Clear yourself out before you jump to conclusions

I just wanted to chime in with a suggestion. In the past, I found myself being diagnosed with a dozen different things all because one symptom led to so many others.

I started out having trouble sleeping because of work problems in the military. I go talk to a therapist and next thing I know, I am being diagnosed with depression/anxiety. They put me on anti-depressants. Turns out I wasn't depressed. The anti-depressants actually have a reverse effect and cause suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms. I end up in the hospital as a suicide risk. I go out with some friends some time later and get slipped a 'roofie'. Now that I ended up in the hospital for what appeared to be alcohol poisoning (they didn't test for roofies), I appear out of control. Suddenly, I am being diagnosed as being in manic phase and I MUST be Bipolar. I am put on a series of bipolar meds and (because I am not Bipolar), I started to have odd shakes and visual hallucinations from the medicine, oh and my hair started falling out. So, they assume I have developed psychosis and put me on an anti-psychotic. At that point, I became a medicated zombie, barely functioning. I finally get out of the military and off all medication and realize that the hormones in the birth control pills I had been taking for the last few years were to blame. Within two months of being off all medication, including the bc pills, I have been perfectly fine.

Point to my story, is that we should all try eliminating every influencing factor out of our lives. No hormones, pills, alcohol, drugs (even caffeine)... and adding in a little exercise in your life. Then, at that point, after everything else has been removed, you still have some psychological symptom, then it is reasonable to get yourself checked out.

I read so many comments on different boards and people who have convinced themselves that they have this, that or the other disorder and the most common theme is that very few have tried completing clearing themselves of every substance or lifestyle behavior that can affect their personality, body, life, etc. Just my two cents.

Thanks hurley now i am two cents richer probably much more... are those professional doctors who are making all those mis-diagnosis or a bunch all of clowns that sounds so goofy

Here is my two bits... i thought for a long time i am a porn addict because that is where i run for hidding to numb my senses so i do not have to feel the weight of my life and work through my issues but i knew watching porn the way i did was unhealthy so i decided to join a porn addict disccussion group and there a member of the group expalined to me addictions are a by-product of bigger issues of a wounded soul such as a child trauma or a serious personality disorder and low self esteem so i start looking in those other issues and i was never was tempted with porn since... in a sense i rather have the porn than dealing with such deep rooted issues in my life but it is too late forthat now the pandora box is open so a true recovery can to take place it is a common that often we treat the symptons and forget all about the root cause of it all... s**t happens
Take care

Good advice, Hurley, but I would warn against stopping any medication suddenly. Weaning off is best because your body can react very negatively when something is taken away from it from one day to the next.

*Mindful, here is something I learned in my many years in therapy:

"Stop. Think. Act." *Reacting, many times, is not wise. It's best to Think things out first and then Act.

Thought I'd throw in some experience for you.

Sorry if it sounded like I was suggesting to just drop all medications. Obviously, there are safe ways to gradually come off medication. I have just seen (and experienced) that medication is often times the actual problem. Doctors, particularly psychiatrists and psychologists, don't seem to recognize what normal behavior is any more. We are all prone to states of depression when we experience major life changes. I do not believe that those warrant a medication. I think the process of experiencing grief, anger, etc. are key to a healthy emotional state. The medication seems to numb or even block out what would otherwise be normal, healthy emotions.