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Mental illness - self diagnosis possible?

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kpas said:
Like I said before, unless you are one of the unluckiest people alive, I see being depressed as one of the most selfish acts possible.
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When you said you had depresson before, did you actually see a psychiatrist?

I have no doubt that sometimes people just like to whinge and whine for no reason, but true clinical depression is not something that you can choose to have.

It's like someone displaying personality changes after brain injury e.g. frontal lobe syndrome. Or an even better analogy would be Alzheimer's. It's not as if patents forget things because they don't care or they are too lazy to remember.
 

I'm saying it's a state of the mind, so the logic of "cheer up, there are many far worse off" is thrown out the window. It's easy to tell someone to get some perspective, but their mind has to be open to it. Many just can't do it.




As always, there's another way of looking at it, and I hinted at it in my post. Perhaps it's not that we don't realise we're lucky, but we're unhappy with being burdened by western society. I believe that modern life is a burden, and people in less developed countries are often less effected by it. They may have other problems, but for them I think it's easier to gain perspective as there's less noise.

From one perspective it can be argued that we don't have it that great at all. Modern life has turned us into pissed-off, stressed, depressed, passive aggressive time-bombs. It leads us to often miss the simple pleasures, and therefore miss life.
 
Julia....
I believe we all understand that caring and nurturing helps...but you missed the point.......the emphasis was on the diet....

copy of my post............................................
there was a youth group here in Melb last year...they took the young men into care....omega 3 and fish and special attention to their diets...the kids went from living off the streets , drugs and depression...to total change in life...back to school or got jobs....
*****the emphasis was what they lacked in their diets....mood changing, life changing
......................................................................................

Eating fatty fish could have a similar effect to taking anti-depressants, say scientists

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/344185.stm

Omega-3 may also prevent depression.(MENTAL HEALTH)(Brief article)


Publication: Youth Studies Australia

Publication Date: 01-MAR-08

Author: Gross, Kate


Researchers from the Australasian Research Institute at Sydney Adventist Hospital and the University of NSW are preparing to conduct a study to determine whether the combination of low levels of omega-3 fatty acid consumption and high levels of omega-6 fatty acid consumption common in modern diets is linked with mood disorders in teenagers. Around 1,000 young people aged 14-17 years will be recruited to participate in the How Food Affects Mood study, which will involve DNA testing and dietary surveys (Sun Herald, 30/12/07, p.5).




COPYRIGHT 2008 Australian Clearing House for Youth Studies


PS I believe there was a study done in Melbourne with great results
there are millions of articles on this subject for anyone interested.....
 
saying you self-diagnose 'Mental illness' is really as useful as saying you can self-diagnose illness. You may be self-aware enough to know something is wrong, but without clinical training its unlikely you would know precisely what and/or how to treat it. Even if you did know both of these things, you are hardly a detached observer.

Being self-aware enough to know you have a problem is of course possible - but many people - are so stubborn that they never want or think they need help. A lot of professionals are like this, manic depressives and so on - high achievers because of their illness, so they feel they don't need assistance from anyone.

The greatest barrier to receiving help is the stigma that STILL attaches to it within organisations. No one wants to put their hand up as needing help, as that means they are weak, useless, etc - and this society wants strong people with no excuses, zero tolerance, flawless resume! Unless we move away from considering anyone who has a mental illness as forever broken, less people will be willing to come forward and seek treatment.
 
My 2 cents: mental and physical illnesses are two sides of the same coin. Some cancers are easily treatable , some less so. Some mental illness is easily treatable, some less so. Trying to ignore a potential illness doesn't make sense. Get a professional assessment and if you're not happy with it seek a second opinion.

Most importantly, try to ignore dismissive comments. Any stigma associated with mental illness is borne of ignorance.
 
Snake I do work in this field...my recommendation is to start excercising as if your life depends on it, seek out a good psychologist for some cbt and I guess the omega 3 supplement would not hurt.
 
I ticked off the Beyondblue Depression Check List. I scored six out of nine. which means I am 'likely to have a depressive illness." I am pretty sure that when the market picks up I will score better.

