The Mental Health Thread

[unofan]

First time I got on a bike was after purchasing a 550 Honda and had to ride it back home 15 miles away. Only about 2 miles out I had to make a left turn at a lighted intersection. I was so ignorant I had to walk it through the intersection. Young, foolish, and ready to try just about anything. Took lessons after that and eventually had a fairly long-lasting love affair with riding bike on the open road. Whether it's curvy mountain roads or an empty prairie highway near sundown, it can be magical.

Honestly, it's a bit absurd that I will now get my M-class endorsement on my license after having been on a motorcycle for all of 10 hours, and that's being extremely generous counting all of the hours on the parking lot portion of the class. Take out the demonstration and instruction time and just sitting around in line / waiting for my turn to do things, and it was maybe 5 hours of actual riding time, tops. But I could now theoretically go buy the fastest sport bike I can find and ride it on the open road without any more training or restrictions (and not even have to wear a helmet or any other safety gear, at least here in Iowa).

Obviously, I'm not going to do that, but I'm pretty sure at least one of the 18-year-old kids who were in the class is probably going to.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Honestly, it's a bit absurd that I will now get my M-class endorsement on my license after having been on a motorcycle for all of 10 hours, and that's being extremely generous counting all of the hours on the parking lot portion of the class. Take out the demonstration and instruction time and just sitting around in line / waiting for my turn to do things, and it was maybe 5 hours of actual riding time, tops. But I could now theoretically go buy the fastest sport bike I can find and ride it on the open road without any more training or restrictions (and not even have to wear a helmet or any other safety gear, at least here in Iowa).

Obviously, I'm not going to do that, but I'm pretty sure at least one of the 18-year-old kids who were in the class is probably going to.

Eh. Let Darwinism take its course. With motorcycle accidents it's unlikely to cause a death to a non-rider

 

[unofan]

Eh. Let Darwinism take its course. With motorcycle accidents it's unlikely to cause a death to a non-rider

I get that, and I understand licensing in all forms, whether a driver's license, a bar license, a medical license, or whatever, is a marker of minimum competence and not proficiency. I guess for me I'd probably set that bar of minimum competence a little higher in this case.

Then again, I took the written test today in order to get the actual endorsement on the license, took all of about 10 minutes to do it, and the DOT clerk, apparently being serious and not sarcastic, congratulated me for passing cause it was a hard test that many people fail. So who knows...

 

[dxmnkd316]

Congrats, but stay safe uno

 

[MissThundercat]

In the past month and a half, I've lost my job and my apartment, the brakes went out on my car, and I had to surrender my cat aa a result of losing my apartment.

Bur after going through all that and checking into a women's emergency shelter, my depression and suicidality have dropped, probably because my basic needs are being met.

 

[jjuliajul11]

I'm depressed right now. I lost my job, my best friend moved to another city, and besides him, I hardly communicated with anyone. I'm currently looking for a new job, but it's all in vain. Because of all this stress, I gained a lot of extra weight. My doctor recommended me buy wegovy online. I will also stop overeating and eat better. I hope that everything will be fine soon

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Jfc the bots are playing off peoples actual tragedies now.

 

[MissThundercat]

Feelings are visitors, right? Not tenants, not homeowners, just visitors. Don't have to let them stay. Don't have to do anything with them. And for feeling guilty and ashamed for ending up here... I remind myself that extreme financial difficulties can happen to anyone. Mental health crises can happen to anyone. And if bad things can happen in waves, so can good things.

 

[MissThundercat]

Eager to start my new job on the 29th.

Because I'll have insurance and can complete Autism testing for significantly less money.

 

[unofan]

As summer turns to fall, gotta say I have no regrets about my "definitely not a midlife crisis" activity other than wondering why I never thought to do it sooner. Hitting a county highway through the cornfields at 55 mph on a 70-degree day is just...*chef's kiss*. It is amazing how much more connected to the road it is than being in a car while also calming the mind. And even while having to dodge drunk college kids, riding around the town at night under the streetlights is also becoming a joy as I get more comfortable and experienced. Honestly the deer have been the scariest part thus far; I stay in town and away from the rural routes once dusk settles in. By comparison, just being a defensive rider and paying extra attention at intersections has kept the WTF moments in traffic to a minimum.

And even my wife has noted how my mental health has improved. I've probably been going out for a ride 3 times a week for an hour or two at a time on average (minus when it was in the shop getting all the deferred maintenance from sitting in a garage for 3 years done). I come home more relaxed and less stressed even while averaging 50-hour work weeks for the last couple of months.

