Big-up to me dad
A good few months back me dad had a lot of stress poured on him from his twat work employers (the usual threaten him with sack for bugger all, make him do at least 3x more delivery work than the rest of the workforce etc), which at the time for a 59 year old to deal with alone is not the best. That and an incident involving bullying from another member of staff caused him to snap, to the point where he had the bully by the throat in the office threatening to beat him around the carpark, and almost losing his job over it.

This all added up and triggered Paranoid Depression in him. I've heard and read the word depression before; it's something that is either thrown about by others who have seen or experienced it firsthand or a term used rather too easily by others, but when it is seen it can change and affect everyone around the sufferer.

We didn't notice the signs at first (confusion, talking to self quietly, long moments of silence etc) but one night before a meeting at work was booked in he emptied a can of deodorant down his throat and tried electrocuting himself with a cooker (his slippers saved him on that attempt).

After we found out me and my sister had to take him to a local mental health hospital and wait as he was assessed. Sitting in the waiting room as you can hear your dad through the interview room door spilling his heart out to a quack is one of the most odd moments that I have ever experienced. After about 20 minutes we were invited into the room and they laid out a plan for him to get back to normal (a mixture of drugs and attending different day-courses).

Everything went back to normal, and dad for a while seemed much more sociable, but he started slipping back to the same point and just before my mum was meant to go on holiday for a weekend with the sister he took a carving knife to his throat and tried slitting it. He didn't want them to go on hols and couldn't tell them, but instead tried self-harming to keep them here.

Turned out he'd missed a fortnight's worth of tablets and was drinking a lager every night instead, caused him to slip straight back into it. It's amazing what difference one little capsule can make to a person.

So the docs re-assessed him, found out about the drink and lack of medication etc and got him to make some changes to accommodate this. That was a few months back. He's now past 60 and happier than he's been in a long time. He's still on the sick at the mo but his employers (the local Council of all people) are bending over backwards to offer him something much more adequate until retirement. He's still attending the day courses and has begun to learn how to browse the net etc (thanks to Cwmbwrla Day Services, don't worry, not a horse in sight :p). Odd sight visiting him the other day in his house and seeing him browse youtube; the guy's a complete technophobe :)

Jeccy's Final Thoughts
Soz for length and lack of funny, but he's pretty much through it all now (just like you guys having to read this on a saturday morning lol). I'm so proud that he's back with us and we'd do anything to ensure that he doesn't slip back there again. If you've got a dad who even just looks down in the dumps or off-colour, talk to him about it, give him that reassurance. You can replace those 5 minutes spent talking, you can't replace your dad.
( Jeccius Steam Borderlands 2 junkie, Sat 27 Nov 2010, 8:26, 9 replies)

I clicked for a good post.
Then I mass clicked for Cwmbwrla.

Tidy.

/Swan
( Claws of Doom I am no longer infected, Sat 27 Nov 2010, 8:51, closed)

Hurrah!
I live just up from there, can see the roundabout from me bedroom window :)
( Jeccius Steam Borderlands 2 junkie, Sat 27 Nov 2010, 8:54, closed)

really?
I used to live round the corner from you, then!
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 28 Nov 2010, 17:18, closed)

Good luck to your dad!
Depression is a hard bastard to find, treat and cure. But good support around is essential, and he seems to have that.
( TheSundaeLunch I'm a fucking shrub, alright?, Sat 27 Nov 2010, 14:15, closed)

Agree with Sundae
You have treated your dad absolutely brilliantly. Returning the gift of life is a rare thing.

Outstanding.
(roysin, Sat 27 Nov 2010, 15:29, closed)

Strictly speaking,
you can't replace those 5 minutes spent talking either.
(HB, Sat 27 Nov 2010, 16:36, closed)

Well done
to your Dad, yourself and your sister. Depression is one of those illnesses that we could all come across at any time. You helped your Dad cope. That's nice :)
( Fr_Jerry_McGwier looked over both shoulders at, Sun 28 Nov 2010, 15:40, closed)

what s/he said ^^

( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 28 Nov 2010, 17:20, closed)

Ahem
It's a he, BTW.

Loves being as androgynous
( Fr_Jerry_McGwier looked over both shoulders at, Mon 29 Nov 2010, 2:42, closed)