Well, I think the possibility that mental illness is a symptom of arthritis is proven post by post in here, including me.
When I was first diagnosed with RA I was fine for about 3 months and then my brain caught up with my body and I began to get down again. I manage it by having frequent counselling. When the depression was first diagnosed (5 yrs ago)I had CBT for a year and a half and was on anti-depressants. Now I only take anti-depressants if I'm having a psychotic episode.
For me, the depression with RA is due to not wanting/not being able to accept that I have a chronic illness and mourning my past life. I have found that counselling helps a lot and I'm now nearly back to normal!
I hope anyone who has depression or thinks they may be depressed goes to see their GP for help - things can get better!
A couple of points:
My son suffered from clinical depression (mental illness). It's a totally different thing than depression caused by painful circumstances in our lives. His depression was completely out of his control and had severe physical and emotional symptoms. Anyone who has a family member who has experienced clinical depression knows what I'm talking about. I dealt with a lot of "helpful" people who offered a lot of useless advice on how to deal with his depression. It's a brain disease, not a lack of will power or positive outlook on life.
I think the most obvious link between RA and mental illness in the family is via stress. Dealing with a family member with a mental illness causes enormous stress, and I do think that stress is a trigger for RA, though there are certainly other factors including hereditary. I believe the stress of dealing with my son's illness was a contributing factor for my own experience with RA.
Alan
as a psychiatric nurse i can also say that mental illness is in every family at one time or another. is larger than we all know. I see it everyday at work. I work with the sickest of the sick. I believe Alan that stress in dealing with a sick family memeber can trigger disease, and mental illness. If one is suseptible ( Genetically)to MI. or autoimmune disease. stress can bring it out. Which came first the the chick or the egg?Dear Alan, thank you for sharing your experience with the board, honestly people live such complex lives (and it is getting worse everyday) stress from a loved one suffering is surely awful. I feel your pain. Please write and let us know how you are doing. Hurting/less, but everyday is a challenge......This is fascinating, that mostly everyone is talking about depression. I frankly am referring to the insane in-fighting going on in here, which has to be a result of having autoimmune because there can be no other explanation. Why waste your valuable time on picking fights with each other instead of trying to work on improving your health? Perhaps we have discovered a new mental illness - BBS insanity. For certain people its not about picking fights its about standing up for themselves and their illness. RA is a depressive illness like any other chronic illness because it can cause immobility which leads to being housebound and loneliness.For some people they dont have an extended family to rely on in their times of pain so they come on here only to be slapped down by others who have no heart.My husband is clinically depressed but does very well on meds. I feel that it is different and manifests itself differently than the depression that we deal with having a chronic illness. I do believe that at times we can become depressed dealing with all we do. It is just overwhelming at times. I dealt with a "depressive mood" over the winter because of my RA and everything else going on in my life. There were a lot of stresses with family members this winter and then dealing with the fact I was on bed rest...then losing the ability to move my toes and walk real well...it just all came crashing down. With the help of anti-depressants and some good old fashioned talking it out with Danny I was able to make it thru and accept my limitations and conditions.
I am doing much better now emotional and physical health wise. I am in a way grateful I went thru what I did because it gives me a better understanding of how other people feel and what they are going thru. It helps me to support people better.
I just feel that at one point in time in this illness we will have to deal with depression. It is just part of the grieving process of having a chronic illness. We just have to give people space, time, and support when they ask for it to help them thru and move forward. It does not happen overnight and can take a week, a month, several months, and sometimes even years to make it thru the depression and move forward.
I read somewhere (my memory is hopeless these days) that cortisol governs your hormones but with painful diseases like RA it is diverted from your hormones, which govern your moods, to deal with the pain. I dont know how much truth there is in this but it sounds possible.Jennee,
I looked at your profile and it seems that you have so very much to live for. I actually got a chill just thinking of how all your loved ones would miss you if you were not here. Please try to everyday see a good thing. Try to see two good things. This is such an exciting time for new medicines and cures with the puzzles of dna being figured out. New drugs and cures are just around the corner. I know that spending time at the veterans hospital always makes my pains less. So many people in worse shape and pain than me and they always seem to smile at me. Who knows, maybe they are laughing at me. Ha. I hope that you will quit talking about suicide. Good things are just around the corner, start off looking for them. I certainly wish i had a miracle word for you and your family.
LEV
Oh I wouldn't doubt that I had some SAD going on. The days are very short and very cold here in the winter. And being on constant bed rest....Isn't it just a selfish emotion to cry when someone dies? Why would you anyone prefer to see someone in pain everyday rather than letting them go. Come the crunch i don't think i could do it, but geez, it's one of my options right now. I am just a burden on my family and the few friends that are left. Does anti-depressants help these feelings?Jennee,
I'm in pain every day. Probably not as much as you. I don't know what anti depressant do but certainly if you can't bring yourself out of the depression yourself, you will need some medical help i guess. I know it is foolish of me to keep saying please try to see some good and happiness will follow since i am not walking in your shoes. I still believe that cures are so very close, and there will be such an explosion of cures and good meds, i hope you will get some good faith and hold on to it.
