Mental Health

[Nolafus]

I had moderate to severe depression for about six years, as well as insomnia, which I blame the depression for. Never took anything for it, but it went away naturally once I moved out on my own and the stress of living under my parents' judgmental gaze was taken off. Still have my down days every once in a while, but my work and hobbies keep my mind off of it. I no longer suffer from insomnia as well, and can go to bed early with relative ease. It seems most of my problems stemmed from my stress, and once I moved away from a lot of the things causing it, they went away.

 

[shadowmoon522]

there's no such thing as a sane human being, a sane human go's against the very definition of sanity.
most of these labels don't serve any good purpose & are just used to serve out drugs. depression? humans suffer over everything, the stress is a necessity for survival. people being happy all the time would do nothing but deteriorate peoples mental health & each have a chance of at least one of the side effects on this list:
nausea
increased appetite and weight gain
loss of sexual desire and other sexual problems, such as erectile dysfunction and decreased orgasm
fatigue and drowsiness
insomnia
dry mouth
blurred vision
constipation
dizziness
agitation
irritability
anxiety

you have to deal with your issues, not rely on crunches such as drugs. there's not much difference between relying on drugs and wheeling around in a wheel chair dispute having perfectly good legs. there are so many people who just don't know how to deal with their emotions & end up walking like mindless sheep to drug dealers. whether their in a store with a permit or on the street corner a drug dealer is a drug dealer siphoning off the money of the weak. i feel sorry for anyone who go's to one of these quack pyschs that dish out pills rather then helping out with peoples psychiatric needs.

 

[Sun]

I'm dealing with social anxiety and depression. I recall how scared I was before heading for the new job, I cried for days as I know I might be dealing with a lot of people, yes I'm sacred of crowd and fortunately I don't have to. I don't need to working during the rush hour here, I work early in the morning which is great and helpful. :) As for the depression, it can be overwhelming at times.

 

[Poki]

not giving a fuck is healthy and necessary -- to an extent. at a certain point it becomes sociopathic. (imo) and obviously I'm not trying to label you as a sociopath but maybe an interesting discussion point, or something. I'm also not expecting you to agree with me. but hey. more discussion.

I get called a sociopath 24/7, and, well, y'all ain't wrong.

 

[Sammi]

Honestly, I'm fine. I've got nothing diagnosed. The only thing I'd consider a problem is that sometimes if I get anxious, I dwell on it and don't know how to cope. But that's just me not knowing how to cope with my emotions, imo. also probably because I drink too much caffeine... *whistles* The rare times I get that anxious, it doesn't get in the way of life.

 

[pkmin3033]

you have to deal with your issues, not rely on crunches such as drugs. there's not much difference between relying on drugs and wheeling around in a wheel chair dispute having perfectly good legs. there are so many people who just don't know how to deal with their emotions & end up walking like mindless sheep to drug dealers. whether their in a store with a permit or on the street corner a drug dealer is a drug dealer siphoning off the money of the weak. i feel sorry for anyone who go's to one of these quack pyschs that dish out pills rather then helping out with peoples psychiatric needs.

I can see your point to a degree, but don't you think that's a little judgemental and narrow minded?

It's no weaker to take drugs for a mental issue than it is to take them for a physical issue. Would you criticize someone for taking drugs for a physical injury? If someone had just broken their leg, would you call them weak for taking something for the pain? The purpose of most legal drugs is to relieve the symptoms; to help people recover and manage them so that they don't interfere with their daily lives.

Drugs you can take for mental health issues can have far more damaging side effects than most drugs you can take for physical health problems, true, but this is precisely why you have to see specialists for them: you can't just walk into a shop and get something like that. If you have an issue with people taking those drugs, your anger would be better directed towards the ones who hand out prescriptions, rather than the individual with the mental health issue. If you go to someone for help, and they recommend a course of drugs, you're not weak for taking them: that is no different to following a doctor's advice if you have a physical illness. It's a good idea to explore all of your options, perhaps, but it isn't wrong to assume that a doctor has your best interests in mind and has recommended what they believe to be the best course of action for you: that's their job.

