Depression and Oversensitivity

I was about to consult a psychiatry about suspected depression when I came across the article www.antipsychiatry.org/stigma.htm I was really scared by the scenario given in the article. Your comments please, regarding the same. Do send me a note at my email id regarding your reply (if any).

Thank you for addressing the subject of being overly sensitive. It is not ever listed as a symptom, and I have never even heard another person speak of it. You see, I have bipolar disorder and I am most definitely overly sensitive. It has become debilitating at times as I begin to believe that everyone is out to get me. Not like government conspiracies, but at the slightest disagreement I begin to believe that my coworker, family member or friend that I disagreed with is forever judging me. Because we do self loathe, because our mistakes in our life are cumulative and are dredged up at every mishap, we feel persecutued. This can bring tears, and it can eventually lead to rage. I can promise you, that this depressed person HATES BEING OVERLY SENSITIVE. It keeps me in my own head, creates misperceptions, and it ruins relationships. I wish I could make it go away...I certainly do not choose it. Your article was very thoughtful and your approach to dealing with it in your forum is very insightful. Thanks.

I come from a family that has been plagued with Clinical Depression for generations. I was diagnosed with it only a few years ago. I have found that most everyone I know who has depression, myself included, is terribly sensitive to any comment, or even lack of any comment!

There are books that delve into this topic. One is called The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aaron (or Aron .. not sure which). It will explain a lot. She has two other companion books. Worth a read. As for me, I'd forego my artistic/creative skills if I could be less reactive emotionally. I have the skills to do well but my sensitivity destroys my ability to deal with the harshness of reality so that even having these skills is a waste. Maybe psychiatry one day will be able to help us but until that time we're victims.

Hi, I don’t have time to get into a lengthily letter but I would like to share something that I think is worth sharing! I was hospitalized 15 years ago with anxiety, depression, OCD and later left the hospital with a couple of different antidepressants. I was later taken off of one but stayed on the other up until a few months ago. Although I was on this drug, years passed with me going in and out of bouts of anxiety. My doctor tried many other drugs but the side effects always turned me back to the old one a tricyclic antidepressent. Well, I read Jordan Rubin’s book, “Patient Heal Thyself” and decided to go off of my medication and try fish oil and Flaxseed oil. Note that I had read the book about a year prior and changed my eating habits to a much healthier intake for a good 6 or 7 months. I weaned myself off my medication over a 4 month period and have now been off of them for about 3 months with GREAT SUCCESS. I can’t believe the difference. I have NOT had even ONE panic attacks and feel so much better. I’ve even lost 8 lbs over the last 4 months (I put weight on with the antidepressants). In Jordan’s book, page 32-36 he talks about the enteric nervous system. Nearly every substance that helps run and control the brain has turned up in the gut. In fact, many major neurotransmitter that until recently were usually associated with the brain, such as serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine and nitric oxide, we know now to be found in plentiful amounts in the gut. Many drugs designed to affect the brain also affect the gut. More serotonin is produced in the gut than anywhere else in the body. For me this was huge because I remember well when hospitalized I had MAJOR gastrointestinal problems. Had I only know then what I know now. I am so grateful for Jordan’s book and I suggest to everyone who feels a need to go on antidepressants to at least try a fish/cod oil first. Yes, I use Jordan’s products because I trust his line. Not all fish oils are the same. I’d also like to recommend the book “The Second Brain” by Michael Gershon M.D. It is packed with tons of good info. It’s kind of technical but it’s worth reading if one is considering medical treatment. Also, I’d like to note that I’m not against medicines that can help us with mental disorders. I’m glad they had something for me 15 years ago because I thought I was going crazy. And if I ever had to get back on antidepressants I would, but I would surely try natural things first. Again, I can’t say enough about how GREAT I feel!

Indatri, There are definitely no guarantees that treatment for depression will be successful, and there is always a chance that your medical history will be exposed in a way that is detrimental to your career, etc., and you will face stigma. But not getting treatment will very likely be detrimental, also. If you are so depressed that you cannot perform well at work, that's detrimental to your career. I had one man write me who was in the military. Rather than get help for his depression, which probably would have hurt his military career, he had decided to commit suicide. To me that makes no sense, but it's likely that his depression was influencing his thinking. If your depression is mild to moderate, you might want to try exercise or stress relief. If your depression is severe, you need to ask yourself whether avoiding the stigma is worth the pain you're experiencing.