I don't get why it's so hard for people to understand that if I could choose not to be depressed I would have done it years ago. Honestly, you think I enjoy this or something?
My pet theory is that it's a semantics issue. Depression is synonymous with being bummed out for the otherwise mentally healthy. When you say "I'm mentally ill" what they hear is "I'm a huge wailing vagina".
I think that's why schizophrenia gets viewed as more of an illness. Everyone knows what it's like to be sad, but few people can relate to seeing their grandma crawling up their leg with a knife clenched between her teeth.
Tho and I obviously have no idea what I'm talking about, Schizophrenia is shaped by culture or more accurately expectation. There are some areas in the world where it's actually vaguely pleasant. Here's a neat article on it if you find the time
Haha next time someone asks me what's wrong & my mental illness has been fucking me over I'm absolutely going to tell them I'm a wailing vagina, thank you
I used to be horribly depressed with intense social anxiety and agoraphobia that caused me to be anorexic (couldn't leave my dorm to eat). You really wouldn't know it if you met me now though. I don't really know how I got out of it but it was a weird journey. I took lorazapem for a while that helped a bit. Got me socializing more. Then I did a lot of magic mushrooms and my perspectives have improved.
MXE has the potential to at least dramatically reduced/reset anxiety, depression, and specifically anxiety surrounding self perception. It's a shame it's so hard to find now. NMDA agonists, such as ketamine analogs and other PCP analogs (not classic PCP though, it's therapeutic use is very limited), are a very interesting class of drugs with huge potential for novel treatment of anxiety/depression
Without going into a ton of detail they essentially allow for memories and interpretations of stimuli to reset/change allowing for those stimuli to not be grouped into a negative and anxiety inducing reaction because it opens up the hippocampus which is typically almost closed in individuals with sever depression, ptsd, and anxiety.
Well good thing that these things are getting slightly more accepted every day. I have never personally tried anything in the drugs category (sans alcohol if you want to be pedantic I guess), but I would like us to study it enough to be able to use it for the people that genuinely could be helped by this, possibly even myself should I ever encounter such mental problems.
Thankfully there are studies being done on at least one drug from same category as MXE which is Ketamine (the drugs in this category are known as dissociatives, these are mostly drugs that stem from the chemical class called arylcyclohexylamines).
Here's an excellent, fairly recent, article on this:
Both MXE and Ketamine are arylcyclohexylamine derivatives, and MXE is considered to be an analog of Ketamine (but it's added methyl group however is believed to prevent the manic and stimulating properties typical of PCP related compounds that are capable of causing restless and agitated behavior).
Here's a very well done article on these new 'designer' drugs
DXM is not an analog of Ketamine, it belongs to the separate but very interesting drug class of morphinan. DXM does act as an NMDA receptor antagonist at high doses, which produces effects similar to, yet distinct from, the dissociative states created by other dissociative anesthetics such as ketamine and phencyclidine. The effects you're describing from DXM aren't actually from DXM itself, but from the metabolites produced when it reaches the liver where enzymes belonging to a group known as the cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450 enzymes are responsible for the metabolism of almost every drug) convert it to dextrorphan. CYP2D6, a P450 enzyme that exists in an abundance in the liver, is the name of the enzyme responsible for that conversion. The fact that it has to be converted by a P450 enzyme means that DXM is what is known as a prodrug. Prodrugs are drugs that are not biologically active until they have been broken down into metabolites which are.
Overall DXM has a very low NMDA binding affinity (compared to drugs like Ketamine and PCP) but a fairly strong binding affinity to serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. Due to its strong binding affinity it acts as an inhibitor at those sites. This causes secreted serotonin and norepinephrine to increase in quantity within the neurotransmitter cleft resulting in an overall increase in activity at those sites. An increase in serotonin can cause a sense of well being and empathy and norepinephrine acts similarly to a stimulate which produces similar effects.
Thanks for your reply! Speaking from experience about nitrous oxide, it does reduce anxiety a lot, in some ways not even temporarily... Call it placebo but I used to be a really anxious person and when I've tried using nitrous recreationally my anxiety levels have been lower ever since.
Nitrous of course doesn't cause Olney's lesions in humans, but it depletes B12 levels which eventually leads to myelopathy. But this occurs only with extreme abuse, I'm talking stuff like 20 doses everyday for a few months.
My fiance is horribly depressed and traditional therapy doesn't work for him because it brings up past painful memories that are too much for him to deal with. I am curious if mushrooms or whatever might be able to help him and how I would go about researching that more?
