Hey Doc, I'm a Paramedic from Long Island. I thought you'd appreciate this story.. I got interrupted while watching your videos to go help a woman who was likely just having an anxiety attack but during my assessment, her 11 year old son Bryan was super helpful in translating from their native language and obviously comprehended some of the medical questions I was asking. I asked how he got to be so smart and he says "I watch Dr Mike on TH-cam". | promised him I'd message you and ask for you to give him a shout out in a future video if possible. Thanks for what you're doing. It's super entertaining and you're obviously having a great affect on our youth.
Taylor Tomlinson’s standup on her mental health actually helped me a lot to accepting help that I actually really needed. Of course all with a professional physicians help and advice. But she definitely helped me feel more normal and less ashamed for even asking a doctor for help where a year ago, I wouldn’t be okay with asking for any help.
I love her, she's so good at portraying it as a part of life, which it is, just like having a broken leg or a congenital heart problem. We don't feel shame seeking assistance coping with those, and brains and minds are also part of our organism.
I’m right here with you! 2023 was the year of an unexpected diagnosis. Taylor’s standup really makes everything feel normal, and the laughs are a welcome bonus. Cheers to us friend!
It's a shame they didn't stick with Taylors full bit she goes on to discuss her arm floaties and them making sure she doesn't drown it's such a great bit
Oh yup totally agree that part of her is just so amazingly, healingly delivered as a former med student and a person who's been having adult ADHD and autism I might say
Legit, the arm floaty bit is what made me decide to go back to therapy and consider taking medicine again. Cuz my brain can accept that arm floaties are ok, but it doesn't like the idea of having to have medicine to live a "normal" life. Silly brains XD
Her comment about being diagnosed with a mental illness wasn't a bad thing since it was just information to help you take better care of yourself caused a legit paradigm shift in my way of thinking.
just for the record: taylor wasn't saying she was giving herself medications based on google searches. she said she googled the medications her doctor had prescribed her that were working, noticed they were all mostly used for bipolar, and then asked her doctor about that. she wasn't self medicating, she (and her doctor) just thought she had depression and anxiety, and noticing that the meds that worked were primarily used for bipolar prompted them to realize that she was actually bipolar.
This is actually how I've heard a lot of psych doctors figure out the diagnosis for the patient. It makes sense given that there's no blood test for specific mental illnesses, and applying an external factor to the body and seeing what changes is a good way to probe how the brain/body is functioning. Good ole isolating variables, changing one, science etc
She also doesn't name any specific medications, so it's unlikely someone is going to their doctor and saying "Taylor takes this, please prescribe it to me"
You were mostly correct. The doctor " already" knew she was bipolar and that's why she was given that combo of drugs. She was the one who just realized, not both of them
@@kristennations8516I haven't seen the whole thing for context, so you may be correct; but the surprised voice she used for the doctor sounded like it was a revelation for both of them.
To be fair: Hasan Minhaj is incredibly good at bringing his bits full circle and the entire special was about him learning humility and restraint. Even though his DO-bashing was light-hearted punching-bag-humor, he kinda walked it back a bit in the end and at some point he expresses sincere gratitute towards the Doctor who helped him conceive. The entire special is well worth a watch.
That's useful context. I'd add that in his career Hasan Minhaj has talked quite a bit about status associated with test scores and with specific degrees. As someone with a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz, I had to reflect for a minute about his comments about my degree being lower status than some of the other UC schools before I realized that I and my D.O. specifically chose lower-status degrees partly because our parents didn't prioritize impressing strangers with our H.S. test scores...
@@WinterPains "Homecoming King" is the first and though not the one shown here, I'd recommend watching it first as it's just as good and you get the fuller picture. The second one is "The King's Jester".
Really love Pam being here for this one, because the perspective of a patient and a doctor can be really different on some of these things (like the ''don't celebrate it, ppl are gonna ask for meds'' vs ''no it normalizes it'' thing) and it's super important to have these discussions
I also have been loving Pam latley as a regular guest on this channel. She is a great combo of information from two different perspectives. Plus these two have real good chemistry together. :D
@@danholmesfilm it is when it comes to medication for mental illness. Medication for mental illness saves lives, and people suffer unnecessarily because they are reluctant to take medication, because we get told left and right that you shouldn't want to take medication for mental illness. Most chronic mental illnesses cannot be cured by lifestyle changes, but they can be managed with medication, to the point that people's lives aren't lead by their mental illness anymore. Normalizing medication for mental illness saves lives.
I have a lot of different diagnoses, and people give me a LOT of attitude about “labels”, but having the label is LIFE CHANGING. Finding community of people like you is life changing. Being able to educate yourself and find ways to accommodate yourself is life changing. Being able to know that you’re not alone is life changing.