Suffering is not comparable, and everyone experiences and copes with things in different ways. Just as some people have a higher pain threshold than others, some are better at handling certain thoughts and feelings than others. They're not weaker because they can't cope as well as others, it just means that they have a different outlook and appreciation of life. We all react differently to events in our lives. Some of us live in a state of perpetual apathy, whilst others break down over things that are small and inconsequential to everyone but them. Neither state is objectively "stronger" or "weaker" than the other.

Perhaps some people DO jump the gun and immediately ask for drugs to help them because they don't think they can cope without them, but that is their call to make, and you can hardly belittle them for taking that option when you're ignorant of their situation. You don't know what they're thinking or feeling. You might have had a similar experience, but that does not mean that you can understand their situation. It's not your call to make, nor is it your place to judge them as weaker because they do not respond the way you believe you would if you were in their situation.

Therapy exists to teach people to cope, amongst other things, but it isn't an instantaneous fix: these things can take years, and taking drugs as an interim solution is hardly a weakness, and nor is it "mindless" in any sense of the word - it can take a great amount of courage, as well as foresight, to realize that you can't cope and that you need help. It's also worth noting that psychology is a very imprecise thing: techniques like CBT are not infallible, and may not work as well with some people, or may not even work at all. Is it weak to take drugs when you can't immediately identify a way to cope easier without them? What purpose in struggling through life when you have the means to alleviate the symptoms, even if only temporarily? The road to recovery is often a long and bumpy one, and whilst some people will find it easy, others won't. You can say the same of almost everything in life. It isn't a question of strength or weakness.

I don't think people should rely solely on drugs for mental health problems either, but I don't think it is weak to accept help when it is offered, and if that is part of the form that help takes, if someone wants to accept it then they have every right to do so without being sneered at. It would be lovely if people could just "deal with it" or "get over it" but it's one thing to say it and another thing to actually do it.

I disagree very strongly with your comment that illegal drug dealers and pharmacists are the same, but I don't think I can respond to that in detail politely, so I'll just say I disagree, and make the polite suggestion that you do some research and develop a more informed opinion on the difference between the two.

I wasn't going to comment in this thread, because I'm not comfortable discussing my mental health, beyond admitting that I have a few issues that are seriously impacting my life at present. But I felt the need to respond to that, because whilst I have never taken drugs for my own mental wellbeing - amongst other things, I'm concerned about the side effects, and I think the detrimental effects would outweigh potential gain, and my doctors agreed with me - I have many acquaintances who have, and I have quite strong thoughts about it. That's all.

 

[Kura]

It would be lovely if people could just "deal with it" or "get over it" but it's one thing to say it and another thing to actually do it.

Sometimes I tend to compare the whole "Hey why don't you just get over it/ don't worry about it/ etc" thing to saying to someone who's really hunger to just ignore their hunger. Their hunger is like their mental itch, and they scratch or "feed" it by certain tendencies that they've become accustomed to (like self-put-downs.. or feeding worrying thoughts by overplanning, and stuff like that.) You can't tell a hungry person to "just stop being hungry" just like you can't tell a depressed person to "just cheer up." But you can eventually learn to manage your metaphorical "eating times" or actually find great ways to distract yourself to get you through the uncomfortable bits.

Just wanted to mention that little tidbit of my personal view on the matter. :3 I like metaphors.

 

[Kanzler]

Every human being deals with stress and anxiety. That is absolutely normal. But sometimes it reaches to an extent where an otherwise normal human being is unable to function at a normal capacity. Everybody experiences bumps in the road of life, but there comes a point when those bumps are not simply bumps but is dysfunction.

 

[Aquacorde]

i have fairly bad anxiety and related depression that are regulated with medication. doesn't block out the complete self hatred or the tendency to worry about everything, just makes it simmer down to a tolerable level. also has the effect of tossing me a little too far the other way where i become apathetic about things i really should be worried about. also mild asperger's syndrome but that's been pretty well overcome with years and years of intense work in social areas of my life.

i have pretty terrible mental health tho.

