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It is a condition that is employable in the abstract, as symptoms are as varied as individuals are. The difficulty begins with the treatment- the medications c
by zdragnar 1y ago
It is a condition that is employable in the abstract, as symptoms are as varied as individuals are.
The difficulty begins with the treatment- the medications can be extremely unpleasant, and it is not uncommon for patients to cease taking them.
Unfortunately, people with the condition can be unreliable narrators, so to speak, and so any deviation from perfectly normal becomes suspicion of medication refusal, as the author noted in the article. Even when they are perfectly honest and accurate, just having a rough day will mean being met with distrust at best.
The thing that struck me as odd in the article is the repetition of fear as a reaction in others. There's not enough information to understand if this is accurate or not. One of my friends growing up had a cleft lip; his low self image had him constantly assuming the worst in others despite it (from my observations) contributing far less to people's reactions than he'd imagined.
So, we are left wondering: is the author of the post a reliable narrator, or are their symptoms coloring their perception of the interactions with others in a way that they are misjudging?
- jerlendds 1y ago[redacted]
- nemomarx 1y agoI hope you don't have to go through that in the future. The way people treat the homeless and how ERs treat anyone who asks for medication (accusations of pill seeking, as if it's impossible anyone might need pills) are horrible. Good luck out there.
- zdragnar 1y agoThank you for sharing. I am sympathetic to the struggle, being an occasionally unreliable narrator myself. It can be incredibly surprising and disappointing how people can react to mental health issues, even just hearing that you have them despite not presenting symptoms at the time. A prior acquaintance of mine was a social worker who helped people with such conditions live (semi)independently. One in particular hated his medication, but when he wasn't on it, he'd become increasingly paranoid that vampires were out to get him. To the best of my knowledge he was never violent, but you're right- when imagining defensive paranoia, popular media always brings to mind a loose cannon who might be a danger to themselves and others. In time, this may change, but I can't say that I'm too hopeful. We no longer associate menstruation with hysteria, but it's easy to change when we're talking about half the population. So long as fictional media outnumbers real lives, it'll be harder to change. With that said, change comes from learning, and I hope your sharing will help others understand.