Illnesses and Disabilities

[jollysunflora]

I happen to have:
Anxiety
Depression
Am autistic (diagnosed at 20)
ADHD
Crohn's disease (new, was just diagnosed this past week after a stay in the hospital)
Narrow airway (asthma as a child, still have an inhaler but don't get random onset attacks like I used to)

Take meds for all, was born prematurely if y'all are wondering. (Born in September 1989 while my sis and I weren't due until December; she's probably autistic too but doesn't have the airway thing and we look different)

I notice that the more I exercise the better my stamina becomes, but I have to keep it up on a daily basis and cold weather is basically my kryptonite.

[JNAProductions]

*Hugs*

Sounds like exercise is doing you good. I hope you manage to keep all your illnesses under control, and are able to live a happy life.

[jollysunflora]

Aw, thanks. I posted wondering if there's anyone else on here with an illness or disability. What about you, if you don't mind me asking?

[WarKitty]

I think you'll find a lot of us here. Gitp tends to be one of the friendlier places on the internet for such things.

[jollysunflora]

O ok thats good. I haven't been on here in years and the few new threads I've made I feel all...nervous about posting? Yknow since I'm basically new. Doesn't help that people haven't really responded.

[JNAProductions]

I've got anxiety, depression, asthma, and a poopton of allergies myself.

[golentan]

Aw, thanks. I posted wondering if there's anyone else on here with an illness or disability. What about you, if you don't mind me asking?

I've got schizoaffective disorder (with major depression and delusions, with an occasional side helping of anxiety). I'm sick to death of it, last year it cost me my dream job and landed me another stay in a mental hospital, and I'm so, so afraid that it will be a specter hovering over my shoulder for the rest of my life, keeping me from the life I want.

[2D8HP]

Over a decade of working as a construction worker has injured my body and made me less and less employable in private industry. Fortunately I lucked into a job with the City of San Francisco and that I know how to keep the old fixtures still working is so far more important than how slow I am, but it's a race between me and how soon the old buildings are torn down and my skills are obsolete, and of course how far I can continue to push my body before I can't do any paid work.

[Prince Zahn]

I have borderline ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder sans Hyperactivity) and am prone to anxiety attacks and am prone to depression. I am also obese, and, though I am young, odds are that I will have arthritis and high blood pressure down the line,and god knows what else.

I'm working on it, though. I try my best to pay attention to details and to what others tell me. I pay attention to what I'm eating (and am cutting off sweets out of my life).

I'd say the anxiety attacks are the hardest. I take meds for that, and thankfully when I have an attack there's so far always been someone to help me through it.

But what bothers me most is that medications are a burden - I am never quite certain if my thoughts are my own, or the pill's, because when I don't take those pills, I read situations in a different way. However, at the same time, I am afraid, because that side of me that says and thinks things unfiltered, and takes things to heart, and even screams when upset has caused more harm than good.

With that said, once I have overcome my fear of needles i have long since wanted to donate blood - but I can't while I'm on any pills whatsoever (even painkillers and dietary supplements). Which is a shame, because I think I'm an O blood type, and that's a good type to donate.

[Serpentine]

I don't have much that's too bad. A year ago I was diagnosed with ADD (as mentioned, ADHD sans the hyperactivity), and I've been taking Ritalin ever since. One of the best things to ever happen to me, that diagnosis. Made such a huge difference to my life.
My mum and sister pretty much assume I've got Asperger's, but I haven't been properly diagnosed. Undecided whether I will or not - if I do, it's not having too great an impact on me. I also suspect I may have had a mild case of Tourette's growing up, but again, no diagnosis.
I'm near-sighted enough that if I couldn't wear glasses I'd be in pretty big trouble.
Aaaaand I have a tilted womb and a fatty liver.

[BWR]

Depression. Fortunately it's pretty mild compared to some people. Mild enough that I feel terribly guilty for feeling bad when other people have it worse.

Ocular migraines, which took me about 30 years to realize what was happening. Since my mother, sister and many of my aunts have the full migraine package, it never occurred to me that these periods where I would almost go blind and be terribly dizzy were migraines, because I didn't have the crippling pain and nausea. I simply didn't think to mention it to people.

Something in my back that makes lying down painful. Painful enough that four hours of uninterrupted sleep is a rare blessing, and it's been years since I could regularly sleep 8 consecutive hours (been over a year since the last time). On the bright side, it distracts from the depression. Oddly enough, it only kicks in while I'm lying down. I feel it, but it doesn't really hurt, even when I lift 20kg concrete blocks all day.

[Murk]

I have hay fever and I'm blind without my glasses!

This is almost embarrassing in a thread filled with people who have actual illnesses and disabilities.

