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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Emma
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.
Emma
by emma, Dec 07, 1999 12:00AM
I don't know what is happening to me. Lately I haven't felt good. I am having trouble sleeping......in that when I do sleep I have nightmares. I don't have the desire to do anything and I fly off the handle when anyone questions me or sometimes just talks to me. I have lost interest in most things. Six months ago my sister inlaw died from a brain tumor and 3 weeks ago my father inlaw died from lung cancer. I watched both of them die. My father inlaw was at home and I helped to care for him. I can't seem to get past what I saw. My sister inlaw was only 56 and a good person. My 21 year old son is in remission for Lymphoblastic Lymphoma....but he is doing very well.....Thank God. I am also having trouble with my memory. I can't seem to concentrate. Can someone help me? What could be wrong?
Doctor's Answer
by HFHS MD-JM, Dec 09, 1999 12:00AM
Emma,
It is clear that you have experienced some significant losses recently which were traumatic for you. You describe depressive symptoms that are part of the bereavment process which generally resolve on their own over time with support and discussion of ones feelings about the issue. If your day to day functioning is significantly impaired then it may represent pathological process such as a major depressive episode. Memory and concentration difficulties are not uncommon in this situation. If your support network is limited and your functioning is impaired then you should seek out psychiatric care. Sometimes temporary sleep medications can be helpful. Good luck. I hope this was helpful.
Sincerely,
HFHS-JM
Keywords: Bereavement, major depression
It is clear that you have experienced some significant losses recently which were traumatic for you. You describe depressive symptoms that are part of the bereavment process which generally resolve on their own over time with support and discussion of ones feelings about the issue. If your day to day functioning is significantly impaired then it may represent pathological process such as a major depressive episode. Memory and concentration difficulties are not uncommon in this situation. If your support network is limited and your functioning is impaired then you should seek out psychiatric care. Sometimes temporary sleep medications can be helpful. Good luck. I hope this was helpful.
Sincerely,
HFHS-JM
Keywords: Bereavement, major depression
Member Comments (2)
by emma, Dec 09, 1999 12:00AM
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I am very lucky to have a very supportive husband. I am a strong lady. I will get through this.
