Little Victories On Depression

7 billion people, a device in my pocket that can talk to almost anyone of them, and I spend most of my time silently arguing with myself.

thank your fucking healers

no matter what game it is you better be grateful

I must say. I've been feeling more invisible than usual. I, too, am a minority. I, too, have been harassed, assaulted, and sexually assaulted by cops. I, too, have been discriminated against. I wish there were a biracial, first gen, gay role model. Niche market, amirite? Oh, don't forget with mental health issues and an intellectual living in the shadow of a brother with MR. I'm half tempted to just grab my backpack and live in the forest somewhere. Or pull a Margaret Cho, and be my own relatable role model. But instead, I'm scared into shutting down and hiding in my hellscape of a mind.

The Psychosis Checklist

What is psychosis? Are you experiencing it? Psychosis can manifest in different ways, and this checklist can help you figure out if what you’re experiencing is indeed psychosis. One may use it to self-diagnose or as a worksheet to present to a doctor or therapist  or other medical professional and better communicate symptoms they are experiencing. All information is taken from the DSM-5.

In order to for your experience to be considered psychosis, you must experience ONE or more of the following:

Delusions

Hallucinations

Disorganized Thinking

__ / 3

Delusions Must check ONE or more of the following:

I experienced fixed beliefs which won’t change even when I am faced with contradicting evidence.

I am convinced an individual or group is going to harm me, even though I have no evidence they want to do so, and no reason to believe they do. (Exception: Many people who feel someone intends to harm them do have reason for doing so, but are gaslighted into believing they are instead delusional.)

I will believe certain gestures, comments, or environmental cues are directed at me, even once it’s proven to me they are not.

I believe I have exceptional abilities, wealth, or fame.

I believe someone is in love with me, even when they have told me they are not.

I believe a major catastrophe is going to occur, despite having no evidence or being presented with evidence disproving my belief.

I am preoccupied with the thought something is wrong with my body or organs, despite having no symptoms or having proof nothing is wrong with me.

I feel as if my thoughts are not my own, or that I am being controlled.

__ / 8

Symptoms MUST cause distress in social, occupational, or interpersonal functioning.

Hallucinations Must check ONE or more of the following:

I experience incredibly vivid experiences without an external stimulus.

I hear voices, whether familiar or unfamiliar, which are separate from my own thoughts.

I see things which are not really there, very clearly as if they are physically there.

__ / 3

Symptoms MUST only be present while the person is fully awake, and not right before going to bed or when just waking up. Hallucinating before and after sleep is quite normal.

Disorganized Thinking Must check ONE or more of the following:

I switch from one topic to another very quickly, and the topics are not related to each other at all.

My answers to questions are hardly related to the questions asked, or not related at all.

My speech is disorganized and it’s hard to understand me. (must be severe enough to impair communication, as disorganized speech is common in non-psychotic disorders)

__ / 3

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Why are Med students so depressed?

I’ve noticed many of the smartest people I know, mostly premeds and medical students, struggle with depression and have for years. I wouldn’t have guessed if they hadn’t mentioned it. It seems odd to me that they do well academically and seem to have everything under control, but they themselves don’t believe they do. Also, to me, depressed premeds and med students seem like the norm now since I’ve met so many of them…have you noticed something similar? And what do you think may be the cause? -mademoisellepremed

Aww I love this!! 😍😍 

Somehow our society has formed a one-sided view of the human personality, and for some reason everyone understood giftedness and talent only as it applied to the intellect. But it is possible not only to be talented in one’s thoughts but also to be talented in one’s feelings as well.

Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist (1896-1934)