Wait, I've never heard of hallucinations from bipolar disorder and these sounded super heavy duty? Was this something more? But I am really glad they got help, even responsible enough to get help.
Hallucinations from mania are probably caused by sleep deprivation. Even if you're not consciously tired, your mind and body are.
MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
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Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#72Pyschosis is not an accident, and it is not caused by kundalini yoga (although in this case indirectly). It is my belief that psychosis is the product of spiritual crisis. Humans are, fundamentally, mythological creatures - we have deeply-held beliefs and myths that guide our basic thinking, and we hold onto these firmly. When something challenges these fundamentals (usually some horrible trauma), we slip into spirit…
Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#73Could this have been prevented? Is there a reliable way to check on your mental health status?
Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#74Side note on the "mystic flavor" yoga (as oppose to plain "mindfullness meditation" and "yoga for back pains") and other "eastern" spirituality things: I think there's a reason why there are so many initiation ceremonies and tasks that one was/is traditionally put to do before going-off-the-deep-end, and why ancient hindus saw being a yogi as a path for one that was of a certain age and already had a family and prove…
Upvote as well. My personal mystical experiences have been very positive in my life. My friends and I call it "cleaning out the cobwebs" and do it a couple times a year. And yes this stuff is not good for people with mental illness, but let's not throw it away all together. Psychedelics have an incredible promise to heal, and have helped me substantially with my own trauma. However they should be used in chorus with…
Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#75Wait, I've never heard of hallucinations from bipolar disorder and these sounded super heavy duty? Was this something more? But I am really glad they got help, even responsible enough to get help.
Which also links to this page: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Bipolar-disorder/Pages/Introduc...
Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
s/crazy chick/crazy dude/ Having a partner of either sex that also suffers mental illness (perhaps more severely than you do) can exacerbate un-healthy or unhelpful ways of thinking. I don't think the writer was placing entire blame with the partner, but actually making a good point earlier about the psychological reinforcement from being around them
I also suspect that this is the same person mentioned here: http://www.kennethreitz.org/essays/purging-the-unexpected-ne... For many guys, "crazy chick" is the only language they have to describe an abusive relationship. It's not the most helpful phrase, so it's best replaced with a clearer one.
I wish he would change the reference to "crazy chick". Cause maybe some "crazy chicks" out there would benefit from the article (my mom suffered from an episode like the one he described, down to the angels).
I think it's particularly bad because a lot of people, such as my mom and sister, make the association that crazy is "how they are" because they are "artsy". And so, this article is demolishing that notion, since Reitz is such a tech superstar... but then it ends like that. Reinforcing the gap.
Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#77Pyschosis is not an accident, and it is not caused by kundalini yoga (although in this case indirectly). It is my belief that psychosis is the product of spiritual crisis. Humans are, fundamentally, mythological creatures - we have deeply-held beliefs and myths that guide our basic thinking, and we hold onto these firmly. When something challenges these fundamentals (usually some horrible trauma), we slip into spirit…
Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (the main causes of psychosis) are genetic, not caused by "spiritual crisis". The spiritual stuff is a symptom of psychosis, not a cause. "Heritability for schizophrenia was 64% and for bipolar disorder 59%." http://europepmc.org/articles/pmc3879718
Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#78Pyschosis is not an accident, and it is not caused by kundalini yoga (although in this case indirectly). It is my belief that psychosis is the product of spiritual crisis. Humans are, fundamentally, mythological creatures - we have deeply-held beliefs and myths that guide our basic thinking, and we hold onto these firmly. When something challenges these fundamentals (usually some horrible trauma), we slip into spirit…
The idea that using medication to handle these things is the "shut up and take your pills" approach and that the "real" way to deal with this is to just leave people in a state of psychosis until they "magically" snap out of it is ridiculous. How long would you prescribe that Kenneth should have been left in this state? What if he stayed in it indefinitely? We just let him ride out the rest of his life like that?
Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#79Even now, months later, not everything is back to 100% normal. My wife still occasionally shows signs of her episode and is on medication (although we have transitioned to a low dosage of a more forgiving drug). The most obvious problem is a stubborn insistence that what is going on in her head right now is the only reasonable option and any discussion otherwise is an active attempt to undermine her (i.e. a conspiracy against her). This transcends normal disagreements. She also still has trouble sleeping.
At the time she had her breakdown she constructed an elaborate and paranoid fantasy inside her head that everybody was out to get her (including close family members and myself). This was tightly wound with inscrutable religious imagery and governmental conspiracy.
It was terrifying and I had her committed to the psychiatric unit (this is what nearly destroyed our relationship).
The most frightening aspect of the whole thing is that she was 100% convinced she was right at the time. Her logical reasoning facilities simply broke down. There was no reasoning with her. In fact, if anything, trying to talk to her using logic and reason aggravated the situation.
Even now, when she looks back, she can see how strange it must have been for everybody else, but she's still struggling because her brain is telling her she was "on the right side" of this problem the whole time.
This can happen to anybody, and it's nobody's fault. Sometimes, shit happens. Nobody should be ashamed of this. Take care of yourselves and others. Most of all, get a good night's sleep and eat well!
Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred
#80[deleted]
Why are you conflating the culture here with "hipster" culture?
As Wikipedia notes: "Members of the subculture typically do not self-identify as hipsters, and the word hipster is often used as a pejorative to describe someone who is pretentious, overly trendy or effete."
Which "people who are ostensibly fitting the hipster stereotype profusely deny [because, the] hipster mythology devalues their tastes and interests and thus they have to socially distinguish themselves from this cultural category"
The most notable hipster subculture among HN readers is Normcore. From wikipedia -- "Normcore wearers are people who do not wish to distinguish themselves from others by their clothing."
"Normcore clothes include everyday items of casual wear such as t-shirts, hoodies, short-sleeved shirts, jeans and chino pants, but not items such as neckties or blouses. These clothes are worn by men and women alike, making normcore a unisex style."
"The characters featured on the television series Seinfeld are frequently cited as exemplifying the aesthetics and ethos of normcore fashion."
That is to say, wearing unfashionable clothes, when you know of more fashionable clothes, and could afford them, is itself a fashion decision in line with hipster-dom's refusal to fit into the mainstream.
"Everything about [hipsters] is exactingly constructed to give off the vibe that they just don't care."
"The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream. "
You're a hipster. Sorry homie.