My Crazy Parents

[Xander]

I'm just watching My Crazy Parents on Channel 4, and I watched it last week too. I'm beginning to absolutely weep, like I did last time. I'm not looking for sympathy or anything, but like these kids, my dad suffered from depression.

Well, I say suffered, he still does. The medication makes it better, and he can go a hell of a lot more without anti-depressants these days. In other words, he's getting better - well, as better as you can get, really. During the worst period, he had a typical mid-life crisis, bought a penis-substitute car, and left my mum for about 8 months for another woman. In the end, he came back, and they've been back and working on it for 4 years now. They seem happy again.

I was just wondering who else has experienced/had some loved ones experience these illnesses (any mental illnesses, really) or who else saw the programme, and an opinion on it. Sorry if the idea of mental illnesses has been explored before (aside from Weekender and his want to be committed), if so, just ignore the thread, and I'm sure it'll die.

[Xander]

Okay, she's cutting herself mentally now. The weeping has left, being replaced by a firm "Fucking hell!"

[Kyle]

I have had problems with self harm for a few years now but seeing that
i was like "fuck me". then she kicks it up a notch with the overdose.
talk about uneasy viewing.

[Xander]

I agree. Kyle - whereabouts in the UK are you from? Just out of curiousity.

[Kyle]

warwickshire, about 15 mile away from coventry.

she soon cheered up when she got her "street" prescription eh

[Xander]

Ahh, fair enough. I really could have saved bandwith by PMing you (Sorry Neil). The reason I ask is that my girlfriend went out with a guy nicknamed Kyle  before me, who was a bit of a mosher/goth/emo guy who very feasably could have self harmed. My paranoid delusions rather than anything else. Is that a mental illness?

[Kyle]

well kyle is my real name. and im not a goth. and i suppose Pms would have
saved a bit of bw (sorry) I dont really know what "experts" class it as. i wouldn't
call myself mental in the classical sense. Different people have different reasons i suppose. But when i see all these goths on websites "doing it" i think its for show or some "cool" thing they do.

[Joy Nktonga]

I watched both of them too, but last week's left me a lot more traumatised. I find programmes about the subject compulsive and harrowing in equal measures.

This week's was so much harsher in so many ways, but the extemes of her behaviour meant that I was constantly in that "fuck me!" mind-set and much less empathic to it. She was fucked up. She was so extreme that I couldn't relate to it as much; the emotional connection just wasn't there like last week. It didn't make it any less of a great documentary, just one I somehow didn't feel personally involved with.

Edit to remove personal shit that has no place outside my own head.

[Huzzie]

Erm... I'm sure this link in my favorites used to lead me somewhere else. It all looks very similar but so so different.

Maybe a google search for "comedy terrorist" will do it!

[Xander]

I know what you mean. Last weeks was worse for me too. Dare I say it was because this week, the woman seemed much more self indulgent? My dad never drank on depression, but I knew how that kid felt, getting into uni last year myself. Although it was bad, last week it seemed that the kid was winding his father up more ("Oh, you can swear, how clever...") whereas this week, the kids were much more supportive and innocent. I think thats where the main empathy came from

[Huzzie]

xander.

Sorry if that seemed flippent. It was just something that was in my head at that time. Maybe I cant explain it and I doubt you  will understand it but I think some of the older whores will know what i was getting at.

I was really not belittling your post at all. I know from first hand experience how much stronger pain is when it is mental and not physical. I am not going into my own life here as I have done that far to much in the past (and I am now very embarrassed that I did) but just know that I have suffered massively from chronic and clinical depression and have had family members kill themselves through this trauma.

Mty best wisheas are with you and your family.

I just really hope this doesnt turn into a "I'm more depressed than you", "No, I'm more depressed coz I'm more sensitive!! I amd just like Kurt Cobain!!!1111  My friends (who I dont have many of) even say I look like him!!!!11"


Capiche?

[Xander]

Huzzie - It's fine by me. I didn't think you were belittling my post at all, and I personally am in good humour most of the time. I understand and appreciate what was in your brain, and also appreciate your aoplogy/explaination.

Cheers!

[Huzzie]

Good. I really didn't want to offend you and as soon as I re-read my post I saw how easily you may interprit it that way.


Good luck mate and all the best to your auld feller.

[depressed beyond tablets]

this might sound like a stupid question but here goes.

why don't you harm somebody else instead of yourself. god knows if you thought about it long enough there would be some out there who is owed a bashing from you.

i'm deadly serious

[Huzzie]

hehe. DBT.

Though I find yoru post very funny.

To be pedantic, the whole point is that most of the time it is because there is a very strong hatred for yourself within you.

Plus, the whole rush of getting the courage to cut yourself, the pain of cutting yourself, th eblood and if it is deep enough the danger, is a huge out pouring of physical catharsis.

Dont forget, depression isnt necassarily the same as anger or hatred.

[Joy Nktonga]

As well as what Huzzie said, it's also about "taking control" when it seems like you are absolutely out of control. A bit or a lot of a "fuck you" to the illness that seems to render you powerless to its influence. Ironically in doing so you are surrendering to it even more.

[depressed beyond tablets]

you are taking control when you assault somebody. and there's more sense of justification. blood too if you'e good.

i'm not trying to encourage anyone to go out and hit people. words can sometimes be far more powerful. come on guys. there's shit you ain't doin. and when you hold back and swallow that shit when you know you should've made your point (which you know is valid and does actually  MEAN something) then you are accepting that you are not in control.

"who's not in control?? me? i'm the fucking boss around here! OI FINGER WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN AT????!!

do me a favour. next time you have to make the split second decision of either making your point or backing off cos 'they're/it's not really worth it anyway' etc. - crap... blah.... drivel that eats you from inside - actually make your point instead.

seize control there and then




(i didn't actually say burn him...)

[Huzzie]

do me a favour. next time you have to make the split second decision of either making your point or backing off cos 'they're/it's not really worth it anyway' etc. - crap... blah.... drivel that eats you from inside - actually make your point instead.

seize control there and then

What the fuck are you talking about? Am I missing something here or do you actually know how I react to trouble? Does something tell you I am on my toes straight away?

I dont  know what you are talking about . Don't worry, I know how to act when someone is taking the piss but the whole point of this thread and this illness is completely insular and personal anyway. It rarely has and never needs to have anything to dowith anyone else.


I'm off this thread now anyway but have started giggling a bit at this advice you have just given me, if I have understood it. NOt that it is bad advice or owt but you dont know me, or these other geezers, do you? You could have just told some people with extreme anger management and violence problems that they shouldnt curl into a ball if they get any shit off someone.


Maybe I have totally missunderstood you but I will continue to because its funny.

[depressed beyond tablets]

that was just aimed at anyone who cuts themselves for a release

[Mr Flunchy]

I cut my arm the other day to freak out two drunkards after my mobile.  It was a bit weird, never done it before and I'm not sure what came over me.

They did leg it though, shouting 'fucking weirdo'.

[zozman]

I think anyone without personal experience of self-harming should just keep the fuck away from this thread.  No offence like, but a "ah just pull yerself together - and if ya want to top yerself, you're better off with a noose" won't help anyone and fails to demonstrate any understanding of the problem whatsoever.

[depressed beyond tablets]

i knew a guy who used to torture himself mentally, always puttting himself down and believing he was a piece of shit. he was determined to make himself crazy. it worked. he killed himself

but i suppose that doesn't qualify for you

[Xander]

Oh god - I've created a monster.