Posted by utopizen on May 5, 2004, at 13:56:09
In reply to The Sleepy Friendless Life » utopizen, posted by Anthony Quest on May 3, 2004, at 20:48:05
> Is that wrong? Do I sound depressed.
Don't ask yourself that. Instead, ask yourself if you're happy. If you can't honestly answer yes, you need to accept that there's something going on and you need to ask for help about it.
Believe me, I've been excessively sleepy for a year now, and while I use to be able to just take a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day and all was well, that just doesn't carry me over anymore for the remainder of the day.
It's not surprising that you would have depression. You have a lot going on, your friends have noticed a change in the way you behave around them, and even you have.
And as someone who's gotten both narcolepsy from one doc's dx and Idiopathic Hypersomnolence from another doc's, and four sleep studies, and seen 7 sleep docs, please try to think about this.
It's not uncommon for people with depression to deny themselves they have it. It's hard to accept. I was a really happy kid growing up, why would I suddenly feel different? I use to have so much energy when I was around my friends, but now I'm unstable, erratic, and withdrawn.
Don't focus on asking yourself if you're down. Ask if you're up. Do you have a reason to be happy at the moment, without changing somethings in your life? (Exercise, therapy, antidepressants, etc.)? Probably not. I'm in the same situtation. I can barely write right now, even with stimulants-- the same meds that once gave me a total boost in my energy/productivity just last year.
My roommate got mixed up, and I got placed with this depressing kid who's all sullen and likely has some kind of Asperger's Syndrome. It's a slob, he's grotesque, dirty, and depressing just to be around. I've remembered times where I have had bursts of energy (like I use to always, only now more rare) and just coming in the room, and him asking me some question about something in the most sullen voice, seemed to suck the life out of me instantly.
So here's my advice:
1. Depression often causes you to be sleepy. Accept this. I denied this for a year, thinking it was too "cliche" or some nonsense like that.
2. You may very well have a sleep disorder of some kind. Hopefully you've had sleep studies, and if not, try to get one... they're helpful in ruling out things like apnea, etc.
3. It's not impossible to feel depressed and have a sleep disorder at the same time. Don't think it's one or the other. The two may simply play off one another, making your sleepiness worse.
4. Think about the fact that, when you were around friends, you suddenly had energy out of nowhere-- a party, or something like that. Realize the signifigance of your energy levels having a strong relationship to your mood.
5. Reduce stress. We all have a finite, limited amount of mental energy we may use each day. Cut your work, if you think it's not the end of the world. It could be taking away mental energy you could transfer on your school work.
I found stopping my work study helped a lot in focusing on my school work more, and realized a work study isn't why I go to college.
6. Seriously consider an antidepressant. Straterra+Provigil may be something to bring up, as it has antidepressant properties and the combo often helps patients with sleepiness. And if you are worried about adjusting your dose/side effects while you do school/work, think seriously about taking a semester off.
7. Now's the time to think about taking the fall semester off, or putting off work/school plans during the summer, and telling this to your school/work. Don't assume you need to get everything done in a set time, because it'll lead you to getting nothing done in a set time if you're not up to speed.
8. Don't, ever, ever, ever, do what I did with sleep docs/psychiatrists. Don't hide your mood from them. If you tell them your mood is low, they can help you with that. They're not going to stop you from staying awake, or anything like that. It's very common for patients with true narcolepsy/idiopathic hypersomnolence to also have depression, and they know this. The sleepiness you feel can make you depressed itself.
9. Listen to this. I just checked myself into a mental ward the other day for a night, just because I felt so hopeless I needed to. Don't let yourself get worse by hiding your feelings from your doctors, they're there to help. There's nothing to hide, and there's nothing to fear. You'd be surprised at how relieving it is to realize they're on your side no matter what, because they are there to help you.
Best of luck, and reduce that stress! If you think finals or work is going to be too much, now's the time for the doctor's note to get written and have it put off. Don't think the clock is ticking on these things. And also, don't ever fear checking yourself into a psych ward. It can be relieving to know that you can stop that clock in your head from ticking just when you are feeling hopeless.
Oh, and Straterra has been noted to help lots of people adjust their circadian rythms to normal, so they have energy in the morning/day and feel tired when they're suppose to-- I'd consider a 3 month trial of it + Provigil. If you want to talk, my email is utopizen54nospam@yahoo.com (remove "nospam").
poster:utopizen
thread:342897
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/studs/20040420/msgs/343691.html