What mental illness(es) have you been dx with before finding the correct one?

[prplchknz]

I'm just curious. Also I want to show people who know they don't have a correct dx yet that it's possibly to find it, just may take awhile

first I got Depression
then Bipolar NOS
then depression and anxiety
finally schizoaffective (which is probably correct though not 100% sure but the treatment for it works well)

 

[prplchknz]

you know it's ok to reply to this thread, right?

 

[The Cat]

Okay is such an unfortunately subjective term when it comes to how this sort of thing is perceived; so many complications seem to loom on the fringes of what if...

There's never a deficit of pitchforks these days... and torches are half off if you use your angry mob membership card.

The silence speaks volumes wouldnt you say?

 

[prplchknz]

Okay is such an unfortunately subjective term when it comes to how this sort of thing is perceived; so many complications seem to loom on the fringes of what if...

There's never a deficit of pitchforks these days... and torches are half off if you use your angry mob membership card.

The silence speaks volumes wouldnt you say?

 

[The Cat]

Yeah, it is indeed But at the very least as the chains of fear weaken and the iron bars of negative social stigmas rust, there's a thread for them to share their burdens, and hopefull ome freedom from it, or at the very least some respite with company. I'm sure this thread will be used to great effect. Perhaps it's merely waiting like a dormant seed. It's only the first day after all...

 

[prplchknz]

Yeah, it is indeed But at the very least as the chains of fear weaken and the iron bars of negative social stigmas rust, there's a thread for them to share their burdens, and hopefull ome freedom from it, or at the very least some respite with company. I'm sure this thread will be used to great effect. Perhaps it's merely waiting like a dormant seed. It's only the first day after all...

true. I just know that there are people here who've been trying to find a dx or have a dx but the treatment for it isn't working so it may not be correct and i wanted to give those people hope

 

[Zhaylin]

Depression
Major Depression (?)
Bipolar
Anxiety

In truth: (back then) severe sleep deprivation, mild anxiety and depression (today) HSP manifesting as anxiety. Medication helps, so I'm not complaining TOO much about the dx lol.

It's just a pet peeve.

If you tell someone you have anxiety, they tend to imagine the person wringing their hands with an over abundance of worry and/or fear. That's not me. I'll have a worry or concern, address it then move on. What does me in is sensory overload- the emotions of others, too much activity, too much noise, information, general chaos. It's too much to process.

I truthfully tell people that I lost 3 years trying to find the right medication cocktail and it was hell. But once I found what worked, it was worth it.

 

[Red Memories]

When I entered the psyche ward my dominant diagnosis was depression. They even prescribed me an anti-depressant.
When I did outpatient there, the therapist said I had bad untreated anxiety, which caused me depression because it made it difficult for me to cope with my every day life.
When I saw a therapist on campus he felt I struggled with PTSD from my predator of the past.

So in the end I mainly have GAD and PTSD, with depression episodes due to the anxiety at times.

 

[Yuurei]

So do we just assume that EVERYONE has mental issues now?

I was once diagnosed as clinically depressed- I wasn't. I was in a very shitty situation and felt better once I got out of it. It appalls me that we are much quicker to diagnose and drug than we are to make the slight improvements to society which would make many people's lives so much better.

I suspect that I do have a complex or two, ( who doesn't?) but this thread is not about suspicions or self-diagnosis so I'll spare you.

 

[prplchknz]

So do we just assume that EVERYONE has mental issues now?

I was once diagnosed as clinically depressed- I wasn't. I was in a very shitty situation and felt better once I got out of it. It appalls me that we are much quicker to diagnose and drug than we are to make the slight improvements to society which would make many people's lives so much better.

no this thread doesn't assume one, where the fuck did i say everyone. i'm simply refering to the people who are struggling mentally if you're not then this thread does not apply to you.

 

[Yuurei]

no this thread doesn't assume one, where the fuck did i say everyone. i'm simply refering to the people who are struggling mentally if you're not then this thread does not apply to you.

That's not what I meant. I was referring to the part I said below about handing out a diagnosis to everyone instead of helping them with their problems.

i probably could have worded it better but then finding the right words has never been my strong suit.

 

[Zhaylin]

[MENTION=29849]Yuu[/MENTION] absolutely... to a point
I bucked medication for the LONGEST time because of stigma and my husbands prejudices. A lot of people are in a similar position. The key is: make the lifestyle changes. If you’re too bad off to do so, accept medication to get you over the hump while you make those changes. If you make them and you’re no better off emotionally, then you may have a disorder that needs further (or life time) treatment.

My HUGE gripe is that too many GP’s are prescribing psychological medication when it’s not in their wheelhouse. I wouldn’t see an orthopedic surgeon for heart disease.
But, I bucked that for a really long time too: “why am I going to pay someone to listen to me whine and complain?!”
Because it’s the psychiatrist/psychologists job and they’re good at it. It’s their specialty.

Along the same line of thought... I don’t chastise my daughter for needing insulin or my son for needing medicine to control his blood pressure. Some of its choice. If I see them doing (not doing or eating) something that’s not in their best interest, I’ll nag and motivate them to do better. But a lot of it is faulty genes. There’s no willing yourself or exercising yourself out of certain conditions.

