Self Diagnosis Is Not An Option

[mamachick]

Girl13-I read this post last night but was too tired to comment on with any degree of intellegence. But that is what I wondered about, the self reporting. I know that people often do not tell the truth, but also thought that if they were not sharing it with another, maybe they would be more inclined. Yet I also think self report is a tricky thing, for different reasons, sometimes lack of insight or recognizing the symptom.

I am on an anti depressant and still think I am depressed ( a little). My main symptom is sleeping too much. I have also considered it to be boredom at times. When I re-read Anthonys cup overflow material and that basically exhaustion can be a result-I feel it. I also did not think I had ptsd flashbacks until joining this forum (embarrassed to say I am trained as a mental health professional). I am 90% certain that no professor ever went into describing an emotional flashback other than saying that a war vet may be at a farm market and a car backfiring may cause him to dive under the produce. That was the extent of example that I recall.

Some of us are more suggestable than others. I am 4 yrs into the ceasing of periods. Six months ago I had spotting and they did an ultra sound and said things are fine (lining??). I have always heard that any bleeding following menopause should be taken seriously, regardless of how light. Yesterday, I had spotting again. (these instances are also not after intercourse). I feel like a nuisance to follow up again. I read somewhere that extreme stress can also cause this to happen. Saturday, I blew a a tire in the pouring rain on a major highway and waited an hour for a tow and was barely off the road in 70mph traffic. This ordeal went on -getting towed after hours to the shop, changing tire and too tired to continue where I was going, went home to bed and crashed for hours. Right now, Ive decided to attribute the spotting to stress-right or wrong.

This Watson program sounds like it will be a wonderful tool for many.

 

[Girl3]

Watson will be good for a number of reasons - not the least of which is the embarrassment of self-report. I have seen many patients come tot he OR for late-stage cervical cancer, uterine cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, penile cancer, testicular cancer, vulvar cancer - all cancers that entail discussing embarassing symptoms - changes in bowel function or bleeding or skin changes of the genitals.

The other reason that Watson will be good is that there are health care providers that either by lack of education (not everyone making a diagnosis went to medical school and rotated through all the various medical specialties for four years) or failure of education (docs who didn't pay attention in cardiology, dermatology, radiology, OB, anesthesiology, psychiatry, etc.)

The teen patient I had with acanthosis nigrans had two surgeons: one surgeon (male) assumed she just didn't wash; the other surgeon (female) said she never noticed the skin discoloration because she was too rushed seeing 60 clinic patients in one day that she couldn't take time to notice "every little skin bump".

As for post-menopausal bleeding: there are semi-benign reasons and malignant reasons. Without endometrial biopsies, no one - not even Watson - can tell you which it is.

 

[anthony]

Yer, there will be some issues. The plans do exceed and factor in patients don't disclose from my reading on this. Basically, local chemists will contain little paper measuring tools, which via the use of the smartphone app, will ask analyse the swab to ensure it is firstly new and able to be read via the smartphone camera, then the person can place a drop of blood on it, again the camera will pickup the results and remove the human from the equation of what is found within the blood, also the same with a urine test, that the person can put a drop onto a paper swap and the smartphone will detect its results and Watson will run them. I believe they're also looking at it being able to use the camera to determine facial and body recognition, skin colouring and so forth.

Apparently this plan is well devised and smartphone manufacturers are already incorporating the ability in their phones via higher definition cameras, ie. iPhone4s and Samsung phones already have the capability, even though the app doesn't exist yet and is in development... more phone manufacturers are progressively upgrading their phones abilities to compete in the market.

Basically, whatever can be read from blood and urine analysis, Watson will be able to calculate and communicate with literally hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously, and alone with doctors like yourself also using it for diagnostic assistance.

I don't believe it is a solution to remove doctors, but more a solution to put basic medical diagnosis into every country around the world for literally a few dollars per app purchase, whilst also cutting down non-essential visits to doctors and hospitals, freeing them from dealing with issues that could be dealt with by the individual and a pharmacy, and curbing the medical industry shortages problem from doctors, nurses, medics, mental health, etc... pretty much every field involved in health.

If their statistics are correct, it should more than halve patients at medical facilities that are there for minor issues, it should save more lives by putting those who truly need to be at a medical facility there with advanced knowledge of problems unbeknownst to the person, thus hopefully helping in all areas of health care.

