Are there any empathics here?

[gib65]

What about the others like Mike, IFeelYa, Lojong, ect.? Have you been corresponding with them? Do you feel they are the type of people you've been looking for?

[whap2005]

Can this post really still be here? This is a science forum after all.

[Bettina]

What about the others like Mike, IFeelYa, Lojong, ect.? Have you been corresponding with them? Do you feel they are the type of people you've been looking for?

We've talked, but we can't really help each other. I'm looking for the magic pill and so are they.

 

Can this post really still be here? This is a science forum after all.

 

Thanks for the helpful post. I wish I could see you but your up too high.

 

Bettina

[gib65]

We've talked, but we can't really help each other. I'm looking for the magic pill and so are they.

 

Okay, well I hope you find it. Overall, it sounds like life is getting better on your end. Even if you don't find a magic pill, slow progress will also get you there as I think most people will attest to (myself included). So do keep in touch with everybody.

 

Keep posting to other forums here at SFN like the philosophy/religion or the pseudoscience/metaphysics ones. I think the debates can be fun, even when they get heated like the 10 year prediction one - I hope you do too, even if we disagree (you should see the ones I get into on some of the philosophy forums I visit - now those guys can be mean! )

 

And keep posting to this thread if you ever want to talk about your empathy. I'm free to be PMed too. I may not know what it's like to be you, but I do know what it's like to feel like a "mental case" where no one understands me - and I do know psychological tools can be developped to overcome it.

[Bettina]

I may not know what it's like to be you, but I do know what it's like to feel like a "mental case" where no one understands me

 

This part of your post is what helps. Even though you don't know whats its like being me, you do understand where I, and people like me, are coming from and I want to say thanks for that. Most normal people find it easy to go about their day being happy and worry free, but I have to work at it... constantly. I have to be careful what I see on TV or read in books and make sure I don't read too deep into gruesome details.

 

There are some kids much worse than me who eventually give up and just cut their wrists because they have no help, or no place to go. I'm lucky I've got a father who understood me from the beginning and chose to be my best friend and this place where I meet people who understand.

 

I know this is a science forum and some get upset about these kind of posts but as long as there is a section here on "Science Forums and Debate > Sciences > Medicine > Psychiatry and Psychology" and as long as I'm being treated by a doctor, then the only basis for their comments are to make themselves look superior.

 

You mentioned you understood what its like to feel like a mental case.... Why?

 

Bee

[gib65]

Well, there was a time long ago when I was having paranoid delusions. It was in late 96 to early 97. For about 4 or 5 months, I was fully convinced that everyone around me were playing mind games, not only with me, but with each other - it was like all social interaction was based on a secret system that everyone was somehow privy to except me. The goal of this system was to deceive, manipulate, and hurt each other, and I was sure it was all being done consciously and deliberately. I started accusing people of conspiracy. I lost my best friend at the time because of it. There were also occasions where my paranoia got so out of hand that I believed demons were after my soul - and that anyone who was initiated into this system had to be possessed by a demon in order to work with the system effectively.

 

Mind you, I was doing a lot of drugs at the time, so I can't say this stemmed purely from some kind of latent schizophrenia, but there were a lot of other factors that contributed to it as well. I know that I've always had a wild imagination. I was also diagnosed with ADD when I was a child. When I was a child, I believed that "ghosts" were responsible for all the little annoying things that happened to me. My childhood hero was Indiana Jones, and I got so enthralled by that tale that I actually believed I would become Indy when I grew up. The more I realized by life was not going in that direction, the more disappointed I became.

 

It took me several years since the peek of my paranoid episodes to come to terms with the fact that it was indeed delusional. I had a lot of trouble accepting that demons weren't real. I went to see a few doctors about it – and a priest. The first guy was a dork - kind of like the one you're seeing. The second one I liked - she was a complete nut, but a nice one. She showed a genuine interest unlike the other guy (so there are good docs out there). She put me on an anti-psychotic for a while, but I went off it because it didn't seem to do anything except stifled my creativity (I would draw a lot, and my drawing stopped so long as I was on it). There's an interesting story behind that one.

