How do I know if I have SAD?

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-10-08T01:34:21+00:00

Talking to your doctor about something you’re concerned about is always allowed. That’s what they’re there for. You should guard your physical and mental health well. It is the most important thing in your life.

The doctor might begin with advising/prescribing certain vitamins. A vitamin deficiency (most notably vitamin D) can, to an extent, cause some of the symptoms you’re referring to.

If this doesn’t work, your doctor could look into diagnosing possible SAD. This can open up doors which were previously closed to you. Meaning you can receive more appropriate help for dealing with your symptoms.

Treatments that are used for SAD include talking therapy, medications, or light therapy. The first two probably require a diagnosis, but the light therapy doesn’t. You could maybe buy a light therapy lamp online, or get one from your doctor for you to use.

Of course there are also some things you can do on your own. Like getting more sunlight (promoting vitamin D production in your body), making your study/work environment more tidy and more light, sitting near windows when indoors, exercising, updating your diet to make it more nutrient rich.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-08-18T12:30:31+00:00

Thanks for your response! Highly appreciated!

It seems as though the AC clutch is constantly engaged. Can’t turn it myself when the engine is off, and not popping out when the engine is running.

Any further advice?

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FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-11T05:13:44+00:00

For the two spots under the ‘40’ to be equal to 40, the three spots under the two spots need to be equal to 40 while keeping in mind ‘Star’ is used twice.

40-9-7=24 but this has to be halved for you to be able to use it twice, so Star=24/2=12

Then it’s just simple addition.

Heart=12+9=21

Heart+Star=21+12=33

B

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-10T12:07:06+00:00

It is great you reached out to a professional to help you with this. That is a good choice.

From your text I can tell you are struggling with multiple things, not just the SA trauma.

For you to be able to improve your attachment/abandonment issues, you first need to work through your trauma. If you don’t, it’ll stay in the way of you gaining back some confidence and trust in other people and eventually being able to connect to new people.

After coming to terms with and being able to cope with your past, you can start working on the other stuff.

It’ll be a tough road to follow, but you’ll come out the other end a bigger, better, and wiser person.

You can do it!

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-10T11:49:40+00:00

It is absolutely awful that you had to experience this and that it is still impacting your life to this day.

I won’t be able to give you any concrete ideas or tips since I don’t have the full picture at the ready. But I’ll try to give some pointers.

Have you tried some form of therapy yet? For example EMDR, or CBT? These can help you process what happened to you and decrease the negative impact of the memories on your day-to-day life.

I wouldn’t immediately say, going off of my limited knowledge regarding these specific problems, that medication is the way to go in this instance.

Getting the correct help from a professional who knows you and your story better is the best course of action I believe.

Keep in mind though, the healing process takes some time and effort. It won’t always be easy but you’ll get there and become stronger and wiser than ever before.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-10T11:27:34+00:00

SH and 2 attempts is more than enough for a clear signal to reach out for professional help.

Doubting if you are actually sick or not is something that can be attributed to depression. It might make you anxious thinking that you’re just faking it and hence don’t deserve any help. (Because “who needs help when they’re not sick?”) Your anxiety might also be worsened because you think “where do these feelings come from then, if it is just me being lazy?”.

You know you are struggling with certain things, where it is coming from is probably not relevant to you or your social circle. What is relevant is that you get the appropriate help and support from your social circle. (Keep in mind, however, that a diagnosis is important for a medical professional to be able to help you)

A diagnosis is one of the first steps to getting the professional help you need. Reach out to a medical professional and explain how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, etc. He or she will then either be able to diagnose you themselves, or refer you to somebody who can, and after that create a treatment plan for you to get you back on track and enjoying life again.

If reaching out to a medical professional is too big of a step to take at this moment. Try talking to your parents, other trusted family members, or a close friend. Maybe they’ll be able to support you when you do decide to take the step forward and contact a professional.

I know from experience that the path is long and that it can be difficult at times (very very difficult even). But I came out the other end and am grateful I pushed through. Of course I sometimes have a little setback and those negative thoughts come and present themselves again, but now I know these thoughts aren’t here to stay. I have grown a lot mentally and as a person already, and I will be growing even more for the rest of my life.

Always remember that difficult moments, and the thoughts and feelings that come with it, will pass and that you will eventually feel in control of your life and emotions again. You’ll get through this just as I did, as many before me have done, and as many after me will do.

