Mental Wellbeing 3 - Can we fix it?

[Madame deVenoge]

MEN - minimizing all your tabs means you are doing something shady, like looking at porn.

The better way to go about it would be to say, “(Loved one), I am working on Material Nonpublic Information/ Patient records / student grades / etc, which although of course I trust you completely, I am legally  / ethically (see note, below) obligated to confidentiality, and thus must ask for privacy.”

NOTE - I work on items of Material Nonpublic Information, as do many attorneys. The Doctor has HIPPA, and these are legal obligations. I’m not sure about the legal obligations for student grades, but surely that and anything else work-wise that’s not legally protected is covered under the broad umbrella of “ethical obligations”.

[Phylum of Alexandria]

1 hour ago, Madame deVenoge said:

MEN - minimizing all your tabs means you are doing something shady, like looking at porn.

....yes...and??

[The Social Liability]

I am on the verge of a breakthrough, I think sometimes. I believe I have such a demand in my heart for there to be something better than this. Because I am doing moderately so good it's unbelievable, I can sit back and watch all the great shit happen to me. I have hope. Since I'm trying to play nice with the people who interact with me, I may assume that I am going to come into some good fortune soon. I'm making leaps and bounds happen and I cannot wait to live to tell the tale. There is no way that I am going to race down any of those old roads because this is important to my parents, family, and sister as well. I have on my hat of being in a better mood and also being more stable and this hat I may wear is no disguise. My future is open wide and I like it like that because I can feel good again about life in general. I am lucky I can pull my pants up high and be a big girl. I am very glad at the way my life is going. 

[DMC]

2 hours ago, Madame deVenoge said:

I’m not sure about the legal obligations for student grades

Federally, it's called FERPA.  Most states (or at least the two I've graded students in) have their own further rules/statutes.  I've..never worried about this with family/significant others.  That's not to say I've ever showed them students' grades - I haven't - it's just never been an issue when I deal with the gradebook and/or posting grades. 

I suppose it'd be a good excuse, but when I look at porn I'm on an incognito window.  I literally could not post grades on an incognito window.  

[Tywin et al.]

When it rains, it pours. My step-dad's health is declining even faster than I expected. My mom just told me the other day the doctor's basically told her good luck. I had to break the news to my step-brother just a few minutes ago.

What a shitty fucking year it's been. 

[Madame deVenoge]

On 5/20/2023 at 11:07 PM, Tywin et al. said:

When it rains, it pours. My step-dad's health is declining even faster than I expected. My mom just told me the other day the doctor's basically told her good luck. I had to break the news to my step-brother just a few minutes ago.

What a shitty fucking year it's been. 

I am so sorry. That really sucks. Please keep us updated to your level of comfort - I’m sending my good karma your way. 

I have decided to try CBD isolate for my anxiety. I am not in a state where cannabis is legal, and as I may be facing a pre-employment drug test, soon, I’m making sure that the CBD is an isolate with specific batch testing and a certificate of analysis provided by an independent third-party laboratory.

I had some “full spectrum CBD” that I was using occasionally, but after doing some reading on the subject, figured it was too risky, especially as that particular bottle did not come with a QR code leading to a certificate of analysis. 

Edited May 23 by Madame deVenoge

[Tywin et al.]

2 hours ago, Madame deVenoge said:

I am so sorry. That really sucks. Please keep us updated to your level of comfort - I’m sending my good karma your way. 

I guess the good thing is I'm finally starting to get some energy back after a terrible Covid situation. Still nowhere near where I need to be though. Wish the situation with the new lady friend didn't go sideways so fast. That's certainly not helping my depression, but it's probably for the best. 

Sorry I can't give you any advice on the CBDs. I've heard they're really helpful, but I have no real experience with them and if they'd get you flagged on a drug test. That's a pretty lame reason not to hire someone cause they're not even for getting high.

[Cas Stark]

3 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I guess the good thing is I'm finally starting to get some energy back after a terrible Covid situation. Still nowhere near where I need to be though. Wish the situation with the new lady friend didn't go sideways so fast. That's certainly not helping my depression, but it's probably for the best. 

Sorry I can't give you any advice on the CBDs. I've heard they're really helpful, but I have no real experience with them and if they'd get you flagged on a drug test. That's a pretty lame reason not to hire someone cause they're not even for getting high.

There is no reason to be depressed about the phone person, everyone in RL and here has told you that you dodged a bullet.  Be happy  1) you dodged a bullet before you were really invested and 2) you have RL and virtual friends who give good advice and care.  A lot of people don't even have that.

