Introductions

Thomasm198
Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
edited October 4 in Social Groups
I've created this group so people who have mental health issues can discuss things openly and freely.

I'm a police officer and 10 years ago after a bad incident in work I developed Post Traumatic Stress. I was on Prozac for about 8 months and attened counselling sessions for a number of years.

On a couple of occasions during my very bad days, I placed a knife against my wrist and contemplated ending everything. During this time in my life, I had serious issues with food. The anxiety attacks I was having were causing me to be unable to eat more than a few small scraps of food at times. If I tried to eat any more than a couple of scraps I used to end up getting physically sick.

I've learned that stress, anxiety, depression, etc, can effect weight. So I'm hoping that this group will help people will help people with their weightloss and other health issues.

Edited to say, that part of my reasoning for creating this group is where people can come and discuss things openly and freely. In the past on the main forum, I have seen some silly comments being made on topics about mental health issues (example: "Your doctor doesn't know what is best for you. Don't listen to him".

Having had my own experiences with mental health issues, and a cousin that didn't survive his issues with mental health issues :cry: ; I am a very strong advocate of promoting mental well-being.
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Replies

  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    *ahem*

    I'm Q, and I suffer from depression. It's at times debilitating. Most times, I don't feel I have the luxury of truly breaking down. I shove all my energy into going to work, and there's little left for anything else. I get tired of hearing my own voice complain about it, so I tend to go to therapy in spurts. The worse it is, the less I'm inclined to reach out to friends. I've always said I preferred friends who would be there for me during the goods times, as opposed to that common phrase where a friend is someone you can count on when things are hard. Or something like that. I'm not very eloquent this morning.
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
    I'm a licensed therapist. I used to work in what long ago would have been called the State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. I was attacked by a patient and was out of work with a shoulder injury and PTSD for 6 weeks. PTSD lasted longer. I had a great therapist and used EMDR, which helped unbelievably. I'm a little annoying with urging people to go to that kind of therapy when they are in that kind of pain.

    I've also dealt with depression and anxiety. Luckily for me, they're usually adjustment and not totally the biological depression that others are haunted by.

    I also have mental illness in my family. Lots of people on my friend list know that my mother died recently. What I don't share too publicly is that she died due to mental illness. She had schizoaffective disorder (mood swings of Bipolar with an extra treat of psychosis all the way through) and was ill almost all of my life. Scary crazy ill.

    She had colon cancer, but because of her mental illness, she didn't get it quickly. Mother's Day of 2004, while going through as bad a divorce as you can imagine (with the attendant adjustment related depression and anxiety) I learned she had cancer. I'm an only child. I went back with my kids, her siblings flew in. And we rehabilitated her junk house so she could live in it when she got back from the hospital.

    She was actually pretty mentally well for the years leading up to her cancer surgery. But while she was still in the hospital after the surgery, she started showing some bad symptoms of paranoia and psychosis. I kept trying to get the doctor to put her back on the psych meds, but they're hard on a GI tract, and he was a GI surgeon. There were no psychiatrists with admitting privileges, so he wouldn't consider injectables. So, finally, I told the guy with as serious a face as I could muster, "if you don't get her back on her meds RIGHT NOW, and later she relapses into mental illness, this is gonna be YOUR bad outcome of YOUR care, and believe you me, I will let you know, buddy" or something to that effect. They put her on, but that stability she'd finally gotten was gone, and she didn't stay compliant with meds and didn't finish chemo because the busses were being run by the KGB.

    Within a year or so, she was telling me about how the KGB agents on the bus had sprayed her with something that went into her lungs and made it hard to breathe. And then more psychotic/lung symptoms. And then somehow, she went to a doctor who did an image and saw masses on her lungs. He wanted to do a biopsy, but she refused. And went full-blown psychotic. Police dispatchers refused to do a welfare check, and one of them actually said to me, "if it is as serious as you are saying, why aren't you on the first plane out here".

    People don't understand what mental illness puts people through. So I went out there (again) and she had agreed to let me take her to the doctor, but when I got to her house, she wasn't there. When she returned, she accused me of being an imposter (which is a big warning sign of risk of violence, btw) and that she knew I was an imposter because her daughter isn't so fat (sigh). So I got in the Police Sergeant's face, and the city council, and said, "I got on the plane, what the **** are you gonna do now?" I also called the Chief. She got pulled in for a 72 hour hold and was combative and assaultive and it got to be 2 weeks, but then they were going to let her go. I got her committed, which is kind of a miracle. And was another plane flight out.

