[PerfectlyImperfect41]

I've been posting under 'coping with emotions' and 'self injury' as I told a new founded friend here on PC that's always checking in to see how I am doing it helps me a lot like yesterday when all I could think about was ending this pain and all the suffering and unhappiness I cause my family so I shared how i felt here on PC!

But it was short lifted, I dont know why but every time I think I'm on the right track and making progress I get a rude awakening! My brother phoned me late last night his the eldest (the success story) not to check how I'm doing but to tell me I must stop with my s°°t his tired of my mom phoning him every time I have one of my episodes! And he just want to tell me that he doesn't sympathize with people that harm themselves or that tries to commit suicide and he will not come to my funeral if that's the case!

My brother said he was reading somewhere that mental illness is not a sickness, the mind is not a physical organ, so how can you do tests to establish for example you have; bipolar, anxiety, depression etc.:
He asked me why did they say I need to take medication? I told him because of the chemical imbalance in the brain and that the meds can help with my thoughts, anxiety and moods. He asked me if they did any tests (blood/x-rays anything) to establish that it is a chemical imbalance. He said if my answer is 'no' how can I be sure I have all these 'things' they told me, they made their diagnosis based on what I told them and on nothing else! According to him I'm feeding my mind with all this 'crap' and 'negativity! He said I must get my facts right regarding this 'mental' issue that I'm using as a excuse and I must wake up my husband is going to get fed up and then I mustn't come crying to them if he leave me!

It's a pity who ever phoned my brother forgot to tell him that for almost 2 weeks now after a ultimatum was given to me, I really try to change and that I have stopped my medication as well! As I told my friend earlier here on PC, I give up!

What more do they want from me?

If there's any truth in what he said, why do I feel this way and why only these last 3 years?

Thank you for listening...
Sun

[Aina]

To be honest, your brother seems like he has no idea about what a mental illness is. It's a common issue among regular population, the misconceptions are simply overwhelming.

Your brother showed a real lack of empathy there and he sure acted unfair. You definitely shouldn't take his words as correct.

Now there are 2 sides of this though... People who don't really deal with mental illness have a hard time understanding them. You or someone in your family should probably teach him and show him what mental disorders are about in order to make him realize what you're really dealing with.
If he's not cooperating, well then, the lack of sympathy in his case would probably be a permanent issue. You'd have somehow learn how to cope with it and don't take his actions of misconceptions seriously.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Sun-no-Shine

I've been posting under 'coping with emotions' and 'self injury' as I told a new founded friend here on PC that's always checking in to see how I am doing it helps me a lot like yesterday when all I could think about was ending this pain and all the suffering and unhappiness I cause my family so I shared how i felt here on PC!

But it was short lifted, I dont know why but every time I think I'm on the right track and making progress I get a rude awakening! My brother phoned me late last night his the eldest (the success story) not to check how I'm doing but to tell me I must stop with my s°°t his tired of my mom phoning him every time I have one of my episodes! And he just want to tell me that he doesn't sympathize with people that harm themselves or that tries to commit suicide and he will not come to my funeral if that's the case!

My brother said he was reading somewhere that mental illness is not a sickness, the mind is not a physical organ, so how can you do tests to establish for example you have; bipolar, anxiety, depression etc.:
He asked me why did they say I need to take medication? I told him because of the chemical imbalance in the brain and that the meds can help with my thoughts, anxiety and moods. He asked me if they did any tests (blood/x-rays anything) to establish that it is a chemical imbalance. He said if my answer is 'no' how can I be sure I have all these 'things' they told me, they made their diagnosis based on what I told them and on nothing else! According to him I'm feeding my mind with all this 'crap' and 'negativity! He said I must get my facts right regarding this 'mental' issue that I'm using as a excuse and I must wake up my husband is going to get fed up and then I mustn't come crying to them if he leave me!

It's a pity who ever phoned my brother forgot to tell him that for almost 2 weeks now after a ultimatum was given to me, I really try to change and that I have stopped my medication as well! As I told my friend earlier here on PC, I give up!

What more do they want from me?

If there's any truth in what he said, why do I feel this way and why only these last 3 years?

Thank you for listening...
Sun

hey did you know that mental illness is caused my throwing a football? if not you are not alone but if you google mental illness you will find such dribble as this out there. bottom line is that there are all kinds of people out there and that includes those writing on the internet, books, movies you name it. not every thing is true and yet there are some people who will believe every ounce of what they read....

my point dont let people who ask you to question your mental illness to get to you. only you and your treatment providers know whats true and what isnt for you, and if you live in the USA no one needs to be in on whats what with your mental and physical health unless you want to give them that information. (privacy laws)

that said yes some mental disorder problems do show up in the physical ways such as blood tests....example people with depression sometimes have to go through blood testing so that the treatment provider can check on their brain chemicals then prescribe the right dosage of medication to stabilize that imbalance. for others they dont need to go through blood testing. the treatment provider utilizes a trial and error process of try this meds, didnt work ok lets tweek that meds or change to another meds...until the right medication is found.

for my own family I use the cut to the quick method. someone brings up my mental or physical health issues and I point blank say ....hey how about we move on to something much more interesting like hows your sex life....they usually look at me totally shocked and say ...thats none of your business and I say thats how I feel about my health issues....none of your business. the kind hearted\ or butting in family member backs of real quick because they know if they want to talk about my issues I consider to be private they better be willing to talk about their private issues.

my suggestion is to talk with your treatment providers, they will explain to you why they are doing what they are with you and how that fits in with your mental issues.