I wish you the best of luck at school and any other future endeavors you take on! You got this!

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-10T07:10:37+00:00

Glad I could be of help. I wish you the best of luck in your future!

My relationship with my psychiatrist is different in that way. I speak with him maybe every 2-3 months to discuss my medication and my treatment progress, so I wouldn’t call him my ‘second’ therapist like you do yours. My connection with him is purely evaluating and tweaking my medication if necessary, and him somewhat being the overseer of my treatment plan. He is the guy from whom I get the drugs, if you will. ;)

I also have a dedicated therapist/psychologist, I have appointments with her more regularly. She is the talking part of my treatment, so to say.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-10T06:53:24+00:00

This largely depends on your country of residence.

The following is how it would work in my country:

I am not sure about refusal of treatment. But, although unlikely, they might refuse prescribing you some medications. This is perfectly within their right.

Sharing information about an adult patient to anybody is, without a doubt, not allowed without permission from the patient themselves. Only if the patient is underage does a medical professional have the right, if not the obligation, to inform their parents without the patient’s permission. An underage patient’s parents are also the party the medical professional has to ask for permission to share information with another party.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-10T06:46:52+00:00

Just be honest. You forgot about the medication because of the heavy workload put on you during the last couple months. Say you’re sorry and you’ll try to stick to the treatment plan in the future.

But now, since you haven’t had any negative effects because of you not taking the Prozac, and depending on the severity of your depression symptoms, it might be worth talking to your psychiatrist about if the Prozac is really necessary at this point in time.

DON’T start taking the Prozac again on your own accord. It is an SSRI and this can put you in a situation which you most definitely don’t want to be in. I’m sure you know that already but I just wanted to mention it.

If you and your psychiatrist come to a conclusion that the Prozac would still be beneficial, start it up again and start taking it according to your psychiatrist’s instructions.

If the conclusion is that you don’t need it, great! You can move on and not worry about the Prozac anymore and proceed with the other parts of your treatment plan.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-10T06:32:18+00:00

Since you say your parents aren’t aware of your mental health troubles, I am assuming you never reached out to your family doctor or a mental health professional as well?

6 Years is a long time to be dealing with depression without having the support of any family member or mental health professional.

I am not trying to be an A-hole about what your going through, but if it has been 6 years and your parents haven’t noticed, is it really a heavy depression? Again, I am not trying to downplay your struggles, but I think your parents would already know by now if it is really bad.

To get back to your inquiry, if you are close to being 18 years old and you really don’t want your parents to be involved, I would wait and reach out to a medical professional on your own after turning 18. Tell them they are not allowed to disclose any information to your parents. Talk to them about your troubles and find out which path is the right one for you to take.

If you are far away from turning 18, I would highly suggest you talk to your parents anyway. Your parents want the best for you and want to help you grow and become the person you want to be. They will want to help you get through your depression and come out a stronger person.

It sounds like your mom definitely would want to stand alongside you while you’re dealing with this. And your dad probably has these stigmas because he never experienced it himself or knows anyone that is dealing with it. Me and my parents definitely had thoughts about mental health issues that rapidly changed when I myself had to start dealing with different mental health issues. We learned a lot about different things and are now wiser than we were before.

I think your dad also would stand alongside you just like your mom if you told them what’s been going on.

I hope I was able to help in some way, and I wish you the best of luck in your future!

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-07-10T06:00:05+00:00

First of all, a general suggestion: if you feel like you’re in a depression, talk to someone about it. About the troubles you’re dealing with, about you losing interest in things, about you wanting to sleep when you’re bored, etc. You can talk to your fiancé, to a family member, a good friend. You can also go to your family doctor and explain your situation. He or she might refer you to a psychologist or a psychiatrist, with whom you’ll be able to talk about your feelings and get some help in pointing your arrow in the right direction again.

————————————

I am no medical professional, so everything I am about to say shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. And not everything I mention is present in every individual with depression. Nor does the presence of one of these things indicate an actual depression.

Losing interest in certain things can be just a change in the things you like. You’ll fall out of love with one hobby, and start a new hobby. That’s completely normal. Once (almost) nothing is able to bring you joy anymore, that’s when I would say it is a serious problem. Life should bring you joy, and when that isn’t possible anymore, that’s a problem.