 

[burd]

As summer turns to fall, gotta say I have no regrets about my "definitely not a midlife crisis" activity other than wondering why I never thought to do it sooner. Hitting a county highway through the cornfields at 55 mph on a 70-degree day is just...*chef's kiss*. It is amazing how much more connected to the road it is than being in a car while also calming the mind. And even while having to dodge drunk college kids, riding around the town at night under the streetlights is also becoming a joy as I get more comfortable and experienced. Honestly the deer have been the scariest part thus far; I stay in town and away from the rural routes once dusk settles in. By comparison, just being a defensive rider and paying extra attention at intersections has kept the *** moments in traffic to a minimum.

And even my wife has noted how my mental health has improved. I've probably been going out for a ride 3 times a week for an hour or two at a time on average (minus when it was in the shop getting all the deferred maintenance from sitting in a garage for 3 years done). I come home more relaxed and less stressed even while averaging 50-hour work weeks for the last couple of months.

Good for you. Reading this evoked some very nice memories and sensations.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Glad to hear uno

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

After about twenty five years of feelimg shame for being lazy, always putting everything off u til the last minute, getting super stressed because I’m rushed but feeling no urgency until last minute….ive been diagnosed with adhd.

hoping meds help me get out of my own way

 

[MissThundercat]

After about twenty five years of feelimg shame for being lazy, always putting everything off u til the last minute, getting super stressed because I’m rushed but feeling no urgency until last minute….ive been diagnosed with adhd.

hoping meds help me get out of my own way

I was diagnosed with severe inattentive ADHD at 40. Prior to diagnosis and medication, it felt like I was carrying all the marbles by hand and constantly dropping all of them. Meds make it feel like I have a bag to carry all the marbles, even if the bag has a small hole in it. Even having a bag with a small hole is miles ahead of having nothing at all.

 

[St. Clown]

After about twenty five years of feelimg shame for being lazy, always putting everything off u til the last minute, getting super stressed because I’m rushed but feeling no urgency until last minute….ive been diagnosed with adhd.

hoping meds help me get out of my own way

I was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD back in April, when I was still 46. I’m currently going through the process of finding the right meds. Right now I’m on my second Adderall prescription, 25mg extended release. It’s been much better than prior to nothing, but I still don’t think it’s quite right. I have a 6-week series of group therapy/meetings starting next month to help with other tools.

At this time last year, the idea of me having ADHD never crossed my mind. I was watching something on YouTube, around December, where the woman normally discussed very different stuff. That video, she started describing her husband’s ADHD struggles, and going on about his “doom piles”, and a variety of other things. She was describing me to a tee. I then scheduled an appointment to start the process.

 

[dxmnkd316]

After about twenty five years of feelimg shame for being lazy, always putting everything off u til the last minute, getting super stressed because I’m rushed but feeling no urgency until last minute….ive been diagnosed with adhd.

hoping meds help me get out of my own way

glad you might have an answer.

If you have any questions or need advice on the meds front, let me know. They probably saved my life 30 years ago.

they're what you make of them. They aren't a miracle cure on their own. But they can be if you want them to be.

 

[dxmnkd316]

I was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD back in April, when I was still 46. I’m currently going through the process of finding the right meds. Right now I’m on my second Adderall prescription, 25mg extended release. It’s been much better than prior to nothing, but I still don’t think it’s quite right. I have a 6-week series of group therapy/meetings starting next month to help with other tools.

At this time last year, the idea of me having ADHD never crossed my mind. I was watching something on YouTube, around December, where the woman normally discussed very different stuff. That video, she started describing her husband’s ADHD struggles, and going on about his “doom piles”, and a variety of other things. She was describing me to a tee. I then scheduled an appointment to start the process.

I've been on them for 30 years and it's still a work in progress

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Ok good to know because I’ve been so stressed the last two days thinking that these meds aren’t doing anything - might as well be a sugar pill

 

[dxmnkd316]

Ok good to know because I’ve been so stressed the last two days thinking that these meds aren’t doing anything - might as well be a sugar pill

I wouldn't stress much. Doses are hard to figure out at first. With me, my doctor did a three week blind test where my parents and teachers had to rate my behavior and progress on three different doses. Not sure if they do that anymore but whatever.

And keep in mind, different drugs work differently for everyone. But like, for some reason adhd meds are particularly scattered. Some people's miracle is another person's sugar pill.

I've had great luck with concerta and pretty decent luck with the trigen generic (generics of this type of ER are not always equivalent and it's insane to me that they can be branded as such - Google OROS delivery if you're interested). But concerta is very expensive and trigen is somewhat less so. I think the last time I checked, brand concerta was like $400/mo through my plan and you had to get prior authorization to use it in the latest formulary. Assholes.

 

[St. Clown]

I needed prior auth for my adderral and it’s only $12/month - less than my copay. It delayed my treatment process.