Mental health problems

[Cerys]

Hey,
This is hard for me to post.. xD

I have loads of worries, but my main one is how I think I'm hallucinating. (Other problems listed at the end)
Basically my hallucinations started a few months ago when I was walking towards the car on the way back from school and I saw my brother in the front passenger seat and he actually turned and looked at me, so I sat in the back seat as he's in the front seat. But when I sat down there was nobody infront of me - like I imagined him being there, but it was so lifelike. I couldve sworn he was real..
Since then there's been situations just like this where I've seen things which weren't there. Then I've started to hear things, for example someone repeatedly shouting my name and telling me to stop what I'm doing when there's no one there.

This has become much more frequent, like it happens every other day.

I just don't know what to do...
I don't know what's real and what isn't anymore..

What should I do? Like, is there something wrong with me?

If you wanna know anything else just ask.

*also, I find it very hard to concentrate (get distracted by tiny things) very paranoid, very awkward at being social (basically avoid social situations), trouble sleeping, irritable, find it hard to show my emotions, anxiety. *

[Samantha]

Think you should go to your doctor or tell your parents at least. They may know what's wrong.

[Munex]

Definitely see a doctor! You simply have to. You wouldn't ignore a broken leg, and nor should you ignore a mental illness.

[wixard]

this could be anything, tell someone now so you can go see a doctor.

and take this test

http://www.schizoid.info/

[FlyingJesus]

Lack of sleep coupled with an abundance of anxiety can definitely lead to hallucinations, although I think it's rather more likely that it's actually a case of your brain mixing up situations and making you remember the wrong things rather than affecting your eyes directly - it amounts to the same thing but hopefully that isn't quite so scary :P I've personally had a fair bit of experience with this during the very worst times of my own mental health, and genuinely the best solution is to come up with a way to mediate your sleep patterns as that affects just about every activity that your brain is or should be capable of.

In the long term you of course need to combat the anxiety as if you leave that alone it paves the way for all sorts of godawful psychoses, but short term to help you begin to manage things better it really will be the lack of sleep (or any kind of disordered sleeping, including too much) that's causing the immediate problems. It is worth seeing a doctor for advise on treatment but be aware that in most places they'll advise against sleeping pills and will not want to prescribe them to you as there are some dangerous side-effects, and it's far more likely that they'll want to schedule you in for some sort of sleep therapy, most likely CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) which requires a lot of conscious input on your part, but is definitely worth it if you can work with them to eliminate at least some of the bad processes going on in your head.

One unfortunate fact that is extremely important to note is that with most cases of poor mental health there's no quick fix, but increasingly there are better and better treatments which, if coupled with your own strengths and willingness to work, can have genuinely life-changing long term effects


and don't take online mental health tests (or any online health tests of any sort tbh), they always tell you that you ought to be institutionalised and completely fail to take into account that certain things don't affect everyone in the same way

[Munex]

this could be anything, tell someone now so you can go see a doctor.

and take this test

http://www.schizoid.info/

I got 87; A normal result is 15 to 65 points.

[Stephen]

Might be from lack of eating

[Cerys]

Think you should go to your doctor or tell your parents at least. They may know what's wrong.


Definitely see a doctor! You simply have to. You wouldn't ignore a broken leg, and nor should you ignore a mental illness.

But its like.. what would you even say to the doctor? 'I think I'm crazy'? I'd have ot persuade my mum to let me go to the doctors first anyway and that'd take a while :S


this could be anything, tell someone now so you can go see a doctor.

and take this test

http://www.schizoid.info/

Took it and scored 101 - but like Tom said, most tests probably won't be very accurate, but thanks anyway :3


Lack of sleep coupled with an abundance of anxiety can definitely lead to hallucinations, although I think it's rather more likely that it's actually a case of your brain mixing up situations and making you remember the wrong things rather than affecting your eyes directly - it amounts to the same thing but hopefully that isn't quite so scary :P I've personally had a fair bit of experience with this during the very worst times of my own mental health, and genuinely the best solution is to come up with a way to mediate your sleep patterns as that affects just about every activity that your brain is or should be capable of.

In the long term you of course need to combat the anxiety as if you leave that alone it paves the way for all sorts of godawful psychoses, but short term to help you begin to manage things better it really will be the lack of sleep (or any kind of disordered sleeping, including too much) that's causing the immediate problems. It is worth seeing a doctor for advise on treatment but be aware that in most places they'll advise against sleeping pills and will not want to prescribe them to you as there are some dangerous side-effects, and it's far more likely that they'll want to schedule you in for some sort of sleep therapy, most likely CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) which requires a lot of conscious input on your part, but is definitely worth it if you can work with them to eliminate at least some of the bad processes going on in your head.

