Mental Health

[LorChan]

General anxiety, social anxiety, and depression.
I see a psychologist every few weeks and take 75mg of Zoloft every day.
It's not a big deal, for me. I started going when my dad was very ill and kept going after he died (it's been three years now). I understand that most high-income folks see psychologists these days. I may have it worse than a lot of people but I also have it better than most people.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I guess every now and then i go through extreme depression, mostly in the winter

 

[funguy2121]

1 in 5, OP? That sounds like an incredibly optimistic statistic.

"Recovering" addict, self esteem issues, anxiety, possible manic depression.

 

[similar.squirrel]

I was diagnosed with moderate to severe social anxiety, and everything that comes with it. It's pretty mild compared to most of the things I have read here, though.

 

[Duskwaith]

Probs got a few. Body dismorphia would probs be eup there.

My ex had quite a few due to a pretty bad period in her life

 

[maninahat]

I always take people's claims towards mental health issues with a pinch of salt. People are surprisingly willing to consider themselves mentally ill. For instance, take depression: What is the difference between clinical depression and merely being sad for an extended period of time? There is a degree of overlap, but the chances are that if anyone was down in the dumps for any length of time, they are far to keen to attribute it as a symptom of a mental health issue.

It happens with practically every condition. What is the difference between obsessive compulsive, and just someone who is a bit of a neat freak? Why is it that if someone goes to the extra trouble of alphabatizing their nail polish, they get to claim that they are OC? It is far more likely to be common fastidiousness then a clinical disorder, so please, don't award yourself a "mentally ill" label unless you have an actual mental problem that is worthy of clinical attention.

 

[Soviet Steve]

I've been diagnosed with aspergers. Nothing much to say about that except that it got me out of the army and that I've planned out my life to accommodate my condition.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Let's see...

I have a diagnosis of Aspergers somewhere. (They didn't bother to tell me that... XD)

I've had repeated moderate to severe depression...

I have some kind of really difficult to pin down social anxiety/phobia kind of thing...

I'm transexual (Always a lot of arguments about whether that constitutes a mental illness or not, but for the time being, it still has an entry in the DSM-IV, which is the diagnostic manual for mental ilnesses used in most of the world.)

And... Well, that's more than enough really, isn't it?

 

[Eisenfaust]

i'm close to schizophrenia...

though, if i may get technical, a primary DSM diagnosis for schizophrenia based on auditory hallucinations is contingent on the patient expierencing one of two things, either: a) two voices having a conversation, or b) one voice providing a running commentary on the patients life, neither of which are the case with me

i'm more along the lines of... there's a voice in my head that i occasionally have a conversation with, so there are parts of both criteria but isn't fully one of the other

 

[Hiikuro]

I used to be very depressed, completely got rid of that recently.

Now I'm just suffering from moderate social anxiety caused primarily by an avoidant personality (it isn't fun at all). Makes for a terribly lonely life.

And I am genuinely worried that I will lose touch with reality sometime in the future. Mostly because I tend to delve into fantasy and imagination more than I probably should.

 

[Marter]

My mother has clinical depression.

I...I don't know about myself. Situational depression, I suppose? Fixed that up recently, I believe. 6 months of feeling bad enough to end it all, now been good for about a week and a half.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Well, I really don't know. I felt pretty depressed for quite a while, thought I had gotten over it and now I'm depressed again. I thought it was just the situation I was in, but I don't really seem to be able to shake off the feelings of pessimism, anxiety, self loathing etc. I thought I was ok, but I'm a little worried to be honest.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

ADD and aspergers.

The Aspergers I have no problem with, but the ADD...

Like...Right now I should be studying for my exams (3 of which are next week) and yet I'm posting this instead! @_@ I just cannot focus on my probability and statistics, since none of it makes any bloody sense! >_<

 

[gazumped]

My mum has Borderline Personality Disorder
Two of my best friends have Clinical Depression
Another friend and my ex have Bi-Polar Disorder

I thought I just attracted sad people, but I hadn't realised the statistic was so high.

My mum thinks I should see the doctor about depression and my dad thinks I have Aspergers, but I don't want to go because even if it turns out one or the other's right I don't really want to be labeled with anything until I feel like I really need the help.

 

[Ham_authority95]

It's believed about 1 in 5 people in the UK suffer or will suffer from mental health problems in their lives. I'm sure this will roughly be true for other countries too.

What do you suffer from, or what kind of mental illness affects you in your family (does a family member / friend suffer from a mental illness)?

I know the term mental illness seems quite harsh and repulsive, but the term extends even to stuff like depression and anxiety disorders.

Me personally, i have mild/moderate depression and have done for maybe 4 years now. It all funnily enough started a few months after i broke up with a girl i really cared about after she had been a real ***** to me. I guess it all just got on top of me, but considering the vast majority of my family has suffered in some way too, i think i was genetically pre-dispositioned. I'm doing a lot better now, a combination of some mild medication and supportive friends and family keeping my mind doing things and generally accepting me regardless of my issues.

So yeah, how's things for you?

For my family and I: Nothing diagnosed, anyway. I get these really high points and low points in my emotions over days, but I'm not going to bother diagnosing it because I can live with it easily.

For my friends: A couple have some issues with depression, and a couple more have ADD(although I dispute this). In general, I'm a lot less mentally healthy than the people I surround myself with.

 

[DementedSheep]

In my family? Alzheimer?s, Dementia, Schizophrenia and Aspergers.

