<p>Last year, I suffered from depression that didn't run in my family except my grandmother who had post-partum depression. Because my parents didn't believe in medication, I didn't receive any treatment or therapy, although I was pretty suicidal. After I finished my junior year, I relaxed over summer. I got my self-esteem, thinking it was just stress from school. However, I still had anger and hopelessness. When I went back to school, everything was great. But, I realize that I have dramatic mood swings since November. For 1-2 weeks, I get really down. All of sudden, I just get so much energy and get excited for a short while. Then, I get down again for a while, and then I get excited for a while. This goes on and on. Is this normal? Is it stress and anxiety from school?</p>
<p>No. This is not normal. </p>
<p>Stress and anxiety will certainly exacerbate your moods.</p>
<p>The general rule is 2 weeks of unexplained sadness/(your described feelings) --> seek help.</p>
<p>Post on the parents forum for more insight, Harry.</p>
<p>Look up bipolar disease pronto. You might have it.</p>
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Last year, I suffered from depression that didn't run in my family except my grandmother who had post-partum depression.
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<p>How do you know that the depression you had didn't run in your family, when:</p>
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Because my parents didn't believe in medication, I didn't receive any treatment or therapy
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<p>Sounds to me like it could run in your family, but a blind eye has been turned towards it.</p>
<p>You may want to see a therapist for a bit and get some help figuring it out...seeing a therapist is a GOOD thing, and you don't have to "believe in it" for it to help.</p>
<p>If your parents don't wnt you to see a therapist, talk to your guidance counselor.. he/she might be able to help.</p>
<p>I really discourage reading about disorders/diseases (even of the mind) on the web, because you can fool yourself into thinking you have something when you really don't.</p>
<p>I'm with FJ. Go talk to your GC or school nurse or whoever. I don't know the laws in your state or anything, but you can probably find yourself a therapist with reduced rates, if you want/need one, and then deal with your parents later. It is very dangerous to be in college with an undiagnosed mental illness, so you're going to want to check everything out. Don't look online. Many people begin to emmulate or falsely remember the symptoms.</p>
<p>Depression is a medical disorder. Talk to your family doctor about the various symptoms you've had. Even if your parents don't believe in medication or mental illness, I assume they still would let you see a doctor if you told your family that you want a physical or are concerned about some medical issues that you want to have checked out.</p>
<p>The doctor can give you a referral to a psychiatrist or psychologist so you can find out what is going on, and get help for it.</p>
<p>I also agree with those suggesting that you talk with your school nurse or GC. And I agree that you don't know your family's history of depression -- just what they're willing to admit to. A grown friend of mine recently found tout that virtually every woman in her family had been bi-polar (as she and her daughter are). She and her D were the only ones diagnosed because they were the only ones who were willing to see a doctor. The others' behavior (which was the same as theirs) was passed off by the family as either being eccentric or "acting like a woman." This included being so depressed that the women weren't functional for months at a time.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Yeah like said above, check with a GC or therapist. The therapist or doctor is the only one that can diagnose you though.</p>
<p>The daily/weekly ones are more mood swings and situational emotion more than anything else. When it goes on for months or years, then there's a problem. For sane people, the best counselor is often the self.</p>
<p>Only one guy on here had it half right.</p>
<p>From someone who has done plenty of resarch on mental disorders to come to terms with her own- PLEASE look up Bipolar Disorder. </p>
<p>What do you think I might have? Please bear with me, it's long but please help with responses.
I really didn't like include my full scope of problems. Here it is... Please be patient with me.. My last month like schizophrenia and thoughts of the symttoms keep staying in my head. Like I don't really get them, but like I'm afraid I will. Every strange sound I hear I check with family members to see if they hear it. Fortunetaly they have said they did have. (I'm going to a doctor soon, within 2-3 days) Like many times when I look something online disease/illness or whatever then I begin to look for the symptoms to that disease/ilnness and get worried that I might have that.</p>
<p>I'm just going list like incidents or things that I have thought of before. or things that I think might be wierd
- when I talk to others I just react I don't think about it before I speak. but for sometimes i think out what i'm going to say before i talk.
-like when I was around 6th grade so like 4ish years ago. (I'm only 15) i thought like what's my point of life. Now I guess i figured it out like i just thought i (for me anyway) would finish High school, go to college, then get married and have kids and then die. Now like if i have a mental illness i guess my life is ruined...
