what should i do if i think i have a disorder?

hey everyone
lately i've been thinking about how weird i am and i happend to watch a doco on breakthrough research being done on all sorts of disorders and that got me thinking that maybe i had something. i do get depressed easily but haven't been for a while so maybe the depression was brought on by something else. i'm back at uni and i'm finding it fucking hard to concentrate on a lot of things and i also find that i'm easily freaked out when in certain social situations????
so basically...what should i do in the way of getting help?
thanks

 

It's normal to be depressed sometimes, to freak out in certain situations, and to have difficulty concentrating at times. A lot of mental disorders are wayyyy over diagosed, especially ADHD. If I were a doctor, I would want a lot more information before I diagnosed you with anything. What makes you so sure you have a disorder?

 

hypochondria.

 

If you're that worried about it and it's interfering with your life see a therapist at your school.

 

Keep trying until you get an answer that makes sense to you.

I was treated for depression for ten years - pills, counselling, didn't do a damn bit of good and I was told it was my fault for 'not engaging in therapy'.

I was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Various school counsellors and doctors were so convinced it was "only depression" and "a teenage thing" they didn't notice for ten years that my brain was wired up wrong.

I might be totally off the mark, but judging by what you've said you might like to po pover to wikipedia or Google for a site called 'wrong planet' and find out some more about disorders on teh autism spectrum (it's not as scary as it sounds, really!) which can play merry hell with our attention span and ability to socialise.

 

Hi,
I'm not a medical professional, but it sounds to me like you are suffering from an anxiety disorder. I say this because my work is centred around supporting people experiencing an anxiety disorder and, consequently depression. It sounds as though this could be you. In any case, your first port of call would be to see a medical practictioner, explain your symptoms and get a proper diagnosis. If it is anxiety (and it could be social anxiety) you need to know that it is very common and you are perfectly normal. It is also very common for people to become extremely depressed and to cycle in and out of anxiety and depresssion - I know, because I was one of them. Anxiety itself is basically about disordered and, more importantly, irrational thought. A fearful thought such as 'everyone is looking at me and thinking I'm a freak' triggers off our 'fight or flight' system and all sorts of wonderful symptoms in an effort to keep us 'safe' and get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. You might find that your heart rate increases, you sweat, shake, become confused, have difficulty breathing properly and concentrating on anything or anyone around you. You may also feel like you become 'detached' from your surroundings. This is commonly known as dissociation. As scary as it can be, the good news is that anxiety is treatable and you will recover from it. The best way we know how to treat it currently is with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, which basically teaches us to change our perceptions of situations and think in a more evidence-based rational way. I don't know what state you are in but there are a number of different organisations around Australia that deal with this stuff every day and can refer you on to a psychologist or program that can help you. Type ADAVIC, PADAVIC, Panic Anxiety Disorder Association SA or ADA and you will find loads of info and helpful contacts.

Best of luck x

 

I always thought of disorders this way if you THINK you might have one you probaly dont

 

I agree if you are talking about Mental Illness as sufferers quite often have limited insight. A disorder is not a mental illness though, it is curable, whereas mental illness has to be managed.

 

As I understand it (I ain't no expert...) this is true for stuff like Borderline Personality Disorder and similar things. I have a friend with bipolar 2 who insists during his manic phases (ironically, when it's most noticable that he's acting strangely) that he's totally fine and doesn't have it.

I think it's less true for stuff like depression and anxiety - if you're anxious, you know it. There's actually two kinds of obsessive compulsive disorder, depending on whether you're aware of your obsessions/compulsions or not. And a lot of times, symptoms overlap for very different problems - social anxiety caused by Aspergers isn't like social anxiety caused by, for example, a phobia. It's a complicated world in there.