    Committment/Conservatorship got her to live in halfway houses and care facilities. At one point she walked away from an unlocked facility and lived in the backyard of her old condo until she was nearly starved to death and called my dad (her ex). That was the first I or the Conservator heard she wasn't at the facility. So they moved her to a new facility. Their Nurse Practitioner was saying, "huh, she has this cough and shortness of breath, we don't know why" I said, "she has cancer that most likely spread to her lungs. She's unable to attend to her own health, so that's why she's conserved. That's what it is." They had no idea. But they did another image and found lots of tumors and gave her weeks to months to live. Nearly 2 years ago.

    Then, about a month ago she died. But she didn't die alone in her house with no welfare checks until she smelled. She didn't die alone in her house scared with a psychotic mind spinning stories to understand her physical symptoms. She didn't die alone, starving because she couldn't care for herself or get to the grocery store by foot. She lived in a nursing home, and they took her off her psych meds for a while, and then she said it was just a cold and if she didn't eat for a week or two it would clear up like she'd done before. Then she said some other crazy stuff and they put her back on her meds. The week she died, I talked to her and had the most normal conversation I've ever had with her. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for that. She lived in a place that would horrify you if it was your family, but sadly, it was the best alternative we could get for her.

    So. That was a lot. I'm sorry about that. I just said it because if anyone could understand that my mom died of mental illness, this group could.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    My mom was bi-polar. I never knew that there was anything wrong with it. As a kid, I thought it was normal that my mom would go live in the hospital for a couple months once in a while. One thing sticks out from my childhood, though. There was one day we were at the local pool just playing around. She told me, "You know, this is the first time in a long time that I have actually laughed." Even as a 7-year-old kid, I understood the weight of that statement.

    I suffer from anxiety. I haven't been officially diagnosed yet, but I know. I'm getting tested next week through my school's counseling center so I can start getting help. I think it's GAD because my mind is always fluttering from one worry to the next without stopping. Some are reasonable, some are not. I'm really hoping to find some answers soon.
  • Hello I'm Martina. I'm 34-almost-35 and I live in a small town of NC, but I'm originally from Atlanta. I am diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, dysthymia, and social anxiety disorder, but I may have some diagnoses either change or get added to shortly, as I first received these diagnoses back in 2004 and my new psych is looking into my case. :)

    My Mom and sister had depression and my Dad had PTSD and spent the majority of my childhood going in and out of the mental hospital. I'm happy to find you all. :)
  • CaitlinMyers428
    CaitlinMyers428 Posts: 151 Member
    I have anxiety problems. I worry constantly about everything all the time. I'm also very OCD.
    My Mom has mental illnesses such as bipolar and actually going to hospitals for a while when I was young.
  • kendernau
    kendernau Posts: 155 Member
    I have major depression. My wife also has major depression/borderline personality disorder and ADD. We both have parents that have at least gone through depressive phases, and her dad currently has Alzheimer's. Various other health issues are in our families, so health concerns are always on the radar.

    I'm doing pretty well right now - off meds, thanks to the boost weight loss and exercise has given me. I'm looking forward to the help I can offer others in this group, and what this group can do for each other.
  • Hi, I have a few mental health issues, severe anxiety, depression, OCD, & Tourettes.
    I'm 21 years old so I'm still learning about how to control & deal with this stuff, I've been on meds for 5-6 years now, recently started Lyrica a few days ago, I've gained over 50+ lbs in the last few years, because of my meds, I'd just like to say thanks for making this group & together we can overcome this! :)


    MJ
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    Welcome each of you.

    Feel free to start topics to ask questions, discuss things, or just even generally vent to let out some worries.

    From my experience, talking helped me. So I always encourage people to talk about their problems. As the old saying goes "a problem shared is a problem halved"
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    hi, i'm maab. i've suffered from chronic depression and suicidal tendancies since i was a pre-teen, i'm a recovering addict, and i struggle every day with social anxiety disorder.

    i had a metric crapton of therapy through high school and learned a lot of tools that got me sober and get me out of bed on the bad days. most of my group therapy now happens in NA and AA meetings - i had off and on healthcare for a lot of years and meetings are free, with free coffee, score. there are still dark times, and it's a struggle.

    the hardest part right now is the gym. first day there, i had a crippling anxiety attack. i've worked out some tricks for it now; and it's now part of the routine, so it's getting better. there are fewer days when i can't face it. sometimes it's tough getting out of the car and into the gym.

    the hardest lesson in all of my therapy was that i have to keep going forward, even when i'm crawling. so that's what i do.
  • NewVonnie
    NewVonnie Posts: 683 Member
    Hello, My name is Yvonne, but everyone calls me Von. I suffer from depression. I take meds for it because I've tried everything else and I cant cope without them. They take the edge off.

