*waves*

[sad_steffy]

Hey all, I've joined a couple of forums like this in the past but neither were of much assistance, so hopefully I have struck gold here I suppose I have been anxious for as long as i can remember..was bullied all through primary school and the first few years of secondary..never had a sense of belonging anywhere.I've got friends, but I don't feel as though they truly understand my prevailing loneliness.My mum suffers from a form of acute, recurrent psychosis which has also had a profound effect on my day-to-day emotions, and I have never been able to truly relax for fear of her relapsing (it is a regular occurrence.) I also suffer from crippling low self-esteem and I wonder if my confidence can actually reach a lower ebb..though I do occasionally have 'good' days,(recently joined a real-life support group) most are a struggle.I simply hope that by being here and receiving support from yourselves will help me beat my demons.I'm not on any medication at the moment;I have tried and failed to stick to it-I believe in alternative therapies to medication,unless absolutely necessary.So yeah, that's me :S

[hollyann]

Hi Steffy, First off welcome to the forums. You've found a good place here. The people here are caring and supportive. The more you get to know them, the more they get to know you. And you'll feel at home in no time. I'm glad you have a real life support group. But you'll find being here can be benificial if you keep posting. Sometimes its easier to type words, and wait for a response, (at least it is for me) Because I have time to think about what I'm saying. I'm sorry your mom struggles. It must be really hard for you to watch. But that you do, and that you care shows through. I know it's probably hard for you so if you need to vent in the forums, or want to share experiences, please feel free to do so. You never know someone else might have similar experinces or similar emotions. Side effects to meds can be hard but sometimes the side affects will go away or if the side affect isn't severe they can give you something to contradict the side affect. But med's is a choice. For some people therapy helps, for some people its meds, and some people its a combination of both. And some just need a shoulder to lean on. You have plenty of people listening here. And that can be a sounding board if needed. Once again truly welcome. I hope you like the feel of this place. Looking forward to hearing from you again.

Holly

[Peep212]

steffy, welcome. both my parents had/have thier own bouts of depression, and my mom had one nervous breakdown that i know of. for the last 5 years i have been taking care of my last wife's Mother in law (Mil for short), and she has been going through the first stages of alzheimer's. she is in stage three now, and the medicdal community and her own blood relatives (not to mention mine) have all agreed that she needs to be in assisted care. she has refused this, and that leaves me with only one option. Everyone mentioned above has told me that i need to move on with my life, and leave Mil behind. Thing is, I am moving toluoisiana from california to be with my fiance and future step-son while we are preparing to be married. Mil is not going to be going with me, and i am not coming back. this is wahat everyone agrees tha ti should do, but i still feel a bit heartless having to do this. so you see, i get where you are coming from. hugs