Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
I've been feeling miserable the past few days. It seems like whenever I try to talk in support groups about the fear I have of women (stemming from decades of physical, emotional and psychological abuse by many different women) someone always seems to accuse me of hating women just because I'm afraid of them.
It makes me feel horrible.
I've been abused to the point of suffering from flashbacks, dissociations and a near crippling fear of women, but any time I seek help I run into people who accuse me of being a horrible person for being this way.
It makes me feel horrible.
I've been abused to the point of suffering from flashbacks, dissociations and a near crippling fear of women, but any time I seek help I run into people who accuse me of being a horrible person for being this way.
I suffered abuse for years as a child, and as a result, until I really threw myself into therapy, I was absolutely TERRIFIED of men, especially men in positions of authority. I learned in talking with other abuse survivors, both during therapy and since then in my experience as a crisis counselor, that this kind of fear is absolutely normal.
It is NOT a moral failing. It is NOT a sign that you're a misogynist. And it is most definitely NOT a sign that you're a bad person.
Have you been able to consider therapy up to this point? EMDR therapy is what did the trick for me.
Either way i would report it. If this is a face to face group I would suggest talking to the group moderator and let them know what kind of feedback you are getting. If it's happening here at DS then ask a community leader, either Wandering Vet or Pepperman, how to report abuse.
If it is a group here on DS (or other online groups) then it is up to you to take steps to protect yourself. Here on DS there is an ignore feature where you can prevent people from communicating with you.
If it is other online places, then explore the settings you have at your disposal.
Gentle hugs, and again, sorry that you have been treated that way.
The groups I'm talking about have all been on DS. The ptsd group was especially bad about it (one person even flat out told me I deserved the abuse I suffered since I'm male). Eventually I had to just stop posting in that group all together.
Sometimes it also feels like some people get frustrated at me at treat me like I'm deliberately being difficult when I turn down suggestions/advice that isn't helpful. Such as when I have to explain that a recommended program/service is not available where I live pr that I cannot currently afford a specific service (I'm on Medicaid and most doctors in my state refuse to accept it since it takes years for it to pay out on claims; medical costs in my state are also twice as expensive as in the rest of the US [because they're allowed to do that in my state]).
I'm currently saving up for treatment/therapy, but I still feel guilty when people get frustrated at me when I explain a particular service is way out of my price range (even with sliding scale).
I agree that there people here who think they 100% understand a person's situation based on reading a few posts/replies/journals/ect a person has made. This has been one of my pet peeves about this site since I joined! More often than not there is important information that is missing from what we see, and this missing information can negate some or all of the suggestions that otherwise well meaning people make.
Continuing hugs
Hugs