Yeah this was a very strange take from a Dr who ive normally found to be nuanced and compassionate, I completely agree, having a label has helped me be so much kinder to myself, understanding I'm not just weak but there's actually xyz going on
@@Skylar2037labels can be great but like he mentioned in the video, they can also be a double edged sword, because while you might understand yourself better and feel better it's also possible that you now feel more limited, due to different expectations
@Slackow I agree that people can feel discouraged when they find out they have certain things especially if they're more long term than the person hoped, but that wasn't what Dr Mike was said. He said that they were only for insurance and legal reasons and they become a self fulfilling prophecy eg causing people to act more unwell due to finding out they are unwell which is a pretty problematic take in my opinion. He would never suggest that someone finding out they are diabetic or receiving that label could cause psychosomatic symptoms every time they had a small slice of cake because they now expect to even if they havent gone high yet and shouldn't be having symptoms (its not a great example but I hope it describes enough to communicate what I'm trying to say). We know that psychosomatic symptoms are real but he'd never suggest someone shouldn't be told they have diabetes cause it's life threatening, so is mental health and for me, being diagnosed saved my life and was the only way to get the help I needed to improve as it is for so many people. I honestly have no clue how he could think bipolar is something that shouldn't be diagnosed which js what taylor is talking about. If not managed properly, severe bipolar destroys lives. My aunt has it and if she goes off her meds she goes manic and has lost literally 10s of thousands of dollars, done very risky things and then gone low and nearly ended her life. I agree with your statement but not his, and still believe that even if it can be sad to find out what's wrong, it's still necessary and is the first step to healing/managing. But if people don't like labels then they aren't obliged to go to the Dr to get them. Also the labels can often dictate what treatment you receive and receiving the wrong treatment can be detrimental. For example talk therapy worsens ocd which you need to approach a specific way otherwise the therapy becomes part of the cycle of compulsions lead by obsessions and makes it worse. He as a Dr needs labels to tell him what the grouping of symptoms means and how to approach it given that. That's all a label is, a name given to a specific grouping of symptoms which is what they were saying you should focus on anyway. But I would never invalidate if someone has a negative relationship with labels I just think they are important and if someone doesn't want to know they can tell that to their Dr but that shouldn't be the standard.
I came here to say this. I didn’t get diagnosed with ADHD until I was in my 30s. That’s a *lot* of years of hating myself for being a failure before getting medicated and realising that a) life *isn’t* meant to be that hard and b) all those things *aren’t* my fault, my brain just works differently.
Also, having labels can help you (and others) understand what you are going through. Even with the regretable and lingering stigmatism around mental health, I find it easier be forgiving of myself if I think, "I was struggling with depression," rather than thinking, "I was struggling to get out of bed after sleeping 12 hours."
2:36 the labels are extremely meaningful to the patient. Being told "Here's what's going on" is comforting, and it can be an identity aspect in some cases like ADHD and ASD. It also makes it feel less like you're fighting the universe and more like you have an actual specific thing to deal with, because you can finally group all the symptoms into a single thing.
Exactly! Finding out I had ASD as an adult made so many things up till then make sense. I thought I was broken basically because I couldn't handle the world like everyone around me did, but having ASD I just process things differently, and that's ok.
I sort of agree. However, I find that instead of getting the name and understanding yourself and your symptoms, we often fall into over identifying with labels and classifying any difference as a part of a diagnosis or as something “wrong.” E.g it’s normal to feel stressed or anxious at times but I have had multiple friends immediately jump to conclusions or blame labels. The fact that everything has a label sort of ends up becoming a personality trait and something that people want to relate to. Instead of just being a part of a much larger human being who now has a better understanding of how to navigating themselves.
@@aristired6252 maybe for some people, but honestly for me, finding out that I have ADHD actually helped me so much. Because not only did so much about me actually make sense, but it also allows me to now find ways around my difficulties and live a better life. There are some people who like to blame things on a diagnosis, and us it to coast through life. But there are also people who can finally get the proper support for issues and have a better life through it
I knew a guy who had lost a finger, and when he'd met a child, he'd shook their hand and then scream "Where's my finger! Give it back!" and the kids would freak out XD
ROFLMAO this made me literally laugh out loud.. how is it all the comedians come out in the comments of a video on comedy. No need to watch the video.. just go to the comments.. or atleast wait until the end of the video to read the comments..NOPE not me.. lol very nicely done, well played my friend.
Once I went to my doctor to talk about depression. She walked into the room, looked at me, and said "So you're here to get something for your acne?" All I could say was "well I wasn't before, but now I am..."
I had a nurse telling me to be straight in the mri machine … I have a very clear case of scoliosis I physically couldn’t be straight for the imaging lol I was like umm I’m trying?
On the labels issue: my husband saw a doctor after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The doctor said he didn’t think that was what my husband had, but when asked what he thought the problem was, said we were too concerned with labels. And then prescribed him LITHIUM. Sometimes labels are important. My husband had BPD, by the way.
When it comes to medications labels are very important. Bpd is a whole other thing than BP. I have bipolar disorder and it would be like a doctor prescribing me phenobarbital instead of my lithium.
A lot of doctors are hesitant to tell BPD people that's what they're dealing with. It's such a notoriously difficult, highly stigmatized condition. They want the patient to continue receiving help, and from what I understand BPD folks tend to drop out of therapy when they learn about it.
@@tinygreenpeaI learned this when I had to pry my BPD diagnosis out of my therapist. Fortunately, he knew me well enough to know I saw the label as a map to help for a problem that already existed.
The borderline personality disorder and bipolar confusion is strong in this one: but honestly, huge chance he's actually autistic and ADHD. Very common misdiagnosis either way.
Guys, mental issues are too complex. Yes there are labels. But the labels are like circles, and people might not fit perfectly in a circle, we would maybe have a shoe in a few circles like in venn diagrams - and some parts that can't be diagnosed. It's best to have some guidelines to try to make the best of our lives, but do not let it define you.
As someone who is late diagnosed, labels are SO important. It’s not just for insurance, it really does bring a whole world of self understanding when you finally find the right diagnosis. And I’m fully on board with CELEBRATING mental health medication because it is life saving. Normalizing it isn’t gonna make people wanna try all the drugs on their own, but it will make people able to talk about it.
