I really apologize for posting this, but...I hate life.

[Madelaine McMasters]

7 hours ago, Seicher Rae said:

I'm sorry to hear of your mother's stroke and resultant changes. Republican? Good lord. I wonder if there is medication for that. Exercise? I wonder if some mass, cataclysmic stroke-inducing event went under the radar in 2016 which would explain all sorts of, dare I say it (I do) mass craziness in the land(s).

Epigenetics is my new favorite word for the day.

It's been an interesting thing to watch. I don't much care what Mom thinks so long as she's happy. She thinks my cooking stinks and that I'm not terribly pleasant to be around. It's possible the stroke has allowed her to pierce the rosy veil of familial love and see me for who I really am, an annoying culinary hack. I don't blame myself for telling the neurosurgeon to save her life last year, but it might not have been the best call I've ever made. This is my first experience with stroke. The changes in Mom's personality are not something I expected, nor something she realizes.

Mom was politically independent before the stroke and has moved far to the right since. She's now more fearful of others and more desirous of simple and reassuring explanations. Under different circumstances (such as a community dining room that didn't play Fox News 24/7), she might have been pulled to the left. I don't see her shift as being political so much as social.

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Madelaine McMasters

[Madelaine McMasters]

6 minutes ago, JanuarySwan said:

Perhaps a better word is he managed his bulimia through diet and exercise.

Right. We all have some ability to cope with physical and mental illness. To the extent that any particular thing we do, whether it's diet, exercise, directed thinking, or pharmaceuticals brings our ailment within our ability to manage it, it's probably a good thing. Sometimes we manage quite well, sometimes not. Sometimes we underutilize the tools at our disposal, and it's okay to point that out. Who among us wouldn't benefit from the judicious application of exercise and healthy eating? We're in the middle of an obesity/diabetes epidemic in the US. That doesn't mean that, when in the thralls of an illness or a broken lifestyle, we can see that the long term benefit is worth the short term sacrifice. If some other method (pharmaceuticals) can bring us once again within reach of management, it's worth consideration. Sometimes there's no alternative.

11 minutes ago, JanuarySwan said:

What is causing the chemical imbalances are a myriad of things that it often takes a whole team to get a patient on the road to regaining a sense of good health.  

We have a lot of tools in our toolboxes these days, and it can take a whole team to sort through which tools are best, and how best to use them.

Keep both your mind and your eyes open.

[Seicher Rae]

29 minutes ago, JanuarySwan said:

I did not mean to imply that exercise is a cure all...I simply mentioned Jack LaLanne because he overcame a mental illness through diet and exercise.  Though this seems one of the healthiest things he could have done for bulimia.  Perhaps a better word is he managed his bulimia through diet and exercise.

Even here you have to be careful about citing diet and exercise as a "management" of an eating disorder such as bulimia. I am not speaking about LaLanne because I don't know about him specifically, and I try not to write about things I don't know about unless I'm writing fiction.  There is something called exercise bulimia. These are things for experts.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Seicher Rae

[Drake1 Nightfire]

4 hours ago, Whirly Fizzle said:

I respectfully disagree with this.
While some mental illnesses are likely present from birth (nature), others are caused by life events (nurture).
There are thousands of academic studies examining nature vs nurture in mental illness.

I will agree with that statement with the caveat that mental illnesses and mental disorders are NOT the same thing. Situational depression is not classified as a mental illness and is treated vastly differently. 

[Love Zhaoying]

I don't hate life, but I still has a sadd sometimes.

[Seicher Rae]

4 hours ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

I will agree with that statement with the caveat that mental illnesses and mental disorders are NOT the same thing. Situational depression is not classified as a mental illness and is treated vastly differently. 

Demmit, you made me look stuff up, Drake. Apparently situational depression is listed as an adjustment disorder. I did not know that. Ow, I learned something today. I have both types of depression (MDD and situational) and so they are treated together. From what I read the diagnoses for both are through using the DSM and the treatments for both vary, but can include talk therapy and medication for both.

Edited November 15, 2019 by Seicher Rae

[Drake1 Nightfire]

52 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Demmit, you made me looks stuff up, Drake. Apparently situational depression is listed as an adjustment disorder. I did not know that. Ow, I learned something today. I have both types of depression (MDD and situational) and so they are treated together. From what I read the diagnoses for both are through using the DSM and the treatments for both vary, but can include talk therapy and medication for both.

And what is interesting is that Clinical depression cant be cured with a special light. like some people think.

Wink wink, nudge nudge, Say no more. 

As i have said, I have done a mega shoot ton of homework on these issues, i wanted to have the best info and informed information at my fingertips to help my daughters and wife. Medication was not my first thought, therapy was. Just talking to a professional that specialized in children. After several months of twice a week 2 hour sessions resolved in "she needs more than therapy" we looked into the best medication options for each child. We didn't just jump to lithium.