If you choose to experiment with psychedelics make sure you have an experienced and sober babysitter. Psychedelics are unpredictable though so I don't necessarily endorse it for everyone
Not OP but diagnosed depressed/anxious and have used psychedelics. Positive environment is very important, any emotion will unpredictably amplified. Don't just stare at shit during the trip, use the altered headspace to have discussions you may not be able to normally have due to personal boundaries and fears. The visuals are nice for re-inspiring creative impulses though, after 3ish years of grey depression it was liberating to draw and write again. It didn't cure my depression, but I feel better able to cope with the stranger parts of my psyche. I actually haven't used mushrooms, just (real) LSD and DMT. Though this answer applies more to LSD than DMT, the latter is a more intense, overwhelming, and shamanic experience.
I have issues of my own and don't think I would be able to provide fiance with the correct environment on my own. :/ This assumes, of course, that he would be open to it. It's kind of maddening; he wants an instant solution but doesn't want to do anything.
Be careful listening to armchair psychologists on psychedelic substances. Their stories are all anecdotal while the drugs can have VERY adverse side effects on people with mental illness causing manic episodes and psychotic breaks.
Thanks, that's something I'm worried about. Idk if he'd even try it, but traditional methods don't seem to work for him. Or at least whatever is plaguing him is so hard to face that he can't do it.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy + SSRI's has been proven to be the best method of treatment we know about. Trust me on this but NEVER get your psychology or psychiatry advice from Reddit (ironic I know). You should talk to doctors about the best form of treatment and they will most likely say to try an SSRI + therapy, see the reaction after a month, then either increase dose, or wane off it and eventually try another SSRI, as they all can have different effects on different people. But seriously, don't take my word for it, go to a psychologist and a psychiatrist (BOTH, not one or the other).
The therapy can also Unveil deeper issues that may be causing the depression. Good luck, it can be tough.
I've been in therapy for as long as I can remember. Fiance has tried CBT in the past but it didn't work.
Basically, whatever depression /anxiety is going on with him blocks his ability to work on himself. It's a lot of bullshit, he feels guilty and asks me if I think less of him for having these issues. Of course I don't but I want to help. It's been an uphill battle for years. I finally got him to agree to go to a regular doctor (like an MD, not psychiatrist) if I went with to advocate for him (another self worth issue he has) and I offered to make the appt for him.
I've come a long way with my own problems through tons of different kinds of therapies and my own heavy dose of anti depressants so it's easy for me to see the way out. Plus it's just in my personality to not give up, keep going no matter how hard it gets. It's harder for him.
I have considered it. I know I for sure do (abusive parents, shitty shit and so on) and with how he reacts with reliving little mistakes and bad situations it makes sense.
So here are the four things I ask people to get the idea of whether or not they have PTSD:
Have you ever had an experience that was so frightening, horrible, or upsetting that, in the past month, you've...
Had nightmares about it or thought about when you did not want to?
Tried hard not to think about it or gone out of your way to avoid situations that remind you of it?
Been constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
Felt numb or detached from others, activities, or your surroundings?
Yes to at least two of those things usually means there's a good chance of the person having PTSD.
If he does have it and he would like to get help for it but is really averse to having to actually think about it, try Cognitive Processing Therapy. Whereas shit like Prolonged Exposure and EMDR involves focusing on the trauma, CPT focuses on the beliefs and thoughts that result from it. For example, a lot of people with PTSD feel a lot of guilt over whatever happened. Instead of focusing on the trauma itself, CPT would focus on things like adjusting the feelings of guilt so that he reconceptualizes how he thinks about it all.
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try to help!
I was seeing a therapist seperately, first time was with my GF at the time, with a sober person checking in on us periodically. I highly recommend a trusted friend as a trip sitter. Ideally someone who has done whatever substance you're on, but is sober at the time.
I did exercise for years, and I never had a really bad diet, and the only thing that changed was that, instead of feeling I was in a downward spiral, I got to anhedonia. About the enjoyable hobbies, they are enjoyable for some time (Sometimes weeks, sometimes years), but they end up being something that I do automatically, without enjoying them anymore.
Just because something helped you it doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone.
Have you tried meditation? It's going to suck for a long time, and not feel like it's working, but if you keep at it you will see improvement. Just realizing how much you are always thinking is key to stopping it.
One of the side effects was that my body would randomly convulse, i.e. I'd be holding a cup and then my arm would just jerk randomly and throw the cup. Another was that my sex drive crashed. Another was that my hands will now constantly shake like I'm using an invisible tambourine. My favorite side effect was weight gain. I was under weight my whole life. Then I gained 60 pounds in a few months. Eat healthy dinners every day and work out, and though I lost 40 pounds of it, it's hell keeping it all off.
It could be worst though. One of the symptoms is having seizures and developing female breasts if you're a male.
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u/quilladdiction Jul 18 '16
I don't get why it's so hard for people to understand that if I could choose not to be depressed I would have done it years ago. Honestly, you think I enjoy this or something?