 

[TwilightBlade]

It's amazing how people can hate themselves yet when we see other people hating themselves we say don't do that, hun... :( My mental health has had a lot of ups and downs these past few years. If I had to self-diagnose myself, I have frequent anxiety and moderate depression. There are days I don't want to wake up. There are days I want to go to bed early because my reality is stressful. I have anorexic tendencies in skipping meals or throwing away some portion of my meal. It's the desire to not be existing. There are moments I just have a self-hatred fueled thought and then begin to cry. There were several instances where my heart rate increases, I begin to sweat and shake. I've been taking medicine for the abnormally fast heart rate. I peaked 150 bpm when in the hospital for fainting out of fatigue. The doctors said there was nothing major physically nor chemically wrong with me, though. They were pretty quick to send me the bill and insurance was pretty quick to say that it wasn't medically necessary and didn't want to pay anything. I feel that something is amiss with me internally, yet I don't want to approach anyone sincerely about it. So, I cope with it as do other people. It can be overwhelming, but each moment I try to remember that I have those who are looking forward to seeing me every day.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

you have to deal with your issues, not rely on crunches such as drugs. there's not much difference between relying on drugs and wheeling around in a wheel chair dispute having perfectly good legs. there are so many people who just don't know how to deal with their emotions & end up walking like mindless sheep to drug dealers. whether their in a store with a permit or on the street corner a drug dealer is a drug dealer siphoning off the money of the weak. i feel sorry for anyone who go's to one of these quack pyschs that dish out pills rather then helping out with peoples psychiatric needs.

I disagree. You can't expect someone with depression to just 'snap out of it'. Nor can you expect a person with Schizophrenia to deal with the voices in their head. That's why some more severe cases have to be medicated to keep them from doing anything drastic. My boyfriend has been dealing with a lot of severe to profound anxiety lately. He has depressive tendencies, and everyday he feels like dying. He feels like he's suffocating every moment. Are you going to sit there and tell me that he's better off dealing with those thoughts? You think he should suffer with the constant pains of anxiety and depression? I'd rather have my boyfriend be on medication than suffer.

Just my two cents.

 

[Wicked3DS]

I was diagnosed with ADHD, then later Asperger's syndrome. Guess what? I got off the medication and worked through everything by myself, and now I have very little symptoms of either of those.

Makes me wonder how much stock I can really put into some of these "mental illnesses."

 

[Aquacorde]

I was diagnosed with ADHD, then later Asperger's syndrome. Guess what? I got off the medication and worked through everything by myself, and now I have very little symptoms of either of those.

Makes me wonder how much stock I can really put into some of these "mental illnesses."

Some people have stronger chemical imbalances. Some people have more severe conditions. Some conditions are worsened by life situations and the quality of people's lives. Some conditions work in tandem, and feed each other into a downward spiral.

Some people are misdiagnosed, and skew data. Some people can break free from a negative feedback loop. Some people have physical conditions that are the root of their mental conditions, and become mentally healthy in tandem with being physically cured.

I personally overcame the inhibitions caused by my Asperger's, but my anxiety and depression has worsened very quickly. I know that my mental health improves when I exercise and eat healthily. However, motivating myself to do either of those things is very, very hard when I'm completely overwhelmed by the world and I am screaming at myself to get up and do anything at all, but my brain is overriding that and making me just freeze and before I know it two weeks has passed and I still don't have a job, I'm still fat, I haven't left the house, I've been eating junk for comfort, and I hate myself even more.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

Not only that... but people handle things differently. Some people are often so severe that they might need medication. It can often be their only resort to improve their well-being. Just because you might have overcome everything without batting an eye, doesn't mean the next person can do the same. My anxiety has actually become more and more severe due to traumatic experiences in my life. It's made me become extremely weary of everything around me as well. I never used to have anxiety that would make me live in front of the computer. For some, it's easy to break away from this habit, but it's not for me. I can't deal with my anxiety or stress levels as well as a normal person can on a normal basis. In fact, I can't hold down a job because that plus having ADHD, Dyspraxia and Autism all make it even harder for me. Yes, I have had a job once through a life skills program once. It was the worst fucking experience I've had in my life. That was when I realized that having a job just wasn't for me. I get far too overwhelmed by what I have to do, and my mind will often freeze after getting told something needing to be done. I just can't handle having a job at all.

I've only overcame a majority of my autism in some way, but it's not like I still don't struggle with it.

Don't be so quick to judge others just because you overcame your challenges.

