Nationstates' Mental illness thread.

[Russels Orbiting Teapot]

My partner has a pretty serious anxiety and depression disorder, combined with a history of childhood trauma involving her blatantly abusive mother and her disorganized and unstable father. She's using Citalopram to control her symptoms, and seeing a therapist weekly, but her body is building a resistance and she's needed to increase the dosage once already. I'm supporting her through community college and she's getting financial aid, but getting her to do her homework daily and sometimes even go to class can be a challenge.

Personally, in dealing with this I've had a number of personal issues crop up that I'm not sure how best to deal with, and I might end up venting my spleen here a bit as I usually can't admit to these feelings for fear of adding to the significant burden of negativity my partner already carries. This has left me often resenting her because the fact that I can't talk to her about the ways in which I feel emotionally neglected or overburdened make me feel like I am an inferior in our relationship, that I am less important than her because her problems are more significant and there is no room for me to have problems.

I also end up feeling like I'm the one who needs to push her to do necessary tasks, like even simple things like calling her doctor or brushing her teeth, and the almost nightly struggle over getting her homework done. This creates a troublesome dynamic in our relationship, where I have to act like an authority figure, but my authority is constantly compromised by both my own emotions and by her ability to emotionally manipulate me, usually by expressing that she's stressed or feels guilty when I bring up necessary tasks.

So I guess, any advice on how to be more supportive, how to better cope with the situation, etc?

[Gnork]

Congenital mental illness should be prevented from spreading, the affected of non-congenital deseases of the mind should not be a burden on the general productive population. Does life diminished like this really be considered worthwhile? Is it not cruelty to let it continue in dull vegetation?

[Benuty]

Congenital mental illness should be prevented from spreading, the affected of non-congenital deseases of the mind should not be a burden on the general productive population. Does life diminished like this really be considered worthwhile? Is it not cruelty to let it continue in dull vegetation?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congenital_disorder

I don't think you meant to say mental illness in that manner.

[Justin States]

Hopefully you don't have PTSD, since I have PTSD, I know its terrifying and awful. I can't be around fireworks exploding or guns firing without having a terrifying flashback of a terrible event.

I think I do though, I don't like loud noises or yelling, reminds me of my past, (see page 3 or 4 I think, I I explained it to Transyl )

Then you probably do have PTSD...

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Some WA members will know about my poor state of mental health in the last few days, so let me try to document what has happened since.

Yesterday evening I got a telegram thinking that I was multyling, even though I am extremely confident that never used my nation on public computers: even though it did not eject me, I quit the WA anyway because it was another pain on my health and to retaliate would make the situation a lot worse.

Ever since quitting the WA, I have been thinking as to what the internet and my dependency on the WA has done to my health, and I have been questioning about the real purpose of my life. My thoughts of taking my own life are running wild and and I have a very intensive university year ahead which I feel that I will not cope.

I am lead to believe that I have PTSD because certain types of noises, like clapping, will agitate me and make me have a nervous breakdown. My problems with clapping is every troublesome and it effectively prevents me from doing much in the real life. I have already contacted my solicitors about doing up a will because I am not sure how long I have to live without losing my mind entirely.

Combined with a history of trauma from bullying and name calling I am going through one of the worst case scenario, but my relatives are trying to get help for me, but I feel this is in vain because I feel that my physical health is as good as a retired pensioner now.

[The Beast of Boston]

My doctor said I'm split brained.

[Knockturn Alley]

Social anxiety I can relate to but I can usually control it quite well and act normal so don't think I really have that as an illness.
I've always been fascinated by OCD because it can manifest itself in so many different ways!
It can be utterly innocuous as in always brushing for exactly 5 minutes or be completely out of control like Sheldon Cooper and Artemis Fowl; and every affected person's OCD has a bit of their own personality in that.
Psychology is fascinating

I don't know much about Artemis Fowl, but Sheldon Cooper is definitely not an example of "out of control" OCD. I may not have seen that many episodes, but I feel like I would have heard something from friends who watch it all the time had he lost his job because he lost track of hours of time she to getting caught in an excessive loop, or him suddenly freezing up because he had an intrusive thought about everyone in the room dying horribly. OCD is far more extreme than most people realize.

