Mental Health

[Sunshine Jesse]

I've been on antidepressants for years. They don't really fix anything- nor are they expected to- but they bring a much needed sense of stability to my mood. My mood doesn't fluctuate much on its own, but it does respond extremely powerfully to external stimuli (which I think is part of being on the autism spectrum, but I digress), and anti-depressants help dull those responses without taking them away,

 

Emotional overstimulation has some incredibly weird effects on me (as a few people here might be able to attest) and I'd rather avoid them if necessary, at least in public. It's not a part of me I really want to go away either because it can make me really fun to be around, although it's something people have to come to terms with if they really want to get close to me. It's definitely off-putting if you're used to the stability I try to project on a more public forum. A lot of my habits are pretty funking strange if you push the right buttons.

 

Get me in DMs and it'll become pretty clear pretty quick that I'm not actually like this in a more personal setting, nor do I even try to pretend to be.

[Thar]

My social disorder has been the primary grounds for my mental health, including generalized anxiety and mild depression. Not only do I tend to take things the wrong way, but they hit me harder and they are much harder for me to get over than the average person. Because of this, I find it hard to form attachments or socialize with people and I tend to isolate myself from them in order to minimize the impact of any misunderstandings or damaged relationships (usually both.) For this very reason, I regularly resort to dissociation in order to cope with the emptiness I feel, even with all the support I get from family and whatever friends I have left that can only keep in touch through long-distance every once in a while.

 

Even after two months of sobriety after four years of daily binge drinking (and six relapses), I hardly feel any different.

[VCR_CAT]

I have a pretty long history of depression and/or anxiety. I have gone to therapy in the past, and it has helped, though I have never pursued medication (not because I think they're ineffectual, because I don't). I have a fair number of issues with having healthy means of venting emotions; often times things can get very bottled up and it comes it different and bad ways (you can probably tell when that happens). I've also had issues with generally allowing myself to get close to people, but that has more to do with some pretty bad past experiences that I've let get to me more than I should.

 

I've gotten tremendously better over the past ~7 years, and a big part of this is enforcing a good sleep schedule, eating healthier, and exercising. It takes time and work to see the effects of all three of those, but having a healthier body leads to having a healthier mind (to an extent). I figured it was just something I could do that could make a difference in my life, and it has. I've also had to force myself to overcome a lot of anxieties to let myself become good friends with people, and a better social life has also made a strong difference as well.

 

Overall I've come to learn that there are a lot of aspects to mental health, and a lot of things going on. To anyone who struggles with mental health issues, I would strongly encourage therapy, possibly medication if it's needed. There's no shame in getting help, and nothing wrong with needing antidepressants. I would also encourage an examination of your own physical health and practices: eating and sleeping habits, how much activity you have in your days, and how often you manage to get outside. Also, another factor is even something as simple as drinking enough water in a day. You'd be surprised at how much water you should be drinking, and what kind of effect that can have on you.

[ÆƵ–]

I'm so glad that this topic is being actually discussed hurrah.

 

I'm wondering what a good medication is for me. I dont think Prozac would be a good option for me because of the "Prozac poop out". Thats the extent of my knkwkedge on meds rn.

 

So, anyone wanna talk about their meds and give me ideas/research topics?

[Dad]

Pause.

 

Medications should only be recommended by doctors. You can do research and you can study them if you like, but by no means is anyone here qualified v to recommend medication.

[Thar]

Medications should only be recommended by doctors. You can do research and you can study them if you like, but by no means is anyone here qualified v to recommend medication.

 

Not only that, but doctors don't always know exactly what will work best for you, at least at first. If a prescription isn't working very well, then contact them explaining why and they will find something else. If pills in general aren't working, then they can at least refer you to another specialist for another approach.

[ÆƵ–]

Pause.

 

Medications should only be recommended by doctors. You can do research and you can study them if you like, but by no means is anyone here qualified v to recommend medication.

Ofc thats why I said ideas/ research topics.

 

Not only that, but doctors don't always know exactly what will work best for you, at least at first. If a prescription isn't working very well, then contact them explaining why and they will find something else. If pills in general aren't working, then they can at least refer you to another specialist for another approach.

I dont have one yet so I wanted anecdotes or w/e from those who have/had them.

[tristyjo]

Can a serious breakup also affect mental health? BF just broke up with me after two years when I thought everything was so perfect. I haven't slept properly nor eaten properly in two weeks. I think I may be depressed :(

[Dad]

Can a serious breakup also affect mental health? BF just broke up with me after two years when I thought everything was so perfect. I haven't slept properly nor eaten properly in two weeks. I think I may be depressed :(

 

Relationships affect you emotionally and mentally.  A break-up (no matter how bad or good the break-up was in terms of transition) can certainly put a damper on your mental status.

[Simping For Hina]

Can a serious breakup also affect mental health? BF just broke up with me after two years when I thought everything was so perfect. I haven't slept properly nor eaten properly in two weeks. I think I may be depressed :(

100% relationships are a big attribution to mental health.

[ÆƵ–]

Can a serious breakup also affect mental health? BF just broke up with me after two years when I thought everything was so perfect. I haven't slept properly nor eaten properly in two weeks. I think I may be depressed :(

scientifically your brain is going through a love-chemical withdrawal. Once your receptors down-regulate everything will be peachy. Science!

 

Alternate note, today I have started serotonin-based anti-depressants and let me tell you so far everything's much better. Side effects of this one are nausea and drowsiness particularly, which the former is definitely true. As for my behavior, if you haven't noticed, I've been doing, well, more. I've cleaned half my desk, some of my room, and made dinner. This is probably a lot of information I shouldn't necessarily be sharing here but I'm doing so because I feel like if I can say things here than anyone should be able to.

