Are you having trouble getting a diagnosis?

[donnie080208]

Ive had various forms of mental issues for the past 15 years or so but have yet to be truly diagnosed with a certain and definite condition.
My symptoms are a constant ( 24 hours a day) unreality feeling and a total blunting of my emotions. I get very depressed with mood swings and am suicidal most of the time plus im virtually housebound with paranoia, nerves etc... do you think its possible to have mild forms of bipolar disorder or say schizophrenia WITHOUT getting the massive delusions and the extreme hyper activity involved with these types of illness's?

Im not after a diagnosis off bluelight but im wondering how many people DONT fit into the "classic" mould of the 3 "serious" mental illness of schizophrenic, bipolar, major depression?.
When my new general practitioner asked what my mental condition was i didnt know what to say!!!
I seem to suffer from bits of all 3 but not to thoses EXTREMES that seem to be required for a diagnosis (sometimes wish i had , as its frustrating not knowing exactly whats wrong with me)
Anyone else getting or have had a long and winding road to get a diagnosis?

BTW my meds are lamotrigine,citralopram,mirtazipine, plus ive once got told its partly called "depersonilsation"?
personally think i have some type of" personality disorder" (doesnt everyone with MH issues?)

 

[Lolie]

Plenty don't fit the mold - that's why there are now so many "NOS" (not otherwise specified) diagnoses.

It's also difficult with anything on the schizophrenia/bipolar spectrum because different doctors use different benchmarks for things like hypomania and delusions.

The personality disorders are considered to be developmental/behavioural disorders rather than true mental illness (which is why they're on Axis II) and pretty resistant to drug treatment so there's usually a lot of focus on therapy. At least a couple of them tend to resolve with age (there's no real agreement whether this is because people become emotionally mature organically or because they tire of the negative impact of their behaviour).

 

[mister_grimpus]

The symptoms of any mental illness can vary a bit from one person to another. I'm really sorry that you have to deal with what you are describing, I can only imagine how tough it must be for you. The only helpful suggestion that I can think of is to try to get yourself in to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist if you haven't already. This is mostly because you mentioned seeing your general practitioner. It might help you a lot more to see someone who specifically deals with mental illness. I have a feeling that a psychiatrist or psychologist would be able to help you a lot more than your GP because it's more their expertise. This might allow you to get a better picture of what you are dealing with, and once you find out what you are facing you can get a better idea of how you can treat your symptoms and get better.

Your GP might be able to refer you to someone. I really hope that things get better for you, but sometimes it can be a really long road that you have to take before that happens. I'm sorry that I can't offer more help for you right now, and I'm hoping that what I have said will help you out. You are definitely dealing with some serious problems here if you are having suicidal thoughts so often. It sounds like you already have a tentative diagnosis, though, if you are on those types of medications. A lot of mental illnesses can be hard to properly diagnose. I know that it took a good year or two before my psychiatrist and therapist figured out what exactly was wrong with me, and even then it took a while before I found medications that really started to help me out.

 

[Lady Codone]

I'm in pretty much the same boat. I've always known I was "different" in that I'm anxious and depressed, but when I first read about Asperger's Syndrome, I cried with relief after immediately identifying with every single aspect of the disorder. No other condition completely explained my inability to eat certain foods, social anxiety, bizarre phobias or photographic memory.

I've been given medications for OCD (Anafranil, Luvox), depression (SSRIs), fibromyalgia (Elavil), fatigue (Provigil), delusions (Risperdal) and anxiety (Vistaril) but never seen or heard the official "You have _____" diagnosis.

Despite the limitations of labeling, knowing what you have can be very empowering. For me, finding out about Asperger's was the most liberating thing in the world. After being called "spoiled," "eccentric," "weird," "dramatic" and "picky" for 18 years, the discovery was very validating and took away a lot of the self-esteem issues I had at the time. Everyone who knows me accepts that I'm an Aspie and tries to help with my social and sensory issues as much as possible.

