Do you suffer from an affective disorder?

[micromass]

This is also an interesting article:

http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/39/11/36.full?maxtoshow=&HITS=20&hits=20&RESULTFORMAT=&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&tocsectionid=Clinical*&displaysectionid=Clinical+and+Research+News&journalcode=psychnews

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Witzelsucht, from the German witzeln, meaning to joke or wisecrack, and sucht meaning addiction or yearning, is a set of rare neurological symptoms characterized by the patient's uncontrollable tendency to make puns, tell inappropriate jokes and pointless or irrelevant stories at inconvenient moments. The patient nevertheless finds these utterances intensely amusing.

Gaah, just thinking about this makes me sick.

 

[Evo]

Gaah, just thinking about this makes me sick.

 

[physics girl phd]

I think I have misophonia (developed in the last 5 years). http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/health/06annoy.html" I think I'll need to bring it up at an upcoming doctor's appointment.

 

[Borek]

I still have a feeling we are throwing kid with a bathwater. Yes, I have my quirks, but I don't think they should be classified as a disorder. They don't stop me from doing what I am doing, even if sometimes they slow me down. But then I am also slowed down by the fact I am not strong enough to repair the gate to the garage without a help. Does it make me ill?

Now those without problems are 9 out of 34. I guess micromass forgot to add hypochondria to the list

 

[Evo]

I still have a feeling we are throwing kid with a bathwater. Yes, I have my quirks, but I don't think they should be classified as a disorder. They don't stop me from doing what I am doing, even if sometimes they slow me down. But then I am also slowed down by the fact I am not strong enough to repair the gate to the garage without a help. Does it make me ill?

Now those without problems are 9 out of 34. I guess micromass forgot to add hypochondria to the list

Well, you may be one of the "normal ones" Borek.

 

[Evo]

I think I have misophonia (developed in the last 5 years). http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/health/06annoy.html" I think I'll need to bring it up at an upcoming doctor's appointment.

I've known people that have talked about it, but had no idea what it was called.

 

[rhody]

I think I have misophonia (developed in the last 5 years). http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/health/06annoy.html" I think I'll need to bring it up at an upcoming doctor's appointment.

From the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia" quote: "People who have misophonia are most commonly annoyed, or even enraged, by the sound of other people eating, breathing, coughing, or other ordinary sounds. "]

I know someone who has it, a family member, but up till know I always interpreted it as that person lacking empathy or being insensitive. As a person who has been the target of the family member who is annoyed, I must say I am equally if not more annoyed at them being annoyed at me. Does this mean I have "reactive misophonia", let's add that to the recent five year list as well ! I wouldn't be as upset were it not for the fact that in almost every case I can't keep from coughing.

Rhody...

 

[drizzle]

You know, people say that you can know yourself by knowing who you hang with!... WOW.

 

[ArcanaNoir]

Why are some of the poll choices in italics? Also, bipolar is misspelled.

 

[micromass]

Why are some of the poll choices in italics?

I think that the italics are the things you voted for.

Also, bipolar is misspelled.

Dangit.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Why was the thread title changed as it was? I didn't say "affective disorder is synonymous with mental illness".

Here's a suggestion based on what's been said: "Do you have (or suspect that you have) a mental illness?"

 

[coelho]

I don't think so. I'm pretty detached from society and people, which probably keeps me sane (or is an insanity?)

I wouldn't say its insanity... but it may be a disorder too... have you ever heard about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid_personality_disorder" ?

 

[Loren Booda]

My Road out of Schizophrenia -

http://health-tools.health.msn.com/schizophrenia/my-road-out-of-schizophrenia-a-personal-story-biography"

 

[OmCheeto]

I think I'd like to change my vote, from other, to none.

You people are all crazy.

SAD seemed liked such a logical disorder. The sun goes away for 8 months, so you should feel, well, sad. People have even written songs about it before it was even a disorder:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk"


Crap! Someone just walked up behind me and said; "Whatcha typin' Om?"