Why some people (and i dont mean you) think the only meds doctors prescribe is the most powerful is beyond me. A good doctor will start at the lowest dose possible and work up to what works best, and cut back if its too much. New meds are popping up all the time. It is up to you to talk to your doctor and decide whats best.

I went to the ER a few months ago because i was feeling dizzy and lightheaded. After a litre of saline i felt amazing, the head nurse said i was probably just mildly dehydrated but will wait for blood work. Blood work was clean and yet the ER doc who i saw for less than 2 minutes decided i MUST stay overnight for observation due to "pre-existing conditions." The only pre-existing condition i have is diabetes and kidney stones. Seeing as my numbers were awesome and kidney stones just dont cause that, he just wanted to keep me to bill my insurance for it. I said no thanks, signed an ROR and went home. Saw my PCP the next day, she ran a bunch of tests and gave me a clean bill of health. 

The moral of the story is, you have every right to tell any doctor no. They can not force medication on you. If they say "this is the only option" ask another doctor. But... exercise isn't a cure all.

[Drake1 Nightfire]

1 hour ago, Love Zhaoying said:

I don't hate life, but I still has a sadd sometimes.

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Drake1 Nightfire

[Drake1 Nightfire]

6 hours ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

I wonder if exercise can cure this...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210598/

Could you point me to the donation box for The McMasters Institute for the Advancement of Harmless Flirtation™?

[Sammy Huntsman]

50 minutes ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

And what is interesting is that Clinical depression cant be cured with a special light. like some people think.

Wink wink, nudge nudge, Say no more. 

As i have said, I have done a mega shoot ton of homework on these issues, i wanted to have the best info and informed information at my fingertips to help my daughters and wife. Medication was not my first thought, therapy was. Just talking to a professional that specialized in children. After several months of twice a week 2 hour sessions resolved in "she needs more than therapy" we looked into the best medication options for each child. We didn't just jump to lithium.

Why some people (and i dont mean you) think the only meds doctors prescribe is the most powerful is beyond me. A good doctor will start at the lowest dose possible and work up to what works best, and cut back if its too much. New meds are popping up all the time. It is up to you to talk to your doctor and decide whats best.

I went to the ER a few months ago because i was feeling dizzy and lightheaded. After a litre of saline i felt amazing, the head nurse said i was probably just mildly dehydrated but will wait for blood work. Blood work was clean and yet the ER doc who i saw for less than 2 minutes decided i MUST stay overnight for observation due to "pre-existing conditions." The only pre-existing condition i have is diabetes and kidney stones. Seeing as my numbers were awesome and kidney stones just dont cause that, he just wanted to keep me to bill my insurance for it. I said no thanks, signed an ROR and went home. Saw my PCP the next day, she ran a bunch of tests and gave me a clean bill of health. 

The moral of the story is, you have every right to tell any doctor no. They can not force medication on you. If they say "this is the only option" ask another doctor. But... exercise isn't a cure all.

To be honest, I am trying therapy, it works. But it doesn't really give me the results I want, the depression and grief seem to be getting worse and worse for me. In that case, I think I do need meds, to at least help me to cope a bit. Not as an escape, but I can't take this anymore. And yeah most good doctors will put you on the lowest dose possible and if it is ineffective in helping you. Then they will raise the dose in small increments. And in most situations, doctors won't prescribe you meds unless the benefits outweigh the risks. Not to mention, in most cases the problem needs to persist for 6 months or more. But in some cases less, depending on the severity of it.

Edited November 15, 2019 by halebore Aeon

[Madelaine McMasters]

54 minutes ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

Could you point me to the donation box for The McMasters Institute for the Advancement of Harmless Flirtation™?

You are posting in it, Drake.

[Adam Spark]

On 11/6/2019 at 2:45 AM, Gopi Passiflora said:

Not Second Life. Just...life in general. Right now, I'm just trying to vent out my anger....

I'm so different from other people. I feel like my beliefs and ideas don't fit in with the rest of society.

I know some of you will say kind words, and I really appreciate it and thank you for that, but nobody really knows how I feel....

Nobody knows how anyone feels, and nobody isn't different from other people. Don't fall for the idea that you're supposed to fit into the rest of society. Society is nothing but a group of individuals. Your differences make you you, and there is nothing wrong with that. Embrace your differences yourself instead of trying to make others do so and you'll be fine.

[miaminightmare]

Here's a hamster in a lion costume to help you feel better.

[Love Zhaoying]

9 hours ago, miaminightmare said:

Here's a hamster in a lion costume to help you feel better.

 

[Whirly Fizzle]

12 hours ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

The moral of the story is, you have every right to tell any doctor no. They can not force medication on you.

In the UK they can.
If you are sectioned under the mental health act or they deem you not to have capacity they can force you to have any medication & treatment they like.