They're even looking at cheap methods for basic checkups, such as being able to measure blood pressure and such via a smartphone, going to your local chemist and buying a disposable kit for a couple of dollars, plugging it into your smartphone, connected to Watson, and basically doing your annual checkup in the privacy of your own home. Apparently the camera and internet connection on the phone will serve to cover most things, even checking moles on your body will be capable via your smartphone, back to Watson and results near immediately.

I can honestly see all doctors and medical health professionals lives becoming more focused on those who truly need them vs. routine issues tying up time... yet it hopefully will put the ill on the medical doorstep instead of having a heart attack in the street as a more preventative approach for those who are ill and not know it.

I think the future is getting more exciting. Looking at the exponential curve of technology that has so far to date proved its accuracy with validity of the outputted products, they believe Watson will be a briefcase size by 2020 and available to be within every community for a $1,000 or so, literally serving communities on a local scale. This would allow such AI to also be tapped into for many other living factors, from energy management to waste and disposal automated collection.

I was shocked just how far the technology has come and how much of it is already real and present. I thought some of this stuff was 20+ years away, when in fact its already in development or been built and in development and improvement to reduce costs. Scary, yet so exciting.

 

[mamachick]

I did not know about all of this. This is incredible.

 

[anthony]

You want to research what is going on with power, gas, water and the technological advancements into nuclear power v4, which is already present and has zero toxic waste and can actually will use existing nuclear plants toxic waste to power them, burning it all off completely without toxic release or waste to be removed.

They're now also close on the latest biofuels, far surpassed the expensive and waste ridden original concepts, to literally being able to use all and any waste products we currently have and recycle them into biofuels for use in engines. Basically, it completely removes petrochemicals from combustion engines and / or waste of such from combustion engines. Even existing engine oil can be turned into usable biofuel with zero waste that can be used in any recent motor cars engine. They fixed all the existing problems through completely new methods, no longer requiring to grow fields of food to use to convert... but instead it uses all our existing waste and creates a range of biofuels.

The future is not as bleak as many think with the current technologies already released, let alone those in the works.

Between 2020 - 2030 every household should have an AI robot, full skeletal human type system that stands, sits, talks with you, cleans the house, does choirs and even will counsel / provide therapy to you, perform basic nursing needs, etc etc. They have developed versions, but the technology still needs more work to become cheap and mainstream. Again, based on the exponential technology curve to date already proving technologies forward motion, that is how they have predicted that decade for it to be at $5,000 per android, per home.

We have an interesting future ahead of us... which is cited more of the economy will shift towards service based industries and more technology will take over other existing areas of life.

They already have 3D printing working completely that can print a range of metal and other organic types. The Russian space station uses 3D printing to print new replacement parts. Bio labs are already using 3D printing to create custom organs made from a persons stem cells, thus there is zero rejection by the body because it is the bodies organs.

Yep... life is going to get more interesting.

 

[Jak]

I am a new member and have another four weeks until my appointment to find out if I have PTSD or a GAD and now hope it is only a GAD. I have seen multiple psychologists, which was a waste of time, and spent the last 6 years trying to self medicate with no results. I am so glad to have found this forum. It is the first time I have read other people's issues that align with what I am going through, so am actually hopeful to be diagnosed correctly and start learning how to cope - and maybe learn how to feel emotions.

I was diagnosed with selective mutism, which I understand is a GAD, at the age of 4 and my parents decided that treatment was a waste of time and money, so they decided to just wait it out. I started talking again about 2-3 years later, so it was assumed I was 'fixed'. But I developed another GAD when I was 21, which I still have (now 29) and have started to realise that this may be the cause of my continual problems with relationships - romantic, and otherwise.

Thank you for this forum and I hope to know more about myself soon.

 

[Girl3]

Welcome Jak. I hope you're able to get proper diagnosis and care. GAD may in fact predispose people to PTSD because it is often a comorbidity with PTSD. And PTSD is not a death sentence, so if you are diagnosed with it, don't panic.

I wish you much calmness in our life and healing.

 

[Red Feather]

I have a question. My doctor says that I have PTSD. But I am dissociating a lot, so I think I have DESNOS (C-PTSD) or DDNOS. I am practically always depersonalized and have a real big problem concentrating, am really disorientated and have hard time making decisions. . Sometimes things go all fuzzy around me and I feel like I am slipping far away. My body seems so foreign to me. Taking on tasks and continuing my creative work and music, is really hard. I don't even feel like I am here, like I don't even have a sense of identity. A month ago I was so convinced that this world wasn't real I had no problem having suicide ideation and ended up in the psychiatry. And sometimes I do things that I don't want to do and feel like I am not in control, like there is another part of me that takes over. Or I just freeze up for hours.

