Posted by leeran on April 29, 2003, at 1:41:18
I had an unexpectedly PLEASANT dental experience today. The first in years - or perhaps ever! So, that was a "good thing." In fact, the dentist sat and talked for an hour before he ever looked in my mouth simply because he could sense my (literal) hand-wringing desperation. I left the office so thrilled that I had a game plan, and that there wasn't that usual guilt trip, that I momentarily thought I could drop a few meds due to sheer joy.
There is one part of the visit that brought something to mind that I wanted to ask bring up here on the board. I'm betting that others have been frustrated by this question and that it's been brought up before here on this board.
The dental assistant, a very nice (and sincere) young woman, requested my medications list and as she was writing them all down in the chart she asked what Wellbutrin is prescribed for.When I answered: "Depression" she answered "What are you depressed about?"
I know she meant well (or certainly didn't mean to be unkind), but I'm sure you all probably know my answer:
"I'm not depressed about one thing in particular, in most cases "it" doesn't work that way. It's caused by a chemical inbalance, blah blah blah."
"What are you depressed about?" is the equivalent of "snap out of it" for me. If I could "snap out of it" I would be thrilled. I don't enjoy going to bed thinking "will I have to be medicated for the rest of my life in order to feel somewhat 'normal?'" or waking up feeling like there's a brick of despair resting on my forehead.
If my father could snap out of diabetes, or my husband could snap out of high blood pressure I know they would in a New York minute.
We talked about the stigma of depression a few weeks ago, and I guess this is yet another example of the misunderstanding that exists about mental illness.
I need to learn to overcome the need to overexplain depression and A.D.D., as if they are signs of weakness, versus an illness and a disorder.
I understand that people mean well when they ask such questions, but it was yet another example of the difficulty in conveying the concept of depression to someone who hasn't experienced it in their own life.
Maybe I can use this as part of the key to understanding my mother. I remember wanting to ask her so many different times (when I was a young adult): "what are you depressed about." Of course, now I understand that this can be the ultimate pain with no distinct name.
Has anyone else experienced this? I sound like I'm being nit-picky (I probably am), but it seems so exhausting (of course!) to explain it to people. Luckily, I'm not usually in a situation where I need to do so.
Thank you for the momentary rant.
poster:leeran
thread:223074
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030426/msgs/223074.html