[Bartmanhomer]

I got Autism and ADHD. Everybody know me by now. :smile:

[khadgar567]

I got atencion deflict and little bit hyper activity and lot of anger issues

[T-Mick]

I think you'll find a lot of us here. Gitp tends to be one of the friendlier places on the internet for such things.

Unless you're blind or write (epic) poetry. Then some of us might hate you.

[Lycunadari]

I have recurrent depression/major depressive disorder, PTSD, insomnia and social anxiety. I suspect I also have ADD and/or autism, but I haven't talked about it with my therapist yet, we're a bit to preoccupied with just keeping me somewhat functional.

I also have some sort of undiagnosed chronic illness that comes with severe fatigue and joint and muscle pain, but so far no doctor has been able to diagnose me or help me.

[Bartmanhomer]

I happen to have:
Anxiety
Depression
Am autistic (diagnosed at 20)
ADHD
Crohn's disease (new, was just diagnosed this past week after a stay in the hospital)
Narrow airway (asthma as a child, still have an inhaler but don't get random onset attacks like I used to)

Take meds for all, was born prematurely if y'all are wondering. (Born in September 1989 while my sis and I weren't due until December; she's probably autistic too but doesn't have the airway thing and we look different)

I notice that the more I exercise the better my stamina becomes, but I have to keep it up on a daily basis and cold weather is basically my kryptonite.I'm surprised that you were diagnosed Autism so late. I was Diagonsed Autism and ADHD at the age of 3. :eek:

[Arcane_Snowman]

I'm surprised that you were diagnosed Autism so late. I was Diagonsed Autism and ADHD at the age of 3. :eek: It depends on where you grew up and when you were born: Denmark didn't recognize the diagnosis for quite some time, so I wasn't diagnosed until the age of 21 after two pretty significant forays into clinical depression. Though I also lived in Australia at that point, and there the diagnosis was recognized a lot earlier (my step-sister is a few months older than me and was diagnosed as an infant as well).

Apart from ASD I've also got Ehler Danlos Syndrome, a collagen deficiency disorder. Makes me hyper mobile, results in some "phantom" pains and put me at risk of a few heart diseases as well as arthritis.

[paddyfool]

Sending you all a hug.

[happyturtle]

I identify as disabled. I'm 90% bed-bound from severe ME/CFS. I can get up for the toilet and for meals, and I use a wheelchair when leaving the house.

In addition to that, I have fibromyalgia, asthma, migraine, sleep apnoea, depression, and autism.

Of all of those, the worst is depression, or would be if I didn't have a working anti-depressant. I'm very very fortunate that I have a medication that works for me - I know that isn't the case for everyone. And I know at any time, that med may stop working (it's happened to me before with other meds). So being confined to a bed all day or having untreated depression.... I would very gladly take the bed!

My fibromyalgia is not severe. I have episodes of pain, but it's not relentless.

Asthma: I have to really work to keep it under control. If I slip up at all in management, I end up feeling really weak and horrible and then suddenly realizing it's because I haven't been able to breathe properly for months!

Migraine: I love my migraine doctor. He really worked hard to get my migraines down from 18 days a month to 2-3 days a month. I have to take 2 pills a day for prevention, and I use this really horrible nasal spray to stop one in its tracks, but it works!

Sleep Apnoea: I wear a machine to sleep. It looks silly. I feel silly. It works brilliantly. I don't even nap without it!

Autism: My (neurotypical) husband and I have a catchphrase. "I'm still autistic" when one of us is having trouble understanding the other. "Why are you putting all the bills in alphabetical order?" "Did you know I'm still autistic?" or "I don't get people watching. What are you doing it for?" "Because it's fun. Are you still autistic?" "Yes. Yes I am."

[Bartmanhomer]

It depends on where you grew up and when you were born: Denmark didn't recognize the diagnosis for quite some time, so I wasn't diagnosed until the age of 21 after two pretty significant forays into clinical depression. Though I also lived in Australia at that point, and there the diagnosis was recognized a lot earlier (my step-sister is a few months older than me and was diagnosed as an infant as well).

Apart from ASD I've also got Ehler Danlos Syndrome, a collagen deficiency disorder. Makes me hyper mobile, results in some "phantom" pains and put me at risk of a few heart diseases as well as arthritis.

Oh I understand that. In my country which is USA. Doctors usually finds Autism at a very early age. Which is childhood. But in jollysunflora case since she live in a different country and age is very different. :smile:

[Togath]

Well... my vision is a tad blurry beyond 2ft without glasses. Not enough to impair me, other than sometimes having trouble reading a street sign 20-30ft away without glasses. Given that with glasses my vision is excellent...
I guess I'll send out hugs to those here with harder issues.

I suppose I do have an allergy to cottonwood pollen. But I live in an area with virtually none, so it's not like it comes into play much.

