Does your child have a gaming addiction?

11 August 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

Did you know that you can now receive help for gaming addiction on the NHS?

If you have a child or teenager who is constantly on their Playstations or Xbox’s they may have a gaming addiction.

The NHS now provides help for children hooked on games such as FIFA and Fortnite video gaming is now classified as a mental health disorder by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The popularity of gaming has led to viewing records on the streaming site Twitch.

Counseling for gaming addiction has come into play due to evidence that young players and teenagers are suffering from psychological distress and family breakdown as a result of their addiction.

In June The Daily Telegraph revealed that a 15-year-old gaming addict in London had been hospitalised for eight weeks and off school for a year after losing the confidence to go outside.

Here’s what to look at for if you think your child may have a gaming addiction:

• Children who are constantly talking about games obsessively

• Play for hours both day and night

• Deny they have an obsession when they are told they spend too much time on the computer

• Get angry and answer you back when they are told to turn their games off

• Children stay up all hours and neglect their sleep in order to play games

• Hide or downplay time spent gaming

• Seem preoccupied, depressed, or lonely

• Studies show that excessive gaming (approximately 3 hours per week) by youths is linked with increased levels of depression, anxiety, and social phobia, all of which can last years into the future.

•You can educate yourself by visiting websites like video-game-addiction.org and On-Line Gamers Anonymous

It’s not too late to help your child to overcome gaming addiction.

If you think your child spends too much time playing games on the computer, don’t just leave it and ignore it, make an appointment with your GP and call one of the numbers above for advice.

Attending Bolitho House

16 July 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

Boiltho House mental health

On Friday, I attended an assessment with the CMHT (Community Mental Health Team) at Bolitho House in Penzance.

I had a person taking notes as well as a psychiatrist.

They asked me questions about my mood and have asked me to keep a mood diary and said they will see me again in 8-10 weeks.

I’ve been waiting over a year for this appointment and after lots of trips to the GP, I finally was given an appointment.

As for a diagnosis they are still trying to decide if I have Borderline Personality Disorder or Bipolar 2.

There’s a possibility I could have both due to the fact that the two are similar and I show traits for both.

The only bad thing is that if I have a personality disorder it’s not recognised as a mental illness and makes me sound like an unstable, bad person.

Also, medication isn’t likely to work on someone with a personality disorder it’s all about therapy.

If I have bipolar, I’m terrified of going on mood tablets because they can cause weight gain and I have worked so hard to lose weight.

So I have to probably wait months until the so-called experts at Bolitho House can see me again.

I gained weight after my back was injured during an assault, due to lack of mobility and not being able to move let alone exercise.

I’m still trying to lose more weight as I type this blog post.

My parents have sold the house I grew up in and although there have mostly been bad memories over the past couple of years.

It’s not easy for someone with a mental health disorder to change and go to an unfamiliar area.

Yes, I’ve travelled, but I’ve always come back to St Ives and love it or hate it, I’ve spent a long time here and in that house.

My parents and I haven’t been getting on that well recently, and I’m worried that I will end up a recluse if I move in with them.

In the past year, I’ve joined the leisure centre which is a 10 minute walk away from my house and made a friend who lives about 5 minutes away from me.

I’ve also started kickboxing which is great for my mental health.

I’m sure I will work something out. I have to and only have 4 weeks left.

Tomorrow I’m setting off to see Pearl Jam at the 02 Arena in London after it was cancelled last month.

My niece’s Infant school leaving assembly is on Wednesday afternoon so I will be attending that.

Male suicide and suffering from depression in silence

20 June 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

Shane Ward in male suicide role

Soaps such as Coronation Street are currently covering male suicide and men suffering from depression in silence.

Coronation Street fans were devastated when former X-factor winner, Shane Ward’s character; Aidan Connor was killed off after taking his own life and suffering from depression in silence.

The story focuses on male suicide and suffering from depression in silence.

As someone who suffers from depression, there is nothing worse than feeling isolated and not being able to talk to anyone.

The first time I went down to the doctors alone and went on anti-depressants. I was suspended from my reasonably paid job, and I had fallen out with my friends.

As I was feeling suicidal, and I had to see the GP every other day.

I couldn’t talk to anyone, and when I first took anti-depressants, I was so sick it was horrible.