The first thing that came out of my mouth was; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzq5X-p2C0Y"

 

[cobalt124]

I think I'd like to change my vote, from other, to none.

You people are all crazy.

From a guy with a lit light bulb in his mouth.

 

[rhody]

From a guy with a lit light bulb in his mouth.

Ka-zing... thanks cobalt... I needed a laugh...

Rhody...

 

[cobalt124]

The Lame Jokes thread is good for that, there's some good jokes hidden in there.

 

[Pythagorean]

I wouldn't say its insanity... but it may be a disorder too... have you ever heard about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid_personality_disorder" ?

Yeah, I actually took a couple psych classes for my degree, one of which was 'abnormal psych'.

I have often noticed I have a schizoid personality type, but I don't think I have the 'disorder' as I don't meet the general criteria for 'disorder' (ie it doesn't cause me significant distress or interfere with my daily life)

 

[wolram]

I am mad as hatter, hardly a week goes bye without me falling over due to a seizure, i hear voices and my memory is badly effected, the doctor is talking about starting me on lithium
which is not an easy decision as i am all ready over weight
I am not allowed to work due to the seizures, this makes me very unhappy as i miss my work.

 

[nobahar]

I have often noticed I have a schizoid personality type, but I don't think I have the 'disorder' as I don't meet the general criteria for 'disorder' (ie it doesn't cause me significant distress or interfere with my daily life)

There's that saying that if you read a medical textbook, you'll have something. I think its the same with Mental health. I think its when its of a certain severity that matters, as you say.
I wonder if you've read Paul Bentall's 'Madness Explained: Psychosis and Human Nature'; I liked it, and I'd be interested to know someone else's opinion. I know you from the Biology forum (I think!), and there a book I saw the other day that I would like to read, by Schwartz and Begley titled 'The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force', that I thought you might find interesting (if you haven't already read it).

 

[haael]

There's no normal people, just those that were not diagnosed.

I had depression, still have anxiety and schizoid personality disorder. My doctor also said that I'm passive-argressive, though it's not listed in ICD-10.

And I'm addicted to caffeine.

 

[dlgoff]

... the doctor is talking about starting me on lithium
which is not an easy decision as i am all ready over weight

If it helps wooly; go for it.

 

[Constantinos]

I always had these questions...

Lets say Alice has the same symptoms with Bob, who has a mental disorder.
And those symptoms are due to the same physical causes (for example, a chemical imbalance)
But Alice doesn't really feel that bad, in fact she likes being an extreme perfectionist (a form of OCD I believe) for some reason or lives in a society that actually encourages such behavior.
Is it then really a disorder?

Also, how can one know he suffers from a mental disorder if he doesn't feel really bad about it? People's psychologies seem to be as many as there are people, so how can a certain trait in someone's psychology be interpreted as a disorder or an individual difference?

These bug me, because I feel I may have something.

 

[micromass]

I always had these questions...

Lets say Alice has the same symptoms with Bob, who has a mental disorder.
And those symptoms are due to the same physical causes (for example, a chemical imbalance)
But Alice doesn't really feel that bad, in fact she likes being an extreme perfectionist (a form of OCD I believe) for some reason or lives in a society that actually encourages such behavior.
Is it then really a disorder?

Also, how can one know he suffers from a mental disorder if he doesn't feel really bad about it? People's psychologies seem to be as many as there are people, so how can a certain trait in someone's psychology be interpreted as a disorder or an individual difference?

These bug me, because I feel I may have something.

You raise an important issue here. The classification of whether you have a disorder isn't an exact science. The normal definition of disorder is that you have something that causes you to suffer and which inhibits you from functioning correctly in society.

The first is clear: if you suffer greatly from it and if you see it as abnormal, then you have a disorder. If you enjoy your OCD (which you probably don't), then it's not a disorder.
The second is less clear: what is a 'correct functioning'. One can say that being a sociopath is a disorder, but in fact, a lack of emotion is a bonus for people leading a company (I'm not saying that CEO's are sociopaths, though). So I do agree that it might not always be clear whether people have a disorder or are simply different.

