Tales from a Bruised Mind

I’ve put on my thinking cap to try and remember some key questions I’m often asked about my condition, so here I’ll do a little Q&A to help bust the common myths. I hope this is somewhat insightful!

Q: When did it first ‘click’ that you were becoming mentally unwell?

Z: To be honest, it didn’t actually click for some time, as I had lost touch with reality during my first episode. Although the onset was rapid, I didn’t really know that my actions were strange or unusual or out-of-place. And, to my family and friends, I just seemed a little hyper, but not completely over-the-top.

The actual realisation for me kicked in when I found myself in a hospital bed and when I had a doctor telling me I had experienced a psychotic episode for the very first time.

Q: Do you feel stressed and anxious every single day?

Z: Absolutely not. Most of the time, I feel completely normal, but of course I do react a little bit more sensitively to stressful or anxious situations (I’m sure many of us do that!). It’s a bit up and down, but I can manage 90 percent of the time just fine.

Q: How do you deal with work and other important day-to-day life tasks?

Z: Work is a tricky one. Like most of us, I am passionate and very dedicated to my job, but sometimes things get stressful or quite high pressure and I need to step back. I am lucky I have an amazing team who are extremely understanding when I need to do so. If I need to step away from an event or a pressing news story, I know full well that my team has my back 110 percent.

Q: Do you have family history of mental illness?

Z: On my dad’s side, nope. Mum, however, has struggled with anxiety and depression for many years, but not to my super intense level. Mum has been on antidepressants for quite a long time and she was one of the core people to recommend them to me back when I first really struggled!

Q: Is taking medication scary?

Z: At first, I can see why people think that. Our bodies are our temples, so putting stuff into them that are quite foreign can be a big change. I feel that medication is quite a big hurdle to get over, but, me personally, I have felt very safe in taking medication for my mental health. I’m certainly no expert, but doing your research and learning about medications can be very, very helpful and insightful.

Q: How do you feel about lithium long term?

Z: Although I had little choice in the matter to start with (I was involuntary and had doctors make decisions for me about medications and treatment), I have since learned that lithium carbonate can way way down the track affect the kidneys and also the thyroid gland. However, with that being said, lithium is seen as a gold standard by the medical community. I think it works a treat. To manage lithium, I have regular blood tests for toxicity and to check that my organs are all okay. If I get to the age of 50 and my kidneys have issues, I guess that’s a problem for then!

Q: Why do you have an injection for your brain?

Z: I have an injection, or depot, once a month for a anti-psychotic drug called Aripriprazole, otherwise known by its brand name Abilify. Usually people are injected with a dosage if they are unlikely to want to take their medications. However, I’ve simply chosen to do so because it’s one less medication I need to worry about taking day or night. It’s a slow release drug that lasts me four weeks, then I go again for another injection. It’s a 300mg dosage right into my arm, which I alternate left to right each time.

Lots of my friends thought it was a bit weird I had injections for my brain, but the reality is that it’s just part of a bigger picture. And no, I’m not afraid of needles!

Q: Is there a way to cure bipolar disorder?

Z: Currently, there is no cure, which completely sucks. There are plenty of management techniques but there is no happy pill that will solve all of your bipolar problems. Maybe one day, but not for now.

Q:What is your daily medication routine?

Z: I try and start the day by, well, taking my morning medications. I take my sertraline (antidepressant) and then kick start the day with a coffee. I don’t need to take any other drugs until I’m ready to go to sleep for the night. I take my Olanzapine and lithium dosages, with the Olanzapine as a bit of a sedative to help me sleep well!

Q: Why should people talk more about mental illness?

Z: I’ll try to explain some of this. Recent research led by the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) found that, as of 2024, 42.9 percent of Australian people had suffered a mental disorder at some point in their lives for those aged between 16 ands 85 years. Close to 25 percent of people had a 12 month mental disorder, with anxiety being the most prevalent.

However, the study also found close to 8 percent of Australians had experienced an affective disorder, or a disorder that impacted significantly on their relationships or work.

Those numbers are pretty startling for me. Not so far off half of Australians had experienced mental concerns and those were just the people who had been open about it.

Speaking about mental health is so important because we are normalising it every single day and, in turn, are helping more and more Australians and people right around the world.

Q: Do you feel the stigma as someone who has experienced mental disorders first hand?

Z: I am grateful that my friends and family are very accepting and supportive towards my mental health concerns. I am fortunate that I was born in an era that largely accepts mental illness as a normal but very annoying part of everyday life.

Q: Do you feel like a different person to how you were pre-episodes?

Z: In ways, yes, but in other ways I feel better, wiser and more alert and attentive to my general mental state. I have committed myself to learning more about my brain and feel I have the resources now to make the right decisions at the right time!

What do you think? Want to learn more? let me know!

Zak