At the time I remember thinking that it would be less painful to end it all.

The soap storyline wasn’t the most realistic, and I feel that the scriptwriters could have done a better job at showing the build-up to the suicide of the character in more depth.

However, the story of suicide, especially male suicide needs to be told.

Here are some facts about men’s suicide:

• The biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK is suicide

• Just over three out of four suicides (76%) are by men and suicide is the most significant cause of death for men under 35 (ONS)

• 12.5% of men in the UK are suffering from one of the common mental health disorders.

• Men are also nearly three times more likely than women to become alcohol dependent (8.7% of men are alcohol dependent compared to 3.3% of women – Health and Social Care Information Centre).

If you need to talk, check out these charities:

Samaritans

Free helpline anyone who needs to talk about tough times can ring.

You can call, email, text, write, or talk to trained volunteers face-to-face. Calling Samaritans is free of charge from a landline or mobile.

The number is 116 123. For more information go to www.samaritans.org

CALM
CALM, the campaign against living miserably, is a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, the biggest single killer of men aged 20 – 45 in the UK.

Offers support to men in the UK, any age, who are down or in crisis via a helpline (0800 585858) and website (www.thecalmzone.net).
SANE

Aims to improve the quality of life for anyone affected by mental illness.

There’s a helpline available on 0300 304 7000 from 6 pm – 11 pm every evening.

Check out the online support forum at www.sane.org.uk/what_we_do/support/supportforum

How my mental health affects my friendships

5 June 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

mental health and friendships post

My mental health affects my friendships and relationships, which is probably one of the reasons why I’m 35 single and have no children or hardly any close friendships.

How mental health affects my friendships and relationships

When it comes to making friends, I’ve always found this problematic, and I’m not an easy person to be friends with because people can’t deal with my highs and lows.

I would love to be the sort of person who is understanding, loyal, a good laugh and I would do anything for anyone, but I can’t deal with their issues either, and my answers make me appear cold, unemotional, and uncaring.

A few years ago, I lost everyone because of this, and I fear the few people that are left will also run.

I’ve started feeling low again during the last few days, and some of this has to do with my monthly cycle.

Every time I tell people this or hide it and they pick up on it; I hate myself for bringing them down and fear they will end up hating me as they have issues of their own.

I’m going to withdraw from social contact and stay away because I don’t want to end up falling out with people.

I can’t stop making everyone angry with me when I’m like this and I don’t want to be too needy.

Even when I appear stable on the outside, I’m eaten up on the inside with low self-esteem. I hate my looks and my body.

I’ve fallen into that pattern of negativity, and I’m putting my family and few friends through hell.

It’s easy for people to tell me to cheer up, change, or stop being negative.

Unsurprisingly, I’ve lost lots of friends to my mental health issues being high one minute and low the next.

I can see that these relationships were toxic and made my mood swings worse rather than better, but I’m still to blame.

I’ve always wanted to be a perfectionist and make everyone proud of me.

I long for the day when I’m recovered from this illness, and all the hate and darkness is gone so I can repay everything my family and friends have done for me.

At the moment, it feels like all I do is take without giving back and, if I were them, I’d have walked away a long time ago.

Thanks to my family and few friends who have my back through the darkest days and although I’m no good at saying this to your face, I love you.

Getting back on track and a busy month

30 May 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

Ed Sheeran concert ticket

I’m getting back on track after temporarily losing the momentum and interest in my blogs, social media, and fitness.

I’ve been taking my eye off the ball because of things that have been happening in my life that I can’t control including the possibility of becoming homeless.

Uncertain future

I feel like a failure because I can’t afford a place of my own to live in let alone being able to buy my parent’s place as a holiday home.

I can’t even afford to rent a place.

For years, I’ve wanted to move away from Cornwall, but I’m not even moving away from Cornwall

In the last 12 months I’ve started going to fitness classes again, joined the gym, swim every day and I’ve made some associates there.

Even though some of them aren’t proper friends, at least I have conversations with people outside my house.

Working on my own can be difficult because I can spend days locked away not seeing anyone.

I went to the doctors at the beginning of the month and they told me that they were getting back in touch with the mental health team.

Surprise, surprise like anything with the CMHT I’m still waiting.

They want to confirm a diagnosis of Bipolar before changing my medication.

