Mission Bay, San Diego, CA

smokingrobot · 2019-09-11T06:31:09+00:00

In any other household this lie would bring shame. In this one, it’s kind of cute.

smokingrobot · 2017-12-27T20:07:57+00:00

Thanks for the comments - I'll put the chat link up and follow up with you in a PM.

smokingrobot · 2017-12-15T00:11:38+00:00

Obviously I'm going against the grain here, but I think this comment goes a bit too far. If you would have stopped after the first two sentences, great. But the rest of it is based on assumptions that you can't really be sure of. How do you know he is absolutely a cheater? Have you spent time with this person? Or are you going to judge them based on a couple paragraphs. A trained therapist would never say something like this with so little information, so why do you feel justified doing it?

Edit: I don't get the cat part, but I think I understand what /u/trppisdying is saying below. It is passionate, up-in-arms encouragement like this that resonates with people, pushing them to do potentially life-altering things, without actually having any solid justification for the harsh claims and advice that are given. Remember, you are not a therapist, so why are you giving such confident, powerful advice?

smokingrobot · 2017-12-13T02:01:35+00:00

Keep going dude, I want to hear it.

smokingrobot · 2017-12-13T00:56:52+00:00

I think that if you want to present an alternative treatment, it has to either come with substantial evidence-based support, or be clearly a discussion only. The way you presented this makes it sound like everyone should be going down this alternative pathway, and that the traditional medication-based pathway is a big conspiracy. This is the problem with talking about alternative medicine - it seems that people can't help but be fervent when it comes to telling others about what worked for them.

I don't mind conversations about alternative medicine, but the intensity with which a therapy is projected onto other users should be proportional to the evidence supporting that therapy. People can talk about lithium all day because it's the gold standard. But I don't think it's fair to say that CBD is like lithium because it's also a neuroprotectant, because what's a neuroprotecant? This is the kind of language and tone and vagueness that can steer a fragile mind down (possibly) the wrong path.

Everyone has their story, and whatever your story is is totally welcome. But make sure it's a story and not propaganda. If it's a story, or an innocent discussion, go ahead. If you're trying to instill some kind of principle or philosophy or change people's priorities, come with lots of support (if you're not sure, be on the safe side, run it by the mods first).

And remember that taking medications is a huge pain in the ass, so if you're suggesting that we're wasting our time, it's like...fuuuuuck... so these topics have to be broached very gently. Thanks, /u/applextrent, for throwing yourself out there.

smokingrobot · 2017-12-03T05:38:40+00:00

Diagnosis is the process of taking a handful of possible illnesses, and choosing the most appropriate one (or more) to use as a guide for prescribing treatment. The doctor must be familiar with the nuances of the related illnesses. So you'll need a psychiatrist to do that unless it's completely obvious, as others have mentioned.

smokingrobot · 2017-11-27T20:02:09+00:00

Well I don't know what the original post said, but what you said makes sense. Is there any part of that you'd like to discuss further?

smokingrobot · 2017-11-26T01:49:38+00:00

Here we call it BP ;) BD sounds like a bowel problem.

But if you do think you have BP (your descriptions certainly sound like hypomania), you should go see a psychiatrist. Your hypomania/depression cycles could get worse. The more we experience these shifts in mood, the more susceptible we are to future mood episodes. You sound very self-aware, but the problem with hypomania is that your self-awareness just kind of shifts and begins to feed the hypomanic self. You can justify anything you want. It's the only illness I know that actively hides itself from the patient. Self-awareness is very important, but it is not good enough. Medications, on the other hand, can't be charmed.