 

I'm doing much better today, and I can proudly say that those episodes are a thing of the past. The trick for me is to treat reality as an artifact of perception, and that my beliefs are completely under my control. I often tell my wife that I live in "philosophy land" - what this means to say is that my world is way more determined by philosophies and ideologies than the concrete sensory stuff of the physical world (hence my ADD). This is another way of saying that I have an active imagination, but I have to keep it in check - otherwise I could end up inventing worlds for myself and forget that it was me who invented them. This does take a lot of self-surveillance and "self-programming" as I call it - kind of like your constantly working on avoiding harmful triggers (but I think you're task would be harder than mine - at least for me, I have full control over what thoughts enter my mind). This is also the background I was coming from when I recommending saying "Islam is dangerous" rather than "I hate Islam" (which - I have to apologize - I realized afterwards you didn't actually say).

 

Anyway, I don't want this to digress into a thread for heart spilling on my part, and I think others might start getting annoyed. I like these conversations though. If you want to continue, maybe you could give me a PM.

[reor]

Fanatics always make it difficult for people like "us" to be taken seriously. Traumatic or life-changing experiences are hard to "imagine" or comprehend by someone who's never really been in similar situations.

 

I'm sorry, i can't help you. All i can offer is comprehension and sympathy.

 

gib65, thank you for your "heart spilling".

[SmallIsPower]

If you feel you must have medication, do it, just realise that meds affect the whole body, not just the brain and have uninended consequences, Viagra was intended as heart medication, Cox2 inhibitors such as Vioxx are deadly, thalidomine's effectiveness in controlling new blood vessel growth caused birth defects, as fetuses need to grow new vessels.

 

Treat your condition from an environmental point of view, surroound yourself with kind friends, relize that watching the TV news is only going to depress you, and not accomplish anything possitive. Also, when you go from 99% sure that there are some awful things in the world to 100% sure, you probably won't fight that fact, and will think about it less.

[reor]

I agree with SmallIsPower. Anti-depressants helped me get over the worst, but also blocked my creativity and "clear mind".

Also, don't take the good things for granted! Appreciate every drop of water, every ray of light, every moment of joy, every moment of peace and freedom.

[gib65]

Yes, it's sad when we have to turn off the news to be happy.

[Bettina]

Thank you gib... and the rest of you, for being honest. Its nice to know I'm not alone in this...

 

Bee

[SmallIsPower]

You're welcome, corporations are in buisness for profit, not for people, and meds can be quite addictive. Morphine was developed as a cure for opium addiction, herion as a cure for morphine addiction, and methodone as a cure for heroin addiction. Methodone is several times more additive than heroin, and may kill withdrawing addicts.

 

The media creates false needs that seem only to be satisfied with things. I consider my recovery from depression a blessing as it helped me see what's really important.

 

If you need more evidence that meds are not to be used like candy, this is what came up #1 when I googled "Eli Lilly" lawsuit

 

http://www.newstarget.com/004554.html

[gib65]

Drugs certainly aren't candy, but are you sure you want to take the position that no drug company can be trusted?

 

Of course one has to be cautious, but sometimes drugs can do a lot of good, and there are people out there who need them.

[GutZ]

If I am corrected about what I think you're saying, yes I believe its part of the reason I have such a hard time getting rid of my disorder. Flashback of peoples faces and expression of pain all the time and feeling the pain. Too sensitive mostly.

 

I use to hear voices when I was 14 ( I don't know why but it makes me laugh now) Probably for a similiar reason. I physically couldn't take it anymore, my mind could take it either. I still not sure what exactly I all have, but I know something was and somewhat still is really wrong with me.

 

The only thing that works for me is just being tough and work through it rationally without over doing it. Whatever it takes, if thats what you want to get rid of, then work on it.

 

The more I overcome the stronger I get. Where there is a will there is a way. How many more sayings can I get in? none. ok. done.

[SmallIsPower]

Drugs certainly aren't candy' date=' but are you sure you want to take the position that no drug company can be trusted?

 

Of course one has to be cautious, but sometimes drugs can do a lot of good, and there are people out there who need them.[/quote']

 

No drug company can be trusted implicitly, but sometimes people do need them.

[gib65]

SmallIsPower - what do you mean by "implicitly"?

 

Gutz - thanks for stepping forward with your situation. Well, it looks like almost everyone has had "episodes" at point in their lives or another. Maybe being "nuts" is more normal than we thought.

