Mental health

Hi to everyone reading this blog.

One of the main themes that forms the bones of my new work is mental health. I have spent a lot of time with Raymond this week and writing the chapter that describes his mental breakdown was very taxing for me to say the least. I had to go to places in my mind that I have not been to for a while, to do the writing justice. I don't know if I would ever attempt to write a chapter like that if I had never been there myself to some degree.

I have thought much on this theme of mental health over the years and had previously attempted writing about it, but my characters and voice were immature and so were my technical capabilities as a writer. But more than anything, I had not met and spoken to enough people to get a broad enough landscape in my mind to write with sincerity on the topic.

Mental health issues are reaching epidemic proportions in Australia, and though I cannot vouch for the rest of the world, everything I hear seems to suggest that this is also the case in most of the developed nations - maybe there is something in that. Westernised society of fast-paced-big-city lifestyles may be having a negative impact on our mental health; developing nations, on the other hand, may have too many other epidemics to worry about - like famine, disease and war -for mental health issues like stress and anxiety to be major issues. Hmmm...this may be naive and too simplistic a view. Anyway, I am no expert on developing countries but have lived in developed countries most of my life, so I'll stick to what I am familiar with.

In Australia, there seems to be a growing number of people in the mid-to-late 20's to around 40 that are experiencing a feeling of being lost and unfulfilled. Maybe the mid-life crisis has shifted forward 10 years to reflect our faster pace of life. I am not talking about those who have medically diagnosed mental health problems like depression, bi-polar and anxiety related disorders, for which they are taking medication or undergoing cognitive therapies. My interest is in those men and women with no history of mental health issues in their family, no predisposition to mental health issues through abuse of alcohol or drugs. I am specifically interested in men and women who have been well adjusted and relatively happy with their lot until all of a sudden, seemingly out of the blue (or so it seems to the sufferer) they experience panic or anxiety attacks, feelings of melancholy and isolation and a feeling of being lost.

In my experience and talking to many others, there are nearly always underlying issues that may have been suppressed that come to the fore and trigger all the feelings mentioned above. I am sure this will also be the case for Raymond Figg. It's the triggers that intrigue me, what are they, and are there more of them in the modern world? Did communities of the past experience as many mental health challenges and if not why not? Maybe we have too much time on our hands to think, maybe the modern world allows us to be selfish; a world where we can exist by ourselves without depending on others for food, shelter and entertainment. We no longer need love or community to exist but at what cost?

As I learn more about Raymond, I learn that he has, even without knowing it himself, started a process of isolation long before his breakdown. Isolating his feelings, his emotions, isolating himself in front of the computer, the TV, in his work. We can have people around us and still be isolated and it is becoming clear to me that this is the case for Raymond.

Isolation is just one of the triggers for unhappiness, at least for Raymond, but there are many more: lost dreams, crappy job, everyday like the last, no adventure, no magic, broken heart, lost love, grief and so on. I wonder if I have missed any. Raymond is not dying, he is not physically ill, he has food, shelter, income and love if he wants it - but - he is desperately lost and unhappy. I wonder how many 'Raymond Figg's' are out there? I wonder.

joe

The seeds have been planted

0 comments, o views. Funny. Maybe I should concentrate more on writing my ms (manuscript) then on blogging. But something tells me that I should be doing this, for a number of reasons, and I have learned to trust my instincts even if I 'm not sure of the language they are using to speak to me.

I briefly toyed with the idea of researching strategies to supercharge the traffic to my blog but then thought otherwise. I've had to scratch and fight so hard to get my other projects to publication that I feel like I deserve a crack at trusting to fate. So I've decided I'm going to leave the blog in the hands of the of the "word-of-mouth gods" and if interest is generated then so be it.

The central theme of "happiness in the modern world" has been bouncing off of the grey-matter walls in my head for days. Pressure creates diamonds and I think the same applies with ideas. Constant musing on ideas - with numerous iterations, changes of mind, reshaping, going off on tangents - generally leads to moments of clarity. These moments usually occur when you've taken a rest from staring at the same spot, like some madman, talking to yourself while trying to reach a revelation on the central theme of the story you're going to tell. Out of habit, I try to frame the central theme into one sentence that will encapsulate the story that I wish to tell. I find that this technique stops me from trying to write about too many themes and muddling the true message of what I want to get across. My father, a very wise man, once told me that the best tasting pizza is the one that is simplest, because you can be sure to taste the flavour -too many ingredients and the flavours are lost.

Anyhow, I digress, please forgive me.

Back to the central theme of "happiness in the modern world". I have a character forming in my head and his name is Raymond Figg. He is sitting on the side of his bed with his head held in his hands. A year ago he suffered an anxiety attack and the resulting depression has changed his world forever. Before his anxiety episode he had everything a successful guy could want: a great job, a loving partner, friends. He has told no one that he's suffering, not even his family, and he refuses to seek help. He thinks he'll be alright. I (the writer) am not so sure and I begin to worry for him. I want to know more about him? What happened? Where did the anxiety and depression come from if he had such a good life?

It's time for bed (for me the writer) and as I close my eyes, Raymond's face appears and he begins to talk to me. Here we go, the madness of creation begins.