[Luna Bliss]

50 minutes ago, Whirly Fizzle said:

13 hours ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

The moral of the story is, you have every right to tell any doctor no. They can not force medication on you.

In the UK they can.
If you are sectioned under the mental health act or they deem you not to have capacity they can force you to have any medication & treatment they like.

There is involuntary treatment in the U.S. too. They are considering involuntary treatment for the homeless and mentally ill in San Francisco -- not sure of the results as the last debates I heard about it were in July.  Here's the voice of an 'anti' involuntary treatment doctor:

https://www.madinamerica.com/2016/06/forced-treatment-is-torture/

[FairreLilette]

I needed to clarifying something.

I said exercise is the first thing recommended...I meant after medication because I read the link I posted.  It's never just medication alone is what I meant.

It's exercise plus more like avoid alcohol and drugs, build up your support system, listen to music....plus many other things.  Therapists who work with doctors will recommend many things.  

The exercise is most likely the first to be advised because exercise releases the very chemicals and hormones that are out of balance in the first place.  

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by FairreLilette

[Morena Tully]

Well, I've read through the thread, and I'm really quite grateful for the first few pages. I try to always be positive and never a downer to people I talk to in SL, because the one single time I brought up depression in a conversation, the person was infuriated and insisted depression is a choice, that if I'm depressed, I choose to be. This really hurt, and still does, and makes me afraid to ever bring it up. Ashamed. Not feeling so alone in it helps so much, so I thank all who have written meaningful things, and also those sharing things that bring a smile! Smiling and laughter really is wonderful medicine, even if we only do it on the inside.

I am not, and never will be, to a point I wish I wasn't alive, I actually love life. At least I've convinced myself I do. It just feels very empty and pointless a majority of the time, like I'm always doing it wrong, but unable to change anything. Basically a failure at it. Thank you to the OP, who had the guts to say how a lot of people feel, in their own unique ways. I hope the thread will keep going in a positive or informative way, because for some of us, SL is the only place we have to communicate, express ourselves, and get a glimpse into how other people feel. Particularly entering the holiday season being alone.

The shame is so deep in me, looking at the submit reply button, or clear the post.. That's how it is!

[Madelaine McMasters]

29 minutes ago, FairreLilette said:

The exercise is most likely the first to be advised because exercise releases the very chemicals and hormones that are out of balance in the first place.  

Exercise is mostly likely to be among the first things advised even if you don't have anything wrong with you. Schools have programs and spaces dedicated to exercise, as do many communities and businesses. One aspect of exercise that nobody has mentioned (I think) is "play". Lack of physical activity correlates with lack of social interaction. Play, whether in the form of rough and tumble childhood games, or adult sports and dancing, is a wonderful way for us to engage our minds, our bodies, and each other.

Diet, exercise, hygiene, and social interaction are probably the most important factors in maintaining the health of the general population. It's a no-brainer to recommend good practices in these areas. But, when things go wrong for an individual, though those may still be necessary, they may not be sufficient. That's when we call in pharmaceuticals, surgery, radiation, therapy and any number of other treatments.

It's worth remembering how humanity has shunted the mentally ill off to the side in the past. We're better off keeping them in our midst and offering help and welcome as we can. It often takes the outliers to show us what we're capable of.

If everyone were exactly average, who would inspire us?

[Madelaine McMasters]

6 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Martha Stewart being removed from the thread

She posted here and I missed it?

Damn!!!

Edited November 15, 2019 by Madelaine McMasters

[Luna Bliss]

59 minutes ago, Morena Tully said:

the one single time I brought up depression in a conversation, the person was infuriated and insisted depression is a choice, that if I'm depressed, I choose to be. This really hurt, and still does, and makes me afraid to ever bring it up. Ashamed.

Ugh...one of those types of people who believes they can control everything and blames others when they are "not in control". They probably don't even believe we have an unconscious/subconscious mind. I try to avoid these neanderthals. One day they will discover they aren't as much in control as they imagine.

[Seicher Rae]

3 minutes ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

She posted here and I missed it?

Damn!!!

"about" Maddie, "about" 

Although, now that you mention it, you never know here in SL, do you? Martha might just be here, the clue would be which font she selects...

PS. And now, fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, I'll fix that sentence.

Edited November 15, 2019 by Seicher Rae

[Madelaine McMasters]

Just now, Seicher Rae said:

"about" Maddie, "about" 

Although, now that you mention it, you never know here in SL, do you? Martha might just be here, the clue would be which font she selects...

...goes hunting for "Franklin Gothic" as she hatches a deceptive plan.

[Sammy Huntsman]

5 minutes ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

She posted here and I missed it?

Damn!!!

Did she Bring Snoop Dogg again? Lol.

[Snugs McMasters]

4 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

They probably don't even believe we have an unconscious/subconscious mind.

Maddy knows, and she's not happy about me.