depression / anxiety and FAC

Scots_stalker

Well-Known Member
i know there are threads on this elsewhere but id just like to tell you my story about depression and my fac

it was in the summer of 2009 that my daughter , leigh contracted rotavirus whilst in hospital , what follow was 8 weeks of sheer hell as she slowly went down hill in yorkhill intensive care unit in glasgow , at one piont the doctor was talking of a 15% chance of survival and asking about consent to revive ,,

slowly but surely leigh turned a corner and 12 weeks after she was admitted to hospital she was allowed home, now during this time i didnt work, susan didnt either , and as you would expect ,bill mounted up and there was no money coming in , funnily enough at the time when leigh was in hospital i wasnt depressed , worried yes but depressed no , this came later when things were better , leigh was back at school and we were back at work ,

rerunning things in my mind , and fretting that it would happen again i got lower and lower , and of course i would hide this from everyone , instead id take the landrover to the remotest part of the farm and cry my eyes out for hours , only to return home as if everything was normal , i knew i needed help but i was afraid they would take my guns from me , i dont drink or smoke , my shooting and the countryside are my only vices,


this went on for months till one day i broke down at work and again at home , and susan called our doctor who saw me right away , i remember sitting down and telling her that i didnt want to hurt myself , or anyone else but i wasnt coping very well , she asked me a few questions and said i was suffering from depression and prescribed some pills which i took for 6 months and then was slowly weaned off them ,

now this all happened mid term on my fac , two years later it came up for renewal ,and of course i told them everything , the civvy who came to do my interview gave me some raised eyebrows when i told her, i even went and saw my doctor about it , ( she said she had no hesitation in saying i was fit to hold a FAC)


my FAC came through without any hitches


i dont know what i am trying to say by posting this up , its just my experience of depression and licencing
 
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Thanks for posting that. It must have been hell. There is no doubt that there is no pain like the pain of seeing your kids suffer. It could have ended very differently, I am very glad for you that it didnt.
 
The criteria for an FAC HAVE BEEN MET, you have been assessed by a Docter as being of sound mind and not of intemperate habits,good enough! Get on and enjoy your chosen sport with confidence and enjoyment mate...ATVB,Tony
 
Wow , thanks for posting your story .
Iwas in a simular situation earlier this year , my wife left me after 25yrs , i would not see my gp for fear of my fac being refused on renewal .
My buisness began to suffer and i lost count of the times i broke down in floods of tears for no reason .

However after several calls to my wife and a shoulder to cry on from mutual friends , she came home .
I now feel a lot better and only went to see my gp for the fist time this year ,last night .

Now the only way is up . :D
 
for me , the fear of loosing your FAC should not stop folk from seeing their GP , infact i would like to think that if a certificate holder seeks help then this should be looked at as a positive rather than a negative when it comes up for renewal
 
I think in the shooting / farming industry there is a lot of depression that goes unattended and un seen by doctors for fear of loosing fac 's .
gamekeepers ,struggling tenant farmers Ect depression can effect anyone of us at anytime how many times has someone you may know fallen Ill with depression and we say " you would never have known would you "
good post chap and good luck
norma
 
A very good post and glad to see you are better, having been very close to two people who had severe depression, I can say it is a very misunderstood ailment, which more people suffer from than admit, seeking help is not a weakness , and too many of us try to plod on alone, remember a problem shared is a problem halved.
 
I think all of us have our moments of feeling down and have events in our lives that we wish to put behind us, whether its going through a bereavement, loss of your job, divorce or illness. As big as most of us like to think we are as stalkers it happens and that does not make us unfit to own a firearm, its what makes us human.

Throughout all of these events you need people around you, and friends, and I know I have made some great friends off this site who have been supportive and most helpfull. I am not going to name them as they know who they are.

Thanks for making such an open and honest post, its refreshing to see such a post on the site, now get yourself out there and enjoy life and your family ;) oh and the stalking to, rut time coming up in the next few weeks for Fallow, Sika and the Reds :D

ATB

Sikamalc
 
Scots_Stalker - excellent excellent thread, and very moving story! I know were your coming from completely... In a spate of a few months I lost my brother and shortly after my dad broke his back in a farming accident, then had to have my dog put down! (sounds like the basis of a blues song!) I was ever-so frigtened to speak to anyone because of my FAC, shooting is my life, my release and without it I really would be nothing! Your post is excellent, moving and informative!!! Like I say I was to scared to speak to anyone even friends incase they said anything, I was very isolated... This is excellent advice and pleasing to see it didnt effect your FAC..... Well done mate!
 
Shudadunit,

Your a sound man and I can vouch for that. By the sound of it mate you are well on your way up again, there is a sparkling light at the end of that tunnel you are walking up and you can see it clearly. Well done man.

Best regards.

Jon.
 
I never thought I'd suffer from anything like this.

However 3 years of constant back pain, having to step down from a job I loved and the inability to get out and about finally took it's toll.

My Doc's attitude was that as I was sensible enough to notice that all was not well and to seek assistance, he had no problems whatsoever over my SGC / FAC and even suggested I went clay or rough shooting as a stress dump to help with my recovery.

Caused no issues whatsoever with my FEO either for the same reasons.

They are far more concerned over the person who will not seek help and they end up doing something daft instead.

1 in 3 people will suffer from this at some point in their lives.
 
Cracking thread.
A few years ago I hit a very low point and my now ex-wife told me to visit the docs. I refused as I was fearfull of loosing my fac and shooting is my release and "me" time, I wasnt a risk to anyone nor myself, I got over it and Im fine now, but should I reach that point now my partner has a contact in Wales that I can talk to. Its all "off record" as she deals with mostly military personnel, so I know my fac would be safe.
 
I think in the shooting / farming industry there is a lot of depression that goes unattended and un seen by doctors for fear of loosing fac 's .
gamekeepers ,struggling tenant farmers Ect depression can effect anyone of us at anytime how many times has someone you may know fallen Ill with depression and we say " you would never have known would you "

This is all very true.
Also bearing in mind that a few folk have said "a problem shared is a problem halved" it's also worth considering that, these days, someone's circle of friends may well be internet forum based (as in SD). Therefore, take care when making scathing replies to "personal" type posts on here, as it could well be someone who doesn't know who else to turn to. Just a thought.
 
Great thread,i'm sure this will help a lot of people who are getting on with it instead of getting over it.Having had a few problems in my life the hardest part is getting it off your chest and admitting you need help.Well done and all the best.
dave
 
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