And, correct me if I'm wrong, it can also bring a sense of comfort knowing what is different about you. What is making you behave in another way than someone else.
It’s over prescribed, having all of Hollywood constantly celebrating having mental illness has been a large part in the overprescribing of these medications.
I was diagnosed and treated and i wish i didnt get labelled or the meds because now i have an unhealthy relationship with both those things. i think mental health care should be more personalised and accomodating than it is (this coming from someone studying to be a psychologist).
I struggled to find the diagnosis on Meniere’s - in retrospect it seems so obvious since my symptoms are a textbook example of the condition now. Thankfully the standard treatments, as problematic as they are, have worked for me. Being able to name my personal demon is so helpful in being able to explain it. People are either fascinated and have lots of questions or they glaze over and want to move on, but those are much easier conversations than the shallow concern or condescending pity.
Taylor Tomlinson, and this routine was insanely helpful when I was diagnosed with bipolar. Celebrating being okay, after endless internalization was life changing.
There is a problem in the western world where doctors prescribe antidepressants to people for no reason to make more money, there are lots of studies that show that only 10% of those who take antidepressants need them and benefit, at the same time other studies show us that only people with severe depression benefit from antidepressant pills and only a psychiatrist and psychologists should prescribe these pills for general people Doctors are not competent enough to make the right diagnosis and because of that, more people on antidepressant pills commit suicide and it is the GP and Big Pharma's fault.
As someone who recently received an adult diagnosis for ASD as well as ADHD I will tell you that finally getting that label has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I was being treated for anxiety and depression since about the age of 12, and while different types of therapies and medications helped manage some of the things I struggle with it was mostly just a bandaid effect for over a decade. Lots of “let’s give this medication a try and check back in about a month or two to adjust.” Like Taylor, it wasn’t until after doing tons of my own research and taking it to my doctors that they finally went “huh you might actually be on to something”. Also chances are you won’t even get to request medications you might not need because most GP’s will probably just start throwing pills at you until they settle on a combination that even remotely works.
Hey! I wasn't necessarily an adult but I got mine around 16-17 and my dyslexia at this year at 20, labels are wonderful things! (as long as you don't have impostor syndrome like me and became the prime example of autism and ADD for over a year because I thought I needed to prove it was correct) I've got a few drug combos myself and for me I know that here in Sweden doctors will do whatever they can to avoid giving you medications of any kind so I had to insist for over a year that I needed just simply mood stabilising meds and anxiety meds. Took until I was in the ER for attempting that something actually happened, now I've got more for like adhd issues and such. So the US may have some problems in wanting to medicate their patients but at least those who need it can get the ball rolling years before us.
Yup, I have ADHD and spent over a decade of my adult life being told it was anxiety. Some of the anxiety treatments help with symptoms, but not the cause. Some of the anxiety treatments actually made the ADHD worse and I was left feeling like I was just "bad' at having anxiety bc I would do the work and see no gains/be even further behind. After pushing for an assessment, meeting the diagnostic criteria, being told by a doctor that despite meeting the criteria he felt maybe my decades of complicated issues would go away if I just "slept better", I was FINALLY given proper treatment and my life completely changed. I always felt frustrated bc it seemed like my brain just didn't work like everyone else's and having the label of "neuro-divergent" has been significant in improving my self-image. Instead of beating myself up for not meeting neuro-typical standards, I'm learning how my brain does work so I can adjust the things I do have control over to get more desirable results.
I'm trying to get diagnosed now - have been on and off anxiety and depression meds for my "depression, anxiety, social phobia and PTSD" last 10 years while I can recall neurodivergent traits as far back as kindergarten.. I think I have developed most of the depression and anxiety due to always being the odd one out and failing miserably even minor life tasks while excelling at most school subjects. For now I have signed up for a PTSD treatment and found a doc who's kind and listening, so hopefully it'll lead to something... Fingers crossed for some explanation and solutions to the house keys in the trash can! XD
YES! I just got diagnosed with ADHD at 28, and the label has been so validating. Instead of feeling like I'm a failure at being a human being, I feel like I've done a pretty good job and managing an undiagnosed disorder with no treatment or support for my whole life. It feels very validating, and now I know where to look for more information about ways that I can work with my brain instead of beating myself up all the time.
When you have a chronic disorder and you go through tons of tests and it goes on and on for years, and you finally get a diagnosis, it means the world! Just having an idea of what is wrong and that you aren't just crazy and suffering and everyone keeps telling you that they have no idea what is wrong with you, or even doubt there is anything wrong. Having that diagnosis, no matter how bad, is a relief.
Especially a definitive one because on top of everything else you may be worried; "what if it's cancer or something big being missed?" And usually a diagnosis comes with treatment and support options if not a straight cure, which is great unless you have something less common.
Exactly! When I finally got diagnosed for Borderline personality disorder after 4 years I was finally able to understand a bunch of behavioral issues I was having. It helped me start correcting the ones I could and developing coping mechanisms for the ones that I can't work out on my own
Well taking drugs from big pharma is a band aid at best. The medical system is good for trauma but any chronic issues you are retarded to trust them. Big phRma doesn't care about fixing your problems
2:36 i know i dont speak for everyone when i say this, but as someone who has GAD and some kind of depression disorder, as well as undiagnosed adhd and maybe autism (my mom is a psyc nurse for children and has seen the signs) , having the specific names for these things rather than just wondering what's "wrong" with me makes me feel just a bit better. it gives me a kind of explanation, plus I get to then know what I should expect in the future with that disorder.
