MTV headache
Ah, migraines. My old friends. My sweet loves. When they come, I almost welcome them because they're so familiar. And, of course, because I know relief is around the corner.
Anyway, today I have to double my Effexor. Fun times. Below is an article about a young woman who will be featured on MTV's True Life, in a segment called "I Have Schizophrenia." She volunteered to expose herself and her experience with illness. From the Daily Press:
Most of Main's peers don't know about her experience or diagnosis yet, she said. ... Main hopes that taking her story public will help ease the stigma associated with schizophrenia."I'm not my mental illness, it's just something I have to deal with," she said. "I don't want to hide what I am, and what's a part of me."
As someone who has shared her own story ad nauseum -- and who was on a documentary too -- I say only this to Main: be careful what you wish for. This might not end up the way you hope.
Comments
Once again you inspire me, a fellow migrainer, to welcome and feel the love in eye shimmers, blindspots, nausea, throbbing head pain AND the absolute euphoria that follows those minor inconveniences. Now if I could experience depression in the same way, as some do, by keeping my eye on the prize of the good feelings that follow the disturbance, I'd be getting somewhere. (Apparently, this was one of Lincoln's strategies.)
On effexor, I took that for many years and as it steadily lost effectiveness received increased doses. My experience with that and other antidepressants makes me very skeptical, The good effects prove so short lived as the doses go up that I've lost faith that they're doing much at all. It's hard to know if I'm just going through a normal depression cycle that would be the same with or without the medication. I am using one now, called Emsam, that is really one of the old MAOIs in a new transdermal package. This works very well on mental focus and energy (only) and that's a big help in doing my work.
Excuse my running on a bit with this, but I wish you well with the new dose and hope your experience proves to be better than mine.
John D
Posted by: John D | March 20, 2008 12:45 AM
"Main was officially diagnosed with paranoid-type schizophrenia last summer. Since then, medications and psychotherapy have virtually erased her symptoms."
If her symptoms are virtually erased, I'm rather positively surprised MTV considered her life interesting enough to document.
Posted by: Fallingleaf | March 20, 2008 02:20 PM
Oh jeez. Knowing how many schizophrenics respond so well to their first meds--and how poorly they can do later once that first response fades--I can only hope this very young woman continues her favourable experience.
Sigh. At this point, I guess society's only ready for very sanitized contact with those of us sporting our very own mental illness. Only the "cured" need apply.
I do hope this young woman continues to do well. And I wish I could be optimistic. But I'm a true Celt. Although my life is going very well right now, I know the glass isn't only half empty--it's actually a dribble glass.
Sherry
Posted by: Sherry | March 21, 2008 08:43 AM