[Serpentine]

Oh I understand that. In my country which is USA. Doctors usually finds Autism at a very early age. Which is childhood. But in jollysunflora case since she live in a different country and age is very different. :smile:
Girls are also less likely to be diagnosed, because (generally speaking) ADHD tends to manifest differently in girls than in boys - e.g. boys (tend to) bounce off the walls, while girls (tend to) daydream. I wasn't diagnosed until 29, and that was only because a friend of mine just happened to share an article about ADD in adult women, and every single word of it described me.

[happyturtle]

Girls are also less likely to be diagnosed, because (generally speaking) ADHD tends to manifest differently in girls than in boys - e.g. boys (tend to) bounce off the walls, while girls (tend to) daydream. I wasn't diagnosed until 29, and that was only because a friend of mine just happened to share an article about ADD in adult women, and every single word of it described me.

That's how I found out I'm autistic. Learning about it in adulthood, and about how autism manifests in girls/women differently than it does in boys/men.

[Murk]

Girls are also less likely to be diagnosed, because (generally speaking) ADHD tends to manifest differently in girls than in boys - e.g. boys (tend to) bounce off the walls, while girls (tend to) daydream. I wasn't diagnosed until 29, and that was only because a friend of mine just happened to share an article about ADD in adult women, and every single word of it described me.

Hm, really?
I would be interested in the statistics about that.
In my own small world, I know much more men who found out about their autism on a late age than women. The explanation I heard for it was often that autism is an extreme form of things typically (and maybe wrongly) considered "male" (i.e., introversion, a knack for trivia, more specialised interests than generalised interests, etc.)
That explanation is of course wrong on so many levels, but I assumed that it at least tried to explain real data.

[happyturtle]

Have a link: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/gender.aspx

Part of the problem is that doctor or teacher sees a boy with symptoms and recognises 'autism' from their expectations, whereas a girl with symptoms doesn't look like what they would expect. Part of it is that girls are socially trained to conform in a way that boys aren't, so even an autistic girl will absorb that conditioning and try to act like the other girls. Part of it is that a girl can be far more shy and socially withdrawn before parents and teachers will start to worry. Boys are expected to achieve more than girls are. A boy who is fearful will draw more scrutiny than a fearful girl will.

It just goes on and on. But mostly, autism research has been mostly done on boys (and as an aside, why does so much autism publicity focus on children, as if we never grow up and become autistic adults?!). A girl or woman gets in front of a doctor, and she'll be diagnosed with something that is Not Autism.

Then eventually, she or a friend or family member will read something online, and everything will click, and she'll realize it was never Bipolar or Borderline or Social Phobia or any other Not Autism, it was that her brain is wired differently from the start, and once she starts looking at things from that perspective, everything suddenly makes sense.

[Serpentine]

Hm, really?
I would be interested in the statistics about that.
In my own small world, I know much more men who found out about their autism on a late age than women. The explanation I heard for it was often that autism is an extreme form of things typically (and maybe wrongly) considered "male" (i.e., introversion, a knack for trivia, more specialised interests than generalised interests, etc.)
That explanation is of course wrong on so many levels, but I assumed that it at least tried to explain real data.
I was talking about ADHD, not autism... but it does happen that my understanding that it somewhat applies to autism, as well. The explanation for that that I've heard is that girls tend to be better socialised than/have different social expectations to boys, so they tend to be more able to "fake it" or learn how to hide or mitigate many autistic traits.
An additional factor is that most research into these sorts of things has historically (and presently...) been based mostly or entirely on boys and men, which means that most diagnosis tools are based on how things manifest in boys and men.

Quick Google search to give an idea of the sorts of information I'm working on - for autism (http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/gender.aspx) and ADHD (https://psychcentral.com/lib/adhd-and-gender/).

[Murk]

Have a link: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/gender.aspx

Thanks! Very interesting indeed.
It seems there is still much unknown about the causes of the gender split, and plenty of scientific hypotheses, but I didn't even know there was hard data for it. Now I do!

[JobsforFun]

I haven't been diagonised, but I have read a lot about OCD and a thing called Misophina. I think I might have those but I have been scared to go to the doctor honestly and I have seen other people are in the same boat. I keep asking myself the "What if BLANK happens" question... And honeslty if I wanted to go to a doctor who diagnosis mental illnesses I couldn't afford it and my insurance probably wouldn't paid for it either.

[Serpentine]

I haven't been diagonised, but I have read a lot about OCD and a thing called Misophina.Oh yeah, misophonia. Pretty sure I get that too. Though oddly enough it doesn't seem to have come up as much as I would've expected working as an audio transcriber...

[JobsforFun]

Oh yeah, misophonia. Pretty sure I get that too. Though oddly enough it doesn't seem to have come up as much as I would've expected working as an audio transcriber...