 

[Tywin et al.]

34 minutes ago, Cas Stark said:

There is no reason to be depressed about the phone person, everyone in RL and here has told you that you dodged a bullet.  Be happy  1) you dodged a bullet before you were really invested and 2) you have RL and virtual friends who give good advice and care.  A lot of people don't even have that.

 

Fair points, but I've been depressed for the overwhelming majority of my life. I've found escapes over the years. Playing sports was one, but those days are over. Being a criminal for a number of years was another, but again, that's in the past. Oddly school always gave me joy. However for the most part since then it's been being in a relationship with a good woman and buddy I've been mostly failing at that for a long time now. 

[Tywin et al.]

Sigh. Went to the dentist for a regular cleaning. The one large filling I have broke. Eating is going to suck for a few days. Thankfully I've got an appoint Tuesday morning. Will one freaking thing go right for me sometime soon...

 

[Madame deVenoge]

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Sigh. Went to the dentist for a regular cleaning. The one large filling I have broke. Eating is going to suck for a few days. Thankfully I've got an appoint Tuesday morning. Will one freaking thing go right for me sometime soon...

 

Large amalgam fillings have a life expectancy,  it is known. If if was a large composite filling, I am also sorry. Not to add more rain on a downpour, but ask your dentist how close to the nerve it is. If it less than a millimeter, you are likely looking at a root canal. If you grind or clench, you might then be looking at a failed root canal.

Count your blessings, because all of the above happened to me in 2014 on tooth 19, and I ended up in the hospital with a dental abscess requiring emergency dental surgery on a Sunday and a 24 hour drip of Invanz and Vancomycin. A four-day hospital stay is not cheap. And THEN it took 6 months of healing before the oral surgeon could even put in the implant rod, and then ANOTHER 6 months for THAT to heal before I could get the crown, aka, the “tooth”.

That was at least a $10,000 tooth, at the end of the day, and that was before it and #20 right next door required a $5,000 periodontal surgery this January. Because gum tissue sometimes loses adherence on dental implants and the adjacent tooth, over the years. 

Edited May 26 by Madame deVenoge

[Bironic]

Hi 

I struggle with depression and anxiety and wanted to ask if anyone here had any experience treating these with psychedelic drugs (LSD, Psylocybin, etc.) 

(to the forum moderators: in the country where I live in it’s legal for certified psychiatrists to treat people with these drugs) 

[Madame deVenoge]

5 hours ago, Bironic said:

Hi 

I struggle with depression and anxiety and wanted to ask if anyone here had any experience treating these with psychedelic drugs (LSD, Psylocybin, etc.) 

(to the forum moderators: in the country where I live in it’s legal for certified psychiatrists to treat people with these drugs) 

Given that many of us are in non-legal countries, you’re not likely to get a quick answer.

[DMC]

7 hours ago, Bironic said:

I struggle with depression and anxiety and wanted to ask if anyone here had any experience treating these with psychedelic drugs (LSD, Psylocybin, etc.) 

Well, I wouldn't say "treatment" as such, but yes, I have experience dealing with those drugs.  I think what I would suggest is doing the "microdosing" I keep on hearing about.  In that way, I think they really could be beneficial.  I used them recreationally years ago and..it worked in the end for the most part.  BUT, there's a big caveat there.  I say that for the same reason I would say it for many pharmaceuticals - you do not want to get addicted to these drugs.  I've seen it happen, and it's very bad.  Talk about mental wellbeing.

[VigoTheCarpathian]

9 hours ago, Bironic said:

Hi 

I struggle with depression and anxiety and wanted to ask if anyone here had any experience treating these with psychedelic drugs (LSD, Psylocybin, etc.) 

If it’s certified for professionals to do in your country, I would suggest going that route.  Dosage and setting are very important, as well as having someone trustworthy and experienced to do pre-work, help during, and the integration piece after, if you’re truly looking for therapeutic treatment.  
 

There are people who have had transformative experiences from recreational psychedelic use, but depending on what is happening with you personally and your own brain chemistry, it’s a crapshoot - people with family history of heavier disorders (schizophrenia/bipolar) are at risk of it being a triggering event for them.  I’ve had my highest highs and my lowest lows on psychedelics, and came out OK. But also had a friend run out onto an active highway shoeless from a house, thinking he was being hunted.

Not normally a recommended source of mental health advice but there’s a comedian named Neal Brennan, “Blocks” on Netflix, that talks about a lot of the routes he tried using for his depression, including the good and bad of psychedelics, that I thought was pretty accurate.