Actually there are quite a few idiosyncrasies of Sheldon which points to OCD. He needs to knock thrice on the door interspersed with the person's name regardless of whether he is already in the apartment or not. He needs to always sit in "his spot" and when he goes to a new place he finds a new spot. (Remember the parking spot argument with Howard). Lastly and the biggest point of them all was shown in the episode called something closure, where Sheldon would feel an irrational need to complete everything that was done. I think the person who tried to cure him was Wheaton, not sure; and at the end of the episode when everyone thought he was cured he would secretly complete every action that was left unfinished.

[Geanna]

Rechecking the op, yay, I'm scisophenic...

I doubt that, since while schizophrenia does mean split mind that isn't actually the case. Of-course contrary to American mythology there is more than one type of Schizophrenia (most are familiar with a stereotyped view of Paranoid), and most aren't actually violent. The bigotry is excellent when they claim "schizos are violent criminals" when schizophrenics are more likely to be murdered because of this false perception, and the fact many are homeless.

Manic Depression [Now called Bipolar Depression] can produce hallucinations as well [Mania]. I'd never suggest anyone to self-diagnose themselves however.

I like the thread - I've been diagnosed with Manic Depression and have had it since I was about 9 or 10; However - I have the hypomania form - I don't hallucinate.

As well; Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depression are not the same thing, albeit they have similarities.

Manic depression with the mania results in highs with delusions of grandeur, and hallucinations. It typically involves mood swings from high to low at varying frequencies. As for me, I have hypomania - so I don't have the delusions or hallucinations, instead one day I may feel perfectly happy; then suddenly lose all interest in everything. Thus the similarity to bipolar disorder - albeit my swings are only between depression and normal.

The unfortunate part about it - is that typically MD is the result of chemical imbalance, so unlike situational depression - there's no reason outside at least; for my swings. I'll socialize, go out, play games, and then suddenly have no interest or will to do anything, I just feel down and apathetic. Each swing can last a few hours, days, or even months - and it's cost me a few relationships with people - since I'll hit a sudden downswing, and then withdraw from everything until I swing back.

Sometimes things can cause me to drop-off - fights, arguments, or something bad can affect my mood much more suddenly than someone without MD; As a result, I get very quiet, before I learnt how to try and regulate my mood - I sometimes just broke down crying. It also affects my ability to trust people as a result; I'm either afraid of being hurt, or afraid of letting anyone in because I never know when my next dropoff will happen - and I don't want someone to get their hopes up, me hit a cliff, and then I end up hurting them because I withdraw [It's happened... alot...]

So - I stopped dating about 5 years ago because of that...

Naturally, it's hard to explain to people - the moment someone hears Manic or Bipolar Depression, they immediately think you're gonna go ballistic at any moment or you belong in an asylum. And for the most part, people don't usually understand; Friends will get upset, or think I'm mad at them because I won't go out to the club or movies with them when I'm on my downswing, unfortunately it isn't anything I can necessarily control, and it's never been that I don't want to go do something, I just have no feeling to do so [which is especially hard to explain to someone]. So I often either push everyone away, or hold everyone at arm's length so that if they decide to let me go - the damage is far less.

The longest episode I've ever had was not long after I graduated - I graduated early from HS [I had just turned 17]; I was excited originally, and then adulthood hit - and I had a downswing that lasted for about a year and a half. When I am in my downswings - I just sort of mope around, I can't find anything to do that had interested me perfectly the day before; I'll even have issues enjoying food, and may go an entire day without eating. I also get really bad insomnia and as a result my schedule gets majorly wonked - I'll sleep during the day, and stay up all night, or have problems falling asleep and lie in bed for hours. Often to the point that I'll cry because I want to sleep regularly.

I picked up smoking to be a crutch when I was about 15, did weed in Highschool to keep my mood up a bit [More like I was just kinda moot and chilled out], and then one day when I was about 18 - I had a really good day. Went out to the lake, had a lot of fun with friends, and the next morning, I quit cold-turkey and never smoked again. I also had a somewhat bad drinking habit into my late teenage years - and drank way too much one night, I didn't get alcohol poisoning luckily, but it was enough to convince me that I had to stop drinking, so now I barely if ever drink any alcohol - the most I'll ever drink is 3 shots of liquor or a beer.

As far as suicide, I've attempted once and failed - no-one typically wants to die; and it was funny when I failed - I was scared as fuck. It's a last resort when you just want the pain to end - and there doesn't seem to be any other way out anymore. However - since that attempt, I promised myself I'd never do it again; since not long after [I was about 15], my mum told me this - ''When you've hit rock-bottom, you're in a hole, and the only way to get out is to go up'' - which has been a big driving force behind me never attempting again, because if I pulled myself up then, I can do it again.