Only reason I think I might have this is when I hear things like lip smacking, foot tapping, people sniffling their nose over and over, and sometimes people twirling their hair just annoys the hell out of me and makes me rage (not enough to scream I usually try and put up with it until they stop since being in school you can't use headphones or get up and leave)

[Bartmanhomer]

I'm actually glad that I'm disabled because I can managed my disability with medicine and there's so many benefits with being disabled. I use my disability as a superpower. And being disabled is part of who I am. :smile: I don't know if other people feel the same way as I do. :smile:

[Kalmageddon]

I identify as disabled.

I don't mean to pry, but how does this work?

[Bartmanhomer]

I don't mean to pry, but how does this work?

That's very complex. I'm not a doctor nor psychologist but disabilities comes in many forms whatever is physical and/or mental. There's like hundreds of disabilities out there.

[Kalmageddon]

I mean how does one "identify" as disabled. Shouldn't disability be an objective state determined by a medical diagnosis?

[Bartmanhomer]

I mean how does one "identify" as disabled. Shouldn't disability be an objective state determined by a medical diagnosis?

Gee. I don't know how to answer that question. :frown:

[Zarohk]

I happen to have:
Anxiety
Depression
Am autistic (diagnosed at 20)
ADHD
Crohn's disease (new, was just diagnosed this past week after a stay in the hospital)
Narrow airway (asthma as a child, still have an inhaler but don't get random onset attacks like I used to)

Take meds for all, was born prematurely if y'all are wondering. (Born in September 1989 while my sis and I weren't due until December; she's probably autistic too but doesn't have the airway thing and we look different)

Huh, I wonder if there's a correlation between the born premature & other stuff, because both my roommate of 3 years and I were born ≈3 months premature. We both have
Anxiety
Depression
ADHD
Narrow airways (not asthma, but occasionally breath loudly and struggle when we have colds)

Neither of us have (diagnosed) autism, but I recently found out that two of my close childhood friends were diagnosed as adults, and I always fit in well with them more than other people, so who knows.


I notice that the more I exercise the better my stamina becomes, but I have to keep it up on a daily basis and cold weather is basically my kryptonite.
As someone who was in a Harvard experiment on this in high school (my high school is near Boston and it was either that or gym), I've found out that exercise scientifically does help with depression and ADD. Winter in my bane because (for what I suspect are ADD-related reasons), I find it much, much harder to exercise on a treadmill even when I can than to exercise by walking places.

Also, I have dysgraphia, which is basically dyslexia in reverse, and mixed with ADD means that I have a ton of trouble speaking well off the cuff. Unfortunately I love public speaking.

[happyturtle]

I don't mean to pry, but how does this work?


That's very complex. I'm not a doctor nor psychologist but disabilities comes in many forms whatever is physical and/or mental. There's like hundreds of disabilities out there.


I mean how does one "identify" as disabled. Shouldn't disability be an objective state determined by a medical diagnosis?

Disability has a heavy stigma. Someone can have mobility difficulties, but be angry if anyone calls them 'Disabled'. You can see it when people use the twee term 'differently abled' or 'person with (insert diagnosis here)' rather than Disabled, Autistic, and so on. You can hear it when people say 'I'd rather be dead than be confined to a wheelchair' (not seeing that the wheelchair opens up the boundaries of my life rather than confining it). Elderly people will resist using even a walking stick when they need it.

The Disability community is also an incredibly diverse one. It includes people with physical, mental, sensory, and emotional disabilities. It includes those disabled from birth and those who became disabled later in life. It can include people who are completely healthy (see the Paralympics), those who are chronically ill, those who terminally ill, and people in between. It includes people with healthy bodies who are mentally ill. There's no 'objective' place to draw the line. Someone may be too visually impaired to legally drive, but not consider themselves Blind. Another person in the same situation does.

But it doesn't include people who don't choose that identity. You don't get stamped 'Disabled' when you get any particular diagnosis. No one will force you to call yourself Disabled, or engage with the Disability community. If you are ashamed of the label, if you don't like the label, if you just don't think it fits you, if you still see yourself the way your body was before you fell ill, if if if... there are a thousand reasons why someone may not identify as Disabled, and none of them are wrong. My mother and I have similar illnesses, both of us unable to leave home easily. I identify as Disabled, she does not. I use a wheelchair, she doesn't. I think a wheelchair would help her tremendously, but she doesn't want to use it. And it's her body and her self, so it's her choice. Like the LGBT identity, the Disability identity is one you need to claim.

I hope this explains, at least a little. :smallsmile:

[Kalmageddon]

Disability has a heavy stigma. Someone can have mobility difficulties, but be angry if anyone calls them 'Disabled'. You can see it when people use the twee term 'differently abled' or 'person with (insert diagnosis here)' rather than Disabled, Autistic, and so on. You can hear it when people say 'I'd rather be dead than be confined to a wheelchair' (not seeing that the wheelchair opens up the boundaries of my life rather than confining it). Elderly people will resist using even a walking stick when they need it.

