how can i be sure?

Question

how can i be sure that the long enduring problems ive had for years, are not to do with a mental illness? im 29 & for over 10 years ive had problems with feeling inner anger and rage towards people, high levels of panic & anxiety when i go out, paranoid feelings, racing thoughts all the time, worrying & obsessing over things constantly, i used to explode with anger when out, & get into staring, i stay in all the time now because i worry about losing control...recently a psychiatrist told me he doesnt feel ive got a mental health problem but a personality disorder, dysfunction, he said the therapy i would get would be psychological and not any medication because i didnt have a mental illness...but im not 100 percent confident about that...my fear is that could i have a mental health issue thats being overlooked that requires medication??..meanwhile my quality of life is non existant, i stay in every day wishing i had a life and happiness & a job & girlfriend, i cant see that happening

my self worth esteem is zero, my lifes not worth anything

INCORRECT ..NO I DONT WANNA HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS, I WANNA BE SURE I DONT HAVE AND ITS BEING OVERLOOKED!!!

Answer 1

I've had similar problems and I take Paxil now. Seems to have gotten rid of the symptoms. See a different doctor. I get my meds from a general practitioner. Not a shrink.

Answer 2

Hello,
I have had GAD, (general anxiety disorder) for about 20 years now. It took a very long time for me to get the correct diagnosis. There is another disorder known as Agoraphobia that often comes along with anxiety disorders. Agoraphobia is basically the fear of going out in public, and interacting with people in general. I have alot of anger and mood swings, and I have hardly any friends anymore. I prefer staying at home with my immediate family and I dont even really like to have visitors at my house. I often have fear of losing control also. Now I can function again. I go to work, go out and buy groceries, and other things that I HAVE to do. I am working on getting out more just for pleasure. Without my meds I am sure that I couldn't even hold down an job or leave my home. There was a time when I couldn't do these things without them. The symptoms you described sound a whole lot like mine. I am by no means a medical professional, but I do have plenty of personal experience from living with these disorders. My advice to you is to see another doctor and get a second opinion ASAP. It doesn't necessarily have to be a psychiatrist either. I go to a general practicioner. These conditions are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and medicines are required to correct them. There are good meds available that can and will help with these things so you can lead a normal life. Sometimes it takes a while to find the one that's right for you. In my case it took many years, but I am really thankful that I was persistent and kept trying until I found mine. My quality of life has improved drastically. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find the answer to your problem! I feel your pain.

For the record: Many doctors have told me that anxiety disorder is not a mental illness. Also, almost 100% of the time - if a person THINKS they have a mental illness they do not. People who truly have a mental illness usually do not recognize it and worry about it.

Answer 3

First off....I do have what some people call mental illness and I have been on meds......I have chosen to live my life without them and am much happier as a result.(I am an introvert inthe extreme and have panic and anxiety when I get into situations I do not want to be in)

We told we are all supposed to fit in this one size fits all box and when we don't we think were nuts.

We live in a world where we are supposed to act and be a certain way...but if we could just be ourselves it would be alright.
Try getting to know who you are....100% you.

You are worth knowing.
All life has suffering in it of one sort or another. It is up to you to take one step at a time toward what you want in life. You goals are pretty basic and those are the best kind.

Try an on-line personality test. One that looks at mental disorders.
If you can find something there maybe you can find a group on line who are dealing with the same issues you are and find help and comfort there. There are some people on line who really are trying to be sincere and really do care.

Pick your self up.

A song that use to be my anthem had a line that applied to the little battles during the day: A single battle lost, but not the war.....tomorrows another day.
Keep going forward...you'll get to where you want to be.

Answer 4

did he rule out OCD?

Make no mistake your problems are real and they are an illness. go to a different psychiatrist! The one you are seeing sounds like a quack. Sounds like you might benefit from some of the SSRIs or soemof the other meds used of OCD

Keep in mind a doctor is just a consultant. If your car was making a loud noise and you took it to a mechanic and he said the car is fine chances are you would be smart enough to get a second a oppinion from another mechanic. The mechanic is just a paid consultant. Same with your doctor. When you pick a mechanic for your car you pick someone you trust. Does not sound lik eyou trust this guy anyway.

BUT it also sounds like you are looing for an easy way out. Meidcatoin will not just suddenly make you better. YOU need to work on you! Get sone self help books.

I once had a Psychiatrist diagnose me as a sociopath. He was way off, I have Panic Disorder and agoraphobia. Get second oppinion

Answer 5

A "personality disorder" is a mental illness. It is basically the opposite of a neurosis -- when you get uptight you tend to make other people miserable (a neurotic makes themselves miserable). The person was simply saying that you don't have something like manic-depressive disorders, or schizophrenia, or some other condition that REQUIRES drugs and maybe institutionalization.