-like also 4-5 years back I thought like why is my life important. Then I think like am I on like a hidden camera tv show. (Only thought of this for like couple days, wasn't obsessed with it.) Now looking at the past I see the foolishness of it. Don't believe in it anymore.
-year back in dining room, I was in dining room and I heard like a sound. It wasn't a word or voice. but like deen. I don't know, don't really remember it so well. It might have been outside caused by a car. Haven't really heard of anything like this since though.
-Like from the corner of my eye since my vision is less detailed and little blurry. Like I was stretching and something caught my eye. It was like outline of like a mermaid gold statue. I turn around and realize it's the turtle gold statue my dad bought awhile ago. When I look at it from center of eye I see it for what it really is. (This happens like used to once every 3-4 ish months. Only happened like for last 2 years. the mermaid thing was like 2 weeks ago. Haven't experience it since. It's something that doesn';t like happen every day) It's not like I see a fully detailed mermaid that completely transformed. It just looked like outline blurry, not that detailed. Only happens form corner of my eye. Might be just my subciousness like just being paranoid. Like the object would seem different. Might just be angles/lighting.
-Like one time when I search online to see if talking to yourself is normal. I see that someone said like, you would be a mad person if you answer yourself back when you talk to yourself. I do that so I start thinking maybe I'm going to be "mad". Like I talk to myself and I'm like"Why, why do I deserve all this. I'm not the most perfect, nicest person in the world. but rapists, murderers deserve illnesses more than me." I take a bath and then after I look at my reflection and feel like my mind feels older then my actual looks. Like I haven't seen my reflection in a long time, even though i did serveral times that day. It makes me feel very sick because I think maybe I'm going to have a mental illness, like I feel like I'm about to vomit ( i don't) and sweat a lot.
-in the dining room once again I thought I heard a sound like puh chee ( dont ask) the tv was on so that might have been it. I really haven't been hearing any strange voices/sounds since that one time one year ago in dining room aswell. It might have been my nerves since I was very anxious and feel stressed out, that once again I feel I might get schizophrenia symtpoms.</p>
<p>Hey, I have those emotional rollercoasters, too. </p>
<p>It's the reality of life setting in. You realize that most likely, you won't be famous and all that crap and that you're just another "cog" or possibly "sprocket" in the system that can be replaced as soon as you're dead. Now, don't go killing yourself. It's not so bad being a cog... your life is simpler, you don't have 5 million people needing you. It's harder for the sprockets, they have to turn 5 cogs at once (very challenging). If you're a cog, don't try to be a sprocket... it just won't work out. (Basically, stop worrying and be yourself, do what you like/are able to do).</p>
<p>You could medicate yourself if you want. I don't want to (did that ADHD med crap years ago and never going back). Actually, after reading all the way through and you're jumpiness (although, I have that when I'm alone, but not with others) maybe you SHOULD be. You seem luny.</p>
<p>"Luny", running?!? People are waaaay too quick to medicate children nowadays. </p>
<p>I do NOT encourage self-diagnosis, but I suggest you take a look at the [url=<a href="http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/dsm4TRclassification.htm%5DDSM%5B/url">http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/dsm4TRclassification.htm]DSM[/url</a>], the psychiatric handbook of diseases. It's good that you're going to the doctor; I'll bet he sets your mind at ease! Personally, it sounds to me like you have eye strain (thus the blurry objects) and perhaps a bit of fatigue or anxiety. The things you heard were probably caused by the objects you describe. Talking to yourself is normal; I do it sometimes because I tend to talk to the smartest person in the room (jk). :)</p>
<p>The bottom line is to see a doctor, which you said you are going to.</p>
<p>Well, you can't "self-medicate" without a prescription (at least not with coo-coo pills).</p>
<p>How about you quit insinuating that s/he's crazy? Try acting mature.</p>
<p>I said they weren't. Didn't you read about the cogs and sprogs and sprockets? God, Jesminder. What, I can't say coo-coo pills because it offends someone? Well, I don't give a rats ass! I'm going to say "coo-coo pills" until the cows come home!</p>
<p>I guess you can't act mature either. Shame, it's rather pathetic. But whatever, it's not as if I have to deal with your sophmoric nature. Just plan to grow up one day.</p>
<p>Oh, shut it.</p>
<p>coo-coo pills, coo-coo pills, coo-coo pills, coo-coo pills.</p>
<p>If you can physically make me, I gladly will. Until then, learn to keep up or go home.</p>