After thinking I just sucked as a person for half my life, having a label is absolutely beneficial for patients. It’s soooooo nice to finally know what’s going on. Not to mention getting a diagnosis/labels leads to getting correct treatment (which can sometimes be medication) which can be 100% life changing. I celebrated the hell out of my diagnosis 😂
I always thought I sucked as a person too. I thought I had mood swings, or depression as I lacked motivation. Turns out I have Dyslexia which means I don't process Dopamine and lack Executive Skills.
And to add on, you absolutely need to know your diagnosis when it comes to filing for insurance, job applications, driver's license renewal, etc. etc. literally SO many things require medical disclosure and it's negligent to not give your patient that ability. You don't tell your patient about their diagnosis, they don't list it as a diagnosis on medical insurance, and suddenly it's an issue and insurance fraud.
@@karla.karla. Well obviously. But the issue is not with the label it’s their reaction to it. And that’s not what we’re talking about in this thread. We’re talking about how using a blanket statement like “I don’t like labels” as a doctor is a little strange. Because it’s incredible beneficial to a lot of people. Getting a diagnosis can be devastating as well. But it’s part of the healing process for many of us.
That Taylor Tomlinson bit is so true to life. People want diagnoses, it gives them a sense of closure. "Oh, of course I x, I have y." It feels good to have an answer. And yet, every disease and disorder present differently in different people. We're likely better off treating symptoms, like she said.
thats why its usually "you have bipolar sympthoms" and not "you are bipolar". it gives you an umbrella to work with, because, as you just said, everyone is different
Yes and no - we should tailor treatment to each individual patients needs, but those diagnosis/labels are often hugely empowering. You can find additional information, benefit from shared experiences and resources and find support groups, etc. But even just for the fact of knowing you're not alone in being the way you are, that has been an massive deal for me personally, with both physical and mental health conditions that weren't diagnosed for years. (am now 42 and still trying to get any formal advice/testing for possible ADHD/ADD, in addition to physical health stuff diagnosed in mid30s and anxiety disorder in my late 20s)
A diagnosis was life changing to me. Struggling with tremors ever since I can remember, my parents weren't concerned about it at all but all that time I felt so alone dealing with it. Once I am an adult, I tried looking it up and knew it right away it is essential tremor disorder, later on a neurologist confirmed it and I never felt more free and seen.
me too! i thought i was having episodes of high/low blood sugar for years. i was recently diagnosed with ET. walmrt recently stopped me for 'suspicion of shoplifting' because my hands were shaking during checkout.....man!! i need a card to carry or something!
You two are the best duo 😂😂 the natural chemistry of your friendship is so apparent and it's clear you're comfortable with one another and have the kind of brains that just click together! GIVE US MORE PAM ❤️
As someone who got diagnosed with ADHD in my 40's, the diagnosis was hugely impactful. It took a lot of my past "failures" from something that was a character flaw (it happened because I'm lazy, careless, disrespectful, rude, over-bearing, or any of the other things I was told from the time I was a child) to something that happened because I was undiagnosed ADHD and was doing my best at bare-knuckling my way through this neuro-typical world.
Same, I was diagnosed at 32 after being treated for depression for years (and then I had to fight for a few years to get an assessment, even though it was my GP who originally thought of ADHD, not me)
I was so relieved & thankful when I got a diagnosis. 3 months after a traumatic brain injury, my doctor told me I couldn’t still be experiencing symptoms because “concussions don’t last that long.” She told me all my symptoms were in my head even though I couldn’t walk normally or look down without losing balance. I left feeling completely defeated & crazy. A couple months later I saw another doctor who diagnosed me with post concussion syndrome & prescribed occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy & cognitive therapy. Sometimes diagnosis can be self fulfilling prophecies, but they can also normalize & validate what a person is experiencing. Also, love it when you collaborate with Pam!!
Same deal with me, I got assaulted and had a midline shift, subdural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, post traumatic hygroma, atrophy, etc. Lots of seizures, passing out, amnesia, migraines, photophobia, emotional and personality changes etc. I'm doing alright now but my neurologist says it could be about a year long healing process before its fully done "recovering" but all the places that bleed out will likely atrophy. Brain injuries suck and now I'm effectively in a semi confused state, in pain, and afraid of lights. Wear your helmets and protect your head, it won't worth it lmfao
To be super-technical, it was "all in your head" but it was also real. edit: I am happy for you that you finally got a doctor to recognize and help with your problems!
Getting medicated is something to celebrate. Because you aren't celebrating needing the medicine. You are celebrating getting the help to improve your life❤
@@mspotato1354 Okay why are you people not understanding this 🤣 her DOCTOR prescribed the combination. She was just GOOGLING it. She was not self medicating. She was not creating her own drug combinations. Learn comprehension skills please.
@@vinchinzo594 and @slideshowgurl the thing is... she said " *_I_* finally found a combo that worked for me" (1:31), so that's ambiguous. :-| Also, the issue isn't really about what _she_ did, but about how people will _interpret_ what they hear.
@@irrelevant_noob It's only ambiguous if you didn't hear the rest of what she said, about her doctor 🙄 And if people interpret what she said as "feel free to experiment on yourself with random drugs" then they were too stupid for a simple change of phrasing to help them anyway. Let's keep it real...