I’ve been working hard at the gym and I’ve just started to go back to classes after a month off, but my house has been so chaotic.

My mum has also just come out of hospital from having a hip replacement.

Which means I will probably have less time to get back into my work and fitness as I will have to help out with cleaning, washing, and shopping.

Shopping and a busy month

I’ve purchased a few new goodies this month including 8kg dumbbells, a waist trimmer, and a Nirvana t-shirt from Amazon, two tops, and scarfs in the sale from Fat Face, and a Jean dress from New Look.

In June I’m looking forward to watching Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium on the 17th and Pearl Jam at the O2 Arena on the 19th.

I’m away on Father’s Day so I will have to make sure that I get Dad a nice present. Not sure what to get him yet.

I’m going back to Cornwall tonight, for two days of rest, I hope to catch up with my fitness and batter the hell out of my body and get a couple of blog posts and a video up and running.

I have to come back to Exeter for my niece’s ballet show on Saturday and I will return to Cornwall again on Sunday and make a plan so I’m more organised over the next few weeks.

Hopefully I will be back on track with plans soon.

My fight for Personal Independence Payment

20 May 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

PIP candidates

A few months ago, my father told me to apply for (PIP) Personal Independence Payment after reading a news article about the government doing a U-turn and relooking at awarding people with mental health.

I applied and was invited to attend an assessment. I went with my father wearing sunglasses and dressed in black.

I could barely walk unaided due to chronic back pain and a bulging disc affecting my right and left side.

I never make eye contact with people, especially people I don’t know, and I’m always fidgeting.

I told the assessor on arrival that I couldn’t sit in the chair provided because it wasn’t a proper chair for bad backs.

She said to me that they had no other seating and that if I felt uncomfortable during the interview, I could stand up, which I did.

The PIP assessor also wrote on the decision letter that they thought that I could prepare food, take nutrition, manage therapy, wash and bathe, dress and undress, communicate, engage with people face to face and make budgeting decisions.

However, my father had to answer most of the questions for me, and he told me I never once made eye contact with the assessor.

They also said that I coped well and did not appear anxious and referred to the mental state exam, which I have even never heard of.

I scored 4 out of the whole form, and they decided to award me those points for needing to be prompted by another person to undertake a journey to avoid causing me mental distress.

I deal with things a lot differently from what they described, so I decided to appeal their decision as I feel my illness has a massive impact on all of the things mentioned above that they think I can cope with.

I’m now awaiting the reply from my Personal Independence Payment appeal, and I hope that this story will have a better ending.

If you or someone you know has been turned down for PIP or has appealed the decision, please comment below or on our social media pages.

Experiencing paranoia and mania

4 May 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

A person suffering mania and paranoia

I visited a GP a few days ago because something isn’t right with my mental health and I’ve started experiencing both paranoia and mania.

When I arrived, she told me that she would send another letter to the mental health team and that unless it was a crisis and I got sectioned, I would not be seen for a while because they don’t have enough staff to cope with the number of people suffering from mental health.

The GP also told me that she wouldn’t feel comfortable changing my medication as she thought I would need a mood stabiliser.

Here are some of the symptoms I’ve been experiencing:

Extreme paranoia
I’ve been experiencing terrible paranoia and mania and thoughts such as Am I being used?

Do they like others better than me?

Why am I the only one no one stands by? I start to overthink, and that is never a good thing.

Coming down
I feel like I’m coming down and getting a bit low.

Last weekend I felt like I had been hit physically and mentally.

Playing football has helped me put to use my energy in a positive way.

Doing random things
I suddenly have these urges to book random things and go on spontaneous trips.

Don’t ask me why?

I can’t tell you the answer only “Because I can”.

It’s like I’m living a dream because I can’t and don’t want to deal with real-life right now.

Unable to focus properly
I’ve neglected my work recently, and I’m just getting back on top of it.

I could do with a break or a holiday, but it’s not possible at the moment because I’m going through some challenging stuff, which I will reveal on the blog once everything is complete.

Flights of ideas
My head is currently full of ideas, some realistic and some a little wacky and out there.

By ideas, I mean so many that I can’t type that fast and I’m overthinking and analysing everything.

Insomnia
I can’t sleep; my head is full of random things, and I often wake at silly times of the morning.

