Depression/Bi-Polar and other related issues

XHonusWagnerX - 12-5-2005 at 12:28 PM

Does anyone here suffer from any sort of depression (like a serious issue, not just being bummed about something), Bi-Polar, serious anger/rage issues or any other serious 'mental' issue or have someone close to them that suffers from one? There are definitly signs of this in my family and Im just looking for some possible insight/help from a non clinical sourse.

Im asking because Im trying to find out what the best way to go about tyring to "Cure" or fix or help the issues are. If Therepy has been tried and at least 2 kinds of meds at differant doeses have been tried with no results whats next?

I know this is a pretty heavy topic and probably an odd thing to discuss in a public forum based on primarily entertainment, but Im interested in what people might have to say from experience.

upyerbum - 12-5-2005 at 01:30 PM

I gave up my medication about 6 months ago. Without my doctors say so. I've been on three different meds over the past few years, and gone the psychologist route. Don't go to a psychiatrist, they're just drug pushers. The psychologist was good. She concentrated on healthy lifestyle. I have my moments still, but I work out and do a lot of walking, seems to be working. This is not a cure per se, but I've noticed a big difference in my moods since I've started walking.

bystanderfanzine.com - 12-5-2005 at 02:02 PM

Yes

stay on your meds, and go to therapy

This is the longest I have stayed doing both (almost 10 months) and my quality of life is so much better. I have gone on and off over the last 6 years, and it has fucked up so many personal relationships it isn't funny (to a good degree fucked up a lot of good bands). There is no cure, but thier is a way to make your life better. I can say that since I have been on meds (after my fiance left me, some of her reasons being my depression) my life has been so much better.

Anyone who is anti therapy and anti drugs is usually someone who is suffering and the disease is talking for them.

I have had 3 to 4 major episodes in my life, one severe. Because I didn't take care of myself when I was young I will be taking meds for the rest of my life.

any questions feel free to e-mail me at scottj@bystanderfanzine.com and go to the library and take out some books.

JawnDiablo - 12-5-2005 at 02:11 PM

damn, i was just thinking about posting such a topic. you guys read my mind...
needless to say, i have issues

Discipline - 12-5-2005 at 02:35 PM

I have issues with both anger and depression. At times they seem to go hand in hand. I have to stay on my meds because if I don't I have extreme mood swings and a tendancy to get very violent. I go off for the slightest reasons and attack people. If it wasn't for the meds I'd be in jail.

XHonusWagnerX - 12-5-2005 at 02:59 PM

would you guys be willing to say what meds and dosages your on and what it is you suffer from?

and also what you think it is that caused/causes your issues?

JUICE MAYNE MSHC - 12-5-2005 at 03:32 PM

someone close to me is bi-polar and it was pretty bad for a long time...mood cycles...violence, etc. This person takes Lithium twice a day now and it makes a HUGE difference. No more mood cycles and their level of anger has gone way down. This person was almost like the Hulk, they'd get so mad about stupid ass shit that they were uncontrollable and would be sorry about it later. With Lithium...this person is much more easy to deal with and to talk to about things that, before medicine, would piss them off and send them off the edge.

XHonusWagnerX - 12-5-2005 at 03:34 PM

what are the symptoms of...

Bi-Polar?
Manic Depressive?
what other catagories are there?

Voodoobillyman - 12-5-2005 at 05:22 PM

My mom is manic, she has been on meds for years,and they keep swapping her out with new ones. She's on emimprimean (sp?) prozac wasnt cuttin it for her, and she is about to try a new one called excelsior or something. I will have to ask her and get back to you. Psychs are so backed up these days that regular doctors are now taking these kinds of cases and then consulting with psychs for guidance, the world is full of depressed people to the point where it is overwhelming the medical community. We need a big change all the way around. Growing up with her was tough as nails and I only get along with her now because I live 15 hours away and we barely see one another.

tireironsaint - 12-5-2005 at 07:00 PM

I was diagnosed with long term depression coupled with sharp spikes of severe short term depression a few years back. I've always had issues with depression and anger (and substance abuse/addiction) but after trying lots of different therapy regimens as a kid and having NONE of them produce satisfactory results, I was left with a deep seated distrust of shrinks. During some pretty heavy shit with my ex a few years back, I almost had myself locked up when some of those severe spikes hit really hard. After I cooled off a bit I got in to see a doctor who talked to me about what was going on and clarified why some meds would be good for me. I had always been against them before since there are way too many people on meds who don't need to be, or at least that don't need to be as drugged up as they are now. My understanding before talking to the doc was that the only people who really needed any kind of meds were those who had no real reason for their depression or in other words, people whose depression was based on "chemical imbalances" or things other than events in their lives. My reasoning for not wanting meds was that I had ample reason in my life at that point to be depressed (my entire life was rapidly falling apart in front of me, some of you know about some of this) and so I didn't feel that I was one of the "chemically depressed" people. My diagnosis made me realize that the events were adding to my depression, not necessarily causing it. I started taking some meds which actually helped a lot, but I had some weird side effects. Some of those were actually enjoyable side effects, but the main thing was that as the good effect of the meds wore off I became EXTREMELY aggro and wanted to kill everyone for little or no reason. I weaned myself off of them and haven't gotten on anything else since then. With very few exceptions I've been fine ever since, but I doubt that's a very common thing. I remember being told that they no longer prescribed the meds I was taking to anyone, so I guess those side effects were common, but I can't even remember what they were called now.....

Anyway, I don't know if any of that helped you at all, Honus, but that's my (condensed) story.

