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MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

kennethreitz.org

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Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#161

Post by fiatjaf »

ascorbic wrote: post #131
fiatjaf wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The statement that 'Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (the main causes of psychosis) are genetic, not caused by "spiritual crisis"' is not backed by the results of the paper.

Yes it is. That's what heritable means. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritability

There are many things you don't know and don't know you don't know, that is complicated to explain. I, for sure, am ignorant of a lot too, but at least I know that estimating heritability on the occurrence of bipolar disorder doesn't prove that these disorders are "caused" (you used this word, while the article doesn't) by genetic factors.

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#162

Post by TrevorJ »

>A breakthrough occurred when I slipped the doctor a piece of paper containing the URL to this website. This gave him a really good idea of who I actually was, and was a very useful tool in helping him diagnose me.

Is it expecting too much of our health care professionals to assume that they should be I don't know, spending five minutes on google looking for this information themselves? What about interviewing family and friends? How do you expect to treat a mental health patient without a baseline in the first place? This tidbit did not instill any confidence in me whatsoever.

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#163

Post by auvrw »

kenneth_reitz wrote: post #152
auvrw wrote: post #150

> Sleep is really important. so true. remember it's cumulative, too, so you can't miss a bunch of sleep, sleep 8hrs one night and then be alright. >This can happen to anyone, even you. not as concerned a/b this, but i s'p so. >Don't date the crazy [person]! totally date the person you feel a connection with, and don't worry a/b labeling them, yourself, or anyone else w/ such a gross, pejorative label as "crazy". do r…

I'm using the humorous/endearing form of crazy :)

i get that, and i'm probably oversensitive. there is some semi-açcurate analogy to be made w/ the use of racial epithets w/in and outside of racial groups here. playfulness can be fine (to a point) in polite company, but it's helpful to be a little more guarded w/ language in open forums.

idk, i just recently had an experience with overhearing a conversation that used not just "crazy" but specifically "bipolar" in a way that made me feel uncomfortable/marginalized. that's on me for being oversensitive, but it's totally on other ppl/society for not recognizing that "mentally ill" ppl do a lot of useful and producive things, that w/ proper care it's possible to do just a/b anything someone w/o a (diagnosed) condition can do, and for lumping an actually variegated an nonhomogeneous group of ppl together under a few easy labels.

uuugh, enough hn for a while, one way or another.

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#164

Post by ahoyfuckers »

Hi everyone, One of my friends in college was recently diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. I don’t personally know any other people with the disorder, but I wanted to learn more about it directly from the people (patients, friends, family, healthcare providers) who have experienced the gaps in treatment/management for the disorder. Hoping some of you out there might be willing to participate in this anonymous questionnaire. Thanks.

http://goo.gl/forms/hzG1bPiorR

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#165

Post by dhubris »

Good sleep hygiene definitely contributes to better mental health. Not bi-polar, but struggle with depression. After my last crash a few years ago, I was left curled up on the floor just saying I wanted to die. It took me about a year to recover from that, and during most of that year I usually slept at least 10 hours a night. It was definitely part of my recovery.

These days I'm usually between 7.5 to 8.5 hours. Having had a history of insomnia I try and get on top of any sleeplessness issues pretty quickly. Usually just taking melatonin for a week if I have a couple of nights in a row with difficulty getting to sleep will fix it for me.

Also, if you suspect you might suffer from sleep apnoea then get it checked out. The quality as well as quantity of your sleep is important.

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#166

Post by kenneth_reitz »

TrevorJ wrote: post #162

>A breakthrough occurred when I slipped the doctor a piece of paper containing the URL to this website. This gave him a really good idea of who I actually was, and was a very useful tool in helping him diagnose me. Is it expecting too much of our health care professionals to assume that they should be I don't know, spending five minutes on google looking for this information themselves? What about interviewing family…

Trust me, where I live, less that 0.1% of the population has any form of web presence, other than a Facebook profile.

I live in a rural town in the country of Virginia. Lots of confederate flags and rednecks around these parts :)

The doctor did spent much time on the phone with my parents, however, and was well aware of their claims. Having tangible proof of the things I've normally been able to accomplish, however, takes that to a whole other level.

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#167

Post by gaur »

fiatjaf wrote: post #129
whybroke wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that link, you now both know it. You, however, choose not to believe it.

I do believe in the facts reported by that link (although I don't blame people who don't, scientists in general are not trustworthy). I didn't say that.

> scientists in general are not trustworthy

You don't know that.

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#168

Post by kenneth_reitz »

I added a new paragraph to describe the type of hallucinations I was experiencing (since that's such an ambiguous word):

> The first time she left my apartment, I watched as a red/glowing infinitely-detailed sacred geometry adorned my plain white door. These are the types of hallucinations I would see upon occasion, especially after prolonged periods of meditation or excitement. These experiences were interpreted to be of deep spiritual significance. Most hallucinations were non-visual, however, and involved subtle sensations best described in yogic terms as "feeling the flow of pranic energy". The rest could be described as an explosion of mental imagery with remarkable resolution/clarity.

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#169

Post by odbol_ »

ggreer wrote: post #74
yahyaheee wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

These experiences might reveal something about consciousness and the human mind, but they do not tell you about the rest of the cosmos. The only way we can learn about that is through observation (astronomy) and experimentation (particle accelerators), not introspection. Heck, introspection can't even reveal to us that our minds are made of neurons.

What basis do you have for saying that? I'm willing to bet that more than a few scientific discoveries were made on, or inspired by, these "introspections". Thinking and perceiving reality differently seems like an excellent way to discover new observations about the world.

Re: MentalHealthError: an exception occurred

#170

Post by V-2 »

ascorbic wrote: post #67
V-2 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a doctor, but I've come across a concept that says sleep deprivation is actually helpful, or at least it eases depression symptoms. Eg. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-sleep-deprivat... or http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/mind-read/an_unconventio...

IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ THIS! Please, anybody with bipolar DO NOT DO THIS. It may work for depression, but for the same reason people with bipolar shouldn't take antidepressants (unless balanced with mood stabilisers) this can be really dangerous. It's very common that sleep deprivation can trigger a manic episode.

I never said this is sound advice for bipolar people as opposed to those suffering from depression. As a matter of fact, I never insisted this is good advice for anyone, I specifically stressed that I'm not a doctor. I merely pointed out that there's a certain point of view, quoted by reputable sources. Given the above, I don't really understand the downvotes
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