Me personally? Never been officially diagnosed with anything tho I keep being accused of having various things. With every school I have been too other than uni I had teachers trying to force me to go to a physiatrist but they can piss off as far as I?m concerned because cause I?m not THAT bad. Just because I?m having bad couple of years or don?t tend to jump up and down in joy about everthing that makes me happy does not mean I have depression and it would be a bit strange if I was happy when family members are sick or have died. It is perfectly normal to feel sad. Anxiety? It is perfectly normal to feel anxious about bad things that might happen or grades. It is also perfectly normal and healthy to be scared of some things. We feel fear for a reason. OCC? It?s called being bored, no I don?t usually organise paper clips and I would have thought putting things back in the right place that other people have dumped when I?m going that way anyway was considerate not a symptom of a disorder. Social anxiety disorder? I?ll admit I match the description and symptoms for it but it?s not bad enough to require treatment and I would hardly call it a mental illness. I know I?m being stupid, I?m working on it and I will get over it. Everyone has stupid phobia?s and stresses over stupid unimportant shit and it?s not like I?m suicidal. If anything, when I start getting really stupid I need a good slap not coddling or pills and I certainly don?t need religion shoved at me

I don?t think people should use the term ?mental illness? unless you actually have s problems that needs clinical treatment. Pretty much anyone could be labelled with disorders if you look hard enough and what exactly is normal? There is a term for everthing now. I think people look for pills and like to think they have something they can?t control or it?s not their fault rather than looking at the underlying reasons why the feel a certain way and working on getting over it. ?It?s not me I have an illness!? Are you just sad about some things or do you have depression? Are you ADHD or lacking discipline?(note: before I get yelled at I?m not saying everyone does that and don't take this as an accusation aimed at you.)

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

Bipolar disorder, and I have panic attacks. Many symptoms fit PTSD, particularly the nightmares and the hypervigilance, but you try getting a diagnosis for that unless you've been in a war.

Actually, a lot of rape victims and people that have experienced other traumatic events, like armed bank robberies, hostage situations, etc etc, have also been diagnosed with PTSD.

Interestingly enough though, I've known several bipolar people throughout my life, and quite a few of them show some of the same traits as PTSD. I wonder if it's something to do with the chemical imbalance causing the hyper vigilant state, although the medications should (in theory) help to take care of that. I can't speak for you, but the bipolar people I've known either refused or couldn't afford the meds, so their signs of PTSD may or may not be contributed to by that.

Of course, there is also a theory that some mental disorders like bipolar disorder may not be genetically predetermined as was previously thought. The theory states that if a person is predisposed to it, a traumatic event (which may/may not be on a level high enough to cause PTSD, I've never thought about it much until now) may cause that predisposition to become a physiological fact, thus causing the imbalace.

...You've given me some things to think about. It's a shame that I'm no longer a psychology major. XD

 

[taciturnCandid]

i'm close to schizophrenia...

though, if i may get technical, a primary DSM diagnosis for schizophrenia based on auditory hallucinations is contingent on the patient expierencing one of two things, either: a) two voices having a conversation, or b) one voice providing a running commentary on the patients life, neither of which are the case with me

i'm more along the lines of... there's a voice in my head that i occasionally have a conversation with, so there are parts of both criteria but isn't fully one of the other

Interesting. Didn't know about those DSM diagnosises.

Well. I definantly fit my category.
Schizoaffective Disorder. Which is a combination of Schizophrenia and Bipolar

I get both hypomania (and in a few rare cases mania) and depression. I get schizophrenic symptoms, like paranoia, Audio and Visual Hallucinations, Flat affect, disorganized behavior and delusions.

Luckly I have treatment and i do ok

 

[dancinginfernal]

I don't really have any serious issues that have become prevalent yet.

My mother has clinical depression, but I don't know if that'll show up at any point. Heart Problems will but that's another topic.

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

It's believed about 1 in 5 people in the UK suffer or will suffer from mental health problems in their lives. I'm sure this will roughly be true for other countries too.

What do you suffer from, or what kind of mental illness affects you in your family (does a family member / friend suffer from a mental illness)?

I know the term mental illness seems quite harsh and repulsive, but the term extends even to stuff like depression and anxiety disorders.

Me personally, i have mild/moderate depression and have done for maybe 4 years now. It all funnily enough started a few months after i broke up with a girl i really cared about after she had been a real ***** to me. I guess it all just got on top of me, but considering the vast majority of my family has suffered in some way too, i think i was genetically pre-dispositioned. I'm doing a lot better now, a combination of some mild medication and supportive friends and family keeping my mind doing things and generally accepting me regardless of my issues.

So yeah, how's things for you?

As I understand it, everyone will suffer from some sort of mental disorder at some point in their life. Only about 20% or so will retain their mental disorder, and of those 20%, only about 10% will be serious cases that would require extensive treatment to cure/control.

Of course, It's been a about two years since I switched my major out of psychology, so those might have changed, and it's always possible that the information I was given was old/inaccurate.

OT:I think that depression and addictive personalities run in my family, but I only really exhibit signs of the addictive personality, but even then, it's only on a minor level. I have some things that I'm a little bit OCD about, but again, not on the level that it would actually be diagnosed as such.

See, having studied some of it, and done research on things like depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, I can see how any of them would be easily misdiagnosed, with the exception of schizophrenia. Some of them might be able to hide it a bit, but you'll know that there's something there beyong a mild psychosis. Hell, with no formal training, I called that one of my gf's was both bipolar and schizophrenic, and found out about a year and a half later, from her no less, that I was right.

My main problem with things like this is that so many things are either too quickly diagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed. Depression and bipolar disoder being among the easiest to confuse.

Just because you might be a little neurotic or have strange thoughts/habits on occasion, doesn't mean that you have a disorder.