Filed under: Movember | Tags: anti-depressants, beyondblue, depression, doctors, drugs, medication, Movember
beyondblue provides a lot of good resources on depression, but they place a lot of emphasis on the medical profession. It’s a sad reflection on our society today that people need to turn to their doctor as their first source of help. We’re unable to gain guidance from community leaders, like village elders or priests because we’ve become so detached from spirituality. We seek solace and a place to belong in cultural appropriation. If we turn to doctors, they will prescribe us with medication for which the mechanisms of action are as unknown as illicit drugs.
Take for instance a couple of drugs my GP gave me when I was 19. I first went to her because I’d been feeling depressed for years and neither my parents nor school counsellor had been much help. There was a 3 month waiting list to see a good psychiatrist she knew, so she gave me drugs in the meantime. First there was Tryptanol. “It appears to prevent the re-uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin at nerve terminals, thus potentiating the action of these neurotransmitters.” It appears? I guess they don’t really know. Well that was just a waste of time and made it even harder for me to get out of bed in the morning, so the doctor then gave me Sinequan and “The mechanism of action of Sinequan (doxepin HCl) is not definitely known”. That information is from the manufacturer themselves. This drug seemed as bad as the first. The doctor gradually reduced the dosage and I still felt drowsy even on the lowest dose. When I finally got to see the shrink, he just laughed. He said that the drugs didn’t work because my problems were reactionary, meaning that I was depressed not because of a chemical imbalance, but because of all the things I’d been through and was still living with.
Years later, I had a colleague who’d recently been put on anti-depressants. He told me that his drugs were great. “They just gave you the wrong kind,” he said. Maybe it was because we were in our late 20s by then. I read now that
“Antidepressants increased the risk compared to placebo of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults in short-term studies of major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of Sinequan or any other antidepressant in a child, adolescent, or young adult must balance this risk with the clinical need.”
I wonder if that info was around in my day, and if so, just what the hell my GP was thinking.
Filed under: Movember | Tags: CALD, depression, John Brogden, Movember, Multicultural Mental Health Australia, redemption, suicide
There are many different forms of depression. Someone can be living with dysthymia for years and then do something stupid like a man losing the family’s nest egg on a bad investment, or as in John Brogden’s case, a politician acting politically incorrectly . This can lead to disgrace and major depression, even attempted suicide.
Brogden resigned from parliament, but later returned to public life as CEO of several companies. He spoke publicly about his battle with depression and became a patron for Lifeline. His greatest achievement however, was being given a pat on the back by the very community he insulted. “Multicultural Mental Health Australia (MMHA) Chair, Associate Professor Malak said he encouraged more community leaders and celebrities, especially from CALD [culturally and linguistically diverse] backgrounds who may be affected by a mental illness in the family, to show the same courage as Mr Brogden and talk about it openly.”
John Brogden’s story can show those in their darkest hour, that even if their depression is the result of self-inflicted shame, there is light and even redemption on the other side.
Filed under: Movember | Tags: depression, men's health, Movember, prostate cancer, Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
I’m a whinger. Yesterday I complained that the Commonwealth Bank changed their logo to pink for an entire month for Pink Ribbon Day on 25th October, but did nothing for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September. How wrong was I?
Maybe my ignorance is indicative of men’s habit of shunning issues concerning our health. Even when it’s all around us, we don’t notice until it happens to us and it’s too late. It’s a good thing I’ve got involved with Movember. Not only am I raising awareness of prostate cancer and depression in those around me, I’m also learning a lot along the way.
Filed under: Movember | Tags: depression, domestic violence, men's health, Movember, murder
It’s interesting to follow yesterday’s post with a report about an abused man who killed his wife. I’ve never condoned wives killing their abusive husbands and this man killing his wife is no different. You do feel sorry for them, but the onus is on the abused party to walk out. Of course, once you’re there, walking out could be the hardest thing to do. It sounds like the abused man was forced by his wife to live a very depressing existence.
