My mental health dual diagnosis journey

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I’ve been on a lengthy journey to try and tackle both my mental health issues as well as a secondary diagnosis. It’s not been easy but I’m starting to see some progress.

I remember feeling overwhelmed with so much going on inside my head. My thoughts were chaotic and racing, and the feelings of anxiety or anger were often overwhelming. Finding the courage to talk about things with someone else was really hard. I wanted to keep the mask of being fine in place, but I just couldn’t anymore.

Thanks to therapy and medication, I’m able to work through my issues in manageable chunks and cope with stressful situations better than before. Therapists often challenged me with difficult tasks, but eventually many of them became easier for me to do over time as I gained insight into why certain emotional reactions happened. There are still times when things feel overwhelming and it’s okay if that happens; being honest about feeling confused or overwhelmed is key in order for progress to be made.

In general I’m more aware of potential triggers that might cause unhelpful moods or behaviour, which is helping me identify strategies for how handle them better before they become too big an issue again . This whole process has ultimately shown me how important it is to take care of my mental health; something I hadn’t done properly previously for fear of appearing weak or vulnerable .

It’s taken some time but now feel like I’m finally getting in control of my journey with a dual diagnosis - although it may never be completed!

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Hi there,

I completely understand what it’s like to be in your position. It can be overwhelming dealing with two diagnoses simultaneously and it takes a lot of courage and strength to tackle it. I’m glad that you’re starting to see progress and hopefully you’ll keep on the journey towards better mental health.

It sounds like therapy is helping you gain insight into managing your emotions and gaining control of them when they start to spiral out of control. That’s definitely something I’ve had to work on too, as I was often avoiding difficult situations instead of learning from them. Taking care of yourself is so important - only with self-care can we truly become better equipped for dealing with these issues.

Sometimes taking one step at a time can also help, particularly if tackling such a huge issue feels intimidating or insurmountable. Breaking down the problem into small, achievable tasks can make the process feel much more manageable!

Keep strong, take care of yourself and stay positive. Good luck!