 

Anyways, that's my mental health newsflash. Happy Friday~

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

"Mental health" is a slogan perpetuated by drug dealers and their associates. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"Mental health" is a slogan perpetuated by drug dealers and their associates. 

Um..could you explain this? Cause I'll admit I'm not sure what you mean and I can't fully tell if it's actually on-topic. ^^;

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

I am referring to the pharmaceutical industry's penchant for pathologizing patterns of behaviour (and indeed thought) that need not be pathologized in order to push drugs that too often do more harm than good because there is money in it. That there is so much money in it is the fault not only of the pharmaceutical industry but of their clientele for being too quick to attribute shortcomings to circumstances beyond their control. There is little good that pharmaceuticals can do that cannot be achieved through self-discipline and faith, but much that pharmaceuticals can do to exacerbate our "mental health issues".

 

Also, my post was completely on-topic and I cannot fathom how you held any considerations to the contrary. This topic is "the mental health thread where we talk about...well, mental health" as stated in the original post and that is exactly what I am doing. 

[ÆƵ–]

I am referring to the pharmaceutical industry's penchant for pathologizing patterns of behaviour (and indeed thought) that need not be pathologized in order to push drugs that too often do more harm than good because there is money in it. That there is so much money in it is the fault not only of the pharmaceutical industry but of their clientele for being too quick to attribute shortcomings to circumstances beyond their control. There is little good that pharmaceuticals can do that cannot be achieved through self-discipline and faith, but much that pharmaceuticals can do to exacerbate our "mental health issues".

 

Also, my post was completely on-topic and I cannot fathom how you held any considerations to the contrary. This topic is "the mental health thread where we talk about...well, mental health" as stated in the original post and that is exactly what I am doing. 

 

 

discipline and faith won't fix my chemical imbalance. The whole "Pills are band-aids" mindset is kind BS imo because it's literally. Science. If we don't have enough of a chemical in our body, we suffer because of it. 

[Sunshine Jesse]

I think Polaris is kind of right in a manner of speaking but comes to the wrong conclusion. Discipline and faith are some of the best tools to overcome and cope with these problems, but they don't fix the actual chemical imbalances. These imbalances can cause someone to have faith towards the wrong causes entirely, ending up far more destructive than anything that would've happened if they just drugged themselves into being "normal."  Unwavering faith in the wrong causes has killed and ruined the lives of far more people than suicide or gun violence ever could, and it's outright negligent to suggest that faith and discipline alone can fix anything when the chemical imbalances can still be present regardless of anything else you do. The key is to find treatment that fixes your perspective, which is the whole point behind therapy, and what medication should help you with.

 

Sometimes you just get the sheet end of the stick and can't fix yourself through simple "willpower" alone, in which case you need to search for other solutions to fix yourself.

 

It actually takes far more willpower to try things you don't like doing to fix your problems, and searching for reasons why you (or other people) shouldn't have to do them is stupid and weak. Everything has the potential to help you better yourself. You need to make use of the tools you have or you have no right to complain about your problems, and you especially have no right to complain about others using those tools.

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

discipline and faith won't fix my chemical imbalance. The whole "Pills are band-aids" mindset is kind BS imo because it's literally. Science. If we don't have enough of a chemical in our body, we suffer because of it. 

 

If you were prescribed pills for homosexuality, would you take them? It was not 50 years ago that the same scientific field decreed with surety that homosexuality was a mental health issue to be cured. This is hardly psychiatry's biggest blunder or its most recent. It is a field that is as dictated by shifting political climates and paper trails at least as much as it is by academic honesty and concern for their fellow man's wellbeing. I do not consider pills to be a band-aid, band-aids are effective, risk-free, and inexpensive. 

 

"I don't believe I have ever heard a knowledgeable, well-trained psychiatrist make such a preposterous claim [that patients have a chemical imbalance], except perhaps to mock it...In truth, the 'chemical imbalance' notion was always a kind of urban legend—never a theory seriously propounded by well-informed psychiatrists." –Ronald W. Pies, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, the State University of New York and Tufts University School of Medicine

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-illness-metaphor/201709/the-myth-the-chemical-imbalance

[Sunshine Jesse]

If you were prescribed pills for homosexuality, would you take them? It was not 50 years ago that the same scientific field decreed with surety that homosexuality was a mental health issue to be cured. This is hardly psychiatry's biggest blunder or its most recent. It is a field that is as dictated by shifting political climates and paper trails at least as much as it is by academic honesty and concern for their fellow man's wellbeing. I do not consider pills to be a band-aid, band-aids are effective, risk-free, and inexpensive. 

 

"I don't believe I have ever heard a knowledgeable, well-trained psychiatrist make such a preposterous claim [that patients have a chemical imbalance], except perhaps to mock it...In truth, the 'chemical imbalance' notion was always a kind of urban legend—never a theory seriously propounded by well-informed psychiatrists." –Ronald W. Pies, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, the State University of New York and Tufts University School of Medicine

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-illness-metaphor/201709/the-myth-the-chemical-imbalance

hm

 

I generally just use "chemical imbalance" as another way to say a genetic predisposition, but I didn't know the literal notion of chemical imbalances was actually bullshit, so thanks.

 

The chemical imbalance theory offers something else, however, and that is the opportunity for the psychiatric patient to limit responsibility for his condition.

 

I've realized this was a problem for a while now.  I really wish the "I just got the sheet end of the stick" narrative wasn't so easy to use as an excuse to not do anything. It can be really helpful to acknowledge that sort of thing if not taken in the wrong direction.