Discipline - 12-5-2005 at 07:28 PM

Doctors think I have a chemical imbalance that was made worse by a head injury last year. But I've suffered from clinical depression for years as well as dealing with anger management problems. I've tried a few drugs over time. Right now I'm on a newer antidepressent called Cipralex, can't remember the dosage off the top of my head though. When I came off the pills earlier this year I ended going up on rampage of violence and I hurt a lot of complete strangers for stupid reasons. I beat up two kids who were around 14 or 15 because they made a crack about some shirt I was wearing. I lost it and beat them to bloody heaps. Not cool. It's why I stay on the drugs.

RomanticViolence - 12-5-2005 at 08:47 PM

I have a problem with depression & anger

About 2 years ago my doctor put me on lexapro (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) and several other drugs to try to "even myself out".

I took those drugs for a few months and i didn't like what was happening to me. My brain felt like a marshmellow. I didn't feel many emotions and i stopped caring about alot of things.

One day i just stopped taking my med's, which was the worst thing i could have done. (you have to ween yourself off of those things) I felt worse than i did before i started taking them.

I'm not on any med's now... i just take it day by day and deal with it.

SAAAAARS - 12-5-2005 at 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RomanticViolence
I have a problem with depression & anger

About 2 years ago my doctor put me on lexapro (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) and several other drugs to try to "even myself out".

I took those drugs for a few months and i didn't like what was happening to me. My brain felt like a marshmellow. I didn't feel many emotions and i stopped caring about alot of things.

One day i just stopped taking my med's, which was the worst thing i could have done. (you have to ween yourself off of those things) I felt worse than i did before i started taking them.

I'm not on any med's now... i just take it day by day and deal with it.

i was on lexapro and reacted the same exact way..weird.

i got diagnosed with depression when i was in 8th fucking grade. shit was pretty bad for a year or a year and a half and then i realized i could fix it myself. i changed who i hung out with and i got a healthier lifestyle and things are so much better now.

tireironsaint - 12-5-2005 at 10:57 PM

Jeeze, you think Hard Core and Punk attracts people with this kind of shit in their head? I'm just saying there's a whole lot of us responding to this question with similar experiences...

clevohardcore - 12-6-2005 at 01:08 AM

I've had some bad shit happen in my life. Never used meds. Maybe I should have? I have to say right at this very moment I would not be against it. My life right now is the hardest its ever been and shit is just building up. Stress, bills, debt, job, wife, child, school, cars, house, family(I live 2 fucking miles away from my mother and I havent seen her since spring 03 when I got married. My sisters are graduating highschool. Haven't seen or her from them since then either. Shit I have a Grandma who I havent seen since then either. I recently left my job to stay home and raise my son becasue we have no one to watch him. We will not go the daycare route with a newborn. I am attending school in the evenings. I am in fear of losing my student loans because of my GPA. I have no money to pay for it. The last day of work I went to apply for government assistance. Man was that defeating. I always felt in control but now I have lost it. I have a son and now I need help raising him. I took him to the doctor today for immun-shots and was worried the pediatrician would turn us away because we are not sure if we will get the assistance from the government yet. Apparently they go on past income even though you have lef tthe employer and no longer work there. My wife is looking into bankruptcy. I guess we can file on her credit alone and not mine. That is going to be a fee of $1200. Our credit is good. We made money. Nothing is late. All of a sudden the shit is hitting the fan. I have no idea where this is coming from. I want it to stop. I don't want to lose this. I need a career. In order to get that job I need to go to school. I want to have a job I can raise my family with. Something I can be proud of. I want to be the father I never had. It must happen this way. I can't believe I typed all this. I also can't believe I'm about to hit .

Discipline - 12-6-2005 at 02:17 AM

Quote:

I had the same problem with a couple of different meds I was on. I had to try out a few different ones before I found one that worked and didn't turn me into a zombie.

Lucabrasi - 12-6-2005 at 04:22 AM

i suffer from depression and anxiety. It got really bad 3 years ago and i had to drop out of college. I was a mess, i wouldnt leave my room for days. I see a therapist once a month and am on 3 different kinds of meds. I have done some research on it and bought some books on cognative therapy. Cognative therapy is a process that helps to change your thought process. In my case im either happy or depressed and i have no grey area, its always to one extreme side of the spectrum. So you have to learn your thought process and correct the negavite thoughts and see things rashonaly(sp?). It takes ALOT of work but its well worth it.

joemaconmovies - 12-6-2005 at 12:28 PM

My cousin suffers from OCD and it seriously fucked him up. I don't know what meds he's on but they really helped. When he was off the meds, he was a wreck. I'm glad he's back on them.

I, myself, am on something called Reflexor for mild depression. I know it's not serious but I've bene taking 150 MG a day and I've had no affect. I'm told it's a small dosage but it hasn't even brightened me up at all. The depression is mainly due to another disease but it's not mental.

Todd - 12-6-2005 at 09:52 PM

About Bipolar...read "An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Redfield Jamison. It's a horrible disease. Trust me.

jonnynewbreed - 12-7-2005 at 11:03 AM

I was diagnosed with Thyroid Desease a couple years ago. It went undiagnosed for 5 or 6 years. The symptoms are depression, withdrawl, weight gain and a huge laundry list of things.

I'm medicated now but my doctor would have put me on the wrong drug (paxil) had I not insisted on getting a blood test where they found the thyroid problem.

XHonusWagnerX - 12-7-2005 at 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jonnynewbreed
I was diagnosed with Thyroid Desease a couple years ago. It went undiagnosed for 5 or 6 years. The symptoms are depression, withdrawl, weight gain and a huge laundry list of things.

I'm medicated now but my doctor would have put me on the wrong drug (paxil) had I not insisted on getting a blood test where they found the thyroid problem.

Ive heard that the Tyroid condition can really screw people up. I wish it was that easy for all conditions once they are found though.