 

[shadowmoon522]

I disagree. You can't expect someone with depression to just 'snap out of it'. Nor can you expect a person with Schizophrenia to deal with the voices in their head. That's why some more severe cases have to be medicated to keep them from doing anything drastic. My boyfriend has been dealing with a lot of severe to profound anxiety lately. He has depressive tendencies, and everyday he feels like dying. He feels like he's suffocating every moment. Are you going to sit there and tell me that he's better off dealing with those thoughts? You think he should suffer with the constant pains of anxiety and depression? I'd rather have my boyfriend be on medication than suffer.

Just my two cents.

those things can lead to suicidal tendencies, aggression, withdraw from relationships & activities, mania, nightmares & akathisia.
the "cure" might be worse then the cause and might not even know just how bad it is til its to late.
people psyducking their brains chemistry balance with drugs....
it go's from depressed, to content, to all over the place.
or in other words it starts off as a rainy day, then a nice sunny day THEN A FREAKING HURRICANE WITH TWISTERS & WATERSPOUTS OUT OF NOWHERE.
yay to drugs that cause paradoxical reactions! at least now there's one way to trick the sheep into helping restore the life:death ratio & reduce the planets over population.

 

[Kanzler]

those things can lead to suicidal tendencies, aggression, withdraw from relationships & activities, mania, nightmares & akathisia.
the "cure" might be worse then the cause and might not even know just how bad it is til its to late.
people psyducking their brains chemistry balance with drugs....
it go's from depressed, to content, to all over the place.
or in other words it starts off as a rainy day, then a nice sunny day THEN A FREAKING HURRICANE WITH TWISTERS & WATERSPOUTS OUT OF NOWHERE.
yay to drugs that cause paradoxical reactions! at least now there's one way to trick the sheep into helping restore the life:death ratio & reduce the planets over population.

Yes, that's what happens when drugs are abused and used in inappropriate quantities. That's why we have psychiatrists who are trained to prescribe these drugs and make sure that people don't get inappropriate doses. Just because they can be dangerous doesn't mean they harm most people. Anybody can die from a car accident, but most people don't.

It's not so different from other drugs. If you have an iron deficiency, taking an iron supplement can boost your iron levels. Similarly, if you have a serotonin deficiency, taking an SSRI can boost your serotonin levels. It's a bit more complex, but the general idea of balancing a deficiency is the same. But taking prescribed medication is not the same as fucking your brain chemistry - that's an absolutely ridiculous comparison and would be analagous to what happens when you take recreational drugs and don't know what you're dealing with, lol.

Even if there is a risk to taking a drug, the point is that a lot of these people are simply fed up with their symptoms and are willing to take a risk to alleviate those symptoms. But what's wrong with that? If you're not happy with an aspect of your life, wouldn't you take a risk to change it? Or would you just let the same old happen to you over and over?

 

[Sydian]

I have had anxiety all my life, though it wasn't diagnosed as that until I was 18. Before then, I would get anxiety attacks and such every first day of school, so my parents took me to the doctor for tests on my stomach cause they thought it was an illness there. :P But nah. Anxiety. I had a tendency as a child to collect things (rocks, coins, stickers, anything I was interested in really) and organizing said collections (especially my Pokemon cards) to cope with it. Nowadays, I'd say my anxiety is pretty average. I have never taken medicine for it and just fight it myself.

I had clinical depression for most of 2011, as well. Also didn't take any medicine for that either. Looking back, I don't think it would have helped me. I think it would have made it worse so I'm more than okay with just taking it head on. It was a battle everyday and I feel like it will come back for another round someday, but I'm going to win that one, too.

 

[天 (Caine)]

Those that are critical of psychiatric medication, and psychology in general, really hit a nerve with me. There have been clinical studies and trials which conclude that psychiatric medication is effective in treating mental illnesses. While there are potentially dangerous side effects (which are rare), it's up to the doctor, nurse, or pharmacist to clearly explain these to the patient and what to do if the patient experiences them. Those who dismiss psychiatry are disagreeing with years of research, studies, and trials which prove beyond a reasonable doubt that medication is effective in treating mental illnesses.

That being said, psychiatric medication, while not perfect, has side effects that can be significant to the patient. For example, some people who are prescribed olanzapine experience significant weight gain but at the same time the drug was effective in treating their symptoms. There can be a trade-off when the side effects aren't life threatening but it's the patient's choice whether or not to continue the treatment.

