Inside the brain of a person with Depression

 It's frustrating when people say that mental illness is "made up" or "all in someone's head." Research has given us insight into how mental health conditions develop, and we now know that they are influenced by or linked to physical changes inside the body, just like with other illnesses. It's thought that most mental health problems are associated with an imbalance or absence of certain brain hormones and neurotransmitters, just as [for example] Type I Diabetes is caused by a lack of the hormone insulin. The specific chemical imbalance is unique for each mental illness and varies from person to person, but since Depression is the illness I know and understand the most I will focus on that throughout this post. I am not belittling or ignoring other mental illnesses, I just don't feel qualified to talk about them.

 There's a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger in the body) called serotonin that influences good moods, good emotions, and good sleep. The brain releases Serotonin so it can carry messages between nerves, and once it is finished transmitting the messages it is reabsorbed in a process called "reuptake." With an ideal level of serotonin in the body, mood and sleep might not be a problem for a person and they probably won't suffer symptoms of depression. If there isn't enough serotonin in the brain, then the person may present symptoms including low mood, feelings of worthlessness, and sleeping too much or too little. It isn't clear from research whether low serotonin levels cause depression or if depression in fact causes low serotonin levels, but we do know that increasing the levels of serotonin in a depressed person can relieve some symptoms.

 One cause of low serotonin levels is the reuptake happening too soon, meaning that there is less of it available to transmit messages along the nerve cells. Some anti-depressants, called SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) work by blocking or slowing the reabsorption of the serotonin in the brain. This means that there is more of the neurotransmitter available, and so more chemical messages can be passed on to nerves; this in turn is thought to raise mood, improve quality of sleep, and relieve other symptoms associated with depression. Fluoxetine, citalopram, and sertraline are the most commonly prescribed SSRI's in the UK, if you want to look them up.

 Telling a person that they "shouldn't" or "don't" need anti-depressants to function is like telling a Type I Diabetic that they don't need their insulin. Saying that someone should be avoided or ignored just because they're on medication for depression (or other mental illnesses) is like saying that people with any illness requiring treatment should be avoided and neglected. Making or allowing such remarks only contributes further to the stigma surrounding the topic of mental illness, and since 1 in 4 of us will experience symptoms of mental illness at some point in our lifetime, we really need to work to end that stigma. 

 I should make it clear that anti-depressants are not a "solution" to depression, nor do they work for everyone. Some people try several different types of medication before finding one that works, if they find one at all. For most people, a combination of medication and talk therapy is the best treatment for depression and other mental health problems. Personally, I've tried 4 different types of anti-depressants all at varying doses since being diagnosed, I've attended counselling sessions, and am currently on a waiting list for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Anyone who wants to talk about any of this with me is more than welcome to send me a message. 

 I hope that this post is able to educate those who don't have an understanding of mental health conditions and associated treatments, or at least prompt them into looking into it further. I also hope that anyone who reads this will think twice before judging or discriminating against someone who is on medication for their condition. 

Body Modifications: Keep your opinions to yourself

 Today, I was in the town centre promoting an event that I've been helping to plan as part of my job at my University. A group of three of us handed out flyers and spread the word about the event to members of the community, and overall I'd deem the day to be successful - one of us was even dressed up in a Bear suit, which obviously attracted the attention of everyone who passed by. 

 I was talking to a member of the public about the event, which she was interested in bringing her grandchildren to, when suddenly she grabbed both of my hands, moved closer to my face, and said "Please, please, PLEASE take those THINGS [piercings] out of your lip. You're a pretty girl, but they absolutely ruin your face." I laughed and said that since I loved them and felt more confident with them I was going to keep them, but thanked her for the "pretty" compliment. I was a little surprised that a person would think it acceptable to say that to someone who they've never met before, but I thought that she'd leave it at that so I carried on explaining more about the event. She interrupted me, saying "Honestly, why? Why do you feel the need to have those on your face? I suppose the one on your nose isn't as bad... At least you're not covered in tattoos too." I took this opportunity to take my cardigan off and show her the tattoos on my arm and back, as well as the piercing on the back of my neck, and followed it up by saying "And I love these, too!" 

