Posted by Lorraine on July 31, 2001, at 22:31:59
In reply to Re: Handholding (Shelli, Lorraine), posted by Elizabeth on July 29, 2001, at 14:01:07
> > > And to Lorraine: I don't know when you first became depressed or seriously anxious, but I've had problems since childhood (first dx of major depression when I was 14, but my doctor and I felt that I'd probably suffered at least one previous episode, when I was 10-11 and possibly dysthymia long before).
Elizabeth: I was severly traumatized when I was 8, and it is clear that I had a break-down at the age of 11 or 12, although nothing was diagnosed then and I tried to hide everything. I started seeing a therapist when I was 15. No diagnosis until I was 43.
> > >I think that early-onset depression has much more profound effects on a person than adult-onset depression has. In a sense, I had an incomplete childhood. Although the effect is qualitatively different from the effects of serious abuse in childhood, the degree of impairment that results is comparable, I think.
I honestly wouldn't know which of these categories I would fall into because if someone had intervened at 11 or 12, I'm sure I would have been diagnosed with childhood depression and certainly I spent a lot of my childhood crying. But we didn't know about depression then.
> > > It's a lot fuzzier than I think most people realise. You're right that EEGs are subject to interpretation. It does sort of make sense that people who'd suffered abuse would have hyperactive limbic systems (perhaps including the potential for limbic seizures), though.I don't think I had physical abuse (with few exceptions). The question is whether emotional abuse or depression can cause lesions. Anyway, I guess the suspicion would be car accident side effects.
Lorraine
poster:Lorraine
thread:67742
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010731/msgs/72810.html