@@irrelevant_noob Guys, no. The doctor prescribed different medications until something worked and helped stabilize her mental health. It's notoriously difficult to stabilize bipolar disorder and every patient is different and one combination may work for one person but not another. So there's always a bit of trial and error that goes into treating the disorder. And NO she was not making these concoctions herself. Bipolar disorder treatment often comes with powerful mood stabilizers that would wreak havoc on a neurotypical mind and are only available through prescription and extensive therapy. Taylor is not a healthcare professional so she would not be able to prescribe herself the medications and no psychiatrist would offer them unless they were sure the patient needed them.
That was so sweet that he said to her _"You should've called me, I would've held your hand."_ It was so quick, but yeah, that was a nice thing from a friend to say. I assume they're friends with how they interact. We all need a friend who would hold our hand during a frightening procedure.
But then she tried to explain that it wouldn't help. And he just doubled down on the joke. You could see it on her face, what he said was pretty insensitive.
@@elysenardick I think she was just looking down recalling what was going on. I didn't see that she appeared to be in discomfort. That's my take anyway. But yeah, it was a terrible joke on his part, lol.
@@davidbetancourt4028 If you've experienced a continued joke about something you experienced then you'd spot it easily. She was visibly uncomfortable with a lot of his statements and had worse looks when she realised he was doubling down on the joke, missing what it was she was trying to impart. Like she was trying to say she was in so much pain and he just went "you didn't need pain relief you needed a hand to hold" and she tried to explain again that no, she really was in pain, a hand wouldn't have taken the pain away. And he still thought it appropriate to joke about. And he's a doctor! He's the one who will be treating actual patients with that "you don't need pain relief, I'm here!" attitude.
I love how dr Mike and Pam can disagree, have a normal conversation about it. And find a middle ground. It feels like these days you don’t see that much
2:29 A lot of therapists won't tell you what they observe if they think you aren't ready to handle it. This is mostly done because you'll reject/deny the observations if you aren't ready and it can get in the way of progress. A much better strategy that therapists use is seeding these observations in subtly to make you draw your own conclusions.
My psychiatrist for about 2 years also never told me what I had. She just prescribed Lamictal and Lexapro. She only explicitly said I was bipolar II when I asked her, "What do I have?" TWO years later. The entire time, I just thought I had depression, or that she was just treating symptoms but not an actual condition. I'm personally glad to have the "label" of bipolar because, ever since I was a young teenager (like 13 or 14), my way of coping was to read about things I could relate to. So I did a lot of Googling about depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, etc. And it really helped me feel better about myself because I understood what was going on with me on a more objective level. So being able to read up on bipolar disorder is also quite therapeutic for me.
Same here with my diagnoses. It helps tremendously to be able to seek knowledge and tools about how to cope or improve my behavior, and understand the patterns and causes.
"But really, a person is not a diagnosis" SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! I'm autistic and this is how I feel when people use autism as an insult. We are more than a diagnosis. We still have souls, we still have feelings, and we are still human. That being said, you and Pamela are such a dynamic duo.
I hate it when people view others with autism as being lesser or having serious limitations. Like...okay, maybe they do things differently than YOU. But there is NO reason they can't lead perfectly wonderful and fulfilling lives, thank you very much.
While I do agree with you on that, being diagnosed with Autism changed my life and made everything fall into place. My whole life I thought everyone else had the same struggles as me but was just coping better so to know I was facing more was life changing. The same with the physical conditions I’ve been diagnosed with. The symptoms weren’t just in my head and I wasn’t lazy and those diagnoses proved that for me and others in my life
Me immediately: "YOU TELL HIM, PAMELA!!!!!!!!!!" Honestly, a few of Dr. Mike's comments during Taylor Tomlinson's set - about people cheering when she said she was on medication, labels - it was obvious that he has so much to learn about the mental health community. It was frustrating and I'm so glad Pamela was there to set him straight.
@user-wh5ir4fo4rOhh! I don’t know about opioids but I’m on ADHD meds. That’s another common “Oh what if you get addicted?!” medication. The thing is, the way ADHD works is it doesn’t go away. So addicted or not I’m taking it forever 😅
Mental health issues shouldn't be glorified. They shouldn't be a permanent state of being. You should be working to get past it through medication and psychotherapy. Why does everyone need to be celebrated for every little aspect of their lives? It's so backwards. Dr. Mike responded that way because it's obviously not desirable to suffer from those issues
@@NadiaSeesItit’s not glorified, it’s finally something one can be open about without the huge stigma of the past attached to it so you feel less alone in your experience. There are certain things you can do therapy alone to improve upon, most treatments are better supported by combining meds with therapy, but you can’t exactly talk your way through ADHD or bipolar or a major depressive episode. Medications help you to stabilize to a certain degree and yes there are people who stop there but most will choose therapy first before medications and that’s also not always effective by itself.
@NadiaSeesIt "mental health issues" can most certainly be permanent and not able to be "worked through". It's attitudes like yours that reinforce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
@@grrrlgeek2536the stigma exists through reinforcement, for better or worse. Both sides contribute in an unhealthy way. There are legitimate issues but we’ve vastly exacerbated them, labeling anything and everything as a disorder and, this is the for worse part, people end up claiming them and placing them as their entire identity because it earns them social credit. A holistic analysis of the issue through a psychological AND philosophical lens is necessary here. However, most people ignore the philosophical side of things which has lead to a lot of ignorance surrounding psychology and science. Keeping in mind that psychology is still a soft science and we know very little about the brain.