 

[Borek]

Lets say Alice has the same symptoms with Bob

They both think Chuck is out to get them.

 

[rhody]

I always had these questions...
These bug me, because I feel I may have something.

Constantinos,

You can have my mild form of OCD any day of the week, the "worry" part that is. Consider it my gift to you. I would like to be rid of it for good, but alas, I think that freedom from worry is not a realistic goal, or even possible, since I have had it as long as I can remember.

Rhody...

 

[haael]

But Alice doesn't really feel that bad

There is a mental illness whose symptoms are not feeling bad enough, and it is called mania. Nevertheless, mental illness is always bad for a patient, despite he may not see it at the first glance. And patient's acceptance is always needed for successful therapy.

Also, how can one know he suffers from a mental disorder if he doesn't feel really bad about it? People's psychologies seem to be as many as there are people, so how can a certain trait in someone's psychology be interpreted as a disorder or an individual difference?

There are sharp and specific symptoms for each disorder. You can be normal in infinite many ways, but you can be ill in only few ways. Healthy people brain is free and creative, disorders are all the same.

There are actually only few main groups of disorders. The poll in this thread lists them all.

 

[Pythagorean]

stress-diathesis model

 

[Jack21222]

I've never been officially diagnosed, but I meet every criteria for social anxiety disorder. I also suspect I have some sort of mild OCD because sometimes I get these thoughts stuck in my head that I didn't do something, even know I'm 100% sure I did, especially with locking doors and setting my alarm at night.

I sometimes lock my car door a good 3 or 4 times before the thought goes away, same with setting my alarm at night. Even then, I'll sometimes wake up at night and check to see if my alarm is set. So yeah, probably OCD, but I didn't pick that because it doesn't interfere with my daily life.

 

[Evo]

I've never been officially diagnosed, but I meet every criteria for social anxiety disorder. I also suspect I have some sort of mild OCD because sometimes I get these thoughts stuck in my head that I didn't do something, even know I'm 100% sure I did, especially with locking doors and setting my alarm at night.

I sometimes lock my car door a good 3 or 4 times before the thought goes away, same with setting my alarm at night. Even then, I'll sometimes wake up at night and check to see if my alarm is set. So yeah, probably OCD, but I didn't pick that because it doesn't interfere with my daily life.

That would fall under very mild OCD, IMO. You don't need to be impaired to list it on this poll, it's not a "what have you been diagnosed with" poll.

I don't think I know anyone that doesn't have some form of OCD at some level. Either a checker, a perfectionist, a neat nik, a picky eater. They actually most times don't notice that everyone around them notices their obsessions.

 

[rootX]

I voted OCD, anxiety, and eating disorder. I can kill myself in the name of my work

 

[flyingpig]

I thought the title said " do you suffer from an attractive disorder?"

 

[coelho]

I thought the title said " do you suffer from an attractive disorder?"

Well... would an attractive disorder cause suffering?

 

[ArcanaNoir]

I am mad as hatter, hardly a week goes bye without me falling over due to a seizure, i hear voices and my memory is badly effected, the doctor is talking about starting me on lithium
which is not an easy decision as i am all ready over weight
I am not allowed to work due to the seizures, this makes me very unhappy as i miss my work.

I'm sorry you miss your work! Mathematician is a very safe job, can be done in the comfort of your own home :) That's what I'm going to do! (maybe...if I don't get bored with it or quit because I'm afraid to fail like everything else I've tried so far...)

 

[Pythagorean]

Well... would an attractive disorder cause suffering?

histrionic personality disorder?

 

[ThomasT]

I selected 'none', though like most people (I'm assuming) I've had to work through some emotional things from time to time. Also, I've got a bit of that adult hyperactivity attention deficit behavior, if not downright mania, to deal with. But I think that's actually been sort of helpful.

On the other hand I've known some people who, if they didn't take their medication, were seriously affected by their 'disorders', and difficult to deal with.