It's also worth mentioning that all mental health professionals that operate in the United States must adhere to the American Psychological Association's "ethics and code of conduct". Mental health professionals, just like attorneys and primary care physicians, can lose their license to work (and can open them up to a malpractice lawsuit) if it's proven that they have breached that code of conduct. There are rules and guidelines to follow, a professional cannot break these on a whim.

Please pardon my rant. Like I said, this really gets under my skin.

 

[shadowmoon522]

I have had anxiety all my life, though it wasn't diagnosed as that until I was 18. Before then, I would get anxiety attacks and such every first day of school, so my parents took me to the doctor for tests on my stomach cause they thought it was an illness there. :P But nah. Anxiety. I had a tendency as a child to collect things (rocks, coins, stickers, anything I was interested in really) and organizing said collections (especially my Pokemon cards) to cope with it. Nowadays, I'd say my anxiety is pretty average. I have never taken medicine for it and just fight it myself.

I had clinical depression for most of 2011, as well. Also didn't take any medicine for that either. Looking back, I don't think it would have helped me. I think it would have made it worse so I'm more than okay with just taking it head on. It was a battle everyday and I feel like it will come back for another round someday, but I'm going to win that one, too.

this is exactly my point, for something like depression its not the best idea to use drugs. depression is crushing sadness, using drugs won't get rid of the cause. sadness, anger, happiness... everything has some psychological root that caused it and there's always something that can counter it. everyone has the capacity to overcome their emotions & control them or at least be able to fight them.

Those that are critical of psychiatric medication, and psychology in general, really hit a nerve with me. There have been clinical studies and trials which conclude that psychiatric medication is effective in treating mental illnesses. While there are potentially dangerous side effects (which are rare), it's up to the doctor, nurse, or pharmacist to clearly explain these to the patient and what to do if the patient experiences them. Those who dismiss psychiatry are disagreeing with years of research, studies, and trials which prove beyond a reasonable doubt that medication is effective in treating mental illnesses.

That being said, psychiatric medication, while not perfect, has side effects that can be significant to the patient. For example, some people who are prescribed olanzapine experience significant weight gain but at the same time the drug was effective in treating their symptoms. There can be a trade-off when the side effects aren't life threatening but it's the patient's choice whether or not to continue the treatment.

It's also worth mentioning that all mental health professionals that operate in the United States must adhere to the American Psychological Association's "ethics and code of conduct". Mental health professionals, just like attorneys and primary care physicians, can lose their license to work (and can open them up to a malpractice lawsuit) if it's proven that they have breached that code of conduct. There are rules and guidelines to follow, a professional cannot break these on a whim.

Please pardon my rant. Like I said, this really gets under my skin.

that "ethics and code of conduct" doesn't really mean much in a country that has legalized inhumane actions & conditions to mentally ill on multiple occasions due to the fears & blind prejudice of multitudes of people & is still doing so to this day.
most of the ones who break the rules either don't realize their doing so or do so in a manor that they can't get in trouble for it.
in the 90s, 2000s & even now days hundreds of kids where/are misdiagnosed with ADHD and autism. "oh look, that kid can't sit still in a classroom, it can't be that their just bored like any kid would be, lets throw a label on 'em & give 'em sedatives" mindset has taken over the minds of various psychiatrists.
most of the ones who do get misdiagnosed don't even realize they where misdiagnosed due to the nature of the drugs that get shoved down their throats.
i've seen many kids who are outright brain dead & can't even think for themselves due to these medicines. the pyschs & their very own parents don't even see it.
what i said ticks you off? why? pride?
cause you think that haven't read though all the data? you didn't say anything that i didn't already know. still not enough information to even tell how much of the research was made by biased people.
do you think that your judgements are always right?
or are you reading what i say with tone other then a monotone thus reading it out of context?
that wouldn't be to surprising if you where, a series of questions with 2 being answered is usually enough to trick the mind. various people have misread what i say as being far from what i said it as.