Sometimes it's best to seek out your own answers. Granted, a lot of people self-diagnose as a way to excuse bad behavior, but that's not always the case. You can learn so much over the Internet and in books about mental health/self-help that it would be a shame not to use these mediums to learn more about yourself.

 

[oliphill]

My symptoms are a constant ( 24 hours a day) unreality feeling and a total blunting of my emotions.)

I had that with methadone, aren't u on it? Maybe that's causing it or at least heightening it.

 

[donnie080208]

@oliphil nah only been on methadone 6 months or so, been feeling like that since i was 18, unreality and paranoia are the strongest feelings i have

 

[MeddieFrac]

I have more diagnosi than I can shake a stick at! But I have given up on medical professionals; I find them all quite disappointing and a waste of hard earned money!

I have a list of 20+ medications they have tried to make me feel not so sad, but nothing works, so I will just live with it the rest of my life!

It's like, one doctor says I'm Bipolar, the next says Depression, the other one says Anxiety, one thinks I'm psychotic, another told me I'm completely normal and just lazy, some just throw Benzo's at me and don't really care to label. They all have their own favorite diagnosis they like to use for people like me who are just sad for no reason.

 

[donnie080208]

" I'm completely normal and just lazy"


Had that one myself, seems if their not sure it must be laziness . i look physically ,quite well and most days can articulate myself fairly well so some people judge theres nothing wrong with my mind. very frustrating indeed

 

[Cane2theLeft]

Mental Illness is quite unlike other medical diagnoses and this is why I often speak about how I find "medicalizing" so much diagnosis and treatment of mental issues problematic.

If someone is diagnosed with hepatitis or cirrhosis or the liver, we can look at the liver and see inflammation or scaring on ultrasound, CT, etc.

This isn't the case with mental illness. The whole plethora of mental illness outlined in the various iterations of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel is ever-changing and essentially just momentarily the best way a group of people were able to categorize what they observe as abnormal or dysfunctional.

Even if someone does pinpoint you as having 'X" according to the DSM-IV-TR, it won't effectively change what you experience or who you are and in a few years when the DSM-V comes out, may even be an obsolete term.

What matters is how YOU see your self, how YOU feel and who you want to be. All these mental health professionals should be helping you to figure these things out and helping you along this path, not labeling you as different kinds of sick and tossing pills at you. Not that pills don't have a place and may be beneficial, but as I opened, I think treating people's mental health like other medical problems ALONE leaves many people behind and isn't the optimal way for people to find what the want and need in this life or who they are or want to be.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Schizo-affective is the hybrid diagnosis between schiz and mood disorders. Some practitioners use it a lot and some regard it a meaningless diagnosis using it little or not at all. Are you finding treatments and support that are helping?

I wouldn't get distressed about a diagnosis unless I thought it was misleading my treatment or creating an unwarranted prejudice against me. Axis II diagnoses are ones that can really contaminate a working relationship with mental health professionals before you have actually met them.

If treatment is working well enough and relations with mental health professionals is going OK I wouldn't stress about it, though a periodic discussion about diagnosis, prognosis, progress, and goals is probably a very good thing.

 

[adicabrady]

Donnie,if you read up on bipolar which I did,there are many different types.There is bipolar 1 and 2,and a bunch of subsets.Myself and a few friends where I live are diagnosed bipolar.I sleep a lot (drugged sleep),the girl next door yells all the time,two of my friends shop insanely.All of us are agoraphobic to some degree.Somedays I won't go out,other days,I (and friends)will walk downtown,but that is a block away.

I live right next to Salem (best place for Halloween),I wanted to go there but no one would come with me so I went to sleep.I get people worried or sometimes they tease me about the sign on my door saying I'm sleeping.

The meds can also dull out my/your personality.That is a side effect that is not spoken about but very common.

I've been on so many different meds and have not found a good combo.I ,also think that part of our problem is boredom.If you don't work there is so much time on your/my hands.It is hard to fill it all.