EDIT: I should add that I think I've recently been exhibiting addictive behavior wrt a variant of Tetris ... Nyet. Anybody else here have this problem? I can't help thinking that it's possible to top the high score, and the problem is that I keep doing that. But after 4 hours of Nyet Tetris (when I should be practicing the piano, or exercising, or studying 'something') what have I done? Oh well, at least this mini-obsession is producing 'focused' behavior.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I am mad as hatter, hardly a week goes bye without me falling over due to a seizure, i hear voices and my memory is badly effected, the doctor is talking about starting me on lithium
which is not an easy decision as i am all ready over weight
I am not allowed to work due to the seizures, this makes me very unhappy as i miss my work.

This is the first time I've heard your symptoms. As you might have seen me mention, I also have seizures. Do you know the exact type you have? Tonic-Clonic? Atonic? Complex-Partial? Simple-Partial?

Hearing voices as part of a seizure usually means it's a simple partial precurser to a complex-partial seizure (in other words, hearing voices is the "aura"). However, simple partials can, and often do, happen in isolation.

I take Depakote, which is alleged to cause weight gain. I don't find that to be directly true. It does make you feel a tad drowsy, which can lead to less activity. Therefore I make sure to walk a couple miles a day and try not to overeat.

 

[OmCheeto]

Well... would an attractive disorder cause suffering?

Possibly, but more likely it would cause swelling.

 

[rhody]

Well... would an attractive disorder cause suffering? :smil

Possibly, but more likely it would cause swelling.

OM,

You are so bad...

Rhody...

 

[cobalt124]

...freedom from worry is not a realistic goal...

I don't think it is either, but...

...or even possible...

...the problem with worry and depression and the like is that it cripples your choices, life doesn't seem as open ended and as surprising as it should, so I would say "never say never".

...since I have had it as long as I can remember...

My issues have dogged me all my life as well, I had them pegged as "normal". I now know better.

 

[rhody]

I don't think it is either, but...

...the problem with worry and depression and the like is that it cripples your choices, life doesn't seem as open ended and as surprising as it should, so I would say "never say never".

My issues have dogged me all my life as well, I had them pegged as "normal". I now know better.

cobalt,

In a weird way it is comforting to know you can share your common experience with others such as yourself, and at the same time, I feel frustrated, almost cursed at times. I imagine you do as well. Little by little mostly on my own I have found what I like to refer to as "little islands of relief", activities that for short periods (days to a week) erase all the worry, and ironically it involves dangerous activities such as riding motorcycle's on a track. Find whatever "islands of relief" that work for you, experiment with them. Sooner of later, you will find what truly makes you happy. Interacting with member's such as yourself on PF is obviously another one of those activities.

Rhody...

 

[wolram]

This is the first time I've heard your symptoms. As you might have seen me mention, I also have seizures. Do you know the exact type you have? Tonic-Clonic? Atonic? Complex-Partial? Simple-Partial?

Hearing voices as part of a seizure usually means it's a simple partial precurser to a complex-partial seizure (in other words, hearing voices is the "aura"). However, simple partials can, and often do, happen in isolation.

I take Depakote, which is alleged to cause weight gain. I don't find that to be directly true. It does make you feel a tad drowsy, which can lead to less activity. Therefore I make sure to walk a couple miles a day and try not to overeat.

So far the doctors have ruled out any type of epilepsy, they are more focused on momentary hypertension, (brain being starved of blood momentarily), i started having these falls in 2008 and still have no diagnosis, it just goes to show how medically advanced our doctors are.

 

[zoobyshoe]

So far the doctors have ruled out any type of epilepsy, they are more focused on momentary hypertension, (brain being starved of blood momentarily), i started having these falls in 2008 and still have no diagnosis, it just goes to show how medically advanced our doctors are.

Yes, I've run across that story over and over again: years without them figuring out the exact problem(s).

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

So far the doctors have ruled out any type of epilepsy, they are more focused on momentary hypertension, (brain being starved of blood momentarily), i started having these falls in 2008 and still have no diagnosis, it just goes to show how medically advanced our doctors are.

