tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post3055734480576539260..comments2023-10-25T07:20:23.858-07:00Comments on Vicarious Therapy: DiagnosisAquahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16230285017033299419noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post-26032441648634355932009-02-13T14:40:00.000-08:002009-02-13T14:40:00.000-08:00Hi,Thanks for visiting my blog :o) bit worried you...Hi,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for visiting my blog :o) bit worried you recognice one of my pics, were you there when my OH came home & wondered why I was sat on the kitchen floor taking pictures!!!<BR/><BR/>I don't concentrate on labels, I find them confusing and distracting, I am me, have been me, I thought I'd grow out of it but have had to learn to live with it & improve what I can, that sounds so easy!!! I have never fitted any particular box though, maybe that is whyLifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09918334891240627464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post-13678125613988827202009-02-13T09:35:00.000-08:002009-02-13T09:35:00.000-08:00I heard it described as a rainbow that there are s...I heard it described as a rainbow that there are shades of illnesses that overlap not unlike the colors of the rainbow blending into each other.<BR/><BR/>For example, my diagnosis is bipolar plus some Schizophrenia symptoms. So I'm a good example of the blend of two disorders. <BR/><BR/>By the way, I've found (and my psychiatrist agrees) that the depression end of Bipolar is the hardest part to treat. The mania is the easier one to manage for me with meds. Still the mania isn't a cake walk in managing as many of you know.Handsome B. Wonderfulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11524517496880481239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post-11584713357640515602009-02-12T21:10:00.000-08:002009-02-12T21:10:00.000-08:00Oh yeah...this "continuum theory is not my own, bu...Oh yeah...this "continuum theory is not my own, but a culmination of all kinds of different things that I have read about depression being on a spectrum of disorders, rather than a different disorder.<BR/><BR/>It makes sense...you could even take it a step farther and have a spectrum between, depression, bipolar and schizophrenia. Some people have schizoaffective disorder...a mix of schizophrenia and a mood disorder so it is not difficult to see they may all be linked .Aquahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16230285017033299419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post-28788118922342861682009-02-12T21:05:00.000-08:002009-02-12T21:05:00.000-08:00LoopyKate: Thanks for the comment. It is good to ...LoopyKate: Thanks for the comment. It is good to know I am not the only one. I never even considered I was cycling until the cycles began being bizarre and more frequent...the highs were (and sometimes still are) what I lived for. That was when I completed and created amazing things.<BR/><BR/>Lisa Marie: I definately agree.<BR/><BR/>Harriet: When I first had to apply for disability my pdoc told me exactly what you said: Diagnosises are for insurance companies...amazing. Re: the autism/aspergers...I should have mentioned in my post my belief that the differentiation between mental and physical disorder should disappear. I believe depression and mania and everything in between are illnesses of the brain. Period. Regardless of whether there are psychological, as well as physiological causes. Things like heart disese have a psychological content as well...stress can make you more susceptible to heart disease. Strokes and diabetes, like depression have environmental contributors. Mental illnesses ARE physical. CBT works because changing your thought patterns changes the structure of your brain. Tyhe brain is physically changed by depression...that is a physical illness....I'm just ranting...but thanks for your thoughts.Aquahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16230285017033299419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post-80944212871970342312009-02-12T18:26:00.000-08:002009-02-12T18:26:00.000-08:00I think a lot of what is in the DSM is dependent o...I think a lot of what is in the DSM is dependent on what insurance companies want. I'm a cynic, I know that.<BR/><BR/>I also don't understand why diagnoses like asperger's and autism are considered mental illnesses. The whole DSM is a mystery to me.<BR/><BR/>But I like your continuum theory, it makes a lot of sense. Too bad the writers of the DSM don't get patient input.Harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10151061142781327531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post-23665410075128673782009-02-12T17:57:00.000-08:002009-02-12T17:57:00.000-08:00Ugh, cycling is such a b****! Labels or not, it is...Ugh, cycling is such a b****! Labels or not, it is not pleasant.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05952500756645034418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post-21576372488202876252009-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:00Oh but I forgot to add - one thing I have noticed....Oh but I forgot to add - one thing I have noticed. The 'mixed episodes' seem to have got worse (that's feeling 'high' but depressed and extremely agitated, restless and sleepless at once). This could be from messing with medication (I've not managed to stick with anything so far!) or it could be a result of current life-stresses. <BR/>Whatever it is, they're most unwelcome!<BR/>K.xAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14391563.post-2357500709019350082009-02-12T13:30:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:30:00.000-08:00Hi,I've only found your blog recently and haven't ...Hi,<BR/>I've only found your blog recently and haven't had a chance to read over much so excuse me if I seem not to grasp the 'whole pictue'. What you describe are 'symtpoms' and an experience very similar to my own. As a teenager I was diagnosed as 'naughty, disorderly, faddy and anxious'. In my twenties I was depressed. By my thirties I was treated for major depression. At 37 I was eventually diagnosed bipolar 2 (I'm now 39 and it appears I have come to the end of the labelling). <BR/>I believe you are absolutely right in your analysis and much of what I've read recently concurs that the spectrum exists between unipolar depression and bipolar 1. Mosy depressives who do not 'recover' or go untreated eventually begin cycling and exhibiting bipolar symptoms. I have always had 'highs' (just as you describe) but like many, failed to report then for years. It was eventually my response to anti-depressants (induced mania and rapid cycling) that alerted suspicion at which point I was referred to a psych and within half an hour had the new diagnosis! I'm not sure the cycling or severity of mood gets worse over time. Perhaps the diagnosis has made me more aware of triggers and thus more capable of management. I also have more responsibilities (a child, for one) now so am more careful not to allow things to get out of control. <BR/>However, i sometines can't help wonder if bipolar isn't just the bin they ditch you in when all else fails. That way, they can give up on therapy and just shove the stabilisers at you!<BR/>Otherwise, I don't believe the labelling is of much use/importance. We are all unique. <BR/>Kate.xAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com