Posted by Barbara Cat on June 15, 2003, at 13:05:11
In reply to Re: Which meds for mania and depression ?, posted by AWorriedMom on June 14, 2003, at 21:52:54
Dear Mom,
I don't know enough about ADD, as it's only recently I've started the research, but here's what I know so far. ADD is usually noticed in childhood but can resolve on it's own as the child reaches adulthood. ADHD on the other hand, is primarily a later onset condition. I may have the ADD/ADHD labels switched around, but the point is that yes, an ADD type condition (there are 6 different subtypes postulated) can manifest later in life. But usually the symptoms were allways there, only very mildly. It doesn't sound like your daughter's problem is ADD, however, new research is saying that there usually is some overlap with the two conditions, however mild.It truly sounds like your daughter is having some psychosis during her mixed episodes. This is not uncommon, especially with panic disorder. Overwhelming Fear and terror is the hallmark of this condition. During the worst of my episodes a few years back (I was taking high doses of Zoloft at the time for 'depression' that was not resolving and no mood stabilizers) I was hallucinating terrible things, voices, visions of dread and doom (not so off the mark considering our current events).
It's interesting about your daughter's blindness and loss of leg function. That was a huge obsession for me, not that I had gone blind or crippled, but that I was sure going to. The thought of being blind, in a wheelchair and in desolation would trigger a panic attack. For instance, I'd be reaching for the pasta in Thriftway when this voice in my head would say "Heh, better enjoy this while you can. When you're blind and crippled, no more buying or cooking pasta." I can't tell you how many times I'd be sobbing uncontrollably in public, or collapsed in the aisles of supermarkets in a truly desperate state. I lived in uncontrollable desperation and despair, day in, day out, for 2 years. And that was only one (but a bad one) of many episodes throughout my life. What a ride.
Now that I'm stable I look back on these nightmarish times. All my psychoses took on the same general theme. There's a message in there, something that needs deep healing and is not just 'Oh yeah, ho hum, that's mixed states for ya'. I've been studying many spiritual teachings since then, practicing self-inquiry, and slowly learning to live in the now and not to fear. Of course, my meds had to get me to a stable place first where I could think clearly, but everything has a mixed blessing in it. Once your girl gets medically stabilized, I'll bet she will be so ahead of her time because of the amazing transformations such experiences put one through. The real trick is learning to trust the process, minute by minute, and finding peace in the face of fear. A good lesson we all could learn. -- BarbaraCat
poster:Barbara Cat
thread:232648
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030614/msgs/234121.html