Posted by jay on August 3, 2002, at 15:54:51
In reply to Just don't like people anymore..., posted by libbyh on August 1, 2002, at 21:57:27
Hi:
Well, after many, many years, I have only started to *really* notice that my irritation level and 'disgust' of many gets really bad when my fragile balance of anxiety and depression aren't treated. Every time I have either stopped meds, or neglected one of depression or anxiety in my med treatment, then the apathetic disgust sets in.
It took me a heck of a long time to realise this, and I honestly think it proves a few things:
1)You have to stick very vigilantly to a med combo (For med it is antidepressant + medium dose benzo)..and I am talking years here...cycling on and off medications just seems to ruin any positive long-term effects of both of these meds. I now recognize my contempt for people, and irritation by them, is a true sign both my anxiety and depression are not being treated properly.It's taken me almost 8 years to realize this.
2)We are a fair bit unconscious to the positive effects, and that is why it is of almost dire importance to both keep a daily journal of our feelings, and 'chart' our moods.
3)If either depression or anxiety are not treated concurrently, we are bound to not do well on either med alone. My very good doctor always emphasized to me the 'dire' importance of taking both benzos and my antidepressant *together*, and I finally see why he is right!
4)You *must* attend to some of the 'larger' problems in your life before you can move on, and get some good relief from your medications. Whether it is in relationships; financial; job/careers; health...etc...anything. Sorry if it sounds cliché... I am just speaking from my experience, and some of the research
OK..sorry if I went on a bit too much...but really they are things to think about. It really seems to be about treating the 'whole' person, as well as every symptom that appears.
Best wishes.
Jay
> My third major depression seems to be mostly in remission with my daily meds: Ritalin SR, Wellbutrin SR, & Prozac. The one lingering, nagging problem is that I don't like people anymore.
>
> I don't DISLIKE them and I'm not AFRAID of them. I relate to them well enough and can usually find something in common with anyone I talk to... It's just that my interactions remain consistently on a very superficial level... When I am thrust into a new group situation, on the surface, I seem to function just fine. At the end of the first couple of meetings, you might think I was popular because most people like me immediately. However, as time goes on and the other people in the group become more intimate with each other, my problem surfaces. It's not that I couldn't go further. Its' that I'm not motivated to go further. It simply isn't worth the trouble to get to know others beyond the most superficial level. It's not because I think I'm better or worse than them... It's that I feel-strongly- that friendship is more trouble than it's worth. Friends don't mean anything "good" to me anymore... only more demands on my time & energy...
>
> I wasn't always this way... When this round of depression started, I had lots of close friends. Now there's only the slightest resemblance between that person and the hermit I've become.
>
> I am bothered by my problem to some extent, obviously- or I wouldn't be writing this... But the thing that bothers me is that I "know" it isn't normal. There isn't any real desire to change, but I do have a morbid curiosity about why...
>
> Is this too strange for ya'll to relate to?
> Any ideas about what's going on? Will it ever change back? If I don't venture out into the world of friendships again, what are the long term consequences of that?
>
> L.
poster:jay
thread:27799
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020728/msgs/27959.html