One unfortunate fact that is extremely important to note is that with most cases of poor mental health there's no quick fix, but increasingly there are better and better treatments which, if coupled with your own strengths and willingness to work, can have genuinely life-changing long term effects


and don't take online mental health tests (or any online health tests of any sort tbh), they always tell you that you ought to be institutionalised and completely fail to take into account that certain things don't affect everyone in the same way

Wow ;o thanks for taking the time to write this! c:
I suppose the lack of sleep would play a major role in all mental issues, like you said, so it's probably a good idea for me to go try out that CBT thing.
I don't really know what to say in reply to that other than thanks loads, its helped me understand more etc (:

thanks so far, guys.

[buttons]

i agree with tom that it could be lack of sleep but generally hallucinations of that sort only happens if you've been awake for 3+ days but you say it's becoming more frequent. i wouldn't leave anything down to chance either way so most definitely get an appointment with your GP or a health advisor asap. i would advise against talking to anyone other than a professional because unfortunately any sort of mental illness is still looked down upon despite any benefits it may bring. don't want to scare you but it does sound like mild schizophrenia at the very least but obviously i'm not a doctor and it isn't my place to say, it's just the first thing i think of when i hear about hallucinations, social awkwardness (which wasn't always there) and difficulty concentrating.

what other sort of hallucinations do you see? what happens when you lose concentration? say if you're watch tv does it ever become hazy then you're no longer interested? do you find it difficult to start tasks? when you hear this person shouting your name and telling you to stop, do you recognize the voice? please don't pass it off as 'lack of sleep'. while it's entirely possible, this shouldn't be happening for months on end and it's better to get tested just incase. i've had problems with sleep but it hasn't affected me to the point i've lost concentration completely or become socially withdrawn, seen anything or heard anything i shouldn't. you don't need your mum's permission to go to a doctor when it's something that's going to be good for YOU, so you can explain to her but seriously think about going yourself if she isn't willing to take it seriously.

anyway, mental health issues are nothing to be embarrassed about. you're not "crazy" and it's not something you chose to have. many people will have one at one point (or a million if you're me :)). one of my favourite past times is researching successful people with mental health issues, the amazing things your brains can allow you to do with a so-called 'abnormal' disorder.

[The Don]

If you have anything, I would guess it closely resembles Münchausen Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_syndrome)



In Münchausen syndrome, the affected person exaggerates or creates symptoms of illnesses in themselves to gain investigation, treatment, attention, sympathy, and comfort from medical personnel. In some extreme cases, people suffering from Münchausen's syndrome are highly knowledgeable about the practice of medicine and are able to produce symptoms that result in lengthy and costly medical analysis, prolonged hospital stay and unnecessary operations. The role of "patient" is a familiar and comforting one, and it fills a psychological need in people with Münchausen's.


edit: oh wait, this one is more suitable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_by_Internet

[Cerys]

i agree with tom that it could be lack of sleep but generally hallucinations of that sort only happens if you've been awake for 3+ days but you say it's becoming more frequent. i wouldn't leave anything down to chance either way so most definitely get an appointment with your GP or a health advisor asap. i would advise against talking to anyone other than a professional because unfortunately any sort of mental illness is still looked down upon despite any benefits it may bring. don't want to scare you but it does sound like mild schizophrenia at the very least but obviously i'm not a doctor and it isn't my place to say, it's just the first thing i think of when i hear about hallucinations, social awkwardness (which wasn't always there) and difficulty concentrating.

what other sort of hallucinations do you see? what happens when you lose concentration? say if you're watch tv does it ever become hazy then you're no longer interested? do you find it difficult to start tasks? when you hear this person shouting your name and telling you to stop, do you recognize the voice? please don't pass it off as 'lack of sleep'. while it's entirely possible, this shouldn't be happening for months on end and it's better to get tested just incase. i've had problems with sleep but it hasn't affected me to the point i've lost concentration completely or become socially withdrawn, seen anything or heard anything i shouldn't. you don't need your mum's permission to go to a doctor when it's something that's going to be good for YOU, so you can explain to her but seriously think about going yourself if she isn't willing to take it seriously.

anyway, mental health issues are nothing to be embarrassed about. you're not "crazy" and it's not something you chose to have. many people will have one at one point (or a million if you're me ). one of my favourite past times is researching successful people with mental health issues, the amazing things your brains can allow you to do with a so-called 'abnormal' disorder.