My husband was suddenly becoming very angry/yelling after several years of marriage and I couldn’t understand what was going on. Turns out it was indeed depression. As a female with depression/anxiety that stems from loss of parents, a mild form of PTSD, and then PPD, I felt really dumb not recognizing it in him. Now, he’s seeing therapist and doing absolutely fantastic. But it was scary how different it was for him versus me. We’re both very happy now 😊❤
That the help helped is a real blessing. I’ve struggled with major depressive disorder since the age of 12. I know coping strategies (most based in CBT) and they’ve let me have a normal-ish life, but medications and therapy don’t really have much effect. Treatment-resistant depression is not something I’d wish on anyone. Reality is, though, I’m the lucky winner of another potentially lifelong crippling chronic disease and several of my doctors are amazed at how well I’ve handled that diagnosis emotionally. All I can say is… I was ready? Maybe your own condition was a blessing in itself - it allowed you to intervene successfully in someone else’s suffering. Hard to find the silver lining, sometimes, and it’s still a cloud, but it’s often there.
Not down playing his issues, but my husband went through depression too, and to be honest, his depression was a symptom of an underlying health issue. He had low testosterone, like his body quit making it. Depression went away after a time w hormone replacement. Doctors are quick to call everything depression, it gets you out of their office, a rx for a pill and they bill you. Insist on finding out why and fixing that, drs are lazy and quite frankly most of them don't care.
@@cmnr8487 depression is almost always a symptom of something. Sometimes it's hormones like with your husband (possible side effect of the pill is also depression for example). But it can also be caused by emotional trauma or of a wrong environment etc. The last is also not "just depression" and if OP's husband is going to therapy, that's also digging further. But I agree, just taking pills and stopping there is probably a waste in most cases, because it's just symptom management and not a cure.
Being given a Diagnosis actually was a huge relief for me. It's a label, but its my correct label and helps me forgive myself for a lot of things. Also depressed people humor is usually pretty dark.
Agree and disagree with the whole not liking labels in mental illness. I have diagnosed depression, anxiety, ocd and Trichotillomania. I find that being able to put a name to things and look up information and see that other people suffer the same things brings me a lot of comfort. Mental illness is a very lonely thing to suffer with, it’s not just about “labels” a diagnosis can be incredibly helpful to people.
I think you are actually in agreement with Mike. The labels are not the problem, it's things that they are used for. This example is one of the great benefits, in being able to find people in a similar situation to you. But labels are also used in very pointless and counter-productive ways, especially in the medical field. Especially since a lot of things aren't as clearly defined. And even when it is, it's way more of a spectrum and can differ vastly from person to person, even within a 'label'
I agree! I see his point, especially since it's what my husband brings up the most, but learning why I'm the way I am actually helped me feel like I could work on it. Instead of just being confused as to why it's happening at all.
How can people be so open about their mental illness? When my friends (that I've known since early childhood two decades ago) learned of my bi-polar disorder, they abandoned me thinking I was a threat to their safety or treated me like I'm in special education. Don't any of you patronize me with your "praise" or encouragement. Lend me your ears and minds and understand that I'm human like the rest of you.
After my diagnosis of adhd, my new label as you wish to fall it, I am actually so much more accepting myself than before. Give myself more grace. And also big fan of my meds. Make me go through the day in such a better way.
"we shouldn't focus on labels" you're a DOCTOR you should know how helpful they are for people who have spent years looking for the right diagnosis and have gotten the wrong one so many times. Getting a correct diagnosis is an amazing feeling
Yes exactly! And it allows you to find others who are going through the same thing, it also gives you a quick shorthand to explain your behavior to others. I've had severe adhd all my life and wasn't diagnosed until I was almost 30 and it was vindicating. I'm not lazy, I don't just not care about appointments or other people or my assignments, I'm not just not trying hard enough or not listening, I have a legitimate issue and I don't have to punish myself for failure that is beyond my control anymore.
I agree, but I think Mike evades labels because in his eyes he limits that person permanently. As a person who has never been diagnosed he probably sees it the equivalent as setting a barrier from other people, when in reality it's almost the opposite
A big question is whether or not a person feels empowered by having a diagnosis. Some people don't agree with their diagnosis or have been given a wrong diagnosis. Some people suffer stigma as a result of a diagnosis. It's very much a matter of what it means to the individual person.
personally taylor tomlinson's stand up helped me cope a lot better with my BPD. funny (and lucky) i came across it the day i got diagnosed. i was kinda freaking out internally because i've struggled with mental illness for so long and now that, but upon hearing her i was like hey, at least now i have diagnosis and medication. i can finally help myself and get better. why am i even upset? it's not like being diagnosed is gonna add more misery, the condition has always been there. now i can better manage it! i'm forever thankful to her lol. it's been a few weeks since this all happen and i'm coping much better than i thought i would.
I also got diagnosed with BPD about a year ago, and that stand up also helped me sooo much when I found it a few months ago. And, from one person to BPD to another, I just wanted to tell you to not give up on yourself; with the right medication and therapists, you WILL thrive. 100%. You are so much more than your diagnosis and what others say about BPD; I think it’s such a misunderstood diagnosis that people talk about it out of ignorance and negative experiences. Please don’t give up on yourself and on your therapist/psychiatrist, you’re so much more than a label. Take care 🤍
my therapist was super into avoiding diagnosis...when I finally insisted and got diagnosed w autism and ADHD it allowed me to manage my symptoms and actually function. Sure, we are not a symptom, but if we have an invisible disability, knowing about it is super helpful in learning how to acomidate ourselves and work with it.