[venusss]

that said yes some mental disorder problems do show up in the physical ways such as blood tests....example people with depression sometimes have to go through blood testing so that the treatment provider can check on their brain chemicals then prescribe the right dosage of medication to stabilize that imbalance. for others they dont need to go through blood testing. the treatment provider utilizes a trial and error process of try this meds, didnt work ok lets tweek that meds or change to another meds...until the right medication is found.

Uh. Where did you hear about such test? Lately, the chemical imbalance has been more or less disapproved.

The truth is... we don't know what causes these problems, so to declare "I told him because of the chemical imbalance in the brain and that the meds can help with my thoughts, anxiety and moods.".... It's only partly true. Yes, meds may help. Because they are mind altering substances. So of course you will feel differently. Sometimes better, which is what is strived for. But as for now, we cannot say it is because we hit the magical "balance" of chemicals.

OP's brother might be asshole or maybe unknowledgable, but the OP should not just be trying this pill and that pill hope one will magically restore these "imbalances" and not try other ways and trying to work around what she has.

OP's brother seems to be falling for a duality that many people here fall for either "it is illness and chemical imbalance and only meds can help and person deserves sympathy" or "it is not illness and the person is just being dramatic and deserves no sympathy". As if one could not have emotional problems worth sympathy without it being some kind of "imbalance". (There indeed is no test for that, so I guess we all deserve to die in ditch if we think this way, eh).

[jacky8807]

There is definitely not a blood test for mental illness. It only goes by reported or observed symptoms
It dosent make it any less real though
Ignore your brother and find the help you need!

[avlady]

there are psycological tests to find behaviors etc that coincide with mental illness. i know my own meds need to be monitored with blood tests, i think only for white blood cell count. not for which or what mental health issue i have. i'm not even sure how these pshycological tests are agreed upon with the doctors, but there must be something they prove.

[avlady]

i mean similiar behaviors included in health studies and such.

[amandalouise]

when I was in the hospital and the psychiatrist was getting ready to prescribe lithium I had to go through blood testing in order for the psychiatrist to know how off that chemical and my dopamine levels were because low lithium and low dopamine levels is one of the ways treatment providers diagnose some forms of depression and calibrate treatment so that a person does not get over dosed on the antidepressant lithium. some forms of depression can now be diagnosed like this including hereditary depressions through the RNA gene markers. short version the tests look at the blood concentration levels then the treatment providers prescribe the correct dosage of lithium or other medications depending upon what is low in that persons blood concentration levels that is causing the depression.

this is not the only physical way in which to detect some forms of depression. some people their depression shows up in physical ways in which blood tests, MRI's, and other brain scans\tests can detect.

your treatment providers can go more into detail of what your own options are for locating\diagnosing and treating your own mental problems.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by venusss

Uh. Where did you hear about such test? Lately, the chemical imbalance has been more or less disapproved.

The truth is... we don't know what causes these problems, so to declare "I told him because of the chemical imbalance in the brain and that the meds can help with my thoughts, anxiety and moods.".... It's only partly true. Yes, meds may help. Because they are mind altering substances. So of course you will feel differently. Sometimes better, which is what is strived for. But as for now, we cannot say it is because we hit the magical "balance" of chemicals.

OP's brother might be asshole or maybe unknowledgable, but the OP should not just be trying this pill and that pill hope one will magically restore these "imbalances" and not try other ways and trying to work around what she has.

OP's brother seems to be falling for a duality that many people here fall for either "it is illness and chemical imbalance and only meds can help and person deserves sympathy" or "it is not illness and the person is just being dramatic and deserves no sympathy". As if one could not have emotional problems worth sympathy without it being some kind of "imbalance". (There indeed is no test for that, so I guess we all deserve to die in ditch if we think this way, eh).

where did I hear it from....from my treatment providers and from going through the process of a research study and going through the process as part of my treatment for depression and bipolar disorder, and from going through the genetic evaluations of my RNA gene markers.

you can also find information on this treatment option of diagnosing depression and other depressive like disorders on the internet by googling the words diagnosing depression through blood work and RNA genetic markers. who knows maybe there is a research study going on in your location that you may consider being a part of. research studies on this kind of thing are always looking for those who may feel they have a mental disorder and would like to find out and go through the process of being diagnosed in non conventional and new ways.

