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Drug users and mental illness

What mental illnesses do you suffer from?

  • AD(H)D

    Votes: 170 28.4%

  • Anxiety

    Votes: 401 67.1%

  • Depression

    Votes: 404 67.6%

  • Bipolar

    Votes: 136 22.7%

  • OCD

    Votes: 110 18.4%

  • Panic Disorder

    Votes: 138 23.1%

  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 91 15.2%
  • Total voters
    598
ranunky

ranunky

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
1,281
From reading threads on bluelight it appears to me that a lot of us seem to be suffering from some kind of underlying mental illness.

I myself have anxiety and insomnia, which is somewhat reflected in my drugs of choice (benzos, opiates and weed).

I'd like to see a multiple choice poll here if that's ok.

a) AD(H)D
b) Anxiety
c) Depression
d) Bi-Polar
e) OCD
f) Panic Disorder
g) Other (please specify)
 
(bipolar diagnosed, never manic tho, more like chronic) depression & insomnia (insomnia probably depression related, although i doubt it'll go away once i'm medicated, still gotta have seroquel to sleep)
i've been eating benadryl like candy the past few days, sleeping as much as possible...
no reason to be awake...
 
I have bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic attacks. I use opiates and benzos. Benzos i use everyday opiates not so much anymore.
 
c)

Also something called Destructive Thought Patterns, but I think that's classified under depression as well
 
I used to think I had ADD when in 6th form, but I dunno, nobody wanted to support me so I never found out.

I have depression and anxiety, I try and take anything to help me relax. I just want to lay around but I hate sleeping cos I feel so much worse when I wake up.

I also have OCD but I've never sought help for it because it's never interfered enough in my life. I had it as long as I can remember so I adapted to it as the norm.
 
I have been fumbling around trying to add a poll, there should be one soon enough.

It may be difficult though since most people have multiple diagnoses. We will probably just have to go with the primary disorders, and then other features added in individual posts.

any other suggestions?
 
yeah of course mental illness is common among drug abusers, theres a reason why they are constantly running from themselves. personally i have anxiety, panic disorder and depression. just about all the people i used to run with back in the day were fucked up in some sort of way. its just how druggies are lol.
 
yup, we's all the same
and i get what that person up there means about feeling worse when you wake up. after staying up all night and being quite sleep deprived i'm just too out of it to feel like shit much.
when i wake up though i'm refreshed and clear headed and think goddamnit, i'm awake, time for another day of nothing
 
Classic Bipolar disorder (type 1 that is, major highs, major lows, about 2 each a year, lately 1 each a year), ADD, anxiety.
 
I used to stay up all night quite a lot a few years ago, it made me hyper with more energy. Don't seem to be able to do it like I used to though. I probably get too much sleep at the moment.
 
What mental illnesses have you been diagnosed with?

Poll added
 
don't know where to begin......phobias (such as in social situations, meeting women, etc.), chronic anxiety, insomnia, mania (including fits of rage, euphoria, grandeur, etc.), occasional periods of personality disassociation (this one scares me the most), paranoia
 
I think this is a really interesting thread/poll.

I've always thought substance abuse and mental illness is like 'what comes first, chicken or the egg' scenario.

When I first received treatment for substance abuse I was also diagnosed with my mental illness, which had been going on since childhood, and my psychiatrist discussed the fact that lots of people with mental illness self medicate with drugs to try and feel better, however this often exacerbates the problem.

I've also seen in my work with adolescents with severe mental health problems; most commonly they have substance abuse problems also, and when using their drug of choice it significantly elevates their illness.

Isis
 
Chicken egg for sure or egg chicken I dunno- defintely, my anxiety was bought to the forefron by using meth and MDxx; but thats good in a way, because my whole childhood was anxiety-inducing but I didn't 'feel' it so obviously until I began meddling with my brain. Better out then in I say.
 
Anxiety and panic attacks, sometimes depression.
I went through a period of using stimulants (adderall, mdma, formerly ephedrine), but now I can't stand them. They make my anxiety worse. Opiates and alcohol on the other hand... Just about right.
 
Oh i forgot to tell the mods to put in an option for no mental illness, as that was pretty much the point of this thread, to see the ratio of mental/sane users.
 
If you look hard enough pretty much anyone can be diagnosed with a mental disorder at some point in their life, correlation does not equal causation.
 
I suffer from major depression, ocd, and severe anxiety (social anxiety). I keep self-medicating with drugs and falling back on my addictions because I cannot get a hold on these mental conditions. Ive had little success with professional treatment but I am still trying, and I am still screwing up at times. It really really sux.
 
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