sick since he is my sole caregiver & I’m also ill, OMG, 😰 what if I become so ill I need to go to hospital, 😱 what if I’m in a different country & there is a language barrier?!?! (this just happened last week at the end of a 12 day trip to the Dominican Republic & they were wonderful, but it freaks me out even more now)! However; every one of those thoughts has more & more anxiety building behind it & I usually end up in a panic attack, (which is another “what if”...what if I have a panic attack in public!🤦🏼♀️) & end up missing out on lots of things I could do! I would love to know how you or ANYONE with chronic illnesses &/or anxiety disorders mentally (& physically) prepare to travel! Not only long distances even, I’ll “panic” myself out of a 3 day trip that is less than 2 hours from home! (That would be a fantastic video FYI!!)!! Do you carry medical documents w/you, make arrangements to leave if needed, etc. Thank you & Rowan for a great video! Much Love To You All 🤗💜🤗
I had a lumbar puncture that went wrong last year in much the same way as Jessica, although fortunately for me it only took me about 3 months to 'recover'. It left me with persistent tremors, nerve damage, and PTSD from the experience of lying there letting three different doctors shove a needle into my spine 28 times. My wonderful fiance found this channel and introduced me to it and I'm just so so grateful for Jessica's videos, especially on the days that I'm losing my mind because I've dropped my pen five times in a row.
Love this convo. Will say that it’s also a challenge when people “know” or are familiar, with the feeling of say depression. People may assume they can relate with a depressed person and really miss the mark in attempting to soothe and relate. Also, psychosis can come up in major depression!
I think people have collectively made mild the idea of depression perhaps attempting to relieve stigma. There’s some undercare especially when m.h. is in response to traumas (especially when these are interpersonal: so rape, or growing up in a persistent lack of support or lack of initial modeling for emotional regulation). Coping or the lack of exposure to “how to cope” by an appropriate and nurturing parent can have major impacts the length of life.
I love when two queens decide to make a video together
I definitely relate to thinking people can hear my thoughts. In my case, I don't think people can literally hear my thoughts, but it's more a case of wondering whether I'd ACTUALLY said that thing in my head, or if I'd said it out loud without realising.
Same with BPD. I am going to make a video on it, because it has so much stigma.
The stigma can be so hard to deal with. When I was working I heard many comments that equated any sort of disability mental or physical with stupidity and weakness. I felt like I had to remain silent on the subject or face ill treatment from those who spoke. I hope more people are able to talk about mental health issues without having to worry about judgement.
I had a friend once that tried to kill herself. She was messaging her other friend about it and this poor sweet soul had no idea what to do. In the end we managed to get our parents involved with her mother and made sure she was safe and okay. She hated us for months but it was worth it. It’s not been pretty but I don’t care that she hated me for a long while, because she’s still here
Omg Rowan and Jessica in one video. I already know it will be the smartest, most educating, charming video I've watched in so long!!!
Thank you so much for this video! I suffer from OCD and hearing Rowan speaking about it makes it a little easier for me.
I’ve always said that I’d rather have someone I love safe over them hating me. My fiancé doesn’t like the idea of blood transfusions and I’ve always said that if something was to happen where he needed one and he wasn’t able to respond himself, I would let them give him blood. Even if he broke up with me and I never saw him again I’d rather he be alive.
I've never known someone who didn't struggle with mental health, and I think it's amazing that you are still bringing awareness to it!!
I LOVE Jessica’s makeup/hair combo in this video.
I totally agree! It is so important to have open and honest conversations about mental health. It helps to take away certain negative stigmas and encourages people to ask questions and educate themselves, rather than make assumptions based on stereotypes...etc. I found that openly speaking about my anxiety and panic disorder allows people in my life to understand me better and to understand that anxiety and panic are very diverse and not everyone experiences it the same way and it also doesn't look the same on the exterior. Thank you so much for having this honest conversation!
Fascinating.
I watched this video when it first came out, and again today. I've just realised that a week when I was excessively cleaning, tidying and eating was a reasonable reaction to unreasonable circumstances/trauma. I had been a bit worried it was OCD-like behaviour, but Rowan's explanation bonked that on the head.
Thank you both.
HOLY JESUS YES! She mentioned people with psychosis and involved them in the conversation! Thank you!
THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS. we need fellow MI folks to be open and educative about mental illnesses. And we also need allies to listen and help us. So thank you thank you. You've both done us All a wonderful deed.
So glad you talked about personality disorder, I have borderline and become so grateful when peopole talk about it
I’m going to share an experience I had. When I was young, early in college, I had an experience that really traumatized me. I told the person I considered my best friend about it in person. In detail. After that, she would make plans with me and then bail without telling me she was bailing. It hurt me so deeply. We aren’t friends now. My advice to someone who has a friend to whom they don’t know how to talk, just make sure you do talk to them. Don’t let your fear cause you to avoid them. That will hurt them. It will also hurt you. Lastly, it will hurt or end your friendship. If you don’t know what to say, just say “hey, I care about you.”
She also never talked to me again really aside from making the plans she wasn’t planning to keep.
This video is fantastic. I didn't know you can get diagnosed with winter blues. My loved ones joke that I am a sunflower, I need sunlight or I'm not happy. I kind of chalked it up to me being dramatic, but to hear others have this issue is very encouraging. As for OCD you explained it perfectly! I have a close loved one who suffers from it. She gets an intrusive thought and cannot let it go until she's passed the thought on to someone else. Thank you for this video! Your explanations, expierences, and being light-hearted but serious makes this video wonderfully informative. 💕
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I have chronic fatigue and POTS and have had at least two specialists suggest my health problems are psychosomatic so I relate to this so much!
This is a brilliant idea to talk so openly. The topic of mental health is so important to talk about.Thanks!
I had a chronic condition that I've since had treated with major surgery, but while I was searching for answers, there were many doctors that tried dismissing my issues as psychosomatic. It's a real problem - when the doctor can't find an answer, sometimes they just dismiss it as all in your head and that's VERY damaging.
TW: I had a friend who was in a physc ward a while ago, she was out on leave for a few days and she messaged me about planning to self injure when she got back to the ward. I had to put away all my concerns about her hating me and tell her parents, I waited until they were on their way back to the ward and messaged them to let the doctors know but not to say it was me who told them or anything like that. I'm so glad I did cause that night she tried to hang herself but because they were keeping an extra close eye on her due to my warning she was unsuccessful.
Thank you both for making this video!
I am especially glad, and thankful that you talked a bit about how hard it can be to get used to a new diagnosis - if like Rowan said, it's a personality disorder, or life-long condition... without even considering the stigma. Personally, I found that being diagnosed with a personality disorder (bpd) was much, much harder to wrap my head around and accept than the handful of mood-disorders and trauma-based issues that I have. The description of the illnesses combined with the feeling of never being able to actually get better, because it's a "permanent" illness make it incredibly difficult to not feel that everything about you, to who you think you are to how to interact with others is Wrong, and that you are Bad.
That you both took the time to explain how these illnesses are different than just 'intense normal feelings that everyone has', because there is still so much stigma and misunderstanding to correct and awareness to raise, and people that need help.
I have a whole list of mental health problems but I also finally found the perfect therapist for me last year who helped me after years of struggling through different treatments and therapists without it doing anything good for me.
I have anxiety, depression, schizoid personality disorder, PTSD and a few other things and all of it got so much better just in the last year it's amazing. I have been in treatment since I was 17. Today I turned 26 and just one single year has done so much more than all the other years before. It also makes me kind of angry to think about this still because I wasn't treated correctly because there just aren't enough therapists available.
I have physical health problems as well which also now get treated correctly because my therapist is also a doctor and made sure that my other doctors finally start doing their job which also made my mental health stuff better.
Also yes my personality disorder also has a huge stigma behind it and we are generally seen as not very likeable or empathetic people. I'm in a mostly happy relationship for 9 years now and have a lot of people I call my friends so I already don't fit in that box because I somehow learned how to deal with this shit on my own over the years and are one of the more well adjusted people with this disorder. Unless you really know that I have this and know what this disorder is all about nobody would know I have it. I still got called an asshole just for having it even though I'm generally a nice person and know how not to behave even though I maybe want to behave this way.
I got misdiagnosed before and it just wasted so much time I could have spend so much better.