The Disability community is also an incredibly diverse one. It includes people with physical, mental, sensory, and emotional disabilities. It includes those disabled from birth and those who became disabled later in life. It can include people who are completely healthy (see the Paralympics), those who are chronically ill, those who terminally ill, and people in between. It includes people with healthy bodies who are mentally ill. There's no 'objective' place to draw the line. Someone may be too visually impaired to legally drive, but not consider themselves Blind. Another person in the same situation does.

But it doesn't include people who don't choose that identity. You don't get stamped 'Disabled' when you get any particular diagnosis. No one will force you to call yourself Disabled, or engage with the Disability community. If you are ashamed of the label, if you don't like the label, if you just don't think it fits you, if you still see yourself the way your body was before you fell ill, if if if... there are a thousand reasons why someone may not identify as Disabled, and none of them are wrong. My mother and I have similar illnesses, both of us unable to leave home easily. I identify as Disabled, she does not. I use a wheelchair, she doesn't. I think a wheelchair would help her tremendously, but she doesn't want to use it. And it's her body and her self, so it's her choice. Like the LGBT identity, the Disability identity is one you need to claim.

I hope this explains, at least a little. :smallsmile:
Yes, I think I understand what you mean, fair enough.
I do think this is one of those topic where there would be a lot to discuss, lots of details to consider, but I don't want to derail the thread, which looks more support-focused.

[TechnOkami]

Mental illnesses? Oh man, I absolutely loathdetestspite love those!

I was, for the longest time, untreated for depression. Started taking Fluxotene for it, decided to stop one day thinking it was gone, it recurred recently, but only in one major episode, not wholly sure whether I want to go back onto the same or a different kind of medication at this point.

Um... does insomnia count as a mental disorder? I might be developing that. I will have a 9 hour chunk of time to sleep and I don't ever feel like I've slept. Like, not doing anything and being zoned out for that long could count as rested I guess, but not the whole "resetting your brain through your circadian rhythm" kind of rest. Definitely not sure how to feel about that one when all the symptoms of insomnia are things I've had prior to reaching this sleep-ish kind of state.

Fun times kids!

[BWR]

I mean how does one "identify" as disabled. Shouldn't disability be an objective state determined by a medical diagnosis?

Short answer, mental illnesses and disabilities are hard to determine because clear criteria of them are nearly impossible to come by. It's because you can't directly observe mental disabilities in the same way you can observe that someone has no legs. At what point does a personality quirk become a difficulty, at what point do difficulties become disabilities? How can you clearly say 'disabled/not disabled' when personal experience of the situation is a key factor?

[Serpentine]

(not a disability or confirmed illness but I've had a migraine-like headache for about a month, and now it seems I'm probably gonna have to get a catscan to check if there's anything going on in my noggin, so that's fun :T )

[happyturtle]

Mental illnesses? Oh man, I absolutely loathdetestspite love those!

I was, for the longest time, untreated for depression. Started taking Fluxotene for it, decided to stop one day thinking it was gone, it recurred recently, but only in one major episode, not wholly sure whether I want to go back onto the same or a different kind of medication at this point.

Um... does insomnia count as a mental disorder? I might be developing that. I will have a 9 hour chunk of time to sleep and I don't ever feel like I've slept. Like, not doing anything and being zoned out for that long could count as rested I guess, but not the whole "resetting your brain through your circadian rhythm" kind of rest. Definitely not sure how to feel about that one when all the symptoms of insomnia are things I've had prior to reaching this sleep-ish kind of state.

Fun times kids!

Insomnia could count as mental or physical impairment, but it's certainly something real. It definitely counts. Not being able to sleep, or having restful sleep is dreadful. :smallfrown:

[TechnOkami]

Insomnia could count as mental or physical impairment, but it's certainly something real. It definitely counts. Not being able to sleep, or having restful sleep is dreadful. :smallfrown:

Apparently people who have depression are more likely to develop insomnia, so I'm sure that has something to do with it, though the telling symptoms of insomnia are all things I've had, sans the inability to sleep.

[LovelyVulcan]

It's lovely, I think, to have a safe place to talk and openly discuss a mental disability or illness. I know I can hardly breath a word of what I have to anyone. Especially since it could put my job in danger.

I see a lot of anxiety, and a lot of depression, but has anyone dealt much with Bipolar II? This is literally a two month old diagnosis, and I am on the bipolar reddit a lot, but I was curious if anyone here has been around or has it? I or II?

[Honest Tiefling]

I have recurrent depression/major depressive disorder, PTSD, insomnia and social anxiety. I suspect I also have ADD and/or autism, but I haven't talked about it with my therapist yet, we're a bit to preoccupied with just keeping me somewhat functional.