And also having the community and knowing there are other people with the same neurological spices that you have sometimes makes it easier to deal with on a day-to-day basis. I call it being "NeuroSpicy"
Aw man y’all need to watch Taylor Tomlinson more! The way she uses her life experience and then joking about as something somewhat relatable breaks my mind they’re hilarious!
I want Dr Mike to think about the fact that a lot of rare disease patients get ridiculed about wanting a diagnosis. It can be framed as the person being a hypochondriac or the person just wanting to Google it. But with all the people I've worked with, it has mostly been to try and get some security and self-determination back. If you have no idea what's happening to you, that's scary af.
Thank you for saying this. I know that he’s a good guy, but his attitude here came off very ableist. It’s clear he’s never been in the position of seeking treatment for a problem and being dismissed by, sometimes, multiple doctors until someone FINALLY connects all your symptoms with a diagnosis. You can feel like you’re losing your mind. And the feeling of your pain or distress not being taken seriously can be so dehumanizing.
Absolutely agree! For years I had an inkling something wasn’t right with my treatment… So like Taylor I looked it up and low and behold I was right and am living my best life
@@nurseratchet9974 no one is suggesting that a doctor should not practice responsibly. However, your response highlights the very real stigma that exists surrounding the use of psychiatric medications. Telling a person with a mental health disorder to just get therapy is like telling a diabetic to just change their diet. Without using both tools, medicine and lifestyle changes (like those learned in therapy), neither patient would get better. And the results of not receiving both treatments can be just as detrimental.
My psychologist forgot to tell me about my autism diagnosis. I'd brought it up before and she'd decided that I had some traits of autism but not actual autism. Then I had a terrible burn out episode at college. I didn't find out until 1 year later when I was in voc-rehab and the dude there thought I might be bipolar or something because I clearly had more than just depression and anxiety going on. I brought it up to my psychologist and she said, "Oh no, you're not bipolar. That's just the autism." The burnout was apparently enough to make her realize I had just been really good at unconsciously masking, but she forgot to inform me. I felt vindicated though. I had suspected I might be autistic since I was 10.
I'm not a doctor, I'm just another person who can't discuss mental illness with her family. Seeing Taylor Tomlinson discuss her own journey was really impactful and uplifting for me. There's a line in "The History Boys" about how [consuming media] is the most wonderful when it feels like some you have never met before, never will meet, someone who may no longer be alive, it feels like they have reached out their hand and taken yours. And when you're in isolated from the people you love because they can't understand what you're moving through, those kinds of experiences are invaluable. It's good that she's sharing her own experience in a positive light.
I have Tourette’s syndrome, and seeing this video was so AWESOME, and that last clip, when Pam said that, now seeing that guy doing or talking about tics, that would start up hers, and that happens for me too!!! I started ticing up with her !😂
okay, wait, so i also have Tourette's and Pam said something about not hitting REM sleep because of her TS, and because of that, she often wakes up unrested. is that a thing?? like is that why i never sleep well?
You can tell he doesn't have any conditions or chronic illnesses. Diagnoses ABSOLUTELY benefit the patient. Knowing I'm Autistic, have ADHD, depression, anxiety, POTS, etc. Has made a HUGE difference in my life. It gives me community, helps me learn to accommodate myself, know my limits, etc. Yes, we're more than our diagnoses, but they ARE a part of who we are and what we deal with.
I’m ASD and ADHD too and I really think that I *am* the diagnoses because my brain is wired differently. It affects the way that I think. I think therefore I am, as Descartes put it. And I *think* autistically (and adhd but that doesn’t make a very good adverb)
Yeah, knowing I’m autistic made a difference with what was just social anxiety and what was me legitimately being awful at socializing and the social consequences of that! It’s also nice to know that I’m not over dramatic when some smells and textures make me vomit, it explains a lottt. Wish I had known earlier, I think I that may have had a much different experience at school as a kid if I had gotten that diagnosis when I was younger.
No no, Dr. Mike. No no. They will write "gay?" On it. I was a medical technician in the Air Force. The doctor I worked with not only assumed a patient was gay, but ordered labs based on that assumption and documented that assumption in the record. Which the patient later saw because he was applying for disability and was not thrilled about, given that he was not gay.
What "labs" would tell you anything about sexual preference, and what would be the purpose of proving or disproving gayness anyway? Expulsion from the Air Force?
@@diane9247 No, so, the doctor assumed the patient was gay, and based on that assumption he ordered an STD panel because obviously this married USAF officer is having unprotected gay sex.
Man I tell ya, (it took a few years but) I finally landed on a prescription for SSRI's that changed my life. The last 20 years have been the happiest of my life. Every day is a great day. I meet so many people who are ashamed at the thought of medication for depression. I am happy to preach to them that they should explore that option if recommended by a physician. People really do need to see that bad mental health may not be their fault and that there may be a solution to it.
I love how you don’t introduce pam by her tourette’s, it really helps break the stigma and normalize being different. As you said in the video, “a person is more then their diagnosis”! Thank You doctor mike !