    It seems to run in the family. My grandmother, mother, all my aunts have it too. My mother said I was what she would call a " sad child" Not sure what that means exactly but I do know I always felt different, even when I was little. Never happy and carefree like the other kids. Always looking for something outside myself to make me happy.

    I'm not sure if a sucky childhood contributed or not. But it surely didnt help any. Then a marriage at 18, and baby at 21 just added more stress.

    I think if I knew it was more than being just a sad person I would have sought out help sooner. As it was it took me ages to ask for help. Even now..on meds..I have times where all I want to do is sleep all day and not face the world..and I do..because i just cant help it. Then there are days I can function. Its a daily struggle. A lot of times I've thought that it would be easier to just be dead. Once..I tried..meh..doesnt matter. I fight every day to be content..to find a little bit of joy. Its difficult. There are so many things I wish were different.

    I dont want to end up like my step brother, who 3 years ago at 21, hung himself in my dad's garage and my dad found him.

    Thank you Tom, for making this group. *hug*
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
    i'm laura. i've had OCD for as long as i can remember, and since i was 17, i've had panic attacks/agoraphobia. there ya go. i'm slightly off kilter!

    i just have to say my OCD is driving me crazy today. i find it tremendously helpful to realize when i'm feeling crazy, to acknowledge that it's my OCD talking, and not me. feel free to friend me :)
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    Im Jeanette and im bi polar.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
    I'm Elysa. I've been diagnosed with PTSD by every therapist I've seen. I have ADD, anxiety, and depression that I'm currently not medicated for.
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    I have it all in my family!

    Gran and mum suffered with both depression and OCD, mum- mostly OCD but was very bad.

    Gran on Dad's side has very developed Alzheimer's/Dementia

    Big Sis suffered Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, Insomnia
    Little Sis, Kleptomania, OCD
    Little bro - OCD
    Me-Insomnia, Stress, Anxiety (But then again I am an air traffic controller who lost their granddad in the middle of training - he was my sole inspiration to join the RAF which made things a bit hard! Plus with everyone else at home struggling, had noone to turn to!) I'm over them now and deal with them - they could haunt me if I don't manage things properly. Saw a senior military shrink and nurse for some CBT and advice etc. Very good. Mum says I'm highly strung, nature is very competitive but also quite soft and sensitive!


    :)
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    Forgot to say, they put me on Zopicolne initially and then Temazepam for my sleep problems and medically downgraded me from air traffic control for 4 and a half months. But I'm fighting fit now, a lot was to do with my granddad- the amount of pressure I put on myself to "make him proud" and not having time to grieve (I had half a day off to go to his funeral... a 2 and a half hour drive each way) and I was told he was dying the day after a big night celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain... but drove home all the same and was holding his hand, reading him Rudyard Kipling poems as he died, which I was there at his side for. Work insisted I was back in work on the Monday (he dies Sunday afternoon) and I was just so wiped and maxed and arghhh! No wonder I got down and couldn't sleep!
  • Its wonderful to meet all of you, you are all awesome and brave for sharing your stories with us all.
    Im Chellesky (Michelle) I was diagnosed as bipolar when I was 26. It was such a shock!
    Im now 49 and it still plays havoc with my life and lifestyle. The last two years have been really tough and I feel now that I am getting through the dark tunnel once more and hoping so much that I can lose the weight Ive gained from having to take the meds.
  • rdpixie
    rdpixie Posts: 93 Member
    Hi everyone!

    I have suffered from a recurrent depressive disorder for almost 12 years now. The horrible thing this year has been turning to food. This is not a good thing as I work in the fitness industry and my hobby requires me to look in shape too and so overeating is very self destructive for me in many ways. I can't afford a therapist so its a bit tough at the moment but just have to take it day by day.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Hi,

    I'm JR!

