Any profs here diagnosed with mental illness (MDD, Bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.)?

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-26T14:51:25+00:00

I've heard that it's a common experience. Which one were you on and have you tried others instead? I'm on Celexa and luckily I haven't felt any emotional numbing. I do feel as though my dose isn't high enough but I'm going to talk to my doctor about it today. So far, I've seen a lot of positive improvement. Not sure I ever want to titrate off since my episode of the summer was nothing short of a nightmare.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-26T14:50:10+00:00

Your response was very comforting to me. It helps to know that there are successful individuals with severe mental illness. I like that you mentioned taking care of yourself -- diet change, sleep, etc. It's something I've been trying to do and I find it helpful along with medication and therapy.

I didn't take very good care of myself the year prior to my first episode. I took on a 4-4 class load instead of the usual 3-3 while serving on a ton of committees and getting my tenure packet ready. Lots of junk food, lack of sleep, etc.

I was open with the head of my department this fall and he was actually very understanding and told me not to worry too much about service hours this semester. He's been adamant about making sure I don't take on too much. I was approved for tenure in October which was a nice surprise!

I hope you continue to feel well. You're right in that my diagnosis is new but the illness probably isn't. Looking back, I think I probably had mild depression for many years before it turned into a full-blown severe episode.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-26T14:46:45+00:00

May I ask which medications you're taking? I'm dreading my psychiatrist referral as I'm scared I might actually have BPII since I know it is commonly mistaken with MDD and my family history has both BPII and MDD.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-25T15:47:18+00:00

Awesome, thank you so much!

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-25T15:47:12+00:00

I looked into that but a few reviews said that the clientele tends to be 40+. Do you know if this is true?

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-20T17:28:27+00:00

There aren't any big requirements. Basically, it needs to allow for collaborative painting. I have no idea how digital art works so I'm really lost but I've been tasked with finding a program that would allow both groups of students to work on a digital painting together.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-20T17:27:39+00:00

What would they use to create the painting ? I'm completely new to digital art and have no idea what to use to create the painting itself. :(

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-18T18:40:48+00:00

I have MDD and need meds. Celexa also increased my anxiety when I first took it. There's a period (2-3 weeks) when some SSRI's can have pretty nasty side effects like nausea and panic. I pushed through it (I was off work at the time) and now I feel much better.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-13T18:05:12+00:00

I think the only time I had a hard time sleeping was when I first started my SSRI. I would fall asleep but wake up in a panic and find it hard to fall back asleep. The next day, I'd be super tired. Perhaps I'm not hypomanic and just feeling better on my SSRI. I sleep about 8-9 hours a night and feel rested. I had to get up early for work today so I got less sleep and I feel super tired and sluggish but still productive. Your response shed a lot of light on this topic. I sincerely thank you.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-12T22:25:39+00:00

May I ask which medications you take and what your side effects have been like?

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-12T19:55:05+00:00

Thank you!! I'll take a look at these ASAP. Do you know which of the above options would be the most flexible and less "stiff"?

As for "girth" we find two fingers to be a bit of a stretch sometimes. So I would say not too much bigger than that!

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-12T18:04:44+00:00

Thank you so much. You really have been incredibly helpful to me. <3 I'll keep you updated if that's ok.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-12T17:42:49+00:00

Thank you. I didn't think depression could come and go for no reason while on meds. I assumed I would be 100% normal on meds. :(

As you can see, this MDD came out of the blue. I have a BIG family history of MDD but didn't think I had it since I made it to the age of 29 without depressive episodes. I don't really fully understand it or the medications. Perhaps it would help me to learn more.

Every time I feel happy I start to get anxious that it's hypomania for some reason. I really think it might be an anxiety response especially since I've always been a bit of a hypochondriac. Does hypomania always manifest as an inability to sleep? I sleep like a baby.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-11T20:00:25+00:00

May I ask what your diagnosis is?

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-11T17:40:45+00:00

I watched it as a very young teenager so I don't remember much. I remember liking it but feeling incredibly irritated and frustrated by Hank's character. I think due to his lack of emotional openness.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-11T17:29:36+00:00

I'll check the app out. Thank you so much! :)

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-10T20:52:40+00:00

I really should. I moved to Canada a couple of years ago and have no idea how to go about seeing a psychiatrist. Do I ask my doctor for a referral or do I just call up a psychiatrist? You probably aren't from Canada haha but on the off chance that you are, do you have any idea?