[venusss]

blood tests for lithium only monitor if it's not getting into toxic territory though, since it is not something that occurs in your body naturally.

And lol I personally do not want to be a guinea pig for some study and I would not recommend that to anyone unless they are really really really really really really really desperate. I read on these studies before and from what I gather from it, it's nothing definite.

And at this point depression is not diagnosable by brain scans, although they show some difference. Again, there is debate on causation, correlation... not valid diagnostic tool.

Certainly nones of this works without going through your symptoms... by talking about them.

Mental problems are helluva complicated.

[jacky8807]

Lithium levels are done on anyone on lithium if you do not take lithium your level will be 0
There is no proof it is a chemical imbalance
I'm sorry everybody hates to hear that but it's true
Look it up ....it was a big myth pushed further by drug companies
Brain scan studies are all inconclusive which is why thy are not used

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by jacky8807

Lithium levels are done on anyone on lithium if you do not take lithium your level will be 0
There is no proof it is a chemical imbalance
I'm sorry everybody hates to hear that but it's true
Look it up ....it was a big myth pushed further by drug companies
Brain scan studies are all inconclusive which is why thy are not used

the human body naturally contains lithium, it is a vital trace mineral that is needed for many things like keeping the body protected and functioning.

besides getting lithium from a prescribed medication foods naturally contain lithium such as mustard, nuts, vegetables, ...

you can find more information on this by googling such things as

what minerals /elements does the body contain,
lithium and foods, what foods contain lithium
lithium and the human body
lithium

you can also find information about this by

taking a high school or college level biology /health class
talking with your medical doctor, medical doctors are a wealth of information on what chemicals naturally occur in the human body and what foods humans eat that contain lithium and what your own natural /normal lithium level is.

the normal lithium level in general for human beings is anywhere between 0.3 mEq/L and 3 miligrams, depending on each persons own diet, health issues and metabolism process. (mEq/L stands for milliequivelent per liter which is a measurement that doctors use to explain how much of a designated mineral is showing up.)

[jacky8807]

You would have to submit hair samples for that testing
Blood testing for lithium will be 0 if you do not take lithium
I am a nurse but thanks for the suggestion of a class
I also have been on lithium

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by jacky8807

You would have to submit hair samples for that testing
Blood testing for lithium will be 0 if you do not take lithium
I am a nurse but thanks for the suggestion of a class
I also have been on lithium

My location does not use the hair sample test we use blood tests and the last blood test I took which was last week it showed my lithium level to be 1.

here is an example of what my location goes by....

https://labtestsonline.org/understan...hium/tab/test/

here in my location the only time a hair sample is used is when a person is being drug tested (meth, marijuana, and other illegal drugs., urine is also used for drug testing in my location) but for lithium my location goes by what you find in the link.

[venusss]

However, mental problems are NOT result of having low level of lithium in body. Otherwise, that thing would work for everybody.

from the link

How is it used?

The lithium test is used to measure and monitor the amount of lithium in the blood so health care providers can determine whether drug concentrations are in the therapeutic range.

So we should realize that the "there is no blood test for MI" is still a truth. Sure, the person who says it might be asshole for it, but so can person talking about "chemical imbalance" be an asshole. The viewpoint of MI can come from different places. It doesn't matter as much as how the person acts when interacting with others.

[jacky8807]

I stopped taking lithium they did a test my level was 0...000000000000

[jacky8807]

Anyway lithium dosent matter. My point is there is not a physical test for mental health

Is it possible to take him to a psychiatrist appointment?

Where on earth and from who is he getting this mixed up information? What wingnut is he getting this from? It all suggests to me that he has his own problems with whatever he is mixed up in.

[Pikku Myy]

I am sorry you are having to deal with a close family member that obviously does not understand MI. And in a very selfish way is hurting your recovery/balance by taking on the responsibility of 'curing' you. One of the reasons why I like PC is that I can share my daily worries as needed here, and not always bother my family. My gp explained the need for a psychiatrist, psychologist and therapist like this; There is something broken in your brain, its not working correctly. You need to see a specialist, one that can understand how the brain and emotions work. If you had a broken bone, i would send you to an orthopedic surgeon to get it repaired. And i have all three, add gp this is a four person team to keep me balanced. Therefore, to me mental illness is real and I am lucky my family understands this and trust the professionals to do their job. I really hope someone wil educate your brother as well. Hope you start feeling better soon.

[vonmoxie]

Regardless of what has constituted your diagnosis and treatment plan, it sounds to me as though little good can come of engaging in detailed conversations about it with your brother in his current state of mind, because he clearly has an agenda that is at least partially imbued with self-serving interests (like wanting you to change your life in a way that causes him not to have to be bothered). Unless he starts singing a different tune, perhaps one about genuine concern for your well-being and of holding a more objective viewpoint about your situation, you might want to suggest he attempt to be more open-minded and less aggressive before he tries to harass you about it again. In my opinion.