Yeah I suppose I should get an appointment. I'll try get one asap. And I'll google schizophrenia to have a quick look at it, ty. :)
In answer to your questions;
The most recent hallucinations that I have been seeing (from the past week) are things like it looks like the microwave is on and I can hear it buzzing or whatever it does, but when I looked away and turned back to look at it it's suddenly normal/off.. Also there seemed to be something kinda whiteish and round falling from the doorway when I walked through it. Only the size of a marble. So i kinda jumped to the side and when i looked down theres nothing there (it couldve been a water leak thingy, so not a hallucination but idk)
There has also been a new type which I haven't yet experienced.. basically during a dream I kinda half woke up and saw a person from my dream in my room. Around 10 seconds later it kinda.. blurred out and dissapered. Hard to explain it really. It was kinda scary because well you know... seeing someone in your room isn't that fun.. xD

The whole concentration isn't so bad that it's like getting hazy or whatever. It's just kinda that I start doing something which I find really interesting then the next minute I'm so bored of it/no longer interested.
It takes me ages to start doing stuff. Eg the reply to your message, I've spent ages attempting to write this, but I just lose interest and want to do something else so I save it and continue later.. xD
I can't really say that I do recognise the voice. Or atleast put a name to it. Just a male voice.

I decided to tell my mum earlier about all of this, but she just said that 'every teenager goes through this - including hallucinating' and I'm just like.. sure?
So idk what to do :S

-

Also, I forgot to mention in the first post; I've been getting rather forgetful recently - My brother got home and I let him in etc, but a few hours later when my mum got home and asked if he's home yet I said no.. so we made his tea and left it there for a while until we heard the bathroom light being turned on upstairs.
I freaked out thinking someone was in the house ofc.
But yeh. Ironic how I forget to mention how I'm being forgetful.. ^.^

[lawrawrrr]

Every teenager does not go through hallucinations :s if you don't feel healthy/safe just go to the doctors, you don't need her permission at all... can you get there yourself? If she refuses to take you just say you're going out and get one yourself.

If you're worried you need to see a doctor just to put your mind at rest, if nothing else :s

[Cerys]

Every teenager does not go through hallucinations :s if you don't feel healthy/safe just go to the doctors, you don't need her permission at all... can you get there yourself? If she refuses to take you just say you're going out and get one yourself.

If you're worried you need to see a doctor just to put your mind at rest, if nothing else :s

Exactly what I thought! xD

I suppose its a good idea to go. I can get the bus easily there etc.

Like you said, even if there's nothing wrong with me I should go just to feel at ease.

[lawrawrrr]

Exactly what I thought! xD

I suppose its a good idea to go. I can get the bus easily there etc.

Like you said, even if there's nothing wrong with me I should go just to feel at ease.

Exactly. From my experience (talking personal here), if you don't go put your mind at rest then the stress will make the situation EVEN worse. I can't believe you even told your family, I haven't been through the same as you but I couldn't tell my family anything. it might be easier to just not tell them until you know exactly what's happening.

[dbgtz]

To be honest half of the things you listed could just be your personality rather than mental health issues.

[dirrty]

going to the doctors is always my initial response if i think there is something wrong. that's why i sometimes don't get threads like this. everyone will evidently say "go to the doctors", so wouldn't it just be easier to just go and save time?

[The Don]

going to the doctors is always my initial response if i think there is something wrong. that's why i sometimes don't get threads like this. everyone will evidently say "go to the doctors", so wouldn't it just be easier to just go and save time?

Edited by [GoldenMerc] (Trialist Forum Moderator): Please do not target other members.

[sex]

seriously akeam what has her dog being sick have anything to do with her "making up things" or whatever you're trying to get at lol

[The Don]

If you have anything, I would guess it closely resembles Münchausen Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_syndrome)



edit: oh wait, this one is more suitable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_by_Internet


seriously akeam what has her dog being sick have anything to do with her "making up things" or whatever you're trying to get at lol

that she fabricates things to get sympathy, either that or she is extremely unlucky to have all these issues in such a small space of time.

[FlyingJesus]

Possibly so, but that's no reason to withhold genuine help when it's asked for. If any of these things are true then she does need some of the information in this thread, and if it is all made up for attention then that's another kind of mental health issue which also needs looking into, especially on a scale such as you are claiming it to be. The only thing that comes of saying "lol ur fakin bye" is that the social stigmas attached to mental health issues are compiled and internalised, making it very difficult not only for sufferers to get help but to even make the decision to do so in the first place

[The Don]

Possibly so, but that's no reason to withhold genuine help when it's asked for. If any of these things are true then she does need some of the information in this thread, and if it is all made up for attention then that's another kind of mental health issue which also needs looking into, especially on a scale such as you are claiming it to be. The only thing that comes of saying "lol ur fakin bye" is that the social stigmas attached to mental health issues are compiled and internalised, making it very difficult not only for sufferers to get help but to even make the decision to do so in the first place

If you want help, you would go to the doctors or look on a forum related to that specific topic which is what I've done in the past rather than posting it on a habbo forum where the best response I'll get is "Go to the doctors". My post isn't stopping anyone else helping her (which is ridiculous in itself since a diagnoses coming from anyone whose under qualified is particularly dangerous).