 

[mister_grimpus]

Despite the limitations of labeling, knowing what you have can be very empowering. For me, finding out about Asperger's was the most liberating thing in the world.

Getting a diagnosis helped me, too. Before I knew that I had a legitimate, serious issue, I thought that everyone else in the world went through the same things that I did everyday, and that somehow I just wasn't good enough to cut it in life. Once I found out that I have a mental illness I at least knew that it could be treated and that things could get better. I think the most important thing about getting a proper diagnosis is that it makes it easier to treat the person's problems when you know what you're dealing with.

Sometimes it's best to seek out your own answers. Granted, a lot of people self-diagnose as a way to excuse bad behavior, but that's not always the case. You can learn so much over the Internet and in books about mental health/self-help that it would be a shame not to use these mediums to learn more about yourself.

I agree that it's important to do your own research, but I also think it's important not to take it too far. It can be pretty helpful to have some idea of what to discuss with your doctor, but there are people out there who start to act the sick part for some reason or get themselves extremely worried over something that isn't the end of the world.

It's like, one doctor says I'm Bipolar, the next says Depression, the other one says Anxiety, one thinks I'm psychotic, another told me I'm completely normal and just lazy, some just throw Benzo's at me and don't really care to label. They all have their own favorite diagnosis they like to use for people like me who are just sad for no reason.

I had the same sort of thing happen with me almost. At first I was depressed, then cyclothymic, then bipolar. In my case, it was pretty damned obvious that it was bipolar disorder after I'd been seeing therapists and stuff for a few years. Those few years of treatment were enough to put together a strong case profile so fortunately for me I was correctly diagnosed at a pretty early age.

I think this happens a lot because mental illnesses can be hard to diagnose. There aren't any 100% accurate tests like "Hey stick this under your arm and we can find out exactly what your problem is" for psychological-type things.

I wound up in a long-term hospital once for several months, then they released me because they didn't think I had to be there at all or that I had a mental illness. I had a follow up with another psychiatrist when I got home and he said the same thing. So I went off my meds for like four or five years, did fine, but then got sick again. Would have been nice if that one psych was correct and I didn't have a mental illness, but at least now I know I gotta treat it to be healthy.

 

[adicabrady]

Mr. Grimpus, I agree with the diagnosis bit.I also thought that every other person went through the same things as I.I had different diagnoses but didn't get a proper one until my last rehab.They saw my behavior everyday and noticed I was manic.

I had started a gang in the rehab,of which I was boss and had people kneeling down to me and kissing my ring like I was the Godfather.I had my people doing things like stealing people's underwear,knocking off their hats,stupid kid-like things like that.I was a woman in her mid forties.It is actually amazing that I had 9 people in my gang.

When I got diagnosed,I was put on Seroquel which calmed my mania.The people in my gang wanted me off the medicine because they said I wasn't fun anymore.

 

[slowpoke1967]

I have more diagnosi than I can shake a stick at! But I have given up on medical professionals; I find them all quite disappointing and a waste of hard earned money!

I have a list of 20+ medications they have tried to make me feel not so sad, but nothing works, so I will just live with it the rest of my life!

It's like, one doctor says I'm Bipolar, the next says Depression, the other one says Anxiety, one thinks I'm psychotic, another told me I'm completely normal and just lazy, some just throw Benzo's at me and don't really care to label. They all have their own favorite diagnosis they like to use for people like me who are just sad for no reason.

i can say been there done that,but it realy does take years sometimes to fully find and treat yer problems i know ihave seen both shrinks and phsycologists for my whole life practically and still have little problems ,though most have been more or less worked out.
Its unfortunate but theres no real quik way to fix ya only time and patience and many diferent scripts in many cases.
I started when i was 11 and am now 43 and still have some problems.
Sometimes ya gotta live with what ya get.
But ya realy gotta get help...via shrink adn possibly phsycologist working togteher..