Anyone else have mental illness

I don't mind talking about my "dark secret" here. Good people, and I will probably never meet anybody.

I was wondering?

Does anyone else deal with mental illness here?

It has quite a stigma attached to it. But the brain is an organ subject to physical disease (which can result in "mental illness"), just like pancreas (diabetes), live, heart, etc.

I take meds for depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. I am disabled due to this. My last employer offered me disability because I was so bad at work, even on meds.

I am not whining? Just curious.

I take medication for depression. Am hoping it might improve with the cpap, but still have my "wobbly days" which indicate I need medication for some time yet. Doc thinks I'll need medication forever, but did he diagnose sleep apnoea??? noooooooo. So, he doesn't know everything!

those running for election?

Snoredog wrote:those running for election?

Hee hee
Good one, Snoredog!

Mindy

Snoredog wrote:those running for election?

Our present administration?

I have ADHD - I was hyperactive as a child - and I believe I may be bi-polar. Strangly enough I have tried to get diability benefits but everyone says no all though I have trouble keeping jobs.

Dgrendahl wrote:

Snoredog wrote:those running for election?

Our present administration?

And those who vote for either. Jim

I am very close to mental illness, my wife has been down with it for over 30 years. It's a ride I wouldn't wish on anyone.

I guess when you say mental illness that conjures up all kinds of images I feel unrelated to BUT I have been treated for chemical depression for about 7 years now. The deal is that I probably have suffered from it for 30 years but only recently came to realize that panic attacks and such don't make me technically nuts! OK maybe technically but I can live with it.

Fred,

For most of my life I've struggled with severe depression (depression and bipolar disorder runs on both sides of my family tree), although most people probably wouldn't realize it. I'm highly functioning, college-educated, and work in a professional organization as a Program Director (supervising approximately 30 individuals), plus I serve as the Senior Pastor of a small church.

When I was younger, I tried to self-medicate (through the use of alcohol/drugs) and was a full-blown addict by the time I was 16 (took my first drink at 11, began using drugs at 13, and had several suicide attempts under my belt by the time I was 20).

I overcame those difficulties, quit drinking and using drugs by the time I was 20, and dealt with my depression through the help of cognitive tools I learned on my own. Basically, I developed the ability to act normally, even though I didn't feel normal.

However, several years ago, it started to become too much, and I was exhausted just from the effort (plus had undiagnosed sleep apnea), so I asked my Primary Care Physician to prescribe me anti-depressants (o.k. so my wife actually asked him, but I nodded in agreement).

I've been using them ever since, and the change has been remarkable. I am able to deal with things without as much mental effort, able to process information better, and able to assess situations easier. I've tried, with my doctor's permission, to wean myself off of them a couple of times, but have found it more beneficial to continue their use.

In a case like mine, I kind of view depression as a birth-defect that has a treatment option available for dealing with it. Just like my apnea requires the use of a xPAP machine, I'll probably be tethered to the meds for the rest of my life, but for me, they help enhance the quality of that life.

I don't hide the fact that I struggle with depression, but I also don't discuss it unless a situation rises that I believe will benefit someone else (I never use my depression as an excuse for poor performance, critical mistakes, or bad behavior), so there are many people in my professional life who probably aren't aware of this issue in my life, simply because the topic has never come up.

Fred,
your'e right there is a stigma associated with mental illness, which I don't know a lot about but I do know a lot about Epilepsy and there is the same stigma your'e talking about. After a temporal lobe lobectomy in Aug. 05 the following spring I was kinda' upset that my seizures didn't stop, and some family members stated using the word depression when they talked to me and about me. I finally told my wife to tell every body when they come around me they better have a good attitude and none of this negative stuff. Maybee I was right there on the edge of depression I beleive a negative atmosphere will just make things worse.

Sorry to hear you had to go on disability, sometimes the meds just dont cut it, samething happened to me in 1991 due to my epilepsy condition.

Duke

I am similar to J.a.taylor. I went on meds about 10 years ago due to the end of a fairly long relationship. After being on them for about 3 months I went to see the doc and asked if I could have a lifetime script! Felt so much more like myself and stopped having to fight my emotions all the time. I actually have a PhD and work as a manager in research for a large company. I too am like Mr. Taylor in that I don't talk about it unless I think it will help others. Especially since there is such a stigma and folks don't want to admit that they might need medication. So to let folks know that a successful business woman might be taking meds helps to take a lot of the stigma away. Hey, it is what it is and I feel better, that is all that matters and I try to help others see that. This is definitely something that has a genetic aspect to it. I have 2 cousins that have bipolar syndrome and several others that should be on anti-depressants!!

But JAT I would definitely like to commend for your effort to getting your life together after sliding down the slippery slope of self medication. You are blessed with a strong will and a wonderful wife . Congratulations on your success.

I take Zoloft for depression.

I have a son with depression and personality disorders, a daughter with bi-polar and personality disorder.

My mother had mental problems including bi-polar, depression, and a host of other issues.

My sister has been diagnosed with bi-polar as well as her two kids.

So you can see there is a strong family tie here.

I too am successful in my field and the few people I know that I have told have had a hard time believing I have had a nervous breakdown.

At least there are meds to help -- I have seen some of the treatments from years ago and am SO glad we do not have to endure those (We have a museum nearby that was a state mental hospital and has many of the devices they used for "treatment")

I had some symptoms of depression, including seasonal affective disorder. The depression symptoms appeared to be tied to my sleep patterns, if I was sleep deprived they would get a whole lot worse. I also had a lot of anxiety. I never took meds because it didn't seem bad enough and I'm hypersensitive to many meds and am on a lot for other health conditions.

With xpap treatment this seems to have changed for the better. We are heading into SAD season, so I'm going to see how I do. I need to hook up the bright lights soon. These did help me. Perhaps because they caused my sleep to be more regular.

What you have Fredpb is a very difficult combination of things. I agree that it has a biological component and the hereditart factors are in there.

I've been reading about positive psychology (Martin Seligman) lately. Although it isn't designed to cure depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia, I believe it might be able to improve life in various ways to make life better despite these biological components of our brain makeup. I really liked his most recent book. I can't remember the title right now, but maybe it will come to me.

The good news Fred is simply this:

Though there is still a stigma attached to issues of Mental Health, there are many of us who aren't suffering in silence anymore.

While we don't advertise our struggles, we also don't hide them.

As you can see, by those of us who have responded, mental illness is an issue affecting many of us (whether as individuals or as family members).

And I think that this offers hope for those who are struggling such as you, disabled by a multiplicity of factors. There are people who can understand what you're going through, and some of those individuals are researching and working to find a cure for these tragic illnesses.

For those who have been viewing this thread from a distance, I'm sure that you also know someone struggling with such issues. I recommend taking a look at this site http://www.miepvideos.org/index.html. On it, you'll find the following quote:

In the U.S. alone, mental illness impacts 1 in 4 families. Schizophrenia, manic depression (bipolar disorder), other anxiety disorders, or severe depression affect 12 to 16 million Americans. In the United States, mental illness is the second leading cause of disability and premature mortality, and the cost of mental health problems is estimated to be a staggering $20 billion per year.

Definitely an issue that needs continued research. And, it would be great if many of our mental health professionals were educated about apnea and it's affect on our mental health.

kona0197 wrote:I have ADHD - I was hyperactive as a child - and I believe I may be bi-polar. Strangly enough I have tried to get diability benefits but everyone says no all though I have trouble keeping jobs.

They have in recent years increased the restrictions. I had a friend that had the same thing she couldn't keep jobs for too long. She is still trying to get benefits for herself.