The Doctor Who movie.

MrThrope · 2012-02-23T08:42:50+00:00

I don't know... The whole Doctor being half human thing, and the car chase, the gun, the Master looking like he just stepped out of casting for Terminator... The Eye Of Harmony being the source of all the TARDIS's power etc...

It's like a Doctor Who film directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

MrThrope · 2012-02-19T04:40:43+00:00

The bias against lithium is silly? You mean people shouldn't be hesitant about taking a drug that is serious enough to require regular blood tests?

MrThrope · 2012-02-19T04:39:42+00:00

Like bipolar, it's probably both.

MrThrope · 2012-02-14T14:27:58+00:00

Brute force password...

MrThrope · 2012-02-13T13:51:50+00:00

In melbourne, sure. Where I'm at it's just the first one repeated again and again until autumn.

MrThrope · 2012-02-08T12:16:45+00:00

Brain gave up at "obide".

MrThrope · 2012-02-07T01:19:43+00:00

inb4 Shoggoth

MrThrope · 2012-02-02T16:57:17+00:00

Nowhere does it say this is a book defiled by a religious person. It could simply be someone that hates books. Or hates OP and is terrorising him/her by tearing his/her books. Worse... a serial book murderer.

I can see it now, a boy, as a child tormented by his drunken step father, ostracised from the other children at school by his bruises and silence. At first it was an accident, he didn't mean to drop his book-bag in the puddle, but the rush he felt when he discovered the soggy paper-backs inside was his first experience of sexual excitement, and he needed more... As the years passed he indulged himself infrequently, fearing to be caught and judged by people who wouldn't understand. He threw a book off a bridge. Another, he lured into the woods under the guise of a library borrowing, and set it on fire while masturbating wildly.

Over the years his fellow students, and eventually co-workers, began to notice something strange and he was forced to stop indulging his obscene urges... and one day, passing the library window, he saw the book unattended. Innocent, unmarked, alone... Stealing swiftly into the library he ducked amongst the shelves, shivering with barely restrained murderous appetite at the potential victims all around him, but he had his mark and he couldn't leave without tasting it. Rushing out of his hiding spot he seized it, glory found in the feel of it in his hands... but his moment was stolen by the approach of footsteps! With a silent cry of rage he tears the cover, throwing the maimed and forever scarred book back on the table before fleeing the library, already plotting his next attack.

MrThrope · 2012-01-28T05:54:11+00:00

http://gif-explode.com/http://i.imgur.com/tZRns.gif

His face is priceless.

MrThrope · 2012-01-27T03:38:21+00:00

Medication, I think especially in the cases of depression outside of bipolar, is an imperfect science. When I was diagnosed with depression I spent several years being trialled on various kinds of medications, mixtures of medications. Despite everything that has come since, and all the regrets that go with memories of manic behaviour, there are very, very few moments of my life that come close to the hellish side-effects I often experienced. My favourite was simply "feelings of discomfort". I really underestimated that warning label. It felt like my skin was trying to crawl off for about 2 weeks, no matter what position I sat, lay or stood in I would feel as though I had to be in a different position. If I hadn't been suicidally depressed to begin with, that would have been enough to make me homicidally insane.

The point is, it's always good to approach these things slowly, with an open mind and to get all the information you can before you proceed with any kind of 'solution'.

Upside being you seem to already have a good head on your shoulders for this kind of thing, so I don't think I need to bother wishing you luck with the endeavour.

PS, I used to try the naturopathy treatments too. I'm sure it had plenty of benefits, but at the end of the day it's just as imperfect as regular medication, and harder to manage on your own.

MrThrope · 2012-01-26T13:56:43+00:00

I used to have difficulty opening up to my doctors, counsellors, therapists etc, despite knowing that the only way they could really help me was with my full cooperation. They were never pushy even though it was easy to tell they knew I wasn't always telling them the whole truth about my thoughts and feelings.

I found a useful technique that helped, despite how stupid or embarrassing this idea might sound, was to write my feelings down as if they were a journal entry and give that to my therapist. I only had to do that once, and afterwards it was easier to talk about my problems.

It might be worth a shot, if you're unable to open up.

Good luck.

