Looking for Some Advice

[Lily]

For a while now, I've realized how much daydreaming I really do on a daily basis. I also have some issues with depression/anxiety. I'm not satisfied with how things are going in my life and I'm beginning to think there has to be more out there for me; I must be able to be a happier person than I am now. 

I've been thinking about going on a depression med or talking to my doctor about it. However, I wonder if doing that isn't treating the primary disorder of MD. Do I have depression and MD or do I have depression because of my MD. 

Anyway, I was wondering others peoples' thoughts and experiences with depression and medication. Do you think I'll see any improvements in my mood/life if I go on a depression med? Anybody else in a similar situation? I'm pretty much at the point where I know I need to make some kind of a change in my life and I'm just not sure what to do.

 

Thanks!

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Hi there.  Well, meds never worked for me, but that's just me.  I believe that I only felt depressed because I wasn't doing anything with my life because of my MD.  That's not clinical depression.  As a lovely lady in my building put it, that's grief.  However, we're all different.  Maybe some of do have clinical depression as well.  

 

I tend to feel that antidepressants are over-prescribed.  Whenever anyone feels anything weird, they assume it's depression & hand them out like candy.  It's silly.  If clinical depression is a real disorder then everyone who ever feels sad couldn't have it.  Having said that, what do I care, and who am I to judge?  If you're acting responsibly and want to try something that you've researched and know won't hurt you, under the careful watch of a doctor no less, go for it.  If it works, power to you, and please let us know.  Just because something doesn't work for me, and I'm skeptical about it doesn't mean you shouldn't try it.  Just be aware of what you're doing and why.  

 

Also, remember the doctor doesn't know everything.   We're learning new things every day, so they can't possibly know everything.  Pay attention to how you feel.  Ask when you should notice an improvement by, and talk to them if you don't.  Your doctor should treat you like a partner in your own health, and not like he or she is the boss.  If you EVER feel weird or especially sick or suicidal, report it IMMEDIATELY.  It's normal for meds to make you feel weird.  You may have to tweak the dosage a few or even several times.  (Can you tell I've been through this a million times?)  

 

As for the MD, if you want to talk about it, make sure you 1) find a doctor who's open-minded and willing to listen.  If he/she thinks they know everything & talks down to you, RUN.  2) Go armed and ready to educate.  Remember no one knows your mind better than you.  It helps if you show them that real doctors know about it and are taking it seriously.  I would print out the study info as proof.  Also, feel free to send them here.  I'll be happy to talk to them if that helps.  Let them know that lots of people have this condition and reporting a lot of similar symptoms.  

 

Here is the study by Dr. Eli Somer, the guy who coined the term Maladaptive Daydreaming:

http://somer.co.il/articles/2002Malaptdaydr.contemp.psych.pdf

 

Here is the doctor who's currently studying it.  Her name is Dr. Cynthia Schupak, and she has a PHD, so THERE.  

http://www.scribd.com/doc/20700187/Daydreamers-Anonymous-Prelim-Fin...

 

Let me know how it goes & if you need anything else.  

[Gemma]

I was diagnosed with depression and my doctor gave me 6 different meds all at different doses but none of them worked and it felt like my doctor just gave up because i was taken off meds but i now know that i have MD and i believe its because of the MD that i was feeling slightly depressed.

But now i know im not sure how to move forward, i've never told anyone about my daydreams not even therapists and so im not sure if my doctor will believe me.

[Harley]

Hi! i was diagnoses with Major Depression a few years ago. I spent about two months hurting and not understanding what was going on. For me, the meds were annoying and I grew slightly paranoid about them and my food (hard to explain, but it isn't that important). Anyway, for me the visits to my psychologist helped more than anything. I, too, suffered from depression and anxiety so we treated the depression first and then, after the nonsense anxiety persisted (along with the normal emotions like excitment slowly creeping back into my life) I asked for help with the anxiety.

 

I would suggest:

go to a psychiatrist and find one you're comfortable with. Enjoy speaking with them, if you can, as for me it was a very helpful expirience

try at least one medication for depression- just one. I won't work right away and it won''t fully cure you either, but it will help bring back some of the motivation you've lost and, slowly, 'normal' feelings will return to you. I'm sure you'll end up taking it for about a month or longer if it works. Just try it if you can afford it. If you aren't satisfied, you can ask to be weened off it and your doctor will comply.

