Mental Health Support Society XVI

Furnished is much easier but I've never rented, so you're best off getting advice from someone who knows what they're talking about!

Anyone else really struggle with concentration and understanding what you're reading?

Trying to make this recipe (http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/slow-roasted-twice-fried-porterhouse ) and there's so many steps I just can't get my head around it. I'll probably do something wrong and waste $15 steak.

I've also been trying to read the Idiot by Dostoyevsky but getting nowhere.

Another thing is I lose focus while typing and how to spell words leaves my mind halfway through, thank **** for spell checker.


I feel like such a dumb ****. It's hard to believe I did so well at school yet struggle so much now with relatively simple tasks.

I have a similar problem. I cant seem to read full sentences from start to finish and it causes lots of problems. uni work is utterly impossible, its just rubbish. you have my sympathy

Anyone else really struggle with concentration and understanding what you're reading?

Trying to make this recipe (http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/slow-roasted-twice-fried-porterhouse ) and there's so many steps I just can't get my head around it. I'll probably do something wrong and waste $15 steak.

I've also been trying to read the Idiot by Dostoyevsky but getting nowhere.

Another thing is I lose focus while typing and how to spell words leaves my mind halfway through, thank **** for spell checker.


I feel like such a dumb ****. It's hard to believe I did so well at school yet struggle so much now with relatively simple tasks.

That sucks. I guess I'm lucky that, although I had the same problem while I was at uni, it wasn't as bad as now. I doubt I would have even got a 2:2 had things been this bad.

But yeah, I imagine it makes the work completely impossible, sorry to hear it's effecting you too. Have you got any idea what's behind it?

I struggle all the time!
Instead of reading the entire recipie could you read step 1 and do. Then step 2 and do and so on? Break it down rather than try and do too much at once




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Sorry that wasn't meant to be a self pitying post from me there at all - just that I can relate to what you're experiencing depression is causing it I think. when I upped my mirtazapine in January I went slightly hypomanic for a week and all of a sudden I could take in things and couldn't believe how easy it was to read sentences and to generally understand what I was reading. and then once again my mood dropped along with my concentration and clarity. do you think its depression with you? or meds? I think sometimes with psychosis your concentration can take a hit too. Are you seeing your psychiatrist soon?

At least I'm not some anomaly, though sorry to hear you struggle with this too. Does anything improve it for you?

Yeah normally recipes aren't too bad because they're a series of numbered instructions but this one is huge paragraphs and doing stuff while other stuff is ongoing, which is just a mind-****. I asked my wife to break it down for me and have done what I think is right for now.....



I didn't read it as self pitying at all, sorry if my reply gave you that impression. It's good to hear the mirtazapine increase helped you although it sucks that it wore off. Are you on the max dose or is there room to increase it? Just with exams coming up it must be really really stressful to be unable to concentrate.

Hmm it might be meds..... I started a mood-stabilizer a week and a half ago so maybe Seeing my psychiatrist next week and have been writing down everything over the last week to give her an accurate picture of what's going on.

Oh no it didn't at all! Just felt a bit bad because I felt like I'd somehow turned it on me when you said you were struggling (not that you gave that impression at all, but I hope you know what I mean ) Yeah I'm on the maximum dose now, it doesn't do anything for my mood sadly, but the only thing that helps me sleep. Its one of the worst parts for me really, makes me feel useless and takes me so long to get anything done, so I really can empathise. I think it could be a number of causes but if you've started a new medication then that could play a part. I also know that some people say that when their psychosis gets worse then it feels like they can't concentrate because they have so much going on in their heads with voices and stuff that other stuff takes a back seat. Glad that you are seeing your psychiatrist next week, that's reassuring, I really hope she can come up with some solution to help you.

Don't feel bad,, I appreciate hearing how it affects you too.

Sorry to hear the mirtazpine has stopped helping your mood, have you considered/already tried trazodone? It can help a lot with sleep but might also help you with your depression. The mood-stabilizer I'm on completely knocks me out at night, but I was having a lot of trouble sleeping so I guess that's good.

Yeah, there is a hell of a lot of stuff going on in my head so that probably doesn't help matters. And thanks, I hope she has some solution, though I don't want to get my hopes up.

Thanks The trouble is that my GP wont change up my meds and there's nothing else she is willing to do, yet the psychiatrist is an absolute joke - wait 12 weeks + for an appointment and then they just discharge me claiming meds wont help and there's nothing they can do
Yeah, that can absolutely impact on your ability to concentrate - I'm not sure if you've ever watched videos of healthy people listening to voices, but that alone leaves them unable to think straight/function normally/do very simple mental maths. And yeah, I hope she can. There are certain medications that can be added on to help concentration too - things like modafinil, for example.

Wow, that sounds like they're totally screwing you over. I can't imagine how bad you must feel about this. I know on the NHS you're allowed a second opinion, have you tried that? Although it would involve more waiting.

I haven't seen those videos, will check them out as that sounds interesting/maybe make me feel less **** about myself.

Oh, they've screwed me over at every opportunity. I've actually seen 2 different psychiatrists, both useless.
And sure: here is one of them Really shows how even the most simple tasks are made more difficult - bear in mind too, that he is just hearing the voices, and not having to put up with the constant thought processes and imbalances which someone with a mental illness has to deal with. It's really tough and you've nothing to feel **** about yourself for
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL9UJVtgPZY

dont know what i am doing anymore

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how are you?

Miserable as ever.
What are your plans for tomorrow?

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Sorry to hear that, it sounds like a really awful situation to be in. I take it that going private isn't an option?

That video was really eye-opening, Thanks for linking to it.. I have a lot of respect for Anderson Cooper so seeing him struggle with simple tasks made me feel a fair bit better; like it's not just me. Emailed it to my wife so she knows a bit better about what's happening to me.