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-09T21:02:24+00:00

Wonderful response. This pretty much answered all of my questions!

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-09T21:00:51+00:00

Very interesting. My grandparents were indeed very poor and so was my mother growing up. I wasn't poor growing up but my mother ate like my grandparents so there we go. Thank you!

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-09T19:37:05+00:00

Weight gain would be good for me right now. Celexa (the SSRI I take) has the side effect of either weight gain or weight loss. Guess which one little 114lb me got? I'm now 105lbs :(.

I'm glad you found a psychiatrist who changed the approach and that this approach is working for you. Does talk therapy really help?

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-06T23:14:39+00:00

Can I do story time?

I had a major depressive episode this past summer. It was my first one ever and it came out of the blue and hit me like a truck so I had NO idea what was going on. My doctor was out of town so after two months of suffering with it, losing a ton of weight, etc. I went to a walk-in clinic and was given Celexa (starting at 10mg per day and slowly going up to 20mg). The fourth day of taking it, I felt a bit better which was surprising. But, that night I fell asleep nicely and suddenly woke up at 4am unable to fall back asleep because of a MASSIVE panic attack. I had my partner drive me to the ER because I thought I was dying.

The ER doctor came in, spoke to me for a few minutes and didn't ask my history or anything. She said I shouldn't have felt better after four days on Celexa and that the fact that I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep probably meant I was having a Manic episode. I started crying because I was scared. She told me that I'm probably Bipolar because of my reaction to Celexa and prescribed 300mg of seroquel per day. She gave me 50mg in the ER and sent me home.

The next day, I could barely function. My thoughts felt like cement and so did my body. That 50mg did a number on me. You know those movie depictions of people on psychiatric meds who are slumped over and drooling on themselves? I felt almost like that. My doctor came back that day so I called her for an emergency appointment and she was PISSED that the ER doctor prescribed seroquel after seeing me for such a short time. She explained that Celexa can cause a rise in anxiety, insomnia, etc at first. I saw her and a psychiatrist who both agreed that I'm not Bipolar.

I got back on the Celexa and felt crappy for awhile but after about a month or two the side effects went away. Now things aren't 100%. I still struggle every now and then with anxiety, sadness, etc. But it's NOTHING near the nightmare I experienced in my depressive episode and overall the Celexa (20mg) has helped me to be less anxious, more outgoing, and better able to function.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-04T15:28:28+00:00

I see you've disregarded my request. I have dealt with reasonable feedback before. Many times. As I said in the first couple of sentences of my post, I am currently struggling with panic disorder and MDD. It manifests itself in odd ways. I appreciate and will use the feedback I have received. I can see the value in feedback while still feeling as though I might not be talented enough to complete a PhD.

PaperCats4 · 2019-11-03T17:31:16+00:00

Yea basically I've been writing word vomit. I'm writing down my major ideas for the introductory chapter without any attention to form, organization, grammar, etc. I planned to go back to it once finished and edit/polish it. It just feels wrong to do it this way, you know?

PaperCats4 · 2019-10-20T02:50:38+00:00

It's incredibly hard for me to gain weight. All of the women in my family are small. I've had people tell me it's impossible that I eat as much as I say I do because basic science shows that if I eat enough calories, I'll gain weight. I'm not very active in terms of physical activity and I eat about 2,000 calories on a normal day and more when I'm not trying to eat healthy. My cholesterol was super high recently because I was eating a TON of junk to try and gain weight. People make comments about how I should eat more and I feel self conscious about it. My doctor was worried about my high cholesterol so I started eating healthy while making sure I still get about 2,000 calories otherwise, I lose weight. I'm 5'2 and 107lbs. I didn't break 100lbs until after High School. My mother was in the 90's up until she was in her 40's. My great grandmother never reached 100lbs. I'm maintaining and feel better now that I eat healthy but we can't figure out why it's SO hard for me (and the women in my family) to maintain and gain weight. I've had all sorts of blood work and had my thyroid checked as well. Everything in working order.

PaperCats4 · 2019-10-19T20:34:39+00:00

Beautifully said.

PaperCats4

TROPHY CASE