That and I know that when I do hit a rough-patch, there'll be a time where I'll swing back, and I just have to wait it out, and try to keep myself together.

So - even though I try to regulate it, and deal with it, it's still an everyday hard deal to manage. I try to reach out to people, and push my boundaries more to be more open - because I get really tired of feeling alone all the time. I suppose it's funny to see just how fast someone will run to the hills [their excuses are amusing at least] - when we're flirting and I tell them I have MD, I guess that's a perk, but it's better to be upfront about it, then to do it later and me feel devastated if they do run; I just know that I can't really change people's perceptions - I don't go ballistic, that's a big misconception with MD and BD. Maybe I'll go be a cat lady - cats don't care.

So yup - that about sums it up with me, and what it's like to have MD.

[Tule]

ADHD:

It's not really attention deficit, it's attention control deficit.

I can't force myself to read AND comprehend a text I have no interest in. Stray thoughts will force their way into my mind and I can't keep them away consciously.
Likewise I have a very hard time with getting anything to stick in my mind if it's preoccupied with something interesting.

Oh, and the memory problems. They are terrible enough on their own.

You feel like your mind is not entirely yours. It's incredibly frustrating and can wreak havoc on your mood.

[The Floating Island of the Sleeping God]

ADHD:

It's not really attention deficit, it's attention control deficit.

I can't force myself to read AND comprehend a text I have no interest in. Stray thoughts will force their way into my mind and I can't keep them away consciously.
Likewise I have a very hard time with getting anything to stick in my mind if it's preoccupied with something interesting.

Oh, and the memory problems. They are terrible enough on their own.

You feel like your mind is not entirely yours. It's incredibly frustrating and can wreak havoc on your mood.

Fucking preach. Like, I'm a pretty smart guy. If I miss my daily meds? Nonfunctional. It's so damn frustrating to go through a school day and know that the whole day is wasted because nothing stays interesting for more than a few minutes. And the hunger. I don't know if this is just me, but I eat way too much when off my meds. Like, I've gained a couple pounds from a day's worth of eating before. Nightmare.

What really pisses me off is when people say it's not real. "Back in my day, we called ADHD L-A-Z-Y! Kehkehkeh." Uh, no, it's not just me daydreaming. It's those goddamn neurotransmitters. They're the lazy ones. My brain is broken and it literally stops working right if I don't take a pill to break it in a slightly different way.

[The United Colonies of Earth]

Um...
I was diagnosed at 4 with Aspergers. I never suffered any bullying as a result, except by my brother.
After watching too much TV I invariably hallucinate that Peter Griffin is my bodyguard and he's invincible and can save me from all troubles. Sometimes I do this. Other times I can read a book, and I can see what's going on like a movie. I get up and then I'm acting out what I'm seeing.
I can recall voices and stuff in my head like echoes. They're usually emotional moments, like this time I tried to talk to a girl and I asked her if she would miss me, and she just didn't respond...

[Insaeldor]

I have depression, I used to take medication for it I'm now doing pretty good without it. The pills made me real hyper and annoying so I through that shit out.

[Glorious KASSRD]

Um...
I was diagnosed at 4 with Aspergers. I never suffered any bullying as a result, except by my brother.
After watching too much TV I invariably hallucinate that Peter Griffin is my bodyguard and he's invincible and can save me from all troubles. Sometimes I do this. Other times I can read a book, and I can see what's going on like a movie. I get up and then I'm acting out what I'm seeing.
I can recall voices and stuff in my head like echoes. They're usually emotional moments, like this time I tried to talk to a girl and I asked her if she would miss me, and she just didn't respond...

Wait...Not everyone can do that?

[The Beast of Boston]

My doctor said I'm split brained.

How did this go over everyone's head?!?!

[Greto]

Well I'll give this a try, I was recently diagnosed with PTSD after being "encouraged" to attend sessions from a person I know, I guess this didn't really come as a shock because I knew something with me was wrong. It all started after responding to an medical emergency that involved a person I knew, he had a heart attack and blood was everywhere. Within the past month we had worked 3 different codes, and a couple bad wrecks. It was enough to finally open up memory lane and start pouring older calls back into my brain, I stopped hanging out with friends and distanced myself from my family. I became ashamed of what I had become even when everyone else was telling me that I was doing good. Sleeping became a battle and I would get angry at anyone for any reason, eventually I got reprimanded for yelling at one of the guys on my truck for making a mistake.