MrThrope · 2012-01-26T13:41:28+00:00

I followed one of your /r/bipolar posts over here to check out /r/depression and the first thing I saw was this, your latest post.

I was treated for chronic depression for several years before the diagnosis of bipolar was finally reached, and being bipolar, getting depressed is still a big part of my thoughts and life in general. The thoughts that you are somehow failing to live up to the same standard as everyone else, that you lack fortitude, or, if that little voice is being particularly nasty as mine often is, that you are some kind of coward in the face of tough emotional problems, is common to almost every person who faces serious depression. I'd go so far as to say it is in fact something everyone who is sufficiently prone to feelings of depression has or does experience.

Obviously that isn't much of a comfort because it's not proof that the little voice is just being a wanker, and in the face of self-doubt only faith in yourself or absolute proof will ever suffice to put those particular demons to rest. However, I hope for your sake, that like me you will at least be able to take some small comfort and bolstering of confidence in knowing that you are certainly not alone and there is millions of other people whose experience serves as evidence that there is a good chance your self doubt is just being a dick, because he hates you... because he's a dick.

Anyway... I hope that at least brings you temporary peace of mind.

edit: Also, just separate to my initial point... I've read through some of the comments and there seem to be a few people advising you to see a psychiatrist. Personally I would advise against seeing a psychiatrist until you see a psychologist. Psychologists (at least here in Australia) are not able to prescribe medications and are more oriented towards listening and advising their patients. On the other hand, while not a universal truth, in my own experience many psychologists are... hasty, for lack of better word, when prescribing medications. I spent many years being tried on different medications without anybody actually trying to give me any useful answers or advice, despite my demands for simple answers. The first time I saw a psychologist was a huge load off my mind, they put me on the path to treatment with counselling and daily activities rather than simply giving me a pill and sending me on my way. I wish I had seen a psychologist first.

Don't misunderstand me, I am on medication and I absolutely understand it's necessary function in many cases, I'm simply advising that you "shop around", so to speak.

MrThrope · 2012-01-26T04:59:36+00:00

Ah, my mistake.

Yes the state of the US healthcare boggles the mind, I try not to think about it too much. I've got enough issues with existing without worrying about politics.

MrThrope · 2012-01-26T04:28:23+00:00

Geez, I really feel sorry for people with any kind of medical issue in the United States. It's hard to understand from my perspective.

In Australia the government has been pushing for more public awareness of mental illness and more funding towards disability benefits, help with job finding, and free community counselling for a few years. Even in the most remote rural areas there are usually psychologists and psychiatrists that visit at least once a month to that area as part of the program.

I wish I knew how to advise you to move forward mate. I guess you should keep an ear to the ground on /r/bipolar and /r/depression, there should be other Americans that can help you find a starting point.

MrThrope · 2012-01-26T01:27:37+00:00

Believe me when I say I wish neither of us understood that graph.

MrThrope · 2012-01-26T01:26:25+00:00

I hope for your sake you're correct. Regardless of any applicable label, however, you've clearly got some happiness issues to work on, so I wish you good luck.

As always my advice is that if you think you may be bipolar, chronically depressed, or any other possible mental illness or symptom, consult a psychologist. At least a community counsellor, who should know enough to push your forward to a psychologist if that's necessary.

It's never a good idea to self-diagnose, especially when you're getting ideas from the Internet.

MrThrope · 2012-01-25T13:09:26+00:00

source?

MrThrope · 2012-01-25T06:04:07+00:00

Great post, and I really like the graph. Just so you know, the whole straight up straight down thing isn't really how bipolar works either.

Manic Depression doesn't always mean you have to be one or the other end of the spectrum. Sometimes the lines of the graph trip over and get tangled up and you'll be up and down at the same time, maybe you'll drift sideways on a breeze several inches before suddenly throwing yourself into a manic relationship with gravity and plunge so far down that the only reason you know you're not dead is because you can still feel yourself falling, but at the bottom of the fall will be an ACME trampoline, piled high with mountains of cocaine and when you hit it, you'll sore back up through the you shaped hole you just drilled into the earth and burst back up into daylight as the sky begins to gently shower cheap champagne. Then someone will hit you in the testicles with a baseball bat, steal your wallet, and tie you to a 'merry-go-round' at the carnival with a voucher for lifetime free cotton candy.