This isn’t our grandparents lifetime. We don’t HAVE to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, chin up and pretend problems don’t exist.
We shouldn’t suffer if there’s something that can help (and it’s available to us).

 

[Tilt]

That's not what I meant. I was referring to the part I said below about handing out a diagnosis to everyone instead of helping them with their problems.

i probably could have worded it better but then finding the right words has never been my strong suit.

For me, getting diagnosed really helped me to understand my symptoms to manage my stress better. Mental health diagnoses can be limiting when it is yielded recklessly but they can also create a helpful framework for improvement.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

I cannot answer because I don't think I've been properly diagnosed yet. I've been irritated with how many times I've been kicked to the curb in my efforts to get help. With that said, I suspect I have Complex-PTSD, have probably had it for several years now. I was previously diagnosed, at the peak of me struggles/trauma with situational anxiety, which is basically temporary anxiety because of shitty circumstances. Then I was diagnosed with depression (no specific diagnosis as far as what kind). I have also been diagnosed with ADHD in both childhood and adulthood.

I personally do not think my depression matches any patterns other than those associated with PTSD, and although I haven't had an anxiety attack in years, when I did get them, it was always a trigger which brought me back to the time when I was trying to escape an abusive marriage/dealing with extreme abandonment.

Sometimes it's a struggle for me because I can crash down 50 levels in the blink of an eye over the most insignificant trigger. I'm very grateful to be able to identify when it's starting though so I can do my best to redirect my thoughts so that I don't spiral or hit the bottle.

 

[highlander]

I experienced a pretty bad episode of depression for about a year. I guess it is about 7 or 8 years ago now. Made me much more empathetic of people suffering from this. It was truly horrible.

 

[Population: 1]

I hope this thread will be productive and help people. Personally, I’m keeping quiet this time around. I’ve participated in some real shitfests in the past on the subject. Best of luck.

 

[Yuurei]

[MENTION=29849]Yuu[/MENTION] absolutely... to a point
I bucked medication for the LONGEST time because of stigma and my husbands prejudices. A lot of people are in a similar position. The key is: make the lifestyle changes. If you’re too bad off to do so, accept medication to get you over the hump while you make those changes. If you make them and you’re no better off emotionally, then you may have a disorder that needs further (or life time) treatment.

My HUGE gripe is that too many GP’s are prescribing psychological medication when it’s not in their wheelhouse. I wouldn’t see an orthopedic surgeon for heart disease.
But, I bucked that for a really long time too: “why am I going to pay someone to listen to me whine and complain?!”
Because it’s the psychiatrist/psychologists job and they’re good at it. It’s their specialty.

Along the same line of thought... I don’t chastise my daughter for needing insulin or my son for needing medicine to control his blood pressure. Some of its choice. If I see them doing (not doing or eating) something that’s not in their best interest, I’ll nag and motivate them to do better. But a lot of it is faulty genes. There’s no willing yourself or exercising yourself out of certain conditions.

This isn’t our grandparents lifetime. We don’t HAVE to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, chin up and pretend problems don’t exist.
We shouldn’t suffer if there’s something that can help (and it’s available to us).

Nah, it really wasn’t like that for me. I mean they treated me as I had a chemical imbalance in my brain when I didn’t. My brain was in fact reacting normally to the stimuli it was given. I did try the meds they prescribed but since their was nothing to fix biologically it really messed me up. I stopped taking them and my situation still sucked but at least I was stable.

....some of us still do have to “chin up”. In a world where everything has to be known and labelled to get any validity a lot of people fall through the cracks. I’ve tried to get help for many different things but am always met with “ You look/seem fine to me.” followed by a lecture about not tacking advantage of programs to help people who really need it.
...but this isn't a thread for such discussion so I’ll leave it at that.

I hope this thread will be productive and help people. Personally, I’m keeping quiet this time around. I’ve participated in some real shitfests in the past on the subject. Best of luck.

Right?! You would think I’d have learned by now...or maybe wouldn’t. I can be a bit hard-headed.

 

[Red Memories]

[MENTION=31348]Peter Deadpan[/MENTION] and I know someone else said it but post is gone...

I have never heard the term, what differentiates complex PTSD from normal PTSD?

 

[Tilt]

The PTSD diagnosis primarily focuses on a single event as the cause for the disorder. But people who have prolonged repeated trauma over a period of time will tend to have more enduring symptoms that affect things like emotional regulation, forming and maintaining relationships. Complex PTSD technically isn't an official diagnosis but many mental health experts have tried to push for it.

 

[Yuurei]

The PTSD diagnosis primarily focuses on a single event as the cause for the disorder. But people who have prolonged repeated trauma over a period of time will tend to have more enduring symptoms that affect things like emotional regulation, forming and maintaining relationships. Complex PTSD technically isn't an official diagnosis but many mental health experts have tried to push for it.

Hm. Some people who know me very well think I have something like this in very specific areas. Namely, in opening up with other people or asking for help because every time I’ve tried I’ve only received very negative responses.

I have never been diagnosed, because well, asking for help ends up with a “ Go away, you’re fine” or “ stop whining.” It’s ironic that it is such a self-perpetuating problem.
Despite all of the issues I’ve had throughout my life the only one that has really caused any harm is being told
“ Shuttup, you don’t have any issues.”