I didn't know about premier feature until now, but already love it - I live in a different timezone than most of my favorite creators, so it's nice to get a heads up for online events in which I can actually participate! This would be excellent for livestreams. Looking forward to seeing this video :D
Thank you for the feedback! Definitely thinking it will be a great thing to use for livestreams :)
I am an avid #MentalHealthAwareness advocate and performer, and I love this so much. I travel the country trying to bring that awareness on stages, in classrooms, hospitals, and on my RUclips channel, so I get excited when I see other advocates. 💙❤
I am autistic with fibromyalgia, OCD and anxiety. I have undiagnosed depression because my GP phoned me unexpectedly and asked a list of questions about my mental which I was unable to answer due to my autism which means I am unable to identify my emotions and express my self. I told another doctor about my depression and how I feel but still have not got a diagnosis but I have anti-depression/anti-anxiety medication but have a feeling that they diagnosed it for my anxiety and not depression. Depression is very difficult to diagnosis in autistic people. I have unusual OCD where I have to close the blinds and curtains just to get my debit card or cash out of my petite cash tin which is locked and hid in several tote bags and put in a sports bag. I feel unconformable going out in the garden (when I am a bad day) dressed in night clothes as I think my neighbour will judge and think that I am lazy.
Katrine Basso check out voxra which affects dopamin deppression which is way common with autism rather than seretonin ( you can have both ) (usa wellbutrin not a copy) And buspiron for anxiety and just generelly autism but both in Very low dosages ( for me voxra was 150 mg and buspiron 2,5 mg X3 a to 5mgx3 / day during 2 weeks before period in My case and When I say check up on I mean read up on it and if you Think it would do something good for you discuss it with your doctor as many doctors are unaware that We often get dopamine dependent deppression rather than ” ordinary” for me it took a pain specialist to Work it out ;) the combo for me was great because it turned down the volume and gave me more energy to cope Another tip muscicians earpluggs to get the volume around to a more managable level thus helping the energy and cooping with people level ( didnt understand how others saw the world until got those earpluggs and photocromatic sunglasses with antireflex and suddenly every noise and light didnt hurt - just Wow!) still more sensitive than most but ......Phew!
And oh buspiron is also really good for ocd , might also want to read up on n- acetylcysteine and the research for ocd as that might also help and its a cheap supplement but again check with your doctor so all your meds Work together.
Thank you Anna for your help, I forget to put that I have anti-epilepsy medication (epilepsy under control) and I am very restricted about what medication I can take with. It was quite a struggle to get prescribed anti depression and pain medication. I am unable to use earplugs as my ears perspire due to skin problems and can only use on the ear or over the headphones. Thank you for the tip about photocramatic sunglasses with antireflex.
Yesterday i learned that a popular german childrens show “The Show with the Maus/Die Sendung mit der Maus“ is gonna air an episode on childrens mental health on sunday. they explain how invisible parts of you can become sick too and just because you cant it doesnt mean its not serious. they also what its like in a childrens mental hospital. and that makes me so happy. if i had known as a child what depression is i might have sought out a doctor earlier.
I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety for a few years now. My depression embodies itself in a numb feeling for an extended period of time where I feel practically nothing with occassional bouts of sadness.
When trying to explain it to a friend I told her to imagine that she didn't feel happy, sad or angry, she just felt nothing, emptiness. Then imagine that feeling of emptiness lasted for a whole day, then two days, then a week and no matter what you try the heavy emptiness in your chest just won't leave. You don't care about anything you used to. Things you used to find joy in seem pointless so you lay in bed wondering what the point of getting up would even be. This coupled with my anxiety creates a toxic cocktail where I know that I should get up, I should be productive, I'm being a disappointment, but what's the point?
These also come with their own intrusive thoughts, commonly about self - harm or suicide. Such as the sudden urge to slice my fingers when chopping food or to step into oncoming traffic.
My depressive spirals can last for months before going but it always comes back.
I struggle talking to loved ones about it for fear of being misunderstood.
Rowan your hair is SO beautiful. And thank you for your perspective on OCD. it really helped be to understand it better. Also that psychosomatic doctor was wacky. Glad you got help Jessica!
You two have the nicest voices in the whole world 😊❤
This was really informative. Thank you so much to both of you. Hope you're having a lovely day
I got the psychosomatic thing too from several doctors as a girl in my early 20s - turned out to be stage 3 Lyme disease! Good times, goooood times
Had I not been asleep I would have been waiting for the video to go up. That was a great chat. I think it is a wonder you didn't turn in to a basket case with all the Stupid misdiagnosis's and "oh lets not listen to the youngster" sadly common in the medical field. Glad Claudia has her light box. Thank you for sharing an important message your the best !
