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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Depression? Mood Disorder? Anxiety?
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Depression? Mood Disorder? Anxiety?
by Mike__0__0, Apr 06, 1999 12:00AM
I'm a 29 year old male and have been dealing with depression for a number of years but only recently
have I felt that I need help. Some of my symptoms are as follows:
Constant foggy head.
I'm forgetfull and my thoughts aren't sharp.
Heavy, thick feeling in head, almost pressure-like.
I'm always disconnecting myself from reality by daydreaming and literally playing out different situations in my head with conversations and everything. This is hard to explain and I understand daydreaming is good for you, however I feel I'm doing it too much, but it's uncontrollable.
I'm Irritated by everything and I feel put-out by everything and everyone. I have no patience, a quick temper and can blow a fuse over the smallest things.
I'm uncomfortable around people and I'm always concerned what they are thinking of me and can never concentrate long enough to actually hear what they might be saying to me in a conversation.
Slight feelings of paranoia, like someones watching me or talking ill about me.
I'm always tired and sapped of energy. Sometimes I fight off sleepiness during the day while driving or at meetings, etc. I have those "jumpy legs" sometimes when I'm extremely tired and I've wondered if I may have a sleep disorder? Sometimes my sleep is deep with vivid dreams, other times I lay my head down and the next thing I know it's time to get up.
I've cried uncontrollably with feelings of hopelessness on a number of occasions.
Severe mood swings, but overall I try to keep a positive attitude.
I've been battling physical problems as well for many years and doctor's cannot diagnose. This only compounds my mental problems and frustrates me incredibly.
I've already contacted a psychiatrist but don't know when I'll see him. I'm still waiting for the return call.
I wanted some advice on what my problems might be. Is this severe depression? Mood disorder? Bipolar? Or a combination of things? I'm having marital problems and job problems and just want the whole world to go away for awhile so that I can find myself and catch up.
Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Mike.
Doctor's Answer
by HFHS M.D.-HG, Apr 06, 1999 12:00AM
_
Dear Mike,
From the symptoms that you are experiencing , it seems like you may be having a mood disorder{ Major Depressive disorder or Bipolar disorder}.Diagnosis depends on the severity and duration of the symptoms. I will explain to you briefly about the above stated disorders, so that you can identify whether your symptoms are similar to any of those conditions.
Major depression is a condition in which a person feels depressed or has loss of interest or pleasure in things for at least a period of 2weeks accompanied by disturbances in sleep, appetite, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, diminished ability to think and has even thoughts of death. All of these symptoms cause significant impairment in social and occupational functioning. For people who are diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, they will have experienced at least one manic episode in their lives irrespective of the number of depressive episodes. A manic episode is a period in which there is a distinct period of expansive or irritable mood, lasting for at least 1 week associated with grandiosity, rapid speech, flight of ideas, decreased need for sleep, easy distractibility, increase in goal directed activities and impulsive behavior such as engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions etc. Some patients with Major depression or Bipolar disorder may experience paranoia or hallucinations (eg; hearing voices ).
I think you have made a right decision to see a psychiatrist for evaluation. I hope this information is helpful to you. If you need an immediate evaluation, you may contact (248)-689-7476 . This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only and should not be replaced by evaluation with a physician.
Sincerely,
HFHS M.D.
Key words: Depression, Bipolar disorder .
