Mental Illness

[SandraJane]

I've been officially diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and ADD, but I've heard from many doctors (though it's never been officially diagnosed) that I could have some form of schizophrenia. I've been on so many different meds and in and out of hospitals since I was 14.

Have they DX'd you with GID? Are on HRT? Getting any relief from any symptoms?  I have 2 Siamese kitties.

[Darth_Taco]

I've suffered from anxiety disorders since childhood. I've suffered from selective mutism, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other crap no one told me until I was older. I also had childhood bulimia until puberty. It's a very different illness in a child than in an adult. I remember sometimes being so nervous in a public situation I'd make myself vomit, no mater where I was to lower the anxiety I was feeling. Yeah, I was way too young to be placed on anti-anxiety meds XP. I was also on a ->-bleeped-<--ton of medication from my asthma. I had it pretty bad ;_;. I think a lot of this stems from the fact that anxiety disorders run really deeply in my family. It also doesn't help that my home situation sucked XP. Let's just say I have the best crazy dad stories xD. One day I'll talk about the time he had a threesome with some crazy bitch and his brother. Oh, and in adulthood none of this is nearly as bad. I still have the OCD and anxiety, but I'm doing much better. No medication either :'D.

I'm not sure if drug addiction counts as a mental illness. I was addicted to pain pills my whole teenage years. Oxy and Vicodin were the drugs I abused most often. I don't even know how I graduated high school, I was that high that often. All I remember is going through withdrawal when I walked for graduation. Then I relapsed @_@. At this point, I've been off that stuff for over two years now. My boyfriend asked me to get sober a year into the relationship. Other than the occasional beer or blunt, I'm sober.

Woah, too much. I actually have more stuff, but I think I should stop here. Let's just say my parents probably shouldn't have ever had sex with each other XP. I'm grateful for my life, but from a medical standpoint, they were the worst mix of genes ever xD. So much mental and physical illness in both sides @_@.

[Squirrel698]

I have Major Depressive Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and ADHD.

I take Wellbrutrin, Lamictal, Concerta and Temazepam.  The dose I'm at for those is fairly high but it seems to be working for me. 

[Epi]

Lets just say my parents probably shouldn't have ever had sex with each other XP. I'm grateful for my life, but from a medical standpoint, they were the worst mix of genes ever xD. So much mental and physical illness in both sides @_@.

Nobody's genes are perfect!  I'm glad your parents eh er... had sex with each other uhum, or else you wouldn't be here on the forums posting!

[Darrin Scott]

Bi-Polar type II here.

I take Abilify and Tranzodone. I've probably been on every mood stabilizer, anti-depressant on the market....

[Robert Scott]

I have been diagnosed with mild depression.  I take a low dose of Zoloft.  However, since starting counseling and coming to terms with GID we have decreased my Zoloft and likely I will come off it once I start T and have top surgery.  My doctor said she chose zoloft but have a slight anxiety problem too.

[RyGuy]

I'm not sure if drug addiction counts as a mental illness. I was addicted to pain pills my whole teenage years. Oxy and Vicodin were the drugs I abused most often. I don't even know how I graduated high school, I was that high that often. All I remember is going through withdrawal when I walked for graduation. At this point, I've been off that stuff for over two years now. My boyfriend asked me to get sober a year into the relationship. Other than the occasional beer or blunt.

this is the story of my life. i could have written this.

[Julian]

I've been diagnosed with recurrent major depression, anxiety, and ADD-inattentive, with possible borderline personality disorder or bipolar II. I'm on Vyvanse, Abilify, Effexor, and Seroquel. The list of drugs I went through to get to that cocktail is at least two or three times as long... D:

[Sage]

I've only been formally diagnosed with PTSD, but I'm a very, very nervous and paranoid person, and my depressive episodes are terrible.  I can't even remember how many times I've tried to kill myself.  I was on Lorazepam for a little while, but I stopped taking it as often and I think someone may have either stolen my pills or I lost them.  Both are likely, my paranoia says the former.   

[Alex37]

major depressive disorder (though not so much now that I'm out,) PTSD, which has fortunately subsided a lot, and OCD which I'm struggling with a lot less as well now that I'm out, and I was anorexic in high school.  Actually, coming out has helped with pretty much everything.  But, I'm still prone to depressive episodes, and I have to keep an eye on my drinking.  I've never been a full blown alcoholic, but I've walked the line.  I tried a few antidepressants years ago, and they all made me feel like a zombie, so I never stayed on any of them for long.

