This week, one of Den Of Geek’s regular contributors, Caroline Preece, is taking over. She asked if she could pen a piece for Geeks Vs Loneliness that talks about what it’s actually like to get help. We talk a lot about reaching out and asking for it, but she wanted to put across what it’s actually like when you do so. Without further ado, over the to the brilliant Caroline… There’s a lot of wonderful information online, and advice for those looking for it, but I’ve not found many candid accounts of what it’s actually like to deal with mental health problems from those who’ve actually gone through it. There’s a million reasons for this, but this feels like an ideal forum. Being specific about treatment for depression, I believe, removes some of the stigma. Those pictures of beautiful people looking out at a sunset or frolicking in a field are all well and good, but they’re not actually that helpful when it comes down to it. That said, I’m aware these words won’t apply to everyone reading. But when you get older things tend to slow down. Worse, life often goes out of its way to kick us in the teeth, and those down days and niggling worries you used to have start to get a bit more frequent. That was my experience, anyway, but it wasn’t until just under a year ago that I decided to finally do something about it. I am incredibly lucky. I have a roof over my head, a job, friends and family whom I adore and so many other wonderful things I should be very grateful for. But the truth is that depression is a bit of a shit, and, if you let it, will do its best to steal those good things in your life. As much as the people in your life may want to help, it’s really you who has to make things better. Sometimes this is about changing your routine, or your job, or the people you spend time with but, other times, it’s about something as simple as booking a doctor’s appointment. It took me far too long to do this and, once I did, things really did start to get better. I feel a bit ridiculous now for putting it off for so long. I wanted to pass along what I’ve learned since I first spoke to someone about my problems, in the hopes of maybe helping someone who hasn’t quite gotten there yet. First, most GPs are very nice people. I’ve not had the best experience with them in the past (which may have been one of the reasons I resisted this route for so long), but the lady I saw this time around could not have been lovelier. Since then, I’ve seen two different doctors. One was terrible, the other great. It appears to be luck. But the outcome of that first appointment was that I’d started the ball rolling, and taken some ownership over my own health. That felt very good. From there I was put on medication, which helped a little. After getting fed up with the side-effects (of which there are, unfortunately, many), I switched to a different drug in a different dosage. One thing that I’ve been told again and again is that the effectiveness of all treatments depends on the person. I have friends who get on very well with medication, while I’ve found that it may not necessarily be for me. I’ve recently made steps to start seeing a counsellor, which was even scarier for me than seeing my GP. There have been people who have seen my openness as oversharing, and it’s completely understandable for people to feel a little bit uncomfortable when faced with someone freely admitting they’re not quite right. Yet a lot of the posts on this site say you shouldn’t pretend to be okay if you’re not, and I reckon that’s true. And that’s why I decided to contribute this article for the site, a place that has been one of the most positive constants in my life for near-half a decade now. I’m far from fixed, and may never be. Sometimes seemingly insignificant things can set me back in an instant. But knowing other people – a surprising amount of people – have experienced the same things has helped. Hopefully it helps a couple of other people too. Huge thanks to Caroline. And thanks, as always, for reading.