LEV
Jennee - are you able to see a counsellor. I have found counselling to be a great help as they are nonjudgmental
Jennee- Antidepressants are amazing. I felt like you once. I probably would not be here without anti-depressants. It sounds like counseling may be good support for you too. Cassandra and Jennee - just from my experience on a few anti-depressants - I really really like the Cymbalta. I think it helps with the pain also.
God Bless and Take care.
I agree with Roxy.....cymbalta is great. It also helps to block the pain receptors in the brain. I was never depressed. Also upbeat full of energy and ready to tackle anything before RA. Then when I was dx I was really depressed. I would never even think about suicide. We had an uncle in our family who took his own life. That's the coward's way out. Our family was devastated. Cymbalta really helps me deal with pain and depression. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...talk to your doc about this.
CinDee
I've struggled with depression over the years, and I've tried different medications depending on how bad the depression was. I have a loving family who would be devastated without me and I love them so much. I don't want to hurt them. But there are days when the pain is so bad, and all I can see in my future is having to be taken care of. I haven't felt worthless in a long, long time. And I'm feeling like that again. I know it's time for a new medication. Wellbutrin isn't cutting it. I didn't want to take something stronger, but I'm starting to scare myself. I've been in this place before, convincing myself that everyone would be better off without me and all I can say is, when I start to fall into that dark hole, I completely and utterly, believe it. No one could convince me otherwise. Anti-depressants are life lines for some people. I'm going to find out about Cymbalta.jennee, if you told your docotr what you have told us. he/she would put you on an anti-depressent. It takes awhile to build up in your system, but slowely you will come out of that dark cloud you are in. slowely you will see sunshine, and be able to appreciate it. Please see your doctor, before it gets worse. i think you need more than counseling at this point. like you have read. chronic pain does change the chemistery in your brain, and antidepressents will help replace what the chronic pain and living with this illness does to us. I know where you are at, and at this point waking up everyday and telling yourself to just get up get going and smile doesnt work. that is when medication is needed.
kelly
The last drug I would give up is my anti depressant. I was really miserable. Now I feel like myself again. Once upon a time I would cry in the morning. My DH thought it was because I was in pain...but it was because I woke up (I wanted to die in my sleep). Nobody should have to live like that. And I don't any more!Jennee, Many of us who have RA or any chronic disease, especially with pain, are taking anti-depressants.
Depression is a very real effect of chronic illness. I agree, if you tell your doctor what you have told us, I have no doubt you would be given anti-depressant.
There are many different ones. I have been on several over the years. Eventually, most people will work up a resistence to the one they are taking. For example, Roxy and several others swear by Cymbalta. I was on that for about a year, then I started to feel very down again. My pain specialist didn't hesitate to prescribe something different. I am now taking Effexor 150 mg. Originally she also had me on a 75mg. tablet in the morning, too. But I quickly learned that was too much, so I told her how I felt and we reduced the dosage.
My point is that there are so many different types of anti-depressants, that you shouldn't have to suffer like you are. If the first one doesn't work, there are many more to try.
Please, please, speak with your doctor. I really think many rheumatologists and pain specialists prescribe these drugs as part of the treatment, because depression is so common with these illnesses.
Please let us know how you are doing! We care about you.
Hugs and Blessings,
Nini
Thankyou all so much for caring so much. It really touches my heart, truly it does. Its hard to not cry from just reading all this. My rhuemy doesn' want to change any of my meds until he sees my thyroid results, which i might add he should have seen by now. I am waiting on a call from him to see whats next. He said my thyroid is stopping all the meds from working, thyroid is 50% over active. So in my eyes, virtually i have been taking all these poisons for nothing so far. No wonder everything has advanced so quickly. So i don't know if he would let me take anything for depression, i told him last time i saw him that i cry all the time and he said it was because my meds werent working and to wait for the tests. I wish he could live in my shoes. What should i do? Insist on an anti depressant. I take 20mg of Prozac everyday because over the winter I was at the point of my RA being out of control (I got sick..off meds...got better on meds...got sick again...you see the vicious cycle here) and then I damaged a nerve behind my knee that caused all the toes on my left to stop working, my foot to balloon up, and an incrdible amount of pain. I spent most of the winter on crutches. And then add the stress of everyday into this mix. Plus a little SAD (seasonal affective disorder). I went to my PCP and just broke down crying. It took about 3-4 weeks for the Prozac to kick in and when it did, I was a changed person. Call that RD or your PCP and just DEMAND an anti depressant. You have the right to feel as good as you possibly can! And that means emotionally as well as physically!!Well the whole week went by and no call from the rhuemy, why do they not care how long we suffer for when we wait for them. How long before i get new meds, how long before they work?