    I suffer from depression, anxiety, and OCD. I'm going to share something on here that I haven't shared with anyone else ever but my wife. I was hospitalized for depression and anxiety for a week 2 years ago. We found the root cause to be that I suffer from them mildly anyways but I was put on a really high dose of predisone. Which apparently Steroids make me go nutso. I was a mess, I still have problems, mainly when winter is first starting. Right now I'm having a lapse in that the depression, anxiety are really really bad. The OCD hasn't kicked in too bad lately at least. These issues I do think attributed to my enormous weight gain. I'm happy to say I'm powering through the depression and anxiety and still going to the gym. I just hope I can keep doing that. I don't take the meds because to be honest I just can't do it. I don't have the willpower to take a pill daily, I just get to the point where I'm like.. ehhhh.. I'll take it later and I never do.
  • Hi everyone raven here. I'm 18 and at the moment i'm waiting to be diagnosed. At the moment i have a blanket diagnosis of psycosis due to me hallucinating. Some days are good and others are bad. I also suffer from anxiety and food has always been my go to.
    I was bullied a lot at school and started to hallucinate roughly when i was 13/14, being me i didnt realise that this wasnt normal until i was 16 and in college. Then i had a really bad psychotic break and have absolutely no idea what i did for a week almost got kicked of my course because i apparently wasnt going in. Had a really bad experience with seeing a pschiatrist the first tme round. She made me feel like i was wasting her time and was pretty scary. I'm back seeing a councillor who is nice and encourages me to talk even though i'm very shy and i struggle to get my words in the right order sometimes.
  • sia12345
    sia12345 Posts: 6 Member
    I am 31 and have suffered from numerous mental health issues since I was 19. First of serious anorexia for a number of years. Now it is chronic PTSD, borderline Personality disorder, dissociative disorder and so on. I have also been self injuring for a number of years and havent slept without meds since 2003. I have spent over two years in different hospitals, lived in other institutions. Since 2005 I have lived in my own appartment but I have staff that looks after me and give me support so that I can live as normally as I can.

    Right now I am studying to become a clinical psychologist. I do have many year left to study but at leat I am going somewhere. I am also very active in politics and plan to work with health issues while a politician.

    As you can probably see I am not from the US but Norway where we have free health care, also free uni education. I dont think I would be alive if not. Too expensive for my parents.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
    Hi. My name is Rhonnda and my psych refuses to use labels. ~chuckles~ I understand the reason behind this practice but it can be a bit frustrating.

    I have lived with severe mood swings and depression from my earliest memories around age four or five. I'm now almost 49.

    I self medicated with alcohol through most of my teens and twenties and finally went under a psych's care when I in my late 20s. I've lost track of the different medications and in what combinations I've taken. I'm one of the unlucky ones for whom a med will work for a short period of time and then stop. My latest combination, however, has been working for well over a year now which is about four times as long as anything else, so I have hopes.

    In my early thirties I suffered from oxygen deprivation which messed up my short term memory, and may well have been the trigger for a series of phobias as well as the worsening of my anxiety and depression.

    I've had one major and two minor breakdowns. Lived with daily panic attacks. Still have no real concept of what 'happiness' is. And most recently I've started having brief visual hallucinations.

    It seems that my symptoms will continue to worsen as the years go by.
  • sarah_ep
    sarah_ep Posts: 580 Member
    Hi. My name is Rhonnda and my psych refuses to use labels. ~chuckles~ I understand the reason behind this practice but it can be a bit frustrating.

    I find this refreshing. Hi, my name is Sarah and I would prefer not to list everything I have been "diagnosed" with. I understand how labels can help, and in some cases (for some people) are necessary for them to recognize and begin the treatment process. I have been given so many different diagnosis, I gave up on trying to label and understand them. They are all intertwined, and while some fit more than others, not one diagnosis fits completely. .

    I am shy and have problems expressing myself properly at times, so I tend not to. I have always had problems socially, this partially to the fact that I am a horrible listener. I daydream, zone out, and often take what they say wrong. Not wrong in a bad way, but I what I think is similar is usually not to them. Not sure if that makes sense, but it's what happens. I think this is where my focus is going to be these next couple of years. The last couple I have spent on trying to focus on tasks and anxiety.