Strangely enough sleep disturbance is not a problem with me. Anybody who can get a good night's sleep can discount depressive illness I reckon.
 
kincella said:
Julia....
I believe we all understand that caring and nurturing helps...but you missed the point.......the emphasis was on the diet....
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I didn't miss the point, kincella. I understood that you meant the improvement was due to the diet.
But I'm not sure how anyone could measure the quantitative effects of (a) the dietary change, compared with (b) someone showing concern and care for a group of people who would seem to be missing this. Why not accept that the latter could also be a factor? To do so doesn't dismiss the benefits of fish oil.
 
dombat said:
Snake I do work in this field...my recommendation is to start excercising as if your life depends on it, seek out a good psychologist for some cbt and I guess the omega 3 supplement would not hurt.
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The exercise advice is good in my opinion. Thanks Dombat.
 
Calliope said:
Strangely enough sleep disturbance is not a problem with me. Anybody who can get a good night's sleep can discount depressive illness I reckon.
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Yes I've seen people who can't sleep or wake up early because of conditions that stress them. In my past all I wanted to do was sleep to escape. That sleep was comfortable and a place of security.

Dale Carnegie wrote that great book which I highly recommend.
 
dombat said:
Snake I do work in this field...my recommendation is to start excercising as if your life depends on it, seek out a good psychologist for some cbt and I guess the omega 3 supplement would not hurt.
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But to some people suffering from depression or other illness the ability to get up and exercise is impossible.

Take it from someone who has been there and touch wood has recovered.
After returning from overseas in 2000 i wasnt my normal self in 2001 I was diagnosed with PTSD. I was determined to beat it without drugs was advised to resume exercise in 12 months i had gone from 85kg to 110kg. Joined a gym 12 mth membership luckily paid for but i went maybe 6 times.

MOTIVATION is the first thing to fight to get back. I finally got a good doctor who sat me down and virtually force fed me hard facts. Started a course of tablets which i stayed on for 2 yrs. This along with cognititive restructing skills enabled me to get off tablets and return to duty but as a reserve officer.

My motivation is again high except maybe when the market tumbles or when i start thinking or reviewing events in the past I go out for a run.

So before you try to exercise and probably fail fight to regain motivation even if only at first to do an hour of simple tasks. Once the motivation is returning and the will to fight to succeed returns then do go out and exercise.

In my opinion I am a better person having gone thru this as I now know the signs and how to combat them. I dont have the days that I had yrs ago because I know I am above that. Cognititive restructuring is the most benifical tool in fighting depression. This along with finding a doctor that you connect with and not everyone will have the same result with the same doctor. So go out and see a few till you find the right one for you.

UBIQUE
 
sting said:
. This along with finding a doctor that you connect with and not everyone will have the same result with the same doctor. So go out and see a few till you find the right one for you.

UBIQUE
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Good comment, Sting. Ditto with a psychologist. In case not everyone is aware of this, you can see a psychologist free of charge via Medicare with a referral from your GP. There's nothing wrong with phoning two or three psychologists, and asking for a ten minute free appt so that both you and the psychologist can see if you're comfortable with each other before committing.
If they're not OK with that, then you wouldn't want to work with them imo.
 
It's Snake Pliskin said:
In my past all I wanted to do was sleep to escape. That sleep was comfortable and a place of security.
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Yes. Years ago I had a period of depression. I hated to get out of bed, it was the only place I felt secure. I would curl up in the foetal position. I never sought professional help except from my GP. He put me on a course of Prosac and after about six weeks I was OK again.
 
Trembling Hand said:
Why would you bother which something so serious?

its like trying to self diagnose cancer. Even if you get it right, which i doubt it. you still need professional help so start there first.
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He has a point... Self Diagosis is Dangerous... Lots of things have the same symptoms... Seek a professional...
 
Snake,

I believe you can diagnose yourself if you are self-aware and knowledgable. But serious mental health issues require professional assessment, for a second opinion if you like; followed by professional treatment.

Thirdly, serious mental health issues are a "disease" of the brain, just as heart disease is a disease of the heart. The concept of "snapping out of it" or "pulling yourself together" reflects a misunderstanding of the nature of serious mental illness. In such instances brain structure and function changes, beyond the point of will power being effective.

But just like a diseased heart, a diseased brain is either 1] treatable to the point of cure or 2] requiring ongoing management, or 3] in rare cases, untreatable.

JA


PS
What motivated the question in the first place?
if you dont mind my asking, otherwise just ignore.
 
The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Australians are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.
 
tech/a said:
The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Australians are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.
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LOL no doubt about it here !

hows your circle of ppl tech/a?
 
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