MyDoorsAreOpen
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2003
- Messages
- 8,542
OP, put Coolio on ignore. He's been a proper jerk to you in this thread.
No, Coolio, science has not disproven the paranormal. It's offered explanations for anecdotal reports that are well within our current knowledge of the physical world. Though I think these sorts of mundane explanations are good to consider, I'm not convinced they account for all paranormal experiences people have had. I think it's very possible that 'reality' is of a very different nature than we currently know.
But the point I wanted to make was, the OP is free to choose to interpret her own subjective experience of her world as she wishes, just as any of us are. You may kindly OFFER to reframe her reported experience using a different framework, if you feel that's helpful for her. But being pushy and judgemental about it? wtf...
FWIW, as a medical student, I do think the OP will benefit from an antidepressant and/or a mood stabilizer, at least in the short term. This should ALWAYS be accompanied with lifestyle modifications -- psychotherapy, meditation, spirituality, greater community involvement, increased social activity, and especially EXERCISE are all really, really good ideas for people being treated for depression. But the most important part is the medication. The only thing that can come close to matching this is a very healthy diet, like they have in Japan or Italy, and there's a fuzzy line between food and drug.
I also need to clear up two other misconceptions in this thread, from a medical standpoint. First of all, although I'm aware that severe depression can trigger psychosis, nothing the OP wrote has me convinced she's been frankly psychotic. At her wits end, a.k.a. apeshit? Sure. Emotionally labile? Definitely. But that's different from psychosis. Secondly (and this one really chaps my ass), no someone who reports paranormal experiences isn't certifiably diagnosable as schizophrenic or schizotypal. Both of these diagnoses involve a whole host of behavioral, perceptive, cognitive, and social changes, which all in all have a detrimental effect on the person's ability to live a functional life. Does a patient reporting a paranormal experience to me warrant at least a cursory psych workup? Yes, granted. But if the rest of the puzzle pieces aren't there, it ain't schizo, it ain't nothin. Clearly the OP IS debilitated by her depression, and warrants diagnosis and treatment. And I bet if she was psychotic, once she gets the depression under control, she won't be anymore. I'm just speaking in general about mental illnesses.
OP, there's nothing wrong with being empathetic. What's wrong is the effect that other people's moods have upon your mood. If you get the depression under control, you'll still be as aware of what mood other people are in, but less personally affected by it. Trust me, empathy is a gift that can very much be put to good use. There are many careers in which being astutely aware of what emotional state or mindstate another person is in is highly prized.
No, Coolio, science has not disproven the paranormal. It's offered explanations for anecdotal reports that are well within our current knowledge of the physical world. Though I think these sorts of mundane explanations are good to consider, I'm not convinced they account for all paranormal experiences people have had. I think it's very possible that 'reality' is of a very different nature than we currently know.
But the point I wanted to make was, the OP is free to choose to interpret her own subjective experience of her world as she wishes, just as any of us are. You may kindly OFFER to reframe her reported experience using a different framework, if you feel that's helpful for her. But being pushy and judgemental about it? wtf...
FWIW, as a medical student, I do think the OP will benefit from an antidepressant and/or a mood stabilizer, at least in the short term. This should ALWAYS be accompanied with lifestyle modifications -- psychotherapy, meditation, spirituality, greater community involvement, increased social activity, and especially EXERCISE are all really, really good ideas for people being treated for depression. But the most important part is the medication. The only thing that can come close to matching this is a very healthy diet, like they have in Japan or Italy, and there's a fuzzy line between food and drug.
I also need to clear up two other misconceptions in this thread, from a medical standpoint. First of all, although I'm aware that severe depression can trigger psychosis, nothing the OP wrote has me convinced she's been frankly psychotic. At her wits end, a.k.a. apeshit? Sure. Emotionally labile? Definitely. But that's different from psychosis. Secondly (and this one really chaps my ass), no someone who reports paranormal experiences isn't certifiably diagnosable as schizophrenic or schizotypal. Both of these diagnoses involve a whole host of behavioral, perceptive, cognitive, and social changes, which all in all have a detrimental effect on the person's ability to live a functional life. Does a patient reporting a paranormal experience to me warrant at least a cursory psych workup? Yes, granted. But if the rest of the puzzle pieces aren't there, it ain't schizo, it ain't nothin. Clearly the OP IS debilitated by her depression, and warrants diagnosis and treatment. And I bet if she was psychotic, once she gets the depression under control, she won't be anymore. I'm just speaking in general about mental illnesses.
OP, there's nothing wrong with being empathetic. What's wrong is the effect that other people's moods have upon your mood. If you get the depression under control, you'll still be as aware of what mood other people are in, but less personally affected by it. Trust me, empathy is a gift that can very much be put to good use. There are many careers in which being astutely aware of what emotional state or mindstate another person is in is highly prized.