I felt the anesthesia thing so much! I went to the dentist to get a couple of fillings and they had to inject the anesthesia at the top of my mouth. So, after stabbing me THREE times in my upper pallet they took my blood pressure and said "Hmm...you're blood pressure is a little high." 🙃
i always had the experience of the dentist stabbing my gums with that metal hook and then going "hrmm your gums are bleeding" like i don't want to meet the person who gets stabbed in the gums with a fishhook and DOESN'T bleed
My psychiatrist diagnosed me with BPD traits and never told me. I found out myself doing tests online and went to my therapist and asked her: 'do I have BPD?' And she said 'I thought you knew, it's in your file'. So it's possible.
That’s such an easily misunderstood condition that I can understand why they wouldn’t be eager to share the label. That said, if you had to change therapists and didn’t know your own medical history would be really bad news.
so i’ve been prescribed adderall for adhd but i haven’t gone to get an official diagnosis yet? but i thought you have to be diagnosed to get medication (the adderall helps me so much tho it’s insane)
It’s especially common with BPD. There’s some really unfortunate “best” practices around not telling people right away and things like that. And some psychiatrists won’t treat it at all. It really needs to be better understood, and doctors need to be more sympathetic and willing to help folks who need it. I’ve known a couple people with BPD, one of whom wasn’t told for ages, and she felt so betrayed she didn’t want to go to therapy anymore. It has real consequences.
@@EmmaJohnsonShenanigans they probably diagnosed you without officially telling you. Some old school doctors think that if the meds work for you then you definitely have it but there are so many different meds nowadays that that's a dangerous way to diagnosis bc it could cause someone to be missed if adderall doesn't work for them. It didn't work for me. I take vyvanse now which is an adderall derivative. I'm glad the meds work for you!
Deadass walked into my psych's office when the antidepressants were making things worse and the intrusive thoughts started creeping in and said, basically, "Hey, let's talk about the possibility of me being bipolar." And it was a good thing that I was willing to advocate for myself at only 19 years old, because now at 26 I'm very well medicated for the disorders I actually do have
Psychiatrists are always saying we need to end the stigma in MH yet I feel like they have definite biases about MH disorders. Like I’ll treat you for disorder X becayse disorder A has so much more stigma and the label will be a burden. Like 19 years of treating the wrong illness and not treating the actual illness doesn’t ruin the quality of people’s lives or lead to tragic consequences?
A label was really important for me as someone with EDS. I was ignored and dismissed and made to doubt my own perception of the world. Having a name gave me a place to start researching and understanding what I was going through and finding other people who have had the same experiences. EDS took zebras as their mascots because when you hear hoofprints, think horses, not zebras. Sometimes it is a zebra, though, and each zebra has different stripes. Different presentations, different systems effected.
Dude, going from having depression to being on anti-depressants and feeling genuinely happy and chill again was and is a cause to celebrate. I will cheer every time it comes up. (To anyone who's wondering if they should be medicated, just talk to a family doctor and be honest. They've heard weirder and dumber than anything you've got.)
Love to see Pam on here! She is so funny and the chemistry between you two as a performing pair is off the charts (and we know how much Dr Mike absolutely LOVES charts... right?) 😜
I had a roommate whose boyfriend was a sleepwalker. One night, he completely disassembled one of our toilets and then methodically put it back together. Another night, he walked into the living room and peed on the vacuum cleaner. And yet another time, he jumped out of the second story window and fractured both of his feet. I was the only one awake at that time and so I was the one that heard it go down. It was wild. Oh, and he was butt naked.
You just brought back some childhood memories of my brother sleepwalking. One time he got up out of bed and walked into the bathroom and opened the cupboard under the sink and peed in the waste basket. 😂
@@RaquelSantos-hj1mq One of my aunts, as a teen, woke us all up by screaming in the middle of the night. She was sleepwalking and said she was dreaming that she was opening a door. It turns out she reached out, firmly gripped one lobe of a potted cactus with huge, sharp terrifying needles, and just wrenched it right off the plant. She was seriously injured, it was crazy
Talking as someone who's on four different meds for my chronic depression, at least one of which is originally meant for epilepsy (and sometimes on an additional med that's totally off-label), I'd like to say that finding this combo happened over the course of two years with my psychiatrist - I didn't just randomly start combining pills. I suspect that's what that first comedian was talking about, too. So I very much related to that sketch, I'll need to look her up.
Yeah. My psychiatrist did the same. Wellbutrin controlled my depression better than anything else I tried (under her guidance) but did nothing for the anxiety and OCD that made me get up multiple times a night to check for signs of a home invasion (which became dominant once my depression was under control). So we trialed additions to target that. Eventually we settled on Prozac and Wellbutrin, which have kept the trio manageable for a few years, but we are starting to need to make adjustments again. It's like my health is an onion and every time we get one problem under control, another one has the opportunity to be dominant and I get to have the opportunity to find out what it does on its own without the previous layer. I think the layer after OCD was undiagnosed ADHD, which was hiding beside my adult-diagnosed autism (yay for being AFAB and autistic..., let alone AFAB and AuDHD).
We celebrate being on medications because of how greatly our quality of life has improved on them. I got on ADHD meds for the first time recently at 41. The first day was literally the first time I can remember feeling like I wanted to get out of bed to do things, instead of just feeling that I SHOULD get up. I absolutely celebrate that, but it doesn’t mean everyone should be on them.
Exactly. I initially realized my depression medication was working because after about twenty minutes of confusion, I realized what I was feeling was happiness for the first time in close to five years. This was maybe 2017. I cried in the middle of a parking lot at my university, overwhelmed by the experience of