 "I just think that people like you must be deprived of something. You must come from a broken home, or have missed out on something in your childhood - or are you a prisoner?" I didn't really know how to respond but kept my happy "work" face on and just laughed along. She continued - "Honestly, only prisoners get tattoos and piercings." 

 It got me thinking. A person's criminal status or family background does not necessarily influence their decision to modify their body - I can't speak for everyone, but I know that the reasons I got my tattoos and piercings have nothing to do with those things. I get body modifications because I like them; aesthetically I find them attractive, I enjoy designing tattoos for myself that have some form of personal significance, and I love seeing how I look with different piercings. It's my body, after all, and if I made any decisions I later grew to regret then the only person it would affect is myself. My modifications are not offensive - even though people often treat them as if they are. 

 Many employers still discriminate against applicants with body modifications - with most of those who do claiming that it is to "keep their workplace professional." But what is it about having tattoos and piercings that suddenly makes me incapable of maintaining a professional image and performing outstandingly at work? If the modification is offensive then maybe the employer has a point - otherwise, I believe that they're just trying to find an excuse for their own ignorance. People always say to me: "What if your perfect employer has a policy against tattoos?" Often I don't know how to answer that question, since I just - very optimistically - believe that soon, tattoos in the workplace will be accepted as the generation who deem tattoos to be for "prisoners only" fades out into retirement. But really, if a potentional employer discriminates against me solely due to the fact that I have tattoos and piercings, then there is no way I would consider that person to be my "perfect" anything. I am not interested in working for a company that would be unwilling to employ me due to my body modifications, as they are a part of my personality and if an employer can't accept that then they are, essentially, rejecting part of me. 

 As a student, I currently have two casual job roles that are both based within my university - I tour prospective students around the campus and answer their questions about student life at Lancaster, and I also act as an administration assistant in some of the offices on an "as and when they need me" basis. My piercings have never been questioned, my tattoos have only ever been complimented or ignored, and to me, that is how it should be. If someone doesn't personally like my modifications - and they are perfectly entitled to their own opinion - then that's absolutely fine, but if they were to discriminate against me because of my mods then really that's only a bad reflection upon them, not me. 

 If you judge or discriminate against people because of their appearance, modified or otherwise, then I honestly have no respect for you whatsoever. As I said above, you're entitled to your opinion, but it's a fact that the presence of modifications in a person doesn't change who they are or what they are capable of. And if you think otherwise, then my opinion is that you really need to re-evaluate yourself. 

Introducing: Me

Hi!

Well, I guess if I intend to keep a blog then I should introduce myself first. I'm Rachael Elizabeth (call me Rach) and I'm 20 years old. I'm originally from Birmingham, UK (My accent isn't as bad as you might think...) and am currently studying at Lancaster University. Hopefully I'll graduate as a 'fine Mathematician' and train to be a Medical Statistician. Boring stuff aside.

I'm a massive music fan and attend gigs and festivals whenever my bank balance allows me to. Actually, that's a lie - I'm very far into my student overdraft and yet I always have at least a few gigs or festivals booked - I guess I attend them whether my bank balance allows me to or not. 

My primary reason for starting this blog is that I have a lot of thoughts and opinions about absolutely everything and it'd be great to be able write them down somewhere and share them with others. I'd imagine many of my posts will be fuelled by anger about the ignorance of the majority of our society, but I hope that I will be able to communicate my ideas in a way that is educational and productive. I am completely against homophobia, transphobia, body shaming, victim blaming, racism, ableism, and any other kind of discrimination, and I hope that one day everyone can see that we are all equal. 

Hopefully, my posts won't all be serious. Sometimes I like to talk about positive happenings, discuss university life, or rant about extremely trivial things. I'm also a self proclaimed cat lady, so whenever I visit my family in Birmingham and get to see my 4 felines I'll most likely post pictures of me forcefully cuddling them. Basically, this whole blog will be just a compilation of absolutely everything.

Maybe that's enough for an introduction, 'cause I feel like I'm rambling on a bit now.

- Rach