Mental Health and Taboo topics in OUR community

[pinkies up]

Do you all think that many AA women aren't diagnosed for depression because we are so used to doing it all anyway? Do you think we go to God, or other spiritual methods instead of seeing a physician?

BTW: I think I have suffered from depression for years but because of the fact that I have to keep it together for my family, it has manifested to other symptoms; ie. fatigue, weight gain, headaches...

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by pinkies up

Do you all think that many AA women aren't diagnosed for depression because we are so used to doing it all anyway? Do you think we go to God, or other spiritual methods instead of seeing a physician?

BTW: I think I have suffered from depression for years but because of the fact that I have to keep it together for my family, it has manifested to other symptoms; ie. fatigue, weight gain, headaches...

Depression as a mental illness correlates with risk of type 2 diabetes. Since numerous AA generally suffer from type 2 when they get older, it does not seem inconceivable to me from my point of view.

The way mental health is treated is separate from environmental conditions vs. physical ones. Environment or nuture may play a HUGE role on mental health outcomes. But that does not necessarily translate into the acute physical outcomes, such as commiting a violent act, never leaving the house, isolating, crying spells for days in and out...

If left untreated, depression can and will cause secondary symptoms, like fatigue, weight gain and headaches...

Somewhere on GC, I posted the actual medical differentials of depression from MD Consult... Depression biologically is dysregulation of serotonin and norepinephrine release and reuptake in most cases.

[pinkies up]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Depression as a mental illness correlates with risk of type 2 diabetes. Since numerous AA generally suffer from type 2 when they get older, it does not seem inconceivable to me from my point of view.

The way mental health is treated is separate from environmental conditions vs. physical ones. Environment or nuture may play a HUGE role on mental health outcomes. But that does not necessarily translate into the acute physical outcomes, such as commiting a violent act, never leaving the house, isolating, crying spells for days in and out...

If left untreated, depression can and will cause secondary symptoms, like fatigue, weight gain and headaches...

Somewhere on GC, I posted the actual medical differentials of depression from MD Consult... Depression biologically is dysregulation of serotonin and norepinephrine release and reuptake in most cases.

Had no idea about the correlation between diabetes and depression.

[nikki1920]

Originally Posted by pinkies up

Do you all think that many AA women aren't diagnosed for depression because we are so used to doing it all anyway? Do you think we go to God, or other spiritual methods instead of seeing a physician?

BTW: I think I have suffered from depression for years but because of the fact that I have to keep it together for my family, it has manifested to other symptoms; ie. fatigue, weight gain, headaches...

YES!!! And truth be told, you can't be everything to everyone else while you are quietly going to pieces. And we DON'T have to be everything to everyone. It's not healthy.