Loved the video thanks for talking about mental health. Helplines are hard when you hate phone calls (coz fear and often miss hearing things) & when you're under 18 and live in a house where mental health is a very taboo subject.
💞 Why is your voice the most soothing thing ever
I would like this "premieres" funktion for livestreams! ♡
Or for very special anouncements.
For regular videos I don't need it, but I wouldn't mind if you decided to use it for those too.
One good thing about this "premieres" feature is - it erases those unnecessary comments, because lots of people will get to watch it first at the same time! :-D
Jessica, you are sooo smart, sympathetic and sweet you make me feel good at the start of my day when your videos come out. Thank for your candor and courage. As an aside, I like the music in the background. Good choice!
Fantastic. Its awesome because even though you don't have loads of experience you are still talking about it and point people in positive directions. Super thankful you made this video.
I realize she is talking about very important thing that I relate to, but also can we please talk about how incredible her blue hair is???
Something I like to stress when talking to people about my experience with major depressive disorder is that it does not make sense when you are experiencing it from the inside, it is no surprise that it does not make sense when observing it from the outside.
Speaking of personality disorders and stigma! I was diagnosed borderline personality at 19/20 and NOBODY TOLD ME.
For like six years! I only found out after requesting my medical records last year. Turns out doctors can withhold information from you if they think it would be harmful.
Love the content of this video, and also the fact that you each matched your outfits to your hair ❤️😊💙
Hearing Rowan talk about intrusive thoughts made me think about something. I don’t want to self diagnose as that takes away attention from the real issue, however, I was really able to relate to her talking about obsessions and paranoid thoughts. For some reason, I get incredibly dizzy very easily, and when that happens, I get nervous. Now, I’m aware of the fact that this is normal for me and that it will pass and I will be fine. However, I keep thinking about it constantly like “Oh, well what if I’ve gone pale? If I’ve gone pale, then I must be too dizzy. And if I’m too dizzy, I’ll faint.” That’s my thought process all the time. I constantly have to have people reassure me that I’m not pale and am in fact fine. I know you probably didn’t want to hear about my obsessive thoughts, but I thought it was interesting to hear Rowan talk about them as I was always told “You’re fine. Get over it. Stop obsessing. You’re being annoying. Stop that, you know you’re fine.”
Just wanted to say that there's nothing wrong with self diagnosing - doctors don't do anything other than check a list of symptoms to arrive at a diagnosis, either. Especially if the symptoms aren't physical and can therefore really only be assessed by yourself anyway, you are not doing anything wrong by coming to the conclusion that a certain diagnosis might fit you. It's certainly not taking away attention from the "real issue".
I hope you'll find good ways to cope with your intrusive thoughts and I hope you can ignore people telling you to just get over it!
I’m autistic and had a pretty awful childhood because I went undiagnosed and I actually had to go after my diagnosis all by myself.
Apart from that I have chronic joint and muscle pain and a lot of fatigue which has been diagnosed as psychosomatic and caused by stress, which I have apparently have had enough of to have had chronic pain and fatigue since I was like 7… 🤦♀️
In top of that I’m in a situation where next to nothing can be done to alleviate stress.
For example, I live in a group home and started to pretty much break down bit by bit until I had a massive breakdown around four months ago (mid June) and we contacted an organisation to schedule an appointment to see if I could possibly move someplace else.
That appointment is next week.
For me. Because of having m.e there are points when depression can rear it's head and for a while (3 years in the last stint) I was taking antidepressants - whilst I will say they can help, not to just reject help because of a particular stigma. It came as a surprise as I was weaning off of them just what I'd lost in terms of range of emotion, that in itself was distressing as grief for relationships which had broken down started to bob to the surface. It was quite surreal.
I've been watching your health related RUclips videos and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing them and about your experiences. I've just been diagnosed with MCTD and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome . I knew about EDS prior to diagnosis because my brother has it but I had never even heard of MCTD before. So I'm grateful for your videos talking about it because I'm learning a lot about it at the moment and it's very overwhelming. Could you consider doing a video for people who are newly diagnosed with MCTD? maybe talk about self care tips , things to avoid etc.
