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When it comes to battling depression, often your thoughts are not your own. These thoughts are an inevitable result of being emotionally overwhelmed (in the case of reactive or situational depression) or as a result of imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain (in the case of clinical depression).
Sometimes, as a result of the pressures and trauma of imprisonment, incarcerated people struggle against both forms of depression.
In both these cases, people tend to believe they are thinking rationally and men in particular privilege logic and reason and assume that suicidal feelings are real and true and to be acted on. This is one of the reasons why men account for 75 per cent of suicides in Australia.
But, if people can realise that their own mind is playing tricks on them, they have a shot at overriding the powerful urge to end their own lives.
There are two types of depression: reactive/situational and clinical/biological. Reactive depression comes about as a result of being (subjectively) overwhelmed by life challenges. Relief can either come from reducing the number and severity of stressors or by increasing coping mechanisms.
It’s people going through clinical depression who are most at risk of suicidal ideation. Two key characteristics of clinical depression are:
If you are experiencing clinical depression rather than reactive/situational depression, it’s likely you would greatly benefit from going on antidepressants or other medications.
It is essential for people with clinical depression who are suicidal to get medical help. They are first aid mental health patients with a life-threatening condition. They also need to manage their expectations, because “getting fixed” in the context of clinical depression or suicidality is not like getting a Land Cruiser serviced.
Getting well needs to be looked at as a project, more like restoring an old Land Cruiser. Getting better might require several visits to the doctor and many visits to a therapist. This is because antidepressant medications take time to start working, and it may be necessary to try several meds before finding one that works for you. It takes patience.
Because of this, it is essential for those undergoing medical treatment to be mightily lion-hearted about monitoring their moods, and at all times realising that the thoughts of sure and imminent doom they have are not a reflection of reality. This is the most dangerous phase (80 per cent of men who seek help for their depression at least once go on to end their lives) because, tragically, the delay in starting medications or seeing results from therapy leaves people in a very vulnerable state, sitting there thinking that nothing works.
Depressed and suicidal people need above all to forget the notion that talking about their emotions won’t solve anything. That’s not the point. The point is to increase their human connections first and foremost. The experience of suicidal thinking is typically one of extreme isolation and despair, and these two factors feed off each other.
The more isolated a person is, stuck on their own with dark thoughts, the deeper into despair they are likely to fall. But social connection is immensely psychologically nourishing, and in many cases it’s essential for survival.
It may not immediately make the feelings go away, but it takes away the focused intensity and fixation on suicide.
If you see a mate who is clearly struggling – for instance, because they’ve just been sentenced or had their parole knocked back – the first thing you’re likely to ask is if he or she is ok, and that leaves them with a lot of “wiggle room” to simply say, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
A better approach is to ask where their head is at. This acknowledges and validates the impact of their situation, without judgement but with encouragement to speak freely. Then you can start to address their concerns and, where you feel it necessary, offer them alternative, more constructive perspectives. Share your coping strategies, ideas that helped you to pull on through.
You may help to arrest your mate’s slide into mental chaos. But, if your buddy is clearly struggling, also have the social courage to ask if they have had suicidal thoughts. If so, encourage them to seek help, because seeking help is a sign of great strength, bravery, wisdom and responsibility.
When it comes to battling depression, often your thoughts are not your own. These thoughts are an inevitable result of being emotionally overwhelmed (in the case of reactive or situational depression) or as a result of imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain (in the case of clinical depression).
Sometimes, as a result of the pressures and trauma of imprisonment, incarcerated people struggle against both forms of depression.
In both these cases, people tend to believe they are thinking rationally and men in particular privilege logic and reason and assume that suicidal feelings are real and true and to be acted on. This is one of the reasons why men account for 75 per cent of suicides in Australia.
But, if people can realise that their own mind is playing tricks on them, they have a shot at overriding the powerful urge to end their own lives.
There are two types of depression: reactive/situational and clinical/biological. Reactive depression comes about as a result of being (subjectively) overwhelmed by life challenges. Relief can either come from reducing the number and severity of stressors or by increasing coping mechanisms.
It’s people going through clinical depression who are most at risk of suicidal ideation. Two key characteristics of clinical depression are:
If you are experiencing clinical depression rather than reactive/situational depression, it’s likely you would greatly benefit from going on antidepressants or other medications.
It is essential for people with clinical depression who are suicidal to get medical help. They are first aid mental health patients with a life-threatening condition. They also need to manage their expectations, because “getting fixed” in the context of clinical depression or suicidality is not like getting a Land Cruiser serviced.
Getting well needs to be looked at as a project, more like restoring an old Land Cruiser. Getting better might require several visits to the doctor and many visits to a therapist. This is because antidepressant medications take time to start working, and it may be necessary to try several meds before finding one that works for you. It takes patience.
Because of this, it is essential for those undergoing medical treatment to be mightily lion-hearted about monitoring their moods, and at all times realising that the thoughts of sure and imminent doom they have are not a reflection of reality. This is the most dangerous phase (80 per cent of men who seek help for their depression at least once go on to end their lives) because, tragically, the delay in starting medications or seeing results from therapy leaves people in a very vulnerable state, sitting there thinking that nothing works.
Depressed and suicidal people need above all to forget the notion that talking about their emotions won’t solve anything. That’s not the point. The point is to increase their human connections first and foremost. The experience of suicidal thinking is typically one of extreme isolation and despair, and these two factors feed off each other.
The more isolated a person is, stuck on their own with dark thoughts, the deeper into despair they are likely to fall. But social connection is immensely psychologically nourishing, and in many cases it’s essential for survival.
It may not immediately make the feelings go away, but it takes away the focused intensity and fixation on suicide.
If you see a mate who is clearly struggling – for instance, because they’ve just been sentenced or had their parole knocked back – the first thing you’re likely to ask is if he or she is ok, and that leaves them with a lot of “wiggle room” to simply say, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
A better approach is to ask where their head is at. This acknowledges and validates the impact of their situation, without judgement but with encouragement to speak freely. Then you can start to address their concerns and, where you feel it necessary, offer them alternative, more constructive perspectives. Share your coping strategies, ideas that helped you to pull on through.
You may help to arrest your mate’s slide into mental chaos. But, if your buddy is clearly struggling, also have the social courage to ask if they have had suicidal thoughts. If so, encourage them to seek help, because seeking help is a sign of great strength, bravery, wisdom and responsibility.
Blood pressure can be thought of as the speed of the blood whizzing around your blood vessels (arteries). This is affected by two things: your heart and your arteries.
For a long time, I thought hepatitis C (hep C) was just something I’d have to live with. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
This is your chance to focus on yourself, take control of your fitness, and to empower your journey one step at a time.
I was incarcerated during COVID. I was transferred to Brisbane Correctional Centre for 1 week and then moved to Woodford Correctional Centre for 4 years.
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