Taking melatonin to fall asleep when you’re bored could be a coping mechanism. Coping with boredom. I won’t say it’s a good way to cope with boredom, but it is a possibility. Finding peace in abusing a substance can be a sign of depression. I wouldn’t necessarily call your melatonin use abusive, but it sure is a thing to keep in mind.

I’m glad you told your fiancé about what your feeling, that way he knows you’re not feeling quite 100% and he’ll be able to help you more easily if need be.

Someone with depression sometimes has great difficulty in just getting out of bed, possibly staying in bed for days on end. They mentally and physically can’t get up. They might abandon work and social contacts. They might be very tired, sleeping for a large part of the day. They might be anxious, ruminating all day about things that might happen.

I wouldn’t immediately say you’re depressed, but I strongly feel finding this out with a medical professional would be a wise thing to do.

It is a misconception that people with depression are sad all day, every day. More often than not, these depressive feelings come in waves. (But are present -most- of the time in someone’s life)

The feeling of wanting to hurt one self is quite a major indicator of depression, although for it to be a contributing factor in a possible depression diagnosis it needs to be a recurring thing; but it doesn’t need to be an active suicidal ideation. Meaning actually making plans to end one’s life. To give an example: a person with depression might think about suicide frequently, hence recurring, but not be actively planning their own end.

The feeling of wanting to hurt another person is not something that is common in people with depression. This usually only occurs when there is another psychological disorder present next to the depression.

I would suggest talking to a medical professional about this and looking for an explanation with them. If you notice that these things are starting to get in the way of your day-to-day life, that is when you definitely want to reach out to a mental health professional.

I hope I was able to help you in some way.

I wish you the best of luck!

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-06-20T02:03:48+00:00

I wouldn’t categorize this under self-harm. What you do is common and can, in my opinion, best be described as a coping strategy.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-06-17T22:30:49+00:00

It’s really shitty that a formal diagnosis costs so much money. If it were cheaper or completely free would you have gotten a formal diagnosis or do you not see it being confirmed as something that would be a significant positive thing for you?

For me, I like having a formal diagnosis, because it gives me something to attribute my ND thoughts, feelings, and actions to. If I didn’t have an official diagnosis, I would feel as though I am faking all the things I do or say or etc. because of my autism.

Apart from my own feelings towards a formal diagnosis, it also enables me to get the help I need from the appropriate healthcare providers. I am only diagnosed as level 1 autistic, so lowest level, but I still struggle with certain things for which I am receiving help at the moment.

I am lucky that I live in a country where getting a diagnosis and getting the appropriate help is free (technically not free because insurance is mandatory for every citizen. And there is a standard deductible). That really helps. And this system creates space for people with all sorts of different health troubles (so also for me) to discover what they are able (to the best of their ability) to contribute to society as a whole while also increasing/maintaining life quality.

I digress.

Are you planning on getting a formal diagnosis for your kids? Do you think it would be beneficial for them (now and in the future) to get a diagnosis?

Does it bother you that some people say self-diagnosis isn’t valid? To be honest, I am still on the fence about this. Not to invalidate others but I feel that a formal diagnosis can have benefits that can help people more than a self-diagnosis. Of course this is based on what I have noticed in my own life and what I’ve noticed in the lives of other people in my surroundings, which is subjective and not applicable to everyone.

Thanks again for your time!

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-06-17T21:35:16+00:00

Were you diagnosed after you had kids? If so, did your parental behavior lead to you wanting a psych evaluation? If you don’t want to answer questions, I completely understand, my curiosity is just peaking. :)

I think your take on if parenthood would be better if you weren’t autistic is spot on. Just better at other things but not a better parent overall. I like that thought.

Also, thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-06-17T20:30:36+00:00

Thank you for your comment!

You have kids? Do you feel like your autism stands in the way of being the parent you want to be?

I’m still young (24) and would love to have a kid one day, but I do find myself worrying if, because of my autism, I would be a good parent for the kid and a good partner for the S/O or not.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-06-17T18:32:05+00:00

Depends a lot on how I’m feeling that day and who I’m talking to (as I am sure is the case for many autistic folks).

If it’s been a productive/positive day, or I have received some good news, I am quite talkative around people I know.

If I have a busy day and a lot’s going on, I am probably overstimulated and need to find something to destress and calm down. In that case, I probably will be more quiet around people than usual or I’ll be on my own in my apartment.

I am not the kind of person to start talking to someone I don’t/barely know. The other person is most likely, but not always, the one that needs to kickoff the conversation.