[FlyingJesus]

Your posts suggest that one shouldn't help her, that she isn't worth helping, and that her problems are either false or laughable. It's not always easy to go to a doctor straight away, especially with these sorts of things, and having a bit of support even from strangers (sometimes especially from strangers) can be extremely important in making the decision to seek professional help. Also you said word for word "she hasn't got anything wrong with her", which is inherently untrue and frankly a horrible stance to take just because you clearly do not understand mental health concerns

[The Don]

Your posts suggest that one shouldn't help her, that she isn't worth helping, and that her problems are either false or laughable. It's not always easy to go to a doctor straight away, especially with these sorts of things, and having a bit of support even from strangers (sometimes especially from strangers) can be extremely important in making the decision to seek professional help. Also you said word for word "she hasn't got anything wrong with her", which is inherently untrue and frankly a horrible stance to take just because you clearly do not understand mental health concerns

Yes, my post does suggest that, as I do think her problems are false, which I've said numerous times. I haven't prevented anyone from responding to her, I have no power to do so, i'm simply tossing statistics out there to show others why I think what I do. I didn't see you offering her any help during the 5 stone drama so it's slightly contradictory and hypocritical to say "If any of these things are true then she does need some of the information in this thread, and if it is all made up for attention then that's another kind of mental health issue which also needs looking into". I'm not sure what you're basing my apparent lack of knowledge on but nobody here is qualified to give her advice other than 'go to the doctors''.

[FlyingJesus]

The whole 5 stone thing was entirely different as it was making an actual mockery of eating disorders with actual evidence against her claims as opposed to just conjecture, and even so I never told people that she didn't have any problems and didn't need help, so not seeing the contradiction here. As for your lack of knowledge, that's clear from your absolute dismissal of the situation and and potentially damaging rhetoric, and qualifications have nothing to do with any of the advice given in this thread - it's all been given from experience and secondhand knowledge, which do not require degrees

I don't know why you'd ever be so hell bent on making Cerys look as bad as possible if you did know how these issues can affect people

[The Don]

The whole 5 stone thing was entirely different as it was making an actual mockery of eating disorders with actual evidence against her claims as opposed to just conjecture, and even so I never told people that she didn't have any problems and didn't need help, so not seeing the contradiction here. As for your lack of knowledge, that's clear from your absolute dismissal of the situation and and potentially damaging rhetoric, and qualifications have nothing to do with any of the advice given in this thread - it's all been given from experience and secondhand knowledge, which do not require degrees

I don't know why you'd ever be so hell bent on making Cerys look as bad as possible if you did know how these issues can affect people


Then you're lying about being 5 stone, because anything under a BMI of 15 is extremely noticeable and enough to get you sectioned and 5'8" 70lbs is a BMI of 10.6, which I don't think is even possible to survive on

Unless you're an amputee or something

I personally think this is making a mockery out of schizophrenia... I'm not 'hell bent' on anything, I just can't stand watching people faint disorders to get attention which in turn discredits the actual problem and people who genuinely suffer from it. I do know how these issues affect people as I've witnessed it first-hand.

[FlyingJesus]

She didn't mention schizophrenia until it was suggested to her that she may be expressing some schizoid tendencies, and even then all she said about it was that she'd look it up. This is the thread of a young girl who's worried about what's going on in her head, and frankly if it is all fabricated then the level of intensity with which she keeps it up and holds to her stories (even in the face of evidence to the contrary sometimes) actually suggests that it really is a case of schizophrenia and not a mockery. No good comes of shaming people into not wanting to ask for help

[The Don]

She didn't mention schizophrenia until it was suggested to her that she may be expressing some schizoid tendencies, and even then all she said about it was that she'd look it up. This is the thread of a young girl who's worried about what's going on in her head, and frankly if it is all fabricated then the level of intensity with which she keeps it up and holds to her stories (even in the face of evidence to the contrary sometimes) actually suggests that it really is a case of schizophrenia and not a mockery. No good comes of shaming people into not wanting to ask for help

Everything described in her first post can be found on a quick Google search of schizophrenia symptoms. Maybe this is all legit, maybe everything she has said in the past has been legit, but I don't buy it. I'm not going to derail this thread any more than I already have done but it's not unheard of for people to give accurate depictions of an illness when they in fact do not suffer from it. If everything she has said is true, then there is no shame is asking for help as she knows she's not lying and everything I'm saying is incorrect.

[Empired]

Regardless of what your mother says, the best thing to do is see your GP, local health advisor, or school nurse. Anyone who is medically qualified like that will definitely not take what you're saying lightly. Mental health problems are serious and are always looked in to. Even if it's nothing, they will be glad that you're safe rather than sorry.

[Catchetat]

see your doc. hallucinations could mean schizophrenia or severe depression

[GoldenMerc]

Can i remind you to stay on topic, otherwise this thread will need to be closed.

[FlyingJesus]

Can I remind you that any discussion that was possibly off topic was 5 days ago