I guess one day it all just hit at once, we responded to a code and when we got back I found myself having a severe anxiety attack, I was sent home and a friend came and visited me. I told her everything and she listened, I actually felt better for once because I could open up. She brought up the idea of going to see a doctor and actually came with me to my first visit, it helped little if any at all. But even with this I still somehow smile and joke with everyone, constantly. If you were to ask anyone at the house they would say I'm the most lively guy on the truck.

Well I guess that's all I got to say about my experience with mental illness, for now.

[Calimera II]

Fortunately, I don't have any mental illness.

[Justin States]

Fortunately, I don't have any mental illness.

You are a very lucky person.

[Atomic Utopia]

Well this thread seems to be doing well, good job Transyl for creating such an important thread. Now lets talk about something most of have probably seen, mental illness denial. One irritating part of my life is the fact that some people do not seem to understand how absolutely terrible mental illness can be, it is just like being crippled physically. An example is the Church of Scientology, they believe that medication for mental illness is bad, and yet it is so obviously necessary for many people to live, my little brother had ADHD in the extreme, and he needs medication to function, but people I meet deny that mental illness is so bad and even deny its existence. I often wonder if such people would be so quick to deny it if it were visible such as physical disability.

[Benuty]

Well this thread seems to be doing well, good job Transyl for creating such an important thread. Now lets talk about something most of have probably seen, mental illness denial. One irritating part of my life is the fact that some people do not seem to understand how absolutely terrible mental illness can be, it is just like being crippled physically. An example is the Church of Scientology, they believe that medication for mental illness is bad, and yet it is so obviously necessary for many people to live, my little brother had ADHD in the extreme, and he needs medication to function, but people I meet deny that mental illness is so bad and even deny its existence. I often wonder if such people would be so quick to deny it if it were visible such as physical disability.

You should see their propaganda "Museum of Death" essentially they claim Psychiatry caused the Holocaust (not kidding). Bonus points for blaming proto-psychiatrists for killing George Washington. The main doctors decided not to do a lifesaving operation, and instead bloodletted them to the point of George begging them to go away so they could die. There was a great video from crash course noting how no one would dare make fun of a polio victim, yet they seem to have a free for all when it comes to the mentally ill.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

Fortunately, I don't have any mental illness.

I bet I could give you one.

[Torisakia]

Well this thread seems to be doing well, good job Transyl for creating such an important thread. Now lets talk about something most of have probably seen, mental illness denial. One irritating part of my life is the fact that some people do not seem to understand how absolutely terrible mental illness can be, it is just like being crippled physically. An example is the Church of Scientology, they believe that medication for mental illness is bad, and yet it is so obviously necessary for many people to live, my little brother had ADHD in the extreme, and he needs medication to function, but people I meet deny that mental illness is so bad and even deny its existence. I often wonder if such people would be so quick to deny it if it were visible such as physical disability.

There are a lot of people who claim that people with social anxiety are simply shy. Being shy and having social anxiety are actually two very different things. People who are shy don't speak much at first but then often open up as they become more comfortable. As to where people with social anxiety find it hard to become comfortable in social situations no matter how many times they are faced with them, at least in my experience.

[Benuty]

Fortunately, I don't have any mental illness.

I bet I could give you one.

You have more than enough people cursed to worship the moon thank you.

So how about not?

[Lunatic Goofballs]

I bet I could give you one.

You have more than enough people cursed to worship the moon thank you.

So how about not?

Aww. It's been weeks since I've driven someone nuts.

[Atomic Utopia]

There are a lot of people who claim that people with social anxiety are simply shy. Being shy and having social anxiety are actually two very different things. People who are shy don't speak much at first but then often open up as they become more comfortable. As to where people with social anxiety find it hard to become comfortable in social situations no matter how many times they are faced with them, at least in my experience.

Well yes there is the small minority that pretends to have a mental illness, but mental illness is just as real as regular illness.

Also, why is abstract thinking a symptom of altimeters disease?

[Benuty]

You have more than enough people cursed to worship the moon thank you.

So how about not?

Aww. It's been weeks since I've driven someone nuts.

Well the last time you did it became the reason Mars is a vast uninhabitable expanse.