> Pink maybe I am totally off base here but I just thought of sometime and don’t have time to go back and check your previous threads. Did you mention in another thread something about starting/stopping a new medication? Could your symptoms and their severity be related to that? If so, a call to your doctor might be good. You may also find some solace in knowing it might just be a temporary brain chemistry issue not a problem with YOU. Just had that thought on my way between classes. Sorry if I am totally off base and it wasn’t you how was trying out new meds.

Hey there. I really... Didn't mean to undermine your post. I agree with your post 100% that the reason for the present distress is indeed likely to be about the starting (and the absence of appropriate monitoring) of the new medication. I think it was really insightful of you for having figured that out :-)

But... I do worry about that... I worry about the divide that occurs in peoples way of thinking. For example:

A pill won't help me, therefore completely my fault

Compared with

A pill will help me, therefore completely out of my control

I think there is a middle ground (synthesis) between these ways of looking at things.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that some p-doc really believing that some medication is the answer is enough to inspire hope that it is the answer and temporary improvement.

But I'm worried about the harmful side-effects of the medication and the long term harms that can result from taking it and from putting ones faith in it.

I don't know a great deal about pinksoil... But from what I've observed... She has immense potential within herself to conceive of herself as a 'normal' person who struggles in some respects, sure. But basically as a 'normal' person who would like to improve in her functioning and feel less emotional pain. Compared with someone who really is unable to conceive of ways that they can manage their own emotional state and thereby come to learn successful ways of manageing it. This latter way which consists in drugs to wake you up and drugs to put you to sleep and drugs that have such harmful side effects. Lithium - where the effects of that are found in the SECOND GENERATION of offspring of rats. I don't see... P-doc may be charming and he might have hopes for some wonderful magical 'quick fix'. But really... Life doesn't work that way... And pinksoil is doing AMAZING work with her therapist and (even more importantly) with herself.

You can do it. Don't get me wrong, it can be %#@&#! HARD at times. But... You can do it. Don't let them categorise you as 'mentally ill'. All that is doing for you is harming your career and your self conception and ultimately... Resulting in your limiting yourself (I can't manage my moods but a pill can).

Hang in there.