 

[pkmin3033]

that "ethics and code of conduct" doesn't really mean much in a country that has legalized inhumane actions & conditions to mentally ill on multiple occasions due to the fears & blind prejudice of multitudes of people & is still doing so to this day.
most of the ones who break the rules either don't realize their doing so or do so in a manor that they can't get in trouble for it.
in the 90s, 2000s & even now days hundreds of kids where/are misdiagnosed with ADHD and autism. "oh look, that kid can't sit still in a classroom, it can't be that their just bored like any kid would be, lets throw a label on 'em & give 'em sedatives" mindset has taken over the minds of various psychiatrists.
most of the ones who do get misdiagnosed don't even realize they where misdiagnosed due to the nature of the drugs that get shoved down their throats.
i've seen many kids who are outright brain dead & can't even think for themselves due to these medicines. the pyschs & their very own parents don't even see it.
what i said ticks you off? why? pride?
cause you think that haven't read though all the data? you didn't say anything that i didn't already know. still not enough information to even tell how much of the research was made by biased people.
do you think that your judgements are always right?
or are you reading what i say with tone other then a monotone thus reading it out of context?
that wouldn't be to surprising if you where, a series of questions with 2 being answered is usually enough to trick the mind. various people have misread what i say as being far from what i said it as.

I think this is a bit extreme. Being diagnosed with something as a child is absolutely nothing like being diagnosed with something when you're old enough to seek help. You can't put all mental disorders under the same blanket of diagnosis and treatment, either - that's perpetuating the very attitude you describe doctors taking in your post; one where you're just given a label and expected to put up with it. A case of ADHD is completely different from a case of depression. Every case is different, in fact, and a diagnosis is not something that is reached immediately or casually. Labels are not absolutes; they are guidelines, designed to help people understand and come to terms with their mental health difficulties, not to put them in a box and file them away with the standard-issue treatment for their particular label.

Society might frown upon people who act differently, and may try and make them fit into a certain mould, but that is a completely separate issue that has nothing to do with individual mental health, or the usage of psychological labels. The stigma surrounding certain labels and their use or misuse isn't really a relevant point...at least, not in my opinion.

It's never as cut-and-dry as "we'll give you these and that will be that" when you're old enough to seek help, and even when you're younger it isn't very probable that will happen. Drugs go hand-in-hand with psychology, and you're carefully monitored whilst you take them. If they don't work, or you experience side effects, you come off them, you don't just keep going. All the while that you ARE taking them, support is provided to try and get you to the point that you don't need them, or can manage with a minimal dose. You're acting as though drugs are treated as an absolute solution to mental health problems, and they're not: they're aids to manage symptoms. Do you seriously believe you should suffer and battle through something you have tried and failed to battle through when you can temporarily find relief? Maybe everyone DOES have the mental fortitude to overcome their problems, like you say. But not right away, and not without help. As I said in a previous post, people have different outlooks on life, and some find it easier to manage their thoughts and feelings than others.

If that doesn't happen in your country (what country is that, if you don't mind my asking?) and things are as corrupt and despicable as you say, then that's unfortunate, but you shouldn't assume the circumstances are the same for the rest of the world. In the UK at least, it isn't. Whilst I have had some problems with my doctors, they have always taken my thoughts and feelings into account, and didn't rush to put me on drugs when I went to them for help, although they were certainly an option; in fact, they were very reluctant to even consider it. My little brother, who is severely autistic, was only prescribed drugs for a couple of years because he had seizures, and he was taken off them a couple of years ago; he has NEVER been given drugs with the intent of managing his autism. Several of my acquaintances, who have suffered from depression or similar in their lives, have either never taken drugs at all or only taken them for a short period of time, or had their doses altered in according with their symptoms. You hear horror stories of people being misdiagnosed and abused and the rest of it all the time, but that's little more than the media sensationalising extreme cases and, for the majority, not the reality. You will always get people who are misdiagnosed, or put on the wrong drugs, but when dealing with something as complex and difficult as the human mind, mistakes are bound to be made. You can't expect psychology to be infallible.

Drugs are not the easy access, over-abused, incorrectly assigned first port of call you seem to think they are. At least not here and, from what I've been reading on here, not in the United States either. There may be problems with these types of drugs elsewhere, such as in your country, but you shouldn't let your own jaded, cynical opinion on their prescription and usage be transferred to other countries and other people: different rules and attitudes apply. If you don't like them, that's fine - you're entitled to your opinion. Don't you think others are entitled to theirs as well, and are entitled to be respected if they do take drugs, rather than being labelled as misguided and brain dead?

Also, if you don't want people to misunderstand your points - as I may have done so replying to this post - I'd suggest you either phrase things more carefully, or don't use such loaded terms like "brain dead" when describing people who are put on drugs.