Thank you Rowan, I've never had intrusive thoughts explained so clearly, I realise now I get them occasionally, usually about doing something really awfully violent (it was when you said about parents thinking about killing their children that the penny dropped), I've never realised these were what was categorised as intrusive thoughts before. Luckily I don't get compulsions, and the intrusive thoughts are rare, so I guess that's just totally normal functioning. Just really interesting to think about, so thank you.
Oh I love Rowan’s videos! 💗 Thanks for having her in your video and discussing mental health. I do wish there was a sort of therapy that people who have family members with mental health issues could go to...sort of like an Alanon for mental health? I find it hard to understand and empathize with them even though I love them so much...
Family /Systemic therapy does exist 😊 Maybe you can find some info about that on internet, it might be easily accessible in your country
I had postpartum depression and I got intrusive thoughts about killing my child which were like watching the worst horror story ever. The thoughts were continuous and unrelenting. They ended up putting me on 2 medications to stop the intrusive thoughts. Luckily after a lot of therapy, I don't get the intrusive thoughts much anymore.
Edit: I also have severe social anxiety and disassociation disorder not otherwise specified.
Thank you Rowan for talking about OCD!!! I have thought that I might have some form of OCD, but my compulsions are very minimal, so I wasn't sure. But your description of 'pure 'O'' OCD fits my symptoms, I think! I had never heard of it before!
When she said the thing about ocd and how she always feels like people know what she's thinking and has to think back at them... I relate 😅
the collaboration I never knew I needed thank you both so much for talking about this💙💙
I started following you channel after I discovered you via Stevie and I'm glad I did. I'm learning a lot. I suffer from anxiety/depression but it was interesting to hear a talk about different mental illnesses.
Wishing you a good day!
Rowan's hair is so beautiful I couldn't focus on the video
You're both beautiful people
Also, thank you for introducing us to Rowan! Subscribed immediately 🎊
I’m really looking forward to this video, mental health is something I struggle with everyday off my life along side my disability and chronic illness unfortunately it’s not explored enough and has a lot off stigma attached to it. Jessica will this be a discussion between you and ur guess or a Q+A xxxx
spoiler alert for anyone watching - years later Jessica has mentioned that, yeah, she probably did need to address this Trauma in a way that wasn't "putting it in a box". Growth, man
I was misdiagnosed with a psychosomatic illness as well when I was experiencing my chronic illness and to this day when I go to any doctor I’m constantly worried that they won’t believe me.
Thank you for the explanation of intrusive thoughts. My colleague, who I had supervised for all of three days, tried to commit suicide on a work trip after having extreme anxiety around his university experience (he has other mental health issues that they basically weren't providing reasonable adjustments. He is not going to that uni any more)
How something which otherwise seems either mundane or mildly frustrating could push someone to try to take their life is something that I found a bit hard to "get" (of course I believes him and continue to try and support him in the way I'm supposed to as his supervisor)
So, thanks for helping me understand. I've had post partum depression twice but not anxiety, and I know you can have both but I haven't.
I'd love to know which sunlight lamp Claudia uses, I could use a good one.
Me too!
This is the one I have. It also does the sunrise alarm thing.
www.lumie.com/collections/bodyclock-wake-up-lights-halogen/products/bodyclock-starter-30
When I moved away from home to another country for uni, I was very anxious about running out of money and not being able to get a job because of a language barrier so that manifested in everytime I was thinking about money or banking I would think in my native tongue because I developed a paranoia that my thoughts could be read, like calculating my balance, typing my pin at the ATM, etc.
Brilliant video ! Thank you gals!
Before I was on medication I had a lot of impulse control issues. And it was as if the more I tried to resist an impulse, the stronger it would get.
You said that talking about suicide with someone isn't going to make them suicidal, but those conversations are actually pretty triggering for me. I've had doctors ask questions where they're clearly checking how bad it is, and then I feel way way worse for days afterwards. It's like poking around in that part of my head just makes it way louder and more intrusive.
I have cerebral palsy and when I was a child my depression was really bad but I didn't know what depression was. I thought that I was going to die before I was 13 I felt like my legs were sticks. I'm 26 now and am now diagnosed with major depression disorder. I had never talked about my mental health until now with someone