Your seem to have a desire to have a "mental illness" that "requires medication." That is puzzling to me -- it is almost like you WANT to have a disease that can only be treated with meds?!??

Perhaps it is because you, at some level, believe that the meds make it easier for you. After all, no one asks you hard questions in therapy if you're on meds. If you're on meds, then each problem w/ people can be attributed to meds, or at least you can say, "Hey, leave me alone, I'm so sick I'm on meds."

Obviously what you have tried so far hasn't work. Try it with this therapist for 6 months. When I say "try it" I don't mean just sit through sessions and wait for it to fail -- I mean, actually do what this person suggests you do. They're gonna ask you very painful questions, but once the pain is out in the open then you can clean it up.

Answer 6

If you dont feel your current doctor is taking you seriously then it is time to consult with another. Mental illness can feel like a prison, and when no one takes you seriously it seems like you are filled with despair. It sounds as if you may have some undiagnosed mental problems, but we are strangers on the net, and mental illness is quite complicated, my suggestion would be to go to a different doctor. It is scary living with these feelings that you want to hurt or kill someone, and living with that every day is not healthy for you either. Have you told your current doctor what you have told us here? If not then please do, and do not hold back when you tell him about these feelings, they are serious. Don't stay locked in that prison forever. When the smoke clears, you will have a quality of life you never knew you were capable of having, I wish you the best and please know this advice comes from the heart, your self esteem is zilcho now, but once you find a doctor that will help you, things will get better you will see...

Answer 7

My mother has many personality disorders. She is medicated. I would ask for another opinion. There are medications that you can take when you go out for anxiety and to help keep you calm. This is not medical advice, seek a second or third opinion. Do your own research on the net. Find a support group. I know it is tough, but you are worth fighting for.

Answer 8

Maybe you are under massive amounts of stress in your daily life.
Try to examine your life to determine if outside factors are contributing to your 'inner fears'.
Maybe your paranoia is encouraging you to feel that you have a mental illness.
Maybe if you can decide what you would like your life to be and see how best it can be achieved (even with limited resources) maybe things may change.
What's stopping you from having a gf? Is it because you stay in everyday....how are you supposed to meet people.
who knows...maybe some loving attention from someone may be just what you need to catapult you out of your 'depression'
Find out for yourself what would make YOU happy. Talk to someone, lessen the negatives around you that you can control.
Even changing the physical factors around you in your current environment can make a difference.
We are all "mentally ill" to some degree, relax, it doesn't make you any less of a person.
Hope you are able to resolve your ails.
Take care

Answer 9

A psychiatrist is like any other MD. They can misdiagnose just like your family doctor. If you aren't making progress and it appears that you don't have total confidence in the psychiatrist you are seeing, go to another and get a second opinion. It also could be that you haven't developed enough of a rapport with the psychiatrist you are seeing in order for you to progress. You probably need to shop around.

Answer 10

I was completely like that before. :) And I am still working on it now. I'm not 100% cured and healed from those nasty stuffs. Still working it out.
Well, to me... anger always derives from something unsolved in your life. Something you don't realize and aware about it. Something that makes your soul remains unsatisfied and unfulfilled.
Something that unconsciously eat you away without you notice. Some thing's missing that comes from deep down inside your soul. And you are not able to figure out what kind of things are those.
And since you don't know anything about what's missing in yourself: you get so angry and so infuriated easily... you get depress easily... you become unhappy easily... you are not able to see the brightness of life.... you see people and you wanna slaughter them all.... It's a normal result feeling from your unresolved problems deep down in your mind.

Yes you surely CAN see happiness and have good life happens to you as well. As long as you want to find out what is missing in your soul? You have to change your attitude towards life and try to accept that nothing's perfect. I know it's hard cuz I am perfectionist. But I try to accept imperfectness even it's sooooo damn hard.
You can be happy and have a great life, only if you want to change it yourself. Have you ever try to change your life?
It's not worthy to have a main jargon in your life: tomorrow is another day IF you do not find and figure out what is the missing part of your soul, man. I'm stilll looking in my own soul to find out what's missing in there.....
The core of it. You have to go directly to the core of it in your soul and trim them all.... Not sweeping it under the rug or hiding it in the closet, in sort of speak. It won't resolve your missing parts in you... if you did that.

Try to find it out in silence: what is missing in your soul.... as simply as that, man... ;)