Posted by JonW on March 19, 2002, at 13:09:41
In reply to Re: My Life So Far -- Expert Advice Needed...?, posted by chiaratara on March 19, 2002, at 11:10:28
Hi Tara,
Thanks for your post. I picked out a compliment or two there and I appreciate it :) It's true, a lot of us here are a bit too hard on ourselves. Thanks for reminding me. I have to say, in the last six months I've been hospitalized twice and continue on disability. I have a family history of mental illness. My current psydoc and two others have diagnosed me with bipolar disorder and social phobia among other things. I have a real problem -- just like lupus or diabetes. I know you didn't mean to say it's all in my head, but I just wanted to make that clear.
It's interesting what you said about not making a good employee because you think outside the box and like to challenge authority... I get all excited just talking about that :) Anyway, back to earth, that's one theory why genes that cause bipolar disorder are still around. Just a little "bipolar" would make you creative, curious, a risk taker, and productive. However, with bipolar disorder you might be disorganized, have bad judgement, and racing thoughts.
If you identify with my symptoms and have any mood instability at all you might want to take a look at this site to see if you identify with any of these people:
http://www.bipolarworld.net/Phelps/phelpsask.htm
Thanks Again,
Jon> hi there.
>
> well, i don't know dr. l.; and, i only have experience with SSRIs. i am not sure how much help i will be, however your post was very compelling to me. it seemed to me that a lot of your symptoms could be characteristic of someone who is not clinically "depressed." i only know a few people who get out of bed and feel great. in fact, most people would like to sleep until noon and skip morning all together. i don't know one person who doesn't like to eat at night and go to bed with that full warm and fuzzy feeling. i drink lots of water and always related that to the fact that my mother would chase me around with cups of water when i was little because she thought it was good for me, and now i drink a ton of water and hate to be thirsty. i probably don't have enough posting space to touch on each symptom that you wrote, although i wish i could. my first impression of your symptoms is that you are too hard on yourself. i am glad that you are seeking out a professional that, according to previous posts, has such a good reputation because there are things, as with myself, that you should be able to work on and hopefully overcome. some of your symptoms struck me as being a unique part of your personality. i could eat all the sourdough bread in san francisco if given the chance; and if challenging authority was a crime, at the tender age of 26, which i am now, i would be in jail for life. my mother says that i have been really challenging authority ever since i was about 3 months old. i was even told by my pdoc that i would never make a good "employee" and that challenging authority meant that i thought outside the box and wasn't one to follow the crowd. take some of those symptoms and attribute them to being a complex and interesting person. you sound like one to me. ok, sorry for the longwinded post, something struck me in your initial post.
>
> take care, tara
poster:JonW
thread:98675
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020318/msgs/98831.html