While you're on the meds, see your psychiatrist very often, as sometimes there can be a risk with taking meds (see, there reason suicide or intention thereof is a risk is because motivation is the first thing to come back, not the joy. So you  see why seeing your doctor often, and being open with them, is needed). They will not commit you or anything- promise- they'll simply take you off the meds as soon as possible.

 

If you don't want meds:

See a counselor or something. They really do help and though it may take time to find the right one for you, it's worth it. At least, it was for me. Talking with someone who loves psychology as much as I do was the real benifit, though that may not be the case for you. Still, find someone to talk to. If your depression is always present (as in, you either feel cripling sadness, numbness, anxiety and nothing else), it may be clinical (as in caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain). Am I making sense to you or not? :)

 

 

[Harley]

Depression and MD-

 

If, in fact, the depression is caused by MD,, I could understand this as well. It makes sense to me, having gone through bouts of depression/anxiety over daydreaming, guilt about daydreaming or not daydreaming, or the inability to daydream. Do you have this problem, too? Or am I alone? lol! Sorry if I seem invasive or something; I'm only trying to help and this is the only way I know how . . .

 

*facepalm* Yeah, I'm being invasive and nerdy. I'll be going now.

Bye! :D And good luck with everything!

[Lily]

I do have those same problems too with depression and daydreaming. I think some of the depression comes from the realization that I am not the daydreaming version of myself. My daydreaming version of myself is just so perfect that knowing I am not that person and never will be is very depressing. You're not being too invasive! I think it's good if people on here can talk about the details of everything related to their MD.

 

Victoria said:

Depression and MD-

 

If, in fact, the depression is caused by MD,, I could understand this as well. It makes sense to me, having gone through bouts of depression/anxiety over daydreaming, guilt about daydreaming or not daydreaming, or the inability to daydream. Do you have this problem, too? Or am I alone? lol! Sorry if I seem invasive or something; I'm only trying to help and this is the only way I know how . . .

 

*facepalm* Yeah, I'm being invasive and nerdy. I'll be going now.

Bye! :D And good luck with everything!

[Harley]

I have the same problem! That, and knowing the events and other people in my daydreams will never be real. In my daydreams, I often have the most amaazing job (these are daydreams about my older self) and realizing that I am not a criminal psycholigist is saddening . . . :( Anyone else have this problem, too?

Lily said:

I do have those same problems too with depression and daydreaming. I think some of the depression comes from the realization that I am not the daydreaming version of myself. My daydreaming version of myself is just so perfect that knowing I am not that person and never will be is very depressing. You're not being too invasive! I think it's good if people on here can talk about the details of everything related to their MD.

 

Victoria said:

Depression and MD-

 

If, in fact, the depression is caused by MD,, I could understand this as well. It makes sense to me, having gone through bouts of depression/anxiety over daydreaming, guilt about daydreaming or not daydreaming, or the inability to daydream. Do you have this problem, too? Or am I alone? lol! Sorry if I seem invasive or something; I'm only trying to help and this is the only way I know how . . .

 

*facepalm* Yeah, I'm being invasive and nerdy. I'll be going now.

Bye! :D And good luck with everything!

[Magenta]

Hello all,

 

I was first prescribed medication for depression/anxiety about ten years ago.  Both conditions had become unmanageable, and I ended up speaking to my primary care physician about it.  After trying many, many different medications (I felt like a guinea pig at times!), I finally settled on on a regime that best suited me.  It really is trial and error.  If you do decide to go that route, my advice is to try to stick it out.

 

The realization that my daydreams will never become my reality can give way to a big bout of depression.  Mostly I feel the loss of not having the close relationships I have with the characters in my daydreams, along with not being the 'me' I am in them.  It's tough coming out of such an ideal world!   I equate the feeling I get with the "crashing" sensation some people experience after coming down from abusing substances.  I'll spare you my rhetoric about MD as it relates to addiction.  :-)

 

I think depression (or any type of mental health concern) can be both biologically and environmentally based.  Example: You are in a horrible living situation. You are prescribed medication for the depression caused by that awful living situation, but remain in it.  9 chances out of 10, the depression will not be completely alleviated by that medication.  Then again, everyone reacts differently, and I'm certainly not discouraging consulting with your doctor about beginning a course of medication.

 

Good luck to you!