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Thread: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

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    God/dess LuckiCharm's Avatar
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    Default Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    When I was 15, a doctor perscribed me medication for ADD and depression. All she did was ask me questions and then just decided I needed the meds. Well, I think I'm like bipolar or manic-depressive or something...my mood swings and paranoia and anxiety is destroying me and my relationship. When you go to a doctor, how do they know for sure what you are just by asking you simple questions??? Is there any way they can give you a 100% diagnosis?

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    God/dess pookie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    I think a lot of them prescribe people drugs who don't need them. The doctors that scare me are the ones who do suggest counseling or therapy before just telling people to take pills.
    I also believe its good to get multiple opinions
    But i think a lot of doctors are idiot who do know how to listen and are incompetent.
    I think certain 'disorders' are not really disorder, but people are made to believe they are.




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    God/dess LuckiCharm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    Quote Originally Posted by pookie View Post
    I think a lot of them prescribe people drugs who don't need them. The doctors that scare me are the ones who do suggest counseling or therapy before just telling people to take pills.
    I also believe its good to get multiple opinions
    But i think a lot of doctors are idiot who do know how to listen and are incompetent.
    I think certain 'disorders' are not really disorder, but people are made to believe they are.
    Exactly. I wish they had some kind of brain scan or something to show whether or not someone really has chemical imbalances or not.

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    God/dess pookie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    I especially think most depression and ADD diagnosis are incorrect.


    Well, i think ourselves are the ones who can truly tell if there really may be something wrong, aside from truly mentally disabled, mentally ill/psychotic.

    I think people are given drug coz of possible government conspiracy, and making money off of people by making them think they are sick.

    ....added.....


    I also blame society for making people 'feel' there is something wrong or missing about themselves when there is not.




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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    Well, there isn't any blood test that says you have schizophernia, bipolar, depression, etc. There is evidence now that certain mental illnesses can be identified with a CAT scan. However, that is not the common way mental illness is detected.

    Psychiatrists are medical doctors. They specialize in mental illness. There are characteristics of each illness and they practice basically matching these symptoms with the illness. They also have certain scales they use rate how functional you are and a book called a DSM IV which goes into detail on each disorder/disease.

    Mood swings are charecteristic of bipolar, however, just because someone has them doesn't mean they have "bipolar". I have mood swings but I don't swing way high into a mania state which is charecteristic of bipolar disorder.

    Paranoia, depending on how extreme it is is charecteristic of several disorders. Some people have paranoid personality disorder while others have paranoia schizophernia which is more severe.

    Having anxiety doesn't always mean you have a disorder. Some anxiety can be normal depending upon the circumstance. Having full blown "panic attacks" is more relative to an actual disorder.

  6. #6
    Pamela
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    If you think you need help or are a bit out of control, that is your body saying something to you.

    Also You are asked many questions because they need to see if you are truly sad, a risk to others etc.

    They prescribe meds. and a follow up. If these meds make you function better, yes you need them. A person without any medical/mental illness will not notice a difference in mood taking these drugs prescribed.

    This is actually the only real information doctors go by. Brain scans are very unpredictable due to many of us having different sized brains, mini strokes, or just a bit of abnormal growth that is not any mental illness.

  7. #7
    smartcookie
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    I used to have faith in the mental health system. I don't anymore. Most psychiatrists are nothing more than drug-pushers for pharmaceutical companies.

    I am not denying that there are serious, physiological causes for mental illness of all kinds, or that medication can benefit people with depression. But research in psychiatry lags way behind other areas of medicine, and I think it's irresponsible to push medications on patients when the exact mechanism of them isn't even clearly understood (seriously, ask a shrink how various meds actually work and 9 times out of 10, they'll say "we really don't know").

    If you have a psychiatrist that just asks you few questions and writes a prescription, that's not a good psychiatrist. You need an experienced psychopharmacologist. Start with this website, which is very helpful:



    so is this one:



    And I'd strongly urge anyone suffering from depression to look into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy...the shit works, seriously.

  8. #8
    zxcire
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    My opinion only:

    I've gone to many mental health care practitioners in my time...from private practice to state-run, psychotherapists to psychiatrists, and I've been diagnosed incorrectly a number of times.

    When I tried to disagree with the doctor I was labeled non-compliant and had to shop around for another provider to try again.

    If you feel comfortable with your provider and feel that they listen to you, you will likely have more luck with diagnosis and treatment. One thing to look out for is doctors who get all prickly if you say something they don't agree with--they're the ones who are so stuck in their own little prescribing and diagnostic ways that you end up suffering for it.