I did have a few visual flashbacks. But moslty I dissociate and have a sense of energy moving quickly through my body and I jolt. It is very frightening. It feels like a flashback just without the memory associated with it. I also had an auditive flashback.

This can sound like a real philosophical rant. So I am just wondering. I have one more appointment with the doctor I have been seeing before I switch to another due to insurance reasons. I think the one I have now isn't really specialized in trauma, so I don't mind switching. I told him about my symptoms and he just writes them down, and says "Okay."

So my question is would getting the DESNOS instead of PTSD diagnosis help me in any way? Would a doctor prescribe me different medications for it? Is this only treatable through therapy or is there another way? Why is there PTSD and then DESNOS? Is DESNOS meant to be treated as if it PTSD, except with the addition of simply awknowledging the fact that the dissociations are stronger?

 

[Girl3]

They are two seperate diagnoses and are NOT mutually exclusive. http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/DESNOS.pdf

You need to go to someone who specializes in trauma-related disorders. The primary means of treatment at this time for both PTSD and DESNOS is therapy. Medication should be seen as an adjunct to aid in therapy - making it possible for instance to be less anxious, to be less depressed, or to sleep, etc.

In my own treatment, it has taken me a long time to even recognize that I have symptoms of certain types - like dissociation.

I hope your new psychiatrist takes the time to re-examine you mentally so that a more clear picture of what you have may be obtained. Wishing you strength and clarity in your healing.

 

[rowean]

As an undergrad in psychology classes we were always cautioned not to self diagnos - as Anthony points out it is far too easy to do.

I can't wrap my head around why anyone would want to have a PTSD diagnosis. I started treatment for a Generalized Anxiety Disorder and was finally diagnosed with PTSD after several sessions and increased symptoms. Part was due to a reluctance to talk about the initial trauma.

I also fought against the diagnosis for a long time.

I guess I do understand the desire to figure out "what is wrong with me" that can lead to self diagnosis, but I wouldn't want anyone to be saddled with this. Now that I am going through a really rough period where I am basically relasping I really wish that this was not the truth of my life.

 

[Red Feather]

They are two seperate diagnoses and are NOT mutually exclusive. http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/DESNOS.pdf

Girl3 I want to thank you for taking the time to reply and send this link. I read it up to a certain point and then was a bit triggered. I just know for myself that I have "used" dissociation in order to cope for many years. I just figured out what dissociation is a month ago, and haven't been able to think about anything else since then. Because of my background in spirituality and because I am a very creative person and aware of energy forms, I never would have thought that this was a symptom of trauma. But in fact I was unknowingly also partly contributing to this. It is for this reason really important for me to know what is happening.

rowean I do not know if your post was directed to me. I think this is a very subjective discussion. In my case now seeing that these symptoms in my case have a history of more than twenty five years, I am more than grateful to figure what is going on with me and that there is a way out, i.e. to find a way to stabilize, ground myself... and accept living, accept life..... because that is what I seem to have to do here while in this body...

I do not want to self-diagnosis, but as Girl3 already explained, doctors who are not specialized in trauma can overlook this. And since this was my experience, I am active in finding out what is going on. My next doctor was recommended to me by the therapist and so I am hoping to get more support on this. In a way it is not important, because the treatment seems to be the same and my therapist is also a doctor, although she is not practicing. In any case she has experience with trauma and dissociation herself and already witnessed it in me in my last sessions.

Thanks again.

 

[rowean]

Nadia,

My post was not directed at anyone - just musing out loud about the discussion and subject of the thread. I was responding more to some of Anthony's original points than anything else.

Figuring out what is wrong is such an important step for anyone suffering from any form of mental illness, understanding why you feel or think or behave in certain ways is crucial to getting better. And I get that knowing is a relief, its the people who claim something falsely (a small minority) for distorted reasons that get to me.

The best example I can think of (and this is in no way directed toward anyone here) is while we were at a relay for life event a friend who has been a cancer survivor for the past 12 years got very upset at a young woman she knew who was there and how has some real mental health issues, who was telling everyone she had just had spinal surgery 3 weeks prior for her cancer. It was obviously a lie and a cry for attention. But for my friend it was a slap in the face - how could this young woman claim this disease which my friend had fought for so long and lost so much over. She would never wish that on anyone, just as I would never wish PTSD on anyone.