I wish you the best in tracking down the cause of your symptoms. If you mean to imply that doctors are not medically advanced, I disagree with you. However, it does show that they haven't advanced far enough in your case. My father was treated with lithium for bipolar disorder. The most difficult part was getting the dosage right. Apparently it is easy to get too much or too little.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Here's an article I found about what I mentioned earlier vis a vis co-morbidity with Asperger's:

The diagnostic criteria for Asperger syndrome (AS) do not include mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive compulsive disorder. But many people with AS are overwhelmed by these mood disorders - even more than by the symptoms of AS itself.

If so many people with AS suffer with mood disorders, the big question is - why?

A reasonable explanation might be that the life experiences of people with AS lead to depression and anxiety. People with AS cope every day with sensory overloads, social rejection, teasing, bullying, and a whole host of other issues which are, by anyone's estimation, depressing and anxiety producing.

No Easy Answers

And indeed, Asperger experts Dr. Tony Attwood and Dr. Judy Reaven agree that Asperger syndrome can create a more stressful life, leading to mood disorders. But there's more to it.
According to Dr. Attwood, one of the world's experts on Asperger syndrome, perception and regulation of emotions really is a central element of AS. In addition, he says, "We now have neurophysiological evidence that the amygdala [a part of the brain] is different - and it's involved with regulation of emotions...[In Asperger syndrome] genetics and physiology come together; 2 of 3 teens with AS have a secondary mood disorder - anxiety, depression, and/or anger."

more:

http://autism.about.com/od/aspergerssyndrome/a/moodsasperger.htm

 

[rhody]

To all who may be interested,

I checked out Dr Tony Attwood, he wrote the forward to this http://books.google.com/books?hl=en...fzL8fDQ#v=onepage&q=Dr. Tony Attwood&f=false",
"Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperberger's syndrome". by Liane Holliday Willey.
The first 29 pages can be accessed in the link provided.

Rhody...

 

[DoggerDan]

I said none, but what's the difference between OCD and attention to detail when not doing a job correctly can get you or someone else killed?

I like a clean kitchen, but I'm not about to break out the cleaner and a scrub brush every time I cook. A simple wipe-down will do.

 

[rhody]

I said none, but what's the difference between OCD and attention to detail when not doing a job correctly can get you or someone else killed?

I like a clean kitchen, but I'm not about to break out the cleaner and a scrub brush every time I cook. A simple wipe-down will do.

DoggerDan,

The best way I can describe rituals like cleaning is that you do it to the extreme, most times I do, like hardwood stairs, a three step process, no one does it like I do. There is a difference in an activity like that and say working in the milli-scary (pun intended) and being extremely focused in your job to prevent those in the field from getting killed. An OCD person in that situation would be ideal. Remember you have to have had this for a long time and the behavior patterns usually don't vary by much. Like I said awhile ago, I believe I have a mild case of it, that will intensify if I am under extreme stress. This has proven true for me time and again.

Another example would be when you are doing something you like you take it to the next level, what I like to call a "drill down mentality", here is a https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=422276&highlight=plasticity" I posted about awhile ago. I read the book I was interested in three or four times, each time paying more attention to concepts information I picked up on the previous read. For me at the time it seemed perfectly normal, but reflecting back on it I see how the subject of brain plasticity was becoming an obsession in itself and I backed off. Read a few of the posts and I am sure you will get a sense of what I mean. Don't get me wrong the subject is fascinating, but for most folks they are not partially consumed by it, as I was.

Does my explanation make sense to you ? Can you see how you don't have to totally fit the criteria of neurologists, psychologists in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) to at least say that some of your thoughts and actions meet the criteria presented there for conditions such as OCD ?

Rhody...

 

[fluidistic]

I voted none.
Depression and anxiety might have been the one I could have voted if I had a different criteria. I never attempted suicide nor have unoverpassable anxiety trouble requiring the ingestion of pills.