I was diagnosed as having a schizoaffective disorder when i was 18 and spent some time in a short term loony bin which was amazingly like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Years later, I was diagnosed with depression with a manic component. The symptoms you describe are exactly what mine are when stress and life trauma set them off. I have now learned to live with this through drugs and therapy. I'm not sure that all these diagnoses are very helpful. The problem is, that mental disorders, while usually having a biological/genetic source, are far too complex to be treated by medications alone. We depressives, schizoids, etc., all share a common characteristic: the world is too much with us. (I think that line is from a poem by Emily Dickinson, (? maybe) who was probably a manic depressive.) I've been reading your posts and i have a lot of empathy for your suffering. When one manic depressive says to another, "I feel your pain," it is not an empty and fatuous statement. It's true.
Re:Reality::Reality() - Read This if Nothing Else
on
Manic Depressive Geeks
·
· Score: 1
Food for thought! Fasacinating stuff! I should have gone to UC Santa Cruz instead of Wellesley, where they don't deal much in reality. Or maybe MIT--but my nerdishness has come on relatively late in life. Your observations re physics and human perception are right on target. This is one of the most interesting things I've read on this site, which is one of the very few places in cyberspace where intelligent life can be found. I too am manic depressive, and I treat my illness with anti-depressants, because there is a chemical/biological element to the disorder, but the spiritual element must be treated with psychotherapy (at least for me) and I have a brilliant and insightful therapist to thank for the fact that I did not kill myself years ago. To survive with depression of any kind (manic or not) requires the courageous decision to live with constant mental, emotional and spiritual pain which is not always alleviated by drugs and therapy. I have made that decision to live with it, knowing that I will always suffer a sense of alienation. But it is of some comfort to read intelligent and thoughtful commentary by others who share this fate such as yourself.
Just read your post...I am impressed with your ability to articulate the truth of "mental illness." Who wants to be normal if being normal is "a loyal plastic robot in a world that doesn't care." (Frank Zappa) You sound like a very intelligent, interesting person. I'd be interested in hearing about your work, whatever it may be. Good luck to you!
Sorry, i couldn't read all 10,336 posts on this subject, but here's my own personal take on it: 2 years ago i dated a manic depressive geek, who broke up with me and broke my heart, but that's another story. i am a musician/geek apprentice and have had experience with the manic depressive beast myself. Someone said it's not cool to be mentally ill. The problem is, it IS cool, it's seductive, it's dangerous, and it provides a convenient escape from reality. That being said: it has been shown via scientific studies that artists of all types are prone to the disease. Programmers can be considered artists, if they are creative. So it's the price we pay for our type of creativity. If only the mania could be harnessed so that we could control it at will: I have never been more creative than when I'm manic. Unfortunately the depression can last for months, even years, and if the mania doesn't kill you, the depression will. I am in therapy to keep myself alive.
Slashdot Mirror
It's fascinating, but not all of us get erections...am I the only female who visits this site?
I was diagnosed as having a schizoaffective disorder when i was 18 and spent some time in a short term loony bin which was amazingly like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Years later, I was diagnosed with depression with a manic component. The symptoms you describe are exactly what mine are when stress and life trauma set them off. I have now learned to live with this through drugs and therapy. I'm not sure that all these diagnoses are very helpful. The problem is, that mental disorders, while usually having a biological/genetic source, are far too complex to be treated by medications alone. We depressives, schizoids, etc., all share a common characteristic: the world is too much with us. (I think that line is from a poem by Emily Dickinson, (? maybe) who was probably a manic depressive.) I've been reading your posts and i have a lot of empathy for your suffering. When one manic depressive says to another, "I feel your pain," it is not an empty and fatuous statement. It's true.
Food for thought! Fasacinating stuff! I should have gone to UC Santa Cruz instead of Wellesley, where they don't deal much in reality. Or maybe MIT--but my nerdishness has come on relatively late in life. Your observations re physics and human perception are right on target. This is one of the most interesting things I've read on this site, which is one of the very few places in cyberspace where intelligent life can be found. I too am manic depressive, and I treat my illness with anti-depressants, because there is a chemical/biological element to the disorder, but the spiritual element must be treated with psychotherapy (at least for me) and I have a brilliant and insightful therapist to thank for the fact that I did not kill myself years ago. To survive with depression of any kind (manic or not) requires the courageous decision to live with constant mental, emotional and spiritual pain which is not always alleviated by drugs and therapy. I have made that decision to live with it, knowing that I will always suffer a sense of alienation. But it is of some comfort to read intelligent and thoughtful commentary by others who share this fate such as yourself.
Just read your post...I am impressed with your ability to articulate the truth of "mental illness." Who wants to be normal if being normal is "a loyal plastic robot in a world that doesn't care." (Frank Zappa) You sound like a very intelligent, interesting person. I'd be interested in hearing about your work, whatever it may be. Good luck to you!
Sorry, i couldn't read all 10,336 posts on this subject, but here's my own personal take on it: 2 years ago i dated a manic depressive geek, who broke up with me and broke my heart, but that's another story. i am a musician/geek apprentice and have had experience with the manic depressive beast myself. Someone said it's not cool to be mentally ill. The problem is, it IS cool, it's seductive, it's dangerous, and it provides a convenient escape from reality. That being said: it has been shown via scientific studies that artists of all types are prone to the disease. Programmers can be considered artists, if they are creative. So it's the price we pay for our type of creativity. If only the mania could be harnessed so that we could control it at will: I have never been more creative than when I'm manic. Unfortunately the depression can last for months, even years, and if the mania doesn't kill you, the depression will. I am in therapy to keep myself alive.