When you feel comfortable, I suggest speaking to your therapist about the ADHD, maybe the Autism. I had a diagnosis of ADHD when an adult, and taking medication severely reduced anxiety, which were apparently expected results. They may end up helping.

Oddly, I wasn't premature, but I think a day or two off of the prediction. My mother wasn't happy about that, or my size of over 8 pounds.

I haven't been officially diagnosed, but a test suggested I might have Celiac/Coeliac. Not as bad as other things mentioned here, but I sure do miss Chinese food.

[TechnOkami]

Re: Insomnia

It seems the problem was that I just wasn't allotting myself enough time to sleep. Occasionally I still do feel restless while I sleep, but for the most part I can lie in bed and just be sufficiently sleepy, not brain-dead exhausted every time.

[happyturtle]

It's lovely, I think, to have a safe place to talk and openly discuss a mental disability or illness. I know I can hardly breath a word of what I have to anyone. Especially since it could put my job in danger.

I see a lot of anxiety, and a lot of depression, but has anyone dealt much with Bipolar II? This is literally a two month old diagnosis, and I am on the bipolar reddit a lot, but I was curious if anyone here has been around or has it? I or II?

I once thought I might have Bipolar II. I had already had depression for years, and I was having some manic episodes. But when I spoke to my doctor about it, it seemed that I wasn't manic enough to fit the diagnosis. My depression has been stable for a long time, with medication, and I haven't had a manic episode in years, so I'm pretty sure the doctor was correct.

But even the sub-clinical manic episodes that I did have could go in a snap from "Wow I feel GREAT!" to *terrified feeling like I need to hold my skin together or I'll fly apart*, and I'm relieved that for whatever reason (better medication? ME/CFS? menopause?) I don't have them anymore. I'm glad you have a diagnosis and online support. I hope your treatment is going well for you.

[Knaight]

I mean how does one "identify" as disabled. Shouldn't disability be an objective state determined by a medical diagnosis?

Putting aside how the diagnosis wouldn't be needed to be disabled (it's not like the diagnosis is creating the condition), neither disability nor medicine are cut and dried. There's grey areas, there's fuzziness, there's the fundamental problem of how this stuff is complicated and we don't have a perfect understanding of it. As an example, take mobility - one of the most easily measured cases. Being totally unable to walk is obviously a disability. Walking at the capacity of an average person obviously isn't. Where's the line between them, exactly? You can count up in terms of steps for a while and still be in the clearly disabled category (being able to take 3 whole steps before collapsing doesn't mean you don't need a wheel chair or similar), but it gets blurry, and that's with steps being a reasonably countable quantity. Then there's the matter of technological implications - I wear glasses, but that's not a disability. Take away the invention of glasses, contacts, etc. and it gets a bit closer (that's with my vision, which isn't that terrible). Take away the need to read writing at a distance and the relevance of the vision loss (again with my particular level of vision) goes down. Then consider that glasses availability and need to read at a distance are both variable in the modern day; even that case is suddenly a bit more complicated than "an objective state determined by a medical diagnosis".

[happyturtle]

Exactly. Eyeglasses are the perfect case of the social model of disability.1 I'm getting close to being unable to read without eyeglasses, but no one would consider me blind, because eyeglasses are readily available. If eyeglasses were difficult to get, if they cost thousands of dollars/pounds/euros, if there were barriers or stigmas that prevented people from using them in public places, if people said things like 'I'd rather be dead than need glasses...' like they say 'I'd rather be dead than in a wheelchair', if your doctor kept encouraging you to keep trying to read without glasses so you wouldn't get 'trapped in that life', if travelling with glasses meant turning them over to an indifferent airline staff and hoping they don't get destroyed en route, if going places in glasses meant getting stared at....

.... well, that sort of treatment what would make nearsightedness a disability, in the social model.

Fortunately, outside of primary school, people aren't treated badly for wearing glasses, and it isn't anything more than a minor inconvenience to use lenses in front of your face as well as the ones that you were born with.

The medical model of disability2 focuses on treating the disease or impairment. And that is far too simplistic a way of looking at the concept. A healthy person in a wheelchair3 living in Accesstopia - a city that is perfectly ramped everywhere, and made accessible for people of every type of disability, full of people who treat abled and disabled the same - would experience no disability. And it shouldn't be anything more than a minor inconvenience to use wheels instead of feet.



1In the social model, the problem of disability lies with society, not with the disabled person. Barriers caused by attitudes in society as well as environmental and organisational barriers disable the individual.