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    Featured Member mina loy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    the first question to ask yourself is "are my mood swings a problem?"

    if they're not that much of a problem and you can function well with them and can handle them well, then i wouldn't worry too much about it. if they're a major problem and your functioning is compromised, i'd go see a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    Quote Originally Posted by mina loy View Post
    the first question to ask yourself is "are my mood swings a problem?"

    if they're not that much of a problem and you can function well with them and can handle them well, then i wouldn't worry too much about it. if they're a major problem and your functioning is compromised, i'd go see a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.
    That's the smartest thing to do. Medication, to me, is always a last resort. There are other things to try first, including dietary changes, what you do in your spare time, alcohol and/or drug use cessation.

    If it's screwing up your daily routine and you're not able to do the things you once did, that's a big warning sign.

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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    While I definitely agree that our society is for the most part over-medicated, for some mental illnesses talk therapy is important in terms of smaller stuff that medication can't fix on it's own such as how to develop better coping strategies.

    Another problem is that some of the side effects that psych meds for more severe forms of mental illness have are almost worse than the illness itself.

    I recommend, if it's financially feasible for you to do so, to get a second opinion too. And a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, ideally working in tandem, are probably your best bet for getting the most accurate diagnosis and then treating you as effectively as possible.
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    I was wrongly diagnosed 3 times before somebody actually figured out what was wrong with me. It took a long hospital stay and a small fortune to do it, but I was lucky to have good insurance at that time so they did what needed to be done.

    Get a second opinion. It was one of the best things I have ever done, and I am so much happier than when doctors just gave me some pills and told me to come back in a month.

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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    There are some conditions that are a result of genetics (such as paranoia, a survival trait), and some that are a result of psychological influences...usually something traumatic that you have blocked out or haven't dealt with. I have been to a few "professionals" and gotten something different every time...Bipolar disorder (aka manic/depressive) among them. Since Psycology is one of the newest fields of science, it's not perfected yet. I usually try to analyze what is going on and find the cause of my reaction... I have found self-reflection and meditation to be useful tools in my life. It seems to be quite easy to to get so caught up in our lives that we fail to take the proper time for our minds... If you can, try taking some time for yourself... find somewhere away from the usual flow that makes you comfortable and try to reconnect with who you are. If you can't get away, I have found it useful to write down how I feel and why... IMHO anything taken to extremes can be detrimental. Confide in those people that you trust, and utilize their support...

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    God/dess LuckiCharm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    Quote Originally Posted by Orpheus13 View Post
    There are some conditions that are a result of genetics (such as paranoia, a survival trait), and some that are a result of psychological influences...usually something traumatic that you have blocked out or haven't dealt with. I have been to a few "professionals" and gotten something different every time...Bipolar disorder (aka manic/depressive) among them. Since Psycology is one of the newest fields of science, it's not perfected yet. I usually try to analyze what is going on and find the cause of my reaction... I have found self-reflection and meditation to be useful tools in my life. It seems to be quite easy to to get so caught up in our lives that we fail to take the proper time for our minds... If you can, try taking some time for yourself... find somewhere away from the usual flow that makes you comfortable and try to reconnect with who you are. If you can't get away, I have found it useful to write down how I feel and why... IMHO anything taken to extremes can be detrimental. Confide in those people that you trust, and utilize their support...
    Good advice. I think maybe I'll start looking for a park or somewhere around my house where I can go and just write or relax.
    Great post- Thanks!

    I think I'm just so stressed out right now and alot of things are happening with my mind right now...sleep paralysis (see my thread), panic attacks, heavy mood swings, depression...All of these symptoms together just make me concerned but I don't want to go somewhere and them just make something up and give me a prescription.

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    Featured Member mina loy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mental Illnesses/ Diagnosis

    ^yes, psychology is a young science (only slightly over 100 years old).

    one reason why a lot of people get misdiagnosed is because many symptoms of a disorder look like another disorder. today in my psychopharmacology class i learned that the first thing to ask a client/patient when screening for depression is to ask about a medical condition. lots and lots of things that resemble depression can be medical or drug-related (blood pressure medication, hypothyroid, etc.)

    case in point: a friend of mine had every single symptom for depression. when she was placed on an antidepressant she got violently ill and moody. what was really causing the problem was a life-long allergy to wheat! an allergy to wheat!
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