Don't try to think too much of how a chemical imbalance can be recognized and tested. It will only make your head spin, thus adding to the frustration and and often delusional feelings that some may experience. I know I often have delusions. I try to correct them where I can.
As for me, well, here is a myth and then its fact that counters it. Myth: I am my disorder/illness, Fact: My disorder is a part of me, but it is not ME.
I am taking a journey in being more me. I find the closer I get to who I am (flaws, many flaws, and all) the lighter I feel. But I can attest to the fact that my meds did not affect me badly. Oncew I had the right meds, they do not hinder me in feeling myself. I don't know if they help me feel more like myself. But I can feel that it is helping me in other ways which might be enabling my journey towards myself! Well, I think I am rambling , so later guys!
Thanks so much for the information. I suppose my point was that there are tests to determine if someone has diabetes, or a hormonal imbalance or anemia or even cancer. One little stick in the arm with a needle, suck out the blood, and voila! Some crazy Lab Technologist (that would be me) spits out some numbers and facts, the doctor interprets the results, prescibes a pill and all is good in the world. (not to diminish the devestating effects of these illnesses and I'm sorry if I offend any one who lives with these)
In the case of depression, or bipolar disorder, anxiety, BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER, or any other affliction with the supposed chemical imbalance of the brain, all a provider has to go on is the patient taking a survey and describing their symptoms. Is that scientfic voo-do? Or is that hard concrete fact? (One would think in this day and age of technological advances, there would be something.... anything to difinitively state 'I have a chemical imbalance') And then what? Burn and trial and test different drugs until the patient states their "symptoms" have subsided? Or until the patient is so tired, so truly exhausted of searching and testing and trying that they just give in and convince themselves that one pill or another helps them? When, in all reality, there was nothing in the beginning to form such a diagnosis.
Probably not making sense and don't intend to upset anyone. I'm tired and probably shouldn't be writing at the moment anyway.
Turning into a different person right now might not be such a bad thing.
I would like to be...... ? (a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker)
I have finally resigned myself to the fact that I am not 'okay' without medication. Over the years I have been on and off so many of them. Taking a pill everyday is just a continual reminder that I've got brain cooties. Who wants to be around someone with brain cooties? It might be contageous.
So beit.
It's funny what age can do to a person. With age comes wisdom..... or so it's been said.
Well, as of today I'm back on the meds after nearly a year off. So it goes.
Actually, right now turning into a different person doesn't seem such a bad idea, but I'll settle for getting some balance and middle ground back into my life.
Lost, I recently learned that there is a nuclear brain scan that can discern the difference in aperson's brain who has depression and/or other type of mental illness and a person who doesn't. I looked it up on the internet and then inquired of my pdoc. He said that in the U.S. that insurances would not pay for it. It is very expensive and falls under nuclear medication. He also states that the results are usually consistent with what a pdoc could tell you about what is going on in a person's brain. For example, he told me my scan would probably show - very complex stuff not worth remembering - and it still ends up that even if I had a brain scan then I wouldn't know any more about the medications to take than before. He said the technology is relatively new and does not assist in determining medications that would be effective. he said it was cost prohibitive for a person to pay for it themselves and the it is usually cost-prohibitive for an individual to pay for it. I think that the scan is pretty close to the PET scan but has a different name.
If there is no difinitive test out there to find out if a person actually has a chemical imbalance, how do the "experts" know medication will work in the first place?
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