Diving & Mental Illnesses
- Thread starter Brodie.davis
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I was recently allowed to be the guest of a Veterans Affairs hospital for a short few days and made my intention to dive Bonne Terre mine clear to the medical staff. Let me just say that I recieved my open water certification while in the military, stationed overseas. During certain stages of my life I have run across individuals who have been licensed divers and I wished to become one also. However, when I was deployed to Iraq and subsequently medevaced, mental illness would be my constant buddy and several admissions to government hospitals would later not welcome me back due to my manic behavior.
Since being diagnosed with Manic-Depression it has been almost five years from my last dive. Mind you, my last stint at the VA ended with them allowing me to recieve the forms to go diving and sign the waiver disavowing West End from all responsibility. I have been a "solo" diver from the get go....but dive with groups when the opportunity allows. At the time being, I lived on a private lake for almost three years and have just now decided to explore the backyard a bit more. The lake was quite murky and very poor visibility past about 3meters. A neighbor had told me just before I did a beach entry that a natural spring fed the lake. Believe me, I tended to agree with him when I felt the icy water that only comes from spring fed creeks, like the one my grandparents used to have on their land. By the way, it was a 5 mil Scubamax wetsuit I had on and this was a man made lake, and not really being any deeper than 20feet max. I really do wish to own a dry suit after these repeated exposures to cold temperatures.
If anyone is in question of medications, yes I take quite a few of them; that is a private matter and will answer private questions about. This is one of the few things in life that I can take pleasure from. Having said that, I did not take my meds until the afternoon on the trip to Cozumel. There was a good group of people and one military chic who kinda took a liking to me, I think. We talked and drank, and spent some time out in the ville. She was a good partner for me and I kinda wish we were still in contact. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, but I just wanted to weigh in on this thread with my two cents worth.
I'm not sure if my plans to be an instructor will be realized, but maybe I can at least make Divemaster. As a person diagnosed with a mental disability there has to be something to look forward to in life, otherwise what's the point in living ? Maybe this will shed some light or just warrant more posts. Either way, I think the issue is important, especially since I have been treated in a PTSD ward also, and some of the recent veterans get some sense of belonging by learning how to kayak.
Hopefully people here will realize that medical staff tell me thousands of americans are bi-polar, but do not take medications or seek treatment, they just ride out the highs of getting all manner of things accomplished. So take what you will from this tirade, and maybe we will all be the better for it.
Since being diagnosed with Manic-Depression it has been almost five years from my last dive. Mind you, my last stint at the VA ended with them allowing me to recieve the forms to go diving and sign the waiver disavowing West End from all responsibility. I have been a "solo" diver from the get go....but dive with groups when the opportunity allows. At the time being, I lived on a private lake for almost three years and have just now decided to explore the backyard a bit more. The lake was quite murky and very poor visibility past about 3meters. A neighbor had told me just before I did a beach entry that a natural spring fed the lake. Believe me, I tended to agree with him when I felt the icy water that only comes from spring fed creeks, like the one my grandparents used to have on their land. By the way, it was a 5 mil Scubamax wetsuit I had on and this was a man made lake, and not really being any deeper than 20feet max. I really do wish to own a dry suit after these repeated exposures to cold temperatures.
If anyone is in question of medications, yes I take quite a few of them; that is a private matter and will answer private questions about. This is one of the few things in life that I can take pleasure from. Having said that, I did not take my meds until the afternoon on the trip to Cozumel. There was a good group of people and one military chic who kinda took a liking to me, I think. We talked and drank, and spent some time out in the ville. She was a good partner for me and I kinda wish we were still in contact. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, but I just wanted to weigh in on this thread with my two cents worth.
I'm not sure if my plans to be an instructor will be realized, but maybe I can at least make Divemaster. As a person diagnosed with a mental disability there has to be something to look forward to in life, otherwise what's the point in living ? Maybe this will shed some light or just warrant more posts. Either way, I think the issue is important, especially since I have been treated in a PTSD ward also, and some of the recent veterans get some sense of belonging by learning how to kayak.
Hopefully people here will realize that medical staff tell me thousands of americans are bi-polar, but do not take medications or seek treatment, they just ride out the highs of getting all manner of things accomplished. So take what you will from this tirade, and maybe we will all be the better for it.
ianr33
Contributor