Edited May 28 by VigoTheCarpathian
Sp.

[Tywin et al.]

Every now and then we've got to accept misery. ..  Oh well. Bless those above. Drink to those below. And pray for those among us. 

[Madame deVenoge]

On 5/28/2023 at 12:45 AM, VigoTheCarpathian said:

If it’s certified for professionals to do in your country, I would suggest going that route.  Dosage and setting are very important, as well as having someone trustworthy and experienced to do pre-work, help during, and the integration piece after, if you’re truly looking for therapeutic treatment.  
 

There are people who have had transformative experiences from recreational psychedelic use, but depending on what is happening with you personally and your own brain chemistry, it’s a crapshoot - people with family history of heavier disorders (schizophrenia/bipolar) are at risk of it being a triggering event for them.  I’ve had my highest highs and my lowest lows on psychedelics, and came out OK. But also had a friend run out onto an active highway shoeless from a house, thinking he was being hunted.

Not normally a recommended source of mental health advice but there’s a comedian named Neal Brennan, “Blocks” on Netflix, that talks about a lot of the routes he tried using for his depression, including the good and bad of psychedelics, that I thought was pretty accurate.

Oh! I had completely forgotten about my yoga teacher, who went to Costa Rica for an ayahuasca (I am probably not spelling that right) ceremony.

I don’t think it was depression that led her there, just a “wanting to get more in touch with her inner self” sort of thing. She did say it was very valuable and she felt like she purged past traumas.

And then there was K, with whom I shared a house in Napa for a week as part of the Doctor’s friend group. K went to a facility in the US where she was treated for depression with ketamine injections. I seem to remember her being ambivalent about how it really worked - I don’t think she had any lasting improvement, from what I remember.

[Spockydog]

On 5/28/2023 at 1:35 AM, Madame deVenoge said:

Given that many of us are in non-legal countries, you’re not likely to get a quick answer.

Little known fact:

In the UK, you can get a legal prescription for cannabis flower to treat depression and anxiety. 

I have been on daily 100mg Sertraline since 2016, to help manage what can be pretty debilitating anxiety. I don't like the side effects of this drug, and I have a zoom appointment with a cannabis-prescribing psychiatrist on Wednesday morning.

I am told they will probably prescribe a combination of flower and THC oil. 

[Madame deVenoge]

2 hours ago, Spockydog said:

Little known fact:

In the UK, you can get a legal prescription for cannabis flower to treat depression and anxiety. 

I have been on daily 100mg Sertraline since 2016, to help manage what can be pretty debilitating anxiety. I don't like the side effects of this drug, and I have a zoom appointment with a cannabis-prescribing psychiatrist on Wednesday morning.

I am told they will probably prescribe a combination of flower and THC oil. 

I was on Sertaline 2016 - 2019. I was also not enamored of the side effects. 

Cannabis is legal in many states in the US, and hemp-derived products are legal to varying degrees in all 50 states due to the 2018 Farm Bill. 

This means, oddly enough, that in Georgia, one can buy Delta 9 THC and other isolated as derived from hemp, in the form of gummies, vape, flower, etc. 

It’s all “caveat emptor,” though. The process for refining Delta 8, Delta 9, Delta 10, CBN, CBG, or CBD can involve labs using bad equipment or less-stringent processes involving solvents. Bad results can leave product tainted with heavy metals, pesticide residue, or cannabis isolates other than intended.

I’ve been using CBD isolate from a good quality supplier (batch-level third party lab tested and certificates of analysis, supercritical CO2 process for extraction used rather than solvents), but quality is very expensive. On the other hand, it seems to work for my anxiety and with fewer side effects than Sertaline.

I take a CBN gummy every so often for insomnia, which is not nearly as efficient as Ambien, but it’s difficult for me to get Ambien. My doctor is hesitant to prescribe it. I really need to get more Ambien, because I have to ration the CBN because CBN (though non-intoxicating) will ping a drug test if used too often, given the liver metabolizes it the same way as it does THC.

With CBD, I don’t have to take my Xanax prescription for panic attacks nearly as often, so there is that. And pure CBD isolate will never ping a drug test. 

The U.S. just needs to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule 1 drug and allow more research. 

My thoughts on cannabis as a whole have evolved over the years, as I suspect have the views of many Americans.

[Toth]

Yesterday I came home from work and wasted six hours once again scrolling through mental health site posts in a weird haze as I was once again being drowned in crippling loneliness and continued to do so since waking up three hours ago. I hate myself so much, why can't I just be normal...