Psycho-Babble Medication | about biological treatments | Framed
This thread | Show all | Post follow-up | Start new thread | List of forums | Search | FAQ

Re: The Honest Truth » pretty_paints

Posted by elizabeth22 on February 5, 2005, at 14:32:40

In reply to The Honest Truth, posted by pretty_paints on February 4, 2005, at 13:38:38

Hi pretty paints, I just wanted to let you know I can really relate to your post. I hope you don't mind me replying even though I haven't properly 'spoken' to you before.

I've been diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, but I also wanted a diagnosis of something more 'serious' like manic depression. I read loads of info about it on the internet and convinced myself I had it - now, maybe I've had some of the symptoms but I've never been diagnosed with it and now realise I probably don't need to be! Now I just try and think about my 'symptoms' in a different way - maybe I'm just someone that has big moodswings and can feel very agitated at times, and these feelings are still real even if they don't have a diagnosis attached. You know and people close to you know that you have a mental illness and I think if they care now they will still care whatver diagnosis you end up with.

I agree with ed_uk that diagnoses aren't all that important and are really just something to base treatment on. Recently I've started to realise that the only reason I'd need a manic depression diagnosis is to help my doctor choose medication. As I seem to be doing OK on antidepressants alone, plain old depression it is!

For me I think the main reason I wanted a diagnosis was I needed some kind of explanation for all the disruptions to my life. Being depressed made me give up my job, among other things, and I felt there had to be a REASON for all this I could tell people. I think there can be a stigma attached to 'just' being depressed as people think you're just a miserable kind of person or should stop moping, whereas e.g. with schizophrenia people don't question that it's an illness. I often think of my depression as a character flaw (I know I shouldn't), whereas if I had a more obviously biological illness like manic depression I wouldn't blame myself - it would be out of my control and I could separate it from myself better.

I suppose I also wanted an 'excuse' for not working, and spending some time just getting better and being depressed just didn't seem to be good enough. I can really relate to what you said about always needing to achieve and prove yourself. I was interested to read that you went to Cambridge, as I did too. I suppose I've always been quite hard on myself and often compare myself to all the amazingly talented people I know!

So, thanks for posting such an interesting point and I think you're brave for sharing your feelings.


Share
Tweet  

Thread

 

Post a new follow-up

Your message only Include above post


Notify the administrators

They will then review this post with the posting guidelines in mind.

To contact them about something other than this post, please use this form instead.

 

Start a new thread

 
Google
dr-bob.org www
Search options and examples
[amazon] for
in

This thread | Show all | Post follow-up | Start new thread | FAQ
Psycho-Babble Medication | Framed

poster:elizabeth22 thread:452494
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050202/msgs/453653.html