This model distinguishes between impairment (the loss of function) and disability (the discrimination arising from that impairment). Here, disability can be prevented or removed by dismantling the barriers affecting people with impairments. (General Medical Council UK)

2 The medical model of disability sees disability as a condition which may reduce the individual’s quality of life. A person’s medical diagnosis is used to define that person as well as affecting access to services and life chances. In this model, the impairment is seen as the problem. (General Medical Council UK)

3 Then there are people like me, who are more of a mixed model - Even in Accesstopia, I would still be a sick person in a wheelchair, so I would still be disabled. And disability is endlessly diverse, so much more than mobility - I just speak about wheelchairs, because I'm a wheelchair user.

[pendell]

Diagnosed asthmatic here. Also severe allergies. When I was tested back in the 80s they had a 'scratch test' in which they would put samples of grass, trees, etc on your back, scratch the back lightly to open up the back, then judge the results on a scale of '1' (minimal to no reaction) to '4' (severe reaction).

I scored 4s on all the grasses and trees, as well as dust, fur, feathers. My back turned completely red and I was in terrible agony until the reaction wore off, several minutes later.

So I have allergies. Oh yes. Big time.

I also have astigmatism, so I need corrective lenses, and as a child 'lazy eye' as well.

Finally, as a child I was diagnosed ADHD, ADD and prescribed ritalin. I revolted, refused to take the meds, palming the pills under my tongue and spitting them into the trash when no one was looking. Eventually, they took me off and I learned to function without them.

So while I will sometimes say "I have ADHD" to co-workers, strictly speaking, it's more accurate to say I was *diagnosed* ADHD *as a child* but I am currently functional without medication for more than 30 years, so I can't truthfully say I'm ADHD now, though some of the tendencies are still there.

This is important , because when I fill out a job application it is very important to check the box "Do you have a psychiatric or psychological condition?" "No".

Am I disabled? While I never really thought of myself that way, these various conditions do mean I was disqualified from military service. My asthma and allergies mean I cannot enlist at all. So I am disabled in that sense. But it hasn't had much impact on my ordinary civilian life, other than that I have a taste for exercise such as swimming or indoor exercise bicycles which do not trigger my asthma or allergies. I've never had an asthma attack on the water; it's only when I come into contact with living things that there's a problem :smallamused:.

Being a child of the 80s, I do not advertise my weaknesses and shortcomings. Back in my day, this would be seen as 'complaining', and resulting in things becoming even worse. So I learned to "pass" as a functional person, even though on some levels my body is quite broken.

I'm glad the world is a slightly more tolerant place now.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[WarKitty]

I have PTSD, with the further benefit that apparently I react very badly to many of the medicines commonly used to treat PTSD. Like basically every antidepressant out there. I've had drug reactions ranging from outright suicidality to extreme suspicion and anger. I remember one in particular made it seem like every little disagreement was a major attack on me, even normal things like "I don't want to talk about this right now." Which meant it took years to properly treat it, especially as I was rather gun-shy after my bad experiences with meds.

[Serpentine]

I see a lot of anxiety, and a lot of depression, but has anyone dealt much with Bipolar II? This is literally a two month old diagnosis, and I am on the bipolar reddit a lot, but I was curious if anyone here has been around or has it? I or II?
I think one of my uncles has bipolar, but I don't know what sort. Whatever it is, it's bad enough that he spent some time institutionalised many years ago, and more recently lost his job because he punched his boss or something. So, I guess, if you want advice... try to keep communicating with your psych and stay consistent with your treatments? (I understand the more recent incident was because he went off his meds or something)
Funnily enough, when I got serious about getting some diagnoses, when I described my possible symptoms to various doctors and psychs they started asking questions that indicated they were thinking bipolar. I'm pretty sure my everyday moods aren't extreme enough, and my extreme moods not regular enough, to make that likely, though, and they always stepped away from that pretty quickly.

[Hagashager]

I was born with Fraser's Syndrome. It's a cranial facial condition that appears in a child during development in the womb. The general process of the syndrome is that certain organs/bodily functions do not fully develop. Below are various symptoms, anything with "Me" next to it means I have it.

Most common symptoms include:
missing eye - Me
Cleft Pallet
Skull Fracture/missing skull plate - Me
Narrow air-way - Me (I'm really lucky, must people are forced to have a tracheostomy for life)
Narrow Ear-Canals/deafness - Me
Webbing on fingers and toes - Me

Less common:
Certain internal organs not in correct place - Me
Undeveloped Genitalia (oh man did I dodge a bullet on that one)
No nose bridge/cartilage - Me

There are several others, but they're of a more private nature and needn't be discussed in detail here.

I've had over 75 surgical procedures over the course of my life. The first procedure was minutes after my birth.

For those of you curious to research Fraser's for yourself, please be careful. Even now, it's an extremely rare condition and there is a lot of misconception. A big example of this is that it's assumed mental and cognitive disorders, as well as brain trauma are givens for the condition. This is actually not true. ironically, for all the physical problems Fraser's creates, it does not actually inhibit mental function.