    I look forward to what this group may offer.
  • gerink
    gerink Posts: 50
    Glad to see someone started a group for these issues. Have had depression since college (too long ago to count the years). Been on and off meds. Had a 20 yr abusive marriage that I got out of and into a 10 yr relationship with a man who told me I was the "love of his life" and we were engaged. Thought things were finally working out. Depression set in as I dealt with my daughter and her issues as she grew up. Fiancee suddenly dumped me with "not getting enough companionship" due to the depression I was in (wouldn't even try to work it out - betrayed me and my issues to his new girlfriend when we were still together (now his wife). Needless to say that put me in a tailspin. Put on the weight. Trying to get back my life and out of the depression and lose the weight. Trying to find happy.
  • PlanetVelma
    PlanetVelma Posts: 1,223 Member
    This is awesome someone started a mental health group, very cool! :)

    My name is Monica, I was recently diagnosed with chronic PTSD. My family life was very chaotic and violent as a child. My father was a Vietnam vet and suffered from PTSD as well as depression, was an alcoholic. He had issues with women and was very cruel to my mother (and his other 5 wives). Physically he didn't hurt us kids, but could be very emotionally/mentall cruel. My mom and dad divorced when I was a teen, couple years after the divorce my mom had her boyfriend move in. Of course being the rebellious teen, i moved in with my dad because at least I knew what to expect from my dad (my mom's bf and I did not get along AT ALL).

    My dad passed away after I graduated from HS. I was homeless for about a year after that, met my ex-husband, got pregnant and was with him for about 8 years. Of course, my ex was very similar to my dad, he could be physically violent, mentally cruel and was not a good provider.

    I finally left in 2002 with my kids and moved in with my mom. I lived with her for 2 years until I could get on my feet and could provide for myself and my kids.

    I've been on and off meds for about 3 years to help with anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks & OCD issues. This past April I found a great therapist who diagnosed me with chronic PTSD and is helping me work on all of my issues and help me move out of "survival" mode. Having this diagnosis has helped me realize why I am the way I am - as an example, why I'm hyper-sensitive to conflict, particularly when children are involved. It also made me understand how deeply violence in the home can affect children and how deep those emotional scars can be. I love to have a peaceful home life and make sure my children have a unchaotic home life (everything I didn't have as a child).

    My current "homework" from my therapist is to work out 4-5 days a week (versus 5-6 days a week). I tend to do things "balls out" or nothing. I love the "high" I get out of working out, and it helps work out some of the demons that haunt me. So I'm trying not to over-do it with my workouts, and really focus on my nutrition - well the best I can especially during the holidays. LOL

    The other part of my homework is I'm supposed to buy myself something. It has to be something for only me, it can't be something that I need - it has to be a WANT. I thought that would be really easy, but it has been a pain in my *kitten*! Something so simple and of course I over-think it or just flat avoid it (avoidance is my favorite, btw - lol).

    Looking forward to the additional support! :)
  • vittix
    vittix Posts: 84 Member
    Hi folks I'm Vicki 37 and mother to a 14yr , I've always had the "blues" that would come off and on. Always been odd. In my 20's i was told i was bi-polar and i have anxiety. I'm a feeling eater. I started med's played the what med works for you game. I was 364 lbs by the time i was 25. I will never not take my meds. I wouldn't do that to my son. My mom was a cutter, has DID and i believe Bi-polar. She would drink, cut end up in the hospital and when she would come home i didn't know who would be coming home. It wasn't till i was older that i set boundaries with her. She says its me pushing her away. Thats me taking control. Again i won't do that to my son. My son has asperger's syndrome. He too eats his feelings has mood swings, ADHA OCD. It can be allot, i want him to know I'm gonna be there for him. We have also talked about Bi-Polar ( his Dad has it as well) I'm taking control of my health, or at least my diet. i need him to see he can make a change and not set out on that same path i did. :)
  • JayTeah
    JayTeah Posts: 8 Member
    Hello, I'm Justine, 27 and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    I suffer from OCD, Anxiety, PTSD and recently started seeking help this last month.

    About 4 years ago, my Grandmother, who I was extremely close to, passed away. Exactly one year later, I buried my fiance who I had been with for 5 years. His family went crazy, attacked me at the funeral, conned me into signing for the plot as well as the ceremony (upwards up $33k) and puppy snatched my 3 year old Yorkie. The harassment, stalking and abuse was too much to handle - I just didn't seek help immediately. I thought I could self diagnose and ate edibles for three months while sitting on the couch while my Dad recovered from prostate cancer.