Excess exercise and energy
I have so much energy, which is why I swim and go to the gym almost daily.

Playing football in the park for an hour helps me to burn off enegy as well as drive down the calories.

I’m someone who needs lots more exercise than most average people to wear me down.

Nightmares and voices
According to my parents, I scream and shout in my sleep, and I see and hear things that no one else hears.

Overspending
I’ve been on a spending spree this month, and we are only into the 4th day. I decided to go shopping randomly, and I have a ton of things in my Amazon basket that I’ve been itching to buy for my future podcasts and music demos.

If you or someone or someone you know is suffering from the same symptoms, please comment below or on our social media channels.

Is online therapy the way forward?

25 April 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

Help computer button

With the NHS at breaking point and little funding available to treat the number of people in the UK suffering from mental health, this article looks at whether online therapy is the way forward.

Online Therapy provides a quicker solution to waiting for counseling or GP appointments.

It also saves time and is often more convenient, particularly with people who don’t want to leave their homes, have no transport, or who are too busy to visit a counselor.

I was given CBT, by Outlook South West and I found that the information they were telling me to read was printed straight from the internet and that I could read the website myself.

If this is the case why are so many of us put on a waiting list only to be handed a few sheets of paper?

An article in Wired says that a whole host of services providing therapy via video conference and app-based support will help make it easier for people to access care when they need it.

However, online therapy be successful in helping to fill the gap in mental health care opened up by years of NHS budget cuts?

Healios is an online service that lets people connect with therapists over a video link and is already being used by 20 NHS trusts, providing support for 14 different conditions, including anxiety, depression, and psychosis.

People with a serious mental health condition who are referred by their GP to a secondary health service may be given the option to receive therapy through the Healios platform.

After enrolling with Healios, a person can directly book video consultations with a clinician who will provide support and coaching, helping them manage their condition.

People can attend the remote sessions whenever and wherever they want and also invite their family to join in if they like.

Others, such as TalkSpace, let people exchange instant messages with licensed therapists.

The company, which has one million users, has plans to allow clinicians to prescribe medicines through the app.

With lots of apps, Podcasts, YouTube videos, and self-help websites more and more people could be turning to online therapy.

Have you or a loved one ever experienced online therapy?

Let us know your thoughts and feelings about this, in the comment section below or over on our social media channels.

Reviewing the Ion Sports Water Bottle

20 April 201814 December 2020 ~ Vickyw

Picture of Ion 8 sports bottle

When I was sent the Ion8 Sports Water Bottle to test I was hoping that this water bottle wouldn’t leak when I put it into my boot bag, alongside a spare pair of trainers and a gym towel.

My first water bottle was a cheap Slazenger plastic bottle from Sports Direct which I purchased back in 2014 for Insanity Classes.

My second water bottle was one that my mum bought me for Christmas from Tesco.

The plastic carrier bit broke off that bottle just a few weeks after receiving it when I accidentally dropped it.

When receiving the Ion 8 sports water bottle my first impressions were that the bottle could do with being a bit bigger, but the bottle itself looked strong.

After using it for a month, I found that I could put it into my boot bag and it doesn’t leak. It comes in several colours (I have the frosted grey).

I’ve tested the bottle thoroughly in the gym, and it hasn’t leaked, the only two issues I have with the bottle are that I could do with a bigger bottle than 650ml as I drink a lot in the gym and I have to fill up the bottle more, and unfortunately, I dropped the bottle and a bit of the plastic where the lid locks broke off.

This needs to be made more robust as it’s a little flimsy.

However, the Ion8 sports water bottle has more plusses than minuses.

This includes a wide opening also allows refilling without spillage and is big enough for ice cubes or for fruit if you fancy a spring/summer smoothie.

*100% Leakproof BPA free water bottle

* Flips open with one hand and can lock closed for safety

* Vented, smooth liquid flow for rapid hydration

* It has a soft feel for grip and a carry strap (that is quite sturdy)

* Fits any cup holder or kid’s backpack

* The drinks bottle is dishwasher safe and suitable for hot or cold drinks

You can purchase the Ion8 sports water bottle from Amazon.

The Looneychick Blog

This is an award-winning blog featuring real life stories about people who suffer from mental health illnesses