Anecdotal background information:
I have been struggling with persistent general depression including a few bouts of clinical depression for several years. My symptoms have increased as I have gotten older to the point of it being debilitating in my lack of motivation. It kind of crept up on me until one day I realized that everything in my life was completely out of whack and up until then I did not care about it. I thought this was normal. It was a surreal experience. I am currently being tested for Celiac Disease (which both my grandfather and father have and I have been able to self diagnose myself with a definite degree of certainty ) and after doing a little digging, I found that the gut acts as a second brain! For those who are not familiar with Celiac Disease, it is an intolerance to gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye grains. Approximately 30% of the population in Europe has it, but in America it is almost like a hidden epidemic with 98% of Celiacs going undiagnosed. The problem is that most people do not have the "classic" Celiac symptoms (I don't), and many show none at all. Anyway, the gut is damaged when ingesting gluten because of an autoimmune response, the body attacks the gluten as a foreign invader, thus causing damage to the intestines. So damaged intestines= mental disorders.
I was curious to know about depression and how it affects one's type. As a child (no signs of depression), I would say I would most likely type as an ENFJ, or maybe XNFJ..I suppose a kind of shy ENFJ, but I warmed up to strangers fairly quickly, and once warmed up was very outgoing, chatty, and dramatic(much the the chagrin of some less tolerant older folks). Around the time this depression set in (around 12 or 13), I became more and more introverted as Ni and Ti took precedence over my extroverted functions. I only recently discovered this gut-brain connection, though I have been suspecting Celiac Disease for well over a year now. Mental illness is a very common symptom among Celiacs, namely, depression and mental fog.
Does anyone have a similar experience or know how type is affected by mental illness?
I have been struggling with persistent general depression including a few bouts of clinical depression for several years. My symptoms have increased as I have gotten older to the point of it being debilitating in my lack of motivation. It kind of crept up on me until one day I realized that everything in my life was completely out of whack and up until then I did not care about it. I thought this was normal. It was a surreal experience. I am currently being tested for Celiac Disease (which both my grandfather and father have and I have been able to self diagnose myself with a definite degree of certainty ) and after doing a little digging, I found that the gut acts as a second brain! For those who are not familiar with Celiac Disease, it is an intolerance to gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye grains. Approximately 30% of the population in Europe has it, but in America it is almost like a hidden epidemic with 98% of Celiacs going undiagnosed. The problem is that most people do not have the "classic" Celiac symptoms (I don't), and many show none at all. Anyway, the gut is damaged when ingesting gluten because of an autoimmune response, the body attacks the gluten as a foreign invader, thus causing damage to the intestines. So damaged intestines= mental disorders.
I was curious to know about depression and how it affects one's type. As a child (no signs of depression), I would say I would most likely type as an ENFJ, or maybe XNFJ..I suppose a kind of shy ENFJ, but I warmed up to strangers fairly quickly, and once warmed up was very outgoing, chatty, and dramatic(much the the chagrin of some less tolerant older folks). Around the time this depression set in (around 12 or 13), I became more and more introverted as Ni and Ti took precedence over my extroverted functions. I only recently discovered this gut-brain connection, though I have been suspecting Celiac Disease for well over a year now. Mental illness is a very common symptom among Celiacs, namely, depression and mental fog.
Does anyone have a similar experience or know how type is affected by mental illness?