    I constantly bite my nails to the point of bleeding, scratch my legs, and pick at my fingers. Majority of people that surround me would be surprised to hear that I suffer from Anxiety. Reason being, I host dinner parties for about 14 people with my current boyfriend at our home, as well as craft parties with upwards of 20 girls and go out regularly to concerts/shows/galleries. I am extremely outgoing and well spoken for the most part - - but the moment my anxiety hits me, I lose it. My stomach decides to empty itself wherever I am at the time (this happens 75% of the time I go out) and I end up attempting to hide this.

    I'm at the point that I am sick of going backwards and only want to move forward in all aspects of my life. I want to be a happy and healthy woman who eventually will marry and have children. I am sick of feeling like I don't have control over my thoughts and feelings.

    I am meeting with a new therapist on Monday and hopefully she will have some more insight versus the last Doctor. I'm happy to find a group that grasps what it is to have built a wall and are now ready to break it down, piece by piece, pound by pound.

    I'm ready! :flowerforyou:
  • JetzGurl
    JetzGurl Posts: 213 Member
    Hi. My name is Kristi, I'm 37 and I'm not sure if I belong in this group or not. I've never been diagnosed with any mental health issues but I do feel that I have some lingering emotional and psychological baggage that I need to deal with. I've dabbled in therapy but stopped going because of the associated costs.

    I basically joined this group to ask the question "Are you guys okay with me being here, or do you feel there would be another group more suited to my situation?"

    If you feel that I don't quite fit the demographic or feel that I would not have the same understanding, let me know and I will remove myself.

    Thanks
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    Hi. My name is Kristi, I'm 37 and I'm not sure if I belong in this group or not. I've never been diagnosed with any mental health issues but I do feel that I have some lingering emotional and psychological baggage that I need to deal with. I've dabbled in therapy but stopped going because of the associated costs.

    I basically joined this group to ask the question "Are you guys okay with me being here, or do you feel there would be another group more suited to my situation?"

    If you feel that I don't quite fit the demographic or feel that I would not have the same understanding, let me know and I will remove myself.

    Thanks

    @Kristi: This group is public so everybody is welcome to join it. Feel free to read the different topics and look around. You never know, you may discover something that helps you.

    Thomasm198
    Group Administrator
  • Hi.

    My name is Clara, I'm 22 years old and like a lot of people mental illness runs in my family!

    My father is Bipolar, my mother (who passed away last February due to a medical mistake related to her mental illness) suffered from depression, and probably borderline personality disorder, my sister is a chronic alcoholic, and I couldn't talk about my brother because (except at my mother's deathbed) I haven't seen/spoken to him in 15 years. So my childhood was full of hospital visit (for both parents and us kids), lots of cops, and insanity.

    As for myself, I tend to not use labels, simple because so many have been thrown at me. Anxiety NOS, mood disorder NOS, bipolar, depression, OCD, ADD, PTSD, BPD, social phobia, dissociative disorder NOS... the list goes on and on.

    Until about 2 years ago, I lived on my own and dealt with my myriad of symptoms (overwhelming anxiety, dramatic mood swings, periods of dissociation, paranoia/delusions and anxiety) through self injury. But now, I'm in a stable relationship with a great man and it kills him to see me do that to myself, so I turned to eating instead. Now, my symptoms are out of control and I've gained 50lbs, making my social phobia even worse!

    I'm just hoping to find enough strength and support to work though this without the help of medication (I've gone toxic on lithium due to a drs. stupidity, so I've been fighting their use ever since) or a counselor (because I'm a poor college student and can't afford anything).

    Thanks for starting this group!
  • bhalter
    bhalter Posts: 582 Member
    Hey guys - I'm Barbara, a month away from turning 26, and I'm from the Midwest. I deal with anxiety, depression, and OCD. Depression runs in my family, and my fiancee also has suffered from depression in the past and has social anxiety.

    In the last few years, I've managed to get a hold of my depression. My biggest obstacles are the OCD and anxiety. I was always a "serious" kid and I'm also a "serious" adult. I've had brief spurts of living it up and having fun, but for the most part, my life is a constant to-do list and I get unnaturally stressed out if things are the way I think they should be. My anxiety skyrocketed this year, and my doctor put me on Celexa. My biggest goal is to be able to lose weight, have an active and happy lifestyle, and to hopefully overcome a lot of the pressures I put on myself and not be so tied down by my "disorders."
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