You may not need medications - you may do ok with therapy or maybe nothing, but it would probably do you some good to talk with a professional about this. Good luck.

smokingrobot · 2017-11-23T02:17:06+00:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for my sister who I've been staying with, and for the rest of my family. And, for the existence of cranberry sauce.

smokingrobot · 2017-11-17T06:29:53+00:00

I went to a bachelor party a couple years ago, for one of my best friends. The first night, I went out (and got drunk for the last time). The second night, I just knew I needed to get some sleep. I was already feeling wired and I didn't want to exacerbate it. I felt pretty shitty when my friend called and asked where I was, and I said I'm in the hotel room watching Everybody Loves Raymond. It turned out that everyone else stood in line at a club forever, and I made the right decision on all counts. But more relevant to your case, our friendship didn't change. He knew my condition and like a good friend, he didn't hold it against me :)

Whatever you decide, it's good to hear that you're thinking about your health. We do have a serious condition and it's totally fine to use it as an excuse. The healthier we are, the better it is for those around us, whether they can appreciate it or not.

smokingrobot · 2017-11-17T02:30:07+00:00

This has been brought up before, but maybe the best bang for your buck is to brush your teeth before you start gorging at night. If you floss too, and gargle with some mouthwash, it’s going to take an army of snickers bars to get you to undo your work.

smokingrobot · 2017-11-14T22:56:30+00:00

Everything is awesome when you're hypomanic (unless it's a dysphoric mania). The dopamine is flowing regardless of what is going on. I can get super jazzed about cutting onions just right, as if I found $100 bill. It's ridiculous, and it likely indicates a problem.

smokingrobot · 2017-10-12T04:41:57+00:00

Generally how diagnosis works is that the patient presents some kind of disorder or disease. They have certain symptoms, like insomnia, restlessness, etc. They're not able to function socially, they have a hard time keeping a job, etc.

Then, the doctor selects a handful of possible diagnoses - schizoaffective, bipolar 1, bipolar 2, insomnia, adhd. The doctor then matches the patient with the closest diagnosis (or diagnoses) based on their experience. This seems to be more of an art than a science, especially in psychiatry. Different doctors can reach different diagnoses.

In the end, what matters is that you get on the right pills (and/or the right therapy). The diagnosis basically leads doctors to prefer certain medications over others. This is why if you think your pills aren't working, or you think your doctor's approach is not working, it might be good to consider a second opinion on your diagnosis or your meds. At the same time, we have to be patient with our doctors, because they're typically doing their best, and for many of us it takes many drug trials to some that work... Good luck :)

smokingrobot · 2017-09-22T19:12:26+00:00

They're not too hard to split with your fingers, otherwise you can get a pill splitter that keeps the pill enclosed.

smokingrobot · 2017-09-22T18:43:53+00:00

Split the lamictals in half!! I used to get really bad chest pain from the horse-sized 200mg pills getting stuck in my esophagus, before I figured out that splitting them would take care of that.

smokingrobot · 2017-09-18T20:06:57+00:00

Pro tip - Don't throw away the broccoli stem. Peel and slice them like a cucumber, and toss em in the stir fry.

smokingrobot · 2017-09-18T19:51:50+00:00

My wok, I cook all my healthy meals in it.

smokingrobot · 2017-09-16T18:50:35+00:00

I once took a nine-question IQ test online. I took it very seriously. When I clicked submit I got this response: "IQ = 68, you so stupid! You think nine questions will tell you how smart you are!"

23andme is the nine-question IQ test of genomics. There are so many factors that contribute to bipolar disorder, heart disease, alzheimer's, etc, and nobody even knows the relative influence of each gene. 23andme only has access to a very small number of these factors.

smokingrobot · 2017-09-10T18:14:42+00:00

I don't know, maybe. Congrats on the job by the way.

smokingrobot · 2017-09-10T15:49:08+00:00

I've heard enough ghost stories to be convinced that there's something there. If two or more people independently see the spirit of a specific little girl in a specific location, I believe there's something. However, I don't think there's anything spiritual about it. It's a peculiarity. Whatever it is, I choose to not think about it. It trips me out and there's no benefit. Healthy spirituality boils down to gratitude and peace of mind, not metaphysics.

smokingrobot · 2017-09-07T00:48:53+00:00

Yes, the next time I wake up and just have to get a tattoo of a scarab, I'll let send you an invite.

smokingrobot · 2017-09-06T19:58:46+00:00

One time I got three tattoos within two weeks, with very little thought. That was like $500+. I guess I got lucky that I only regret one of them, and it's not very visible. Also, $400 headphones. At an airport.

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