[nogoodnik]

Depression, a couple of flavours of anxiety disorder. I agree with "being trans" as being a major cause for those.

I'm not on meds any more, I was in my teens — earlier than I should have been taking those meds. They caused me to become delusional, paranoid, 5+ panic attacks a day, increased my self harm, etc. My doctor refused to let me try anything else so I flat out stopped taking them. He said he refused to help me if I refused to help myself and go back on the pills that made me insane. I never went back to that doctor, but due to the anxiety I didn't do anything else about it either. That was almost ten years ago and I'm fine now, I still have some avoidance issues but I'm rarely depressed or very anxious, so nobody start worrying or anything... but I wish I'd had some sort of supportive figure in my life then to take that doctor to task.

I also have PTSD due to childhood abuse, not a formal diagnosis as my therapist at the time said I'd have to see another (much much more expensive) therapist to get one and there "wasn't much point", I'm fine with that. It doesn't affect me that often any more except when I'm triggered unexpectedly, like someone will slam the front door and I have to actively stop myself hyperventilating. Usually I can deal with it. It makes it very stressful for me to deal with conflict, though.

[Jeh]

Bipolar Type I, PTSD and Social Phobia. And if addiction counts as a mental illness, that too. And I had a past diagnosis of Anorexia but I recovered from that.

[mruriah]

I was originally diagnosed as having ADHD with depression, then diagnosed as being ADD with depression, then as bipolar, then I saw my counselor to start transition and she said, "Does it really matter?"  She had a point, I thought.  So I just tell people I'm ADHD and sometimes have really bad days that last a month or more.  I have noticed most of the other guys I know have been diagnosed as being somewhere in the bipolar spectrum, many diagnosed during puberty.  I wonder if that has anything to do with all those horrific changes...

[robokot]

I've never seen a psych in my life, that's probably why I'm still so messed up. I'm in a waiting line to see one though and get help for my transgender issues, OCD (GP gave me Prozac but after 3 months I don't feel any difference) and severe social anxiety.

[Michael Joseph]

OCD. anxiety. deppression.

[jmaxley]

I've been diagnosed with dysthymia (chronic depression), major depression, social anxiety disorder, general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and probably another one or two that I don't remember.  I'm also pretty sure I've got PTSD, and did have a therapist that was considering it at one time, but I quit seeing her not long after she told me that.  I've been on a ton of different meds over the years.  Also been in the hospital a few times due to being suicidal.

[deejayk]

I have been diagnosed with depression. I was on Prozac for a short while but they effected me negatively and I decided to stop taking them. I only feel depessed because I care too much about people who say rude things to me. I am trying to learn to ignore them slowly.

[AbraCadabra]

All this diagnosing is tricky, very tricky.

If you GID it will start to squeeze out of every crack and crevice in your psyche --- usually disguised as God knows what form of depression, disorders, from OCD, AADS, BI-polar, etc. etc. Add alcoholism, maybe even Asperger's if you wish.

Most, if not all psychiatrists like to feed you with the latest pharma inventions, and in an effort to put a lid on it all, so to speak.
Welcome to 'mothers little helpers'!

Being GID, undiagnosed for a long time, makes you 'collect' an on going number of coping mechanism/disorders.
Like insisting to place thing in just one place "the only right one", stressed out forms of perfectionism, OCD, and on. All to create a sense of security in our ever so "square peg in a round hole" life situation.

I wish those psychiatrists (we mostly are referred to) would be more knowledgeable in a "holistic sense".
Most are not, and stick to how they where trained --- save ground, not to be sued.

Interesting to me, my GP tells me WE ARE ALL BI-POLAR.
Only if we can't cope with it, do we have to do something about it.

My 2 cents,
Axelle

[Miniar]

ADD, Dysthymia, and Social Anxiety here.

[Thrall]

it's 1.5 year that i'm depression free. i tried loads of different pills, and venlafaxinum (alventa/effexor) was that cured me. i was depressed as long as i remember myself, even in my diary, when i was 9 years old, i wrote how i want to die. at this age i started cutting myself.

i also have an eating disorder for more than 10 years, and an extreme dissociation.

however, don't think that any of those are because of gid (which i can't get diagnosed or helped with anyways). i think it has something to do with a decade of constant abuse.