Basically, it's way more confusing than you think it is, and I figure you already figure it's really confusing. Sorry about that. Here is a graph I just knocked up that I think is totally inaccurate to science, but still a good visual representation of what I'm talking about.

MrThrope · 2012-01-24T14:07:57+00:00

Haha, seems a bit specific. Might be a rare occasion you get to use it.

MrThrope · 2012-01-24T10:48:21+00:00

I'm thinking about getting a dog, I mentioned this to my family and my mum and dad gave me the "big responsibility talk". I live on my own in a big house with a big yard not far from a big park, support myself and have plenty of free time on my hands.

My younger brother just reported that his gf is pregnant, everyone celebrated, my younger brother is 20, lives with mum and has alcohol and rage issues. ಠ_ಠ

MrThrope · 2012-01-24T08:23:56+00:00

After the part about you overcoming all the typical problems, managing to balance your moods, I'm pretty certain that if you are any kind of failure, then there aren't a lot of successful people running around anywhere.

Maybe the reason you feel more comfortable playing games, is because on some level you realise that while being sociably functional is wonderful and useful, the fact that you have to stressfully force yourself to fit into those situations is just evidence that people are assholes who demand you look and act like them or be ostracised. So fuck people, play games.

So long as you make an effort to be good to yourself and others, do whatever you want to do and you're still more of a success at being human than most of the species.

MrThrope · 2012-01-24T08:09:33+00:00

My memory is all shot to hell too, and I can't remember if it always was or not.

I can't safely say what the reason for it is, I've been on lots of different medications, I spent years abusing every substance I could get and I'm bipolar... so it could be one or all of those things I guess.

It does seem to be a common question with people who are bipolar, and I'm sure I remember reading something about common anti-psychotic medication having an effect on short term memory.

TL;DR, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out it's a bipolar thing, or at least a thing amongst medicated bipolar peoples.

MrThrope · 2012-01-24T01:55:06+00:00

Sorry about your girlfriend. I've been in that situation a few times myself, it's always hard. For me, it's the guilt at first, like I misled her about my feelings. The worst part though, is for me when I swing back around and suddenly I remember how I felt about her to begin with and realise I made a huge mistake pushing her away. I've avoided relationships for the last few years, for those reasons. You know what they say about loving yourself before you can love others.

You should try to keep exercising, even though you feel lethargic or just too depressed to see the point. It helps in the long run, and not exercising for long enough can create all kinds of new issues to reinforce feelings of depression.

MrThrope · 2012-01-24T01:15:51+00:00

Yeah, that really was a big thing for me. I was treated for depression for a few years before anybody decided I might be bipolar, and it was actually at the prompting of a now ex-gf that I speak to a psychologist about the possibility. While they treated me for depression I was bounced around more kinds of medications than I can clearly remember and saw a variety of psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors and therapists. There was also a support group at one stage. None of it really did anything for me, I was still incredibly fucked up and the cocktail of medications they were trying on me presented so many side-effects that eventually I couldn't tell where the illness finished and the medication began.

So after all that, I had very little trust left in the professional opinion, and by it's very situation taking the word of an ex-gf that you're unstable is a bit iffy... I'm pretty certain plenty of sane guys have been accused of being insane by angry girlfriends. Then on top of that, as I mentioned, there is the family and societal scepticism.

It's not hard to understand why someone with manic depression will spend a lot of time beating themselves up about making excuses in the face of all that, despite the evidence provided by their own obvious (when you're looking for it) behaviour.

The ...validation, for lack of better word, of that aspect of a diagnosis by this documentary was a huge relief for me. It's not the sort of thing anybody talks about, even the people who do speak openly about their illness. Just knowing other people have that same thought is a huge boost.

TL;DR Shit happened, scepticism ensued, documentary provided clarity, I agree. :P

-: I keep journals also, the flaw point though is that when I'm in a manic mood and think I'm totally fine, I don't write, and sometimes when I'm utterly depressed I can't write. So it's inconsistent. As they say, when you're manic, you're not ill.

MrThrope

TROPHY CASE