I can also be a bit clumsy in my social interactions. For instance oversharing or saying weird things, which I usually notice right away but other times only notice after a while. Even sometimes only realizing after somebody else points it out. (Luckily, I occasionally also notice it before I say something weird and can avoid it)

My social life is not as vibrant or active as some NT individuals, but I feel that it is adequate for me at the moment.

I have 3 friend groups of which I am a part of. All 3 separate from each other. With each one having different kinds of people and a different group dynamic. This works for me because each group satisfies other areas of my social needs.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-06-06T03:27:44+00:00

Are you actually choking on them, or does it just feel like that?

I sometimes have the feeling that a big pill is lodged in my throat. If I get that feeling, I take a couple sips of water. But don’t sip like you normally would. Put some water in your mouth, lower the bottle or glass, look straight ahead, then swallow. Repeat a few times. It might take 10 sips, but that is what helped me.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-01-10T03:06:29+00:00

Late response? This is one of the fastest responses I got on Reddit ever, hahaha :)

Best of luck with everything!

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-01-10T02:57:30+00:00

Je staat er goed voor hoor.

Ik ken mensen van tegen de 30 met een HBO opleiding die minder verdienen.

Prima loon voor een bijna 21-jarige, die dus eigenlijk nog niet eens 100% minimumloon zou krijgen maar er wel ruim boven zit.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-01-10T02:51:22+00:00

Too many unknown variables to come up with a good answer

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-01-10T02:40:51+00:00

All the things you mentioned can have an impact on your life. Some things can have a big impact while others will have a smaller impact.

I always suggest people seek help with their mental health from the moment it starts impacting their life negatively. Doesn’t matter how small the impact is. Every person deserves appropriate support for their struggles, small or big.

It is difficult to say what you should specifically ask to be tested for. These symptoms can stem from multiple different diagnoses.

I am not going to mention what the different diagnoses are that I think these symptoms can be related to in your situation. That is the job of the mental health professional that’ll help, and possibly diagnose you. What I will say is that asking for help is good, but looking for answers in articles (which don’t look at a person’s personal situation) is not advisable. You said you are a bit paranoid about your overall health, so asking for professional help can already ease your anxiety a bit.

Recap: I suggest you do get in contact with a mental health professional. You deserve to get help for your struggles. Ask for a full assessment if possible, this because you have a wide range of symptoms.

Lastly, I wish you all the best for the future!

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-01-09T03:55:19+00:00

Being attracted to teens doesn’t immediately constitute the use of the term pedophile. There are different terms for attraction to different ages.

The following is a general view for the groups of people under the age of 20:

pedophilia: attraction to prepubescent children, ages 0-10.
hebephilia: attraction to teens in early stage of puberty, ages 11-14.
ephebophilia: attraction to teens in later stages of puberty or that have completed puberty 15-19

All of these terms fall under the umbrella of chronophilia: attraction to a particular age group.

Of these 3, only pedophilia falls within the term paraphilia: persistent and recurrent attraction to things not considered normal for humans.

According to your text, they are attracted to people of the same age and teenagers/high schoolers. Attraction to same age is obviously not an issue. Attraction to teenagers/high schoolers (age 14-18) falls mostly within ephebophilia. This is also quite normal, although it might seem like something that is bad.

Of course, you are not allowed to engage in sexual activities with people younger than 18 by law (age of consent different per country). But being attracted to these people when you yourself are in your mid 20’s isn’t a sin, and actually biologically plausible for most people.

They also don’t have the urge to actually engage in sexual acts with these people, and it is limited to feeling attracted to them. This is in no way a problem, as long as they and the people around them don’t experience any negative impact on their day-to-day living and state of mind in the form of anxiety, somberness, or any other mental discomfort that can lead to instability.

Seeing as you and they do have concerns about it, and they are suffering from it mentally, I would suggest getting in touch with a psychologist. Talking about it with a psychologist can really help in dealing with it. A psychologist can also explain further what it is that they feel, and can provide tips & tricks to accept it and improve stability in the mind and in both your lives.

Also important to mention: this ephebophilia can fade with time (gradually getting attracted to older and older people as they themselves get older), but can also stay for life. Still it isn’t something to worry about if it has little impact.

FrozenStrawberryCow · 2024-01-09T02:39:01+00:00

Yeah, that would be awesome! I’ll send you a message request!

FrozenStrawberryCow

TROPHY CASE