Posted by TamaraJ on June 15, 2005, at 13:11:28
In reply to When you suffer from depression, how do you know, posted by sunny10 on June 15, 2005, at 10:30:18
Well, when I had my first depression 9 years ago, I was misreading a lot of things and was, in my view and looking back on it, somewhat paranoid. I think paranoia can be a symptom of depression. I would imagine that the depressed mind is far more senstive to stimuli, and can misinterpret individuals' words and actions. I remember very clearly thinking that EVERYBODY hated me, and it didn't matter how much evidence to the contrary was there, my conviction remained steadfast. I was also convinced I was going to get fired, even though I still managed to put in up to 10 or 11 hours a day, and got a superior evaluation during that time. It was not pleasant to be thinking like that, and it was actually scary. When I finally was diagnosed with agitated depression and started an AD, things started to settle down, and those kinds of worries diminished. So, I guess I tend to think that a depressed person's instincts are somewhat askew, and it might be in the person's best interests to discuss his/her perceptions with their therapist to see if indeed it may be a matter of misreading cues and signals. I suppose one could also write down the "thought" and then try to think of evidence that would prove or disprove whether there is a founded basis to the thought.
So, I think that paranoia can be a symptom, rather than a new, stand-alone diagnosis.
I hope some of what I said makes sense. And, I hope you continue feeling better as the days go by. Be patient and gentle with yourself, Sunny. You've had a lot on your plate for a while now, and you need time, and maybe even space, to heal and become whole again.
My thoughts are with you. Take good care of you.
Tamara
poster:TamaraJ
thread:513088
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/relate/20050531/msgs/513158.html