[Bartmanhomer]

I was born with Fraser's Syndrome. It's a cranial facial condition that appears in a child during development in the womb. The general process of the syndrome is that certain organs/bodily functions do not fully develop. Below are various symptoms, anything with "Me" next to it means I have it.

Most common symptoms include:
missing eye - Me
Cleft Pallet
Skull Fracture/missing skull plate - Me
Narrow air-way - Me (I'm really lucky, must people are forced to have a tracheostomy for life)
Narrow Ear-Canals/deafness - Me
Webbing on fingers and toes - Me

Less common:
Certain internal organs not in correct place - Me
Undeveloped Genitalia (oh man did I dodge a bullet on that one)
No nose bridge/cartilage - Me

There are several others, but they're of a more private nature and needn't be discussed in detail here.

I've had over 75 surgical procedures over the course of my life. The first procedure was minutes after my birth.

For those of you curious to research Fraser's for yourself, please be careful. Even now, it's an extremely rare condition and there is a lot of misconception. A big example of this is that it's assumed mental and cognitive disorders, as well as brain trauma are givens for the condition. This is actually not true. ironically, for all the physical problems Fraser's creates, it does not actually inhibit mental function.

Wow that a lot of surgeries. :eek:

[Hagashager]

Wow that a lot of surgeries. :eek:

Yeah, in truth, you never get used to it. Even after the latest procedure, which was in 2014, I still felt like a cowering child. This is me now, as an adult, post college, working full time. Not exactly my proudest moment.

On the other hand though, I'm thankful. Medical Science is great! :D Fraser's is an extremely rare condition, and it's even rarer for someone to actually survive it. The year I was born only about 1,000 living cases existed world-wide, and I was the only case in the US that year. The previous case before me having been born in the 1930s and was diagnosed with the condition only after her death. So, yeah, I can't really complain.

[Bartmanhomer]

Yeah, in truth, you never get used to it. Even after the latest procedure, which was in 2014, I still felt like a cowering child. This is me now, as an adult, post college, working full time. Not exactly my proudest moment.

On the other hand though, I'm thankful. Medical Science is great! :D Fraser's is an extremely rare condition, and it's even rarer for someone to actually survive it. The year I was born only about 1,000 living cases existed world-wide, and I was the only case in the US that year. The previous case before me having been born in the 1930s and was diagnosed with the condition only after her death. So, yeah, I can't really complain.
Well I'm glad that you'd life is turning out great. I could definitely imagine how painful the surgery is if I have your condition. :eek:

[Goodkill]

you are inspirational Hagashager!

anyway, i am diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and while i have many of the (positive) symptoms (like hallucinations etc.) i see it as a gift rather than a disabling condition. the medicine i'm forced to take certainly is disabling though. i can't go into too much detail without talking about religion or spirituality.

what i do think i have is ADHD, and i think i had asperger's but i grew out of it. i take caffeine pills and find them to be very helpful. i should probably be on a real adhd medicine but i doubt my psychiatrist would agree.

there are a lot of really cool people on this forum ... and D&D has been a weirdly big part of my life (like the video game i'm creating), so i like it here.

[golentan]

you are inspirational Hagashager!

anyway, i am diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and while i have many of the (positive) symptoms (like hallucinations etc.) i see it as a gift rather than a disabling condition. the medicine i'm forced to take certainly is disabling though. i can't go into too much detail without talking about religion or spirituality.

what i do think i have is ADHD, and i think i had asperger's but i grew out of it. i take caffeine pills and find them to be very helpful. i should probably be on a real adhd medicine but i doubt my psychiatrist would agree.

there are a lot of really cool people on this forum ... and D&D has been a weirdly big part of my life (like the video game i'm creating), so i like it here.

I... can empathize, even if I think you may be misjudging. Half the time... having to take my antipsychotics is a chore, and a bother, and I hate it.

I can't function in the modern world without them, though. Years of experience have shown me that. Not sure how well I can function with them, still a work in progress, but I can't function without them for damn sure.

[Goodkill]

I... can empathize, even if I think you may be misjudging. Half the time... having to take my antipsychotics is a chore, and a bother, and I hate it.

I can't function in the modern world without them, though. Years of experience have shown me that. Not sure how well I can function with them, still a work in progress, but I can't function without them for damn sure.

yeah i had a paranoia-tinged manic episode on geodon (this is known as one of the potential side effects), and the usual logical way i view the world got turned upside down. funny things include i decided that i was going to be the ultimate alpha male based on the success of my video game and i would only drink the whole fat milks rather than the nasty skim milks in the refrigerator because of that. because i was kingly lol. i can see how having bipolar with or without schizophrenia symptoms could be a difficult chore to manage. the geodon apparently made me burn through my red blood cells like crazy ... it's fortunate i got food when i did or else i might have died in that room i was locked in.