Mental stuff. Also, geekery and books.

[karma_aster]

Er, does anyone know anything much about atypical depression or avoidant personality disorder? Or, hell, even body dysmorphic disorder

Comments

[alryssa]

Personally, I don't think there's anything typical about depression in the first place. :/

I can't say I've done any reading on avoidant disorders. Dissociative disorders and PTSD, yes.

[karma_aster]

Well, from what I understand, atypical depression, despite the name, is apparently one of the more common types out there.

[alryssa]

....

*facepalms*

[karma_aster]

(meekly)Sorry.

This was in a friend's journal.

[christyedna]

"So what if nobody cares about you? Your value is decided by yourself, not the rest of the world. Forget about fitting in, forget about being popular... be you, and be good at being you, not the you that they claim you are, but the you that you really are. If you don't know who you really are, past the perceptions of the planet, then that just means it's a damn good time to find out."

My remark may seem harsh, but you really really appear to have placed a pretty crapass value on yourself. I'm relieved to see you working toward changing that and I wish you all the success in the world in that endeavor.

Re: This was in a friend's journal.

[karma_aster]

Uh...

[oracularpaige]

I know a little about atypical depression, but probably not more than anyone else. Are you leaning to one of these (or more than one) diagnosis for yourself?

I first read Prozac Nation when I was sixteen and had just been diagnosed as bipolar...it helped me greatly. Just to know that I wasn't the only person with all those feelings and ideas and problems was a great comfort.

One day I want to write a book about all my craziness and get it out there.

[karma_aster]

I don't know. A lot of the common symptoms seem to fit, but I don't know. And I don't have a lot of psychological training, so I'd generally hesitate to self-diagnose.

[oracularpaige]

Of course you can't one-hundred-percent diagnose yourself, but it's often a good idea to suggest diagnosis to your doc because, as smart as they are, they don't know what's going on in your head as intimately as you do. I was actually the one who suggested bipolar disorder to my doctor way back when and I am really glad i did. :)

[karma_aster]

I'm not sure BDD really fits. Yes, I know I'm not attractive, but I don't think I'm completely hideous. And I don't seem that obsessive about it.

But, yeah, the stuff on atypical depression is getting my attention.

[lavidaessueno]

Word on the Jodee Blanco book. No real insights. No real suggestions. And heaven help the bullied child whose parents can't afford to send them to Europe to get away from it all. I found her to be supremely arrogant.