 

If anybody wants to elaborate on their experiences, I'd love to hear from you. I like "interesting" people, not only because of my background in psychology, but I like to help if I can. I think a PM to me would be best since this is Bee's thread, and it wouldn't be appropriate to talk about psychological problems (or just interesting experiences and POVs) in a science forum, but you be the judge of that.

 

Gutz, tell me more about those voices.

 

Reor, what were your anti-depressants for? Also, you said you were creative - what do you create?

[reor]

... Reor, what were your anti-depressants for?

i'm not quite sure... When i was a kid they were just against "depressions" (suicidal trends, etc).

Also, you said you were creative - what do you create?

Just some drawing, music, poets... you know, stuff.

[gib65]

Just some drawing' date=' music, poets... you know, stuff. [/quote']

 

Do you have a website?

[Anjruu]

Just out of curiosity, (I'm afraid I'm a bit of an elephant's child) do you know if there are varying degrees of 'strength' of empaths? I hate to reduce it to such sci-fi, pokemon terms, but is it the case that, two empaths, faced with the same person, might feel the person's emotions with varying degrees of clarity?

 

Also, I have been reading this thread and surfing the net in my spare time (mostly at work) and I've noticed a trend that most if not all empaths have had some sort of emotional trauma early on. This may be a chicken-egg scenario (after all, this trait seems to cause emotional trauma on its own) but it is still an interesting idea.

 

Also, many self-proclaimed empaths I have spoken with have said that anti-depressants, and other such medications lessen this trait in them. Is this true? Is it is, it may point to a neuro-transmitter being the cause of it, partially at least, as an imbalance in such chemicals are often what anti-depressants 'fix'.

[reor]

Do you have a website?

In progress.

 

Anjruu, antidepressants usually restrain all perception in general. That's what i experienced and what i heard from others. So, empathy is also affected by that. It's not really a 'fix', it's more like an engine speed limiter.

[Bettina]

Just out of curiosity' date=' (I'm afraid I'm a bit of an elephant's child) do you know if there are varying degrees of 'strength' of empaths? I hate to reduce it to such sci-fi, pokemon terms, but is it the case that, two empaths, faced with the same person, might feel the person's emotions with varying degrees of clarity?

 

Also, I have been reading this thread and surfing the net in my spare time (mostly at work) and I've noticed a trend that most if not all empaths have had some sort of emotional trauma early on. This may be a chicken-egg scenario (after all, this trait seems to cause emotional trauma on its own) but it is still an interesting idea.

 

Also, many self-proclaimed empaths I have spoken with have said that anti-depressants, and other such medications lessen this trait in them. Is this true? Is it is, it may point to a neuro-transmitter being the cause of it, partially at least, as an imbalance in such chemicals are often what anti-depressants 'fix'.[/quote']

 

For me, yes, I had a traumatic experience when I was 10 but it only seemed to amplify what I was born with. I have since come back down a bit from that high point with help from my friends.

 

The medication I'm on now does nothing for flashbacks or lessen the "trait". However, I don't get sick to my stomach as much or spiral down as deep even when I was cut back to a lower dose because they made me tired.

 

Bee

[SmallIsPower]

SmallIsPower - what do you mean by "implicitly"?

That we live in a culture where we are sold on the buying the easy way out. Here's an interesting counterpoint to the Pharmaetical companies'claims:

http://adbusters.org/metas/psycho/prozacspotlight/

[gib65]

Buyer beware, I guess (that includes you too, Bee).

[Bettina]

Buyer beware, I guess (that includes you too, Bee).

 

Wow.... I am taking "fluoxetine" but don't have symptoms of akathisia. Actually, the full dose made me tired... I'm going to talk to physco doc next week but I can't mention this place... He doesn't want me talking here.

 

Bee

[gib65]

Well, I didn't mean to say there's anything wrong with fluoxetine. I'm sure the drug is helping you. My comment was directed more at your doctor and his motive$ in pre$cribing them.

 

But who am I to say these things. He is a professional and maybe he knows what he's doing. What I would do, if I were you, is find another forums - one focused on psychotherapy - and ask questions. Tell them what you're doctor has been doing/saying/perscribing, and see what they say. In particular, ask about whether it sounds right for him to tell you to avoid SFN or any other community - because, to me, that sounds rediculous.