I just wonder if Anthony Sherna were a woman, would the judge still have sentenced him to 14 years in prison? This blog isn’t about gender politics, but the sentence for this crime does highlight the imbalance between the way we treat abused men and abused women. By the same token, we as a society are more aware and supportive of distressed and depressed women than we are of distressed and depressed men. That’s why Movember is so important. It’s bringing men’s health out of the darkness and getting people talking about prostate cancer and depression. Movember is donating directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and beyondblue who are doing things to provide resources for people suffering from depression as well as many groups who are at risk, such as adolescents and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (GLBTI). Donate today.
Filed under: Movember | Tags: depression, gender equality, International Men's Day, men's health, Movember, suicide, violence against men
I read a tiny 50 word article in the free daily rag that today is International Men’s Day. I’d never even heard of it. How sad it is that I had to Google it to find out that it started in 1999 and “is celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Australia, India, Italy, United States, New Zealand, Moldova, Haiti, Singapore, Malta, South Africa, Ghana, Hungary, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom”. Well that’s news to me. This day has gone by silently with no celebration in the street, no flyers being handed out, and no special Google logo. In fact, there’s absolutely nothing on our usual news sites about it. What little there is on the net consists of backlash (see post by Kate on November 25, 2008 10:41 PM) about taking attention away from women’s rights and the needs of women. We’re told to “man the hell up” when we talk about violence against men. But one in three victims of family violence is male. For all the talk and government funded campaigns to stop violence against women, I’ve known only men who were being beaten by their partners. One of them used to be hit in the face with saucepans by his girlfriend. Like a typical victim of domestic violence, he blamed himself and said that he had a big mouth. We find it humorous and make light of men being hit by their wives. But it’s this sort of attitude that keeps men in the dark about our plight, leading to depression and suicide. If there are more men committing suicide than women, then perhaps depression is actually more prevalent in men, only we don’t talk about it.
This International Men’s Day (week) acknowledge that there is a need to stand up for gender equality and gender relations, celebrate men’s achievements and sacrifices and promote men’s health. Support Movember!
Filed under: Movember | Tags: action heroes, affirmations, depression, male psychology, moustaches, Movember
Tucker‘s gone off to do his thing in America. So again, I’m the only one at work who’s growing the mo. This is what I signed up for when I thought it was just me doing it alone. It’s OK. It’s back to the original action movie. Ever wonder why men love action movies? It’s because we live them. Every man from time to time feels like it’s him against the rest of the world. And we live vicariously through these movies because our hero actually manages to save the world on his own. We don’t.
I received some encouraging comments on my mo today, a couple them from bearded friends. I’d forgotten how reaffirming compliments can be when you’re having doubts. It’s even made me think that I actually do have a half-decent mo. The thing is that I was doing alright without the moral support. It was a good laugh and the jibes were all in fun, so it came as a surprise that the affirmations actually made such a difference. It’s made me wonder just how healthy this culture of taking the piss is. It’s how we bond, but it’s also how we detach. I guess we just have to be mindful of our mate’s state when we have a go at him. Have fun, but gauge the effect – then throw in some words of support for good measure later on. There’s a line between taking the piss and bullying. For someone who’s depressed, it’ll just push them him over the edge.
Filed under: Movember | Tags: depression, forgetfulness, Movember, poetry
I took a photo yesterday, but didn’t have time to post it, so this post comes a day late.
I went to the Australian Poetry Slam state final on Friday. With a couple of exceptions, the standard of the performance poetry was very high. On the way home, I recalled to my partner a poem that I’d written years ago. It seems relevant to Movember, so I thought I’d republish it here.
Forgetful
Why is it
that sometimes
a child’s laughter sounds like crying
and pleasure feels like pain,
But when I’m happy
I forget the want for dying
And in droughts
I can’t remember rain?
Filed under: Movember | Tags: depression, emotional support, Movember, suicide
More women suffer from depression, but more men commit suicide. We tend to retreat into our caves and suffer in silence. Sometimes it works, but sometimes things get really grim and then we end it all. Glad to see that the Movember site is also talking about depression and some things that we can all do to look out for each other.
Had a haircut today, and had my sideburns trimmed shorter than they’ve been in years. It’s helped to bring out the mo, but you wouldn’t know it if you’d just met me. Trying a different camera angle today so that you can see the “all-over-the-place” look. You have to be really gifted to be able to grow your whiskers in every which direction.
Filed under: Movember | Tags: depression, empathy, loneliness, Movember, support
I ran into a friend on the way to work today and he asked about my mo-growing experience. I thought that he didn’t want to be rude by saying that he couldn’t really see anything there, so I pointed out the few hairs that were there. He’s also of Chinese decent and told me that it reminded him of his own foray into mo-growing. Before he went travelling ten years ago, he decided to grow a moustache so that he wouldn’t look so baby-faced. He grew it for a whole month before his three-week trip. He told me that even by the end of the trip, it was still looking pretty sad. We’d walked into the lift at work by this stage and one of his friends, a Caucasian guy, said that he once tried growing a moustache in a contest with friends. His friends had more growth in three days than he got in the entire three weeks of the contest.
Exposing yourself in a vulnerable way can often bring out empathy in others who you may never have thought could relate. It’s a lot like depression. When you’re in the midst of it, it feels like no one has ever been through the same thing. And you’re right of course. No one has ever been depressed for exactly the same reasons as you, just like no one had ever had exactly the same non-moustache as me. If you’re suffering from depression for seemingly no apparent reason, it feels as if no one has ever had as little reason to be depressed as you do. And that invalidation of your feelings makes you feel all the more alone.
But you are not alone. About a quarter of all the people around you have suffered, or will suffer from depression in their lives. That was based on the figures at beyondblue that said that one sixth of all men go through depression and that women are twice as likely to suffer depression as men. So that makes about 25% of all people. Then I thought I’d check the stats before dropping such a large figure. And I came across this:
Forty-five percent! Why on earth aren’t we talking about this more? beyondblue is doing great things by making people more aware of mental health issues, depression being the main one, but we can’t leave it all to them. If you’re reading this, I want you to discretely (because it is still taboo) raise the topic of depression with a close friend or family member this week. If everyone talks about it, when it does happen, you’ll know that you are not alone.
To support the great work that beyondblue are doing, please support my mo (because he needs to know that he is not alone) and donate to Movember.
Filed under: Movember | Tags: beyondblue, depression, Movember, suicide
Depression is being stuck in a hole and not being able to see the light at the end of that rectum. The feeling is overwhelming and encompassing. And when you’re depressed, you think that you alone are right about your (dark) view of the world, which only deepens your loneliness and despair. For someone who’s never been depressed, it may be hard to imagine. The feeling of sadness doesn’t come close. The feeling is described well by the actions of ‘dementors’ in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. Just like depression, dementors “drain peace, hope, and happiness”. It’s no surprise that dementors were creations born of Rowling’s own experience with depression. When you’re depressed, “every good feeling, every happy memory is sucked out of you” and you are “left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life”.
I had a chat today with the colleague who originally challenged me to grow a mo. She became more interested in the issue when she discovered that a friend of hers had been dealing with depression for some time. Like most sufferers, he was alone and silent about his affliction. It wasn’t until he managed to overcome the depression to some extent, that he was able to talk about it. But depression does need to be talked about to expunge the stigma associated with it. I prefer not to call it a “mental illness” or a “condition”. That only highlights the stigma. It’s something that “one in six Australian men suffer from” (Source: beyondblue). Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression, but men are four times as likely to commit suicide. That’s the reason that depression is more of a men’s health issue and half the reason for Movember. So give generously to Movember and support initiatives such as the national depression initiative beyondblue, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
In mo news, there are a few long hairs for me to play with, but patches where the hair just isn’t growing. Getting some encouragement from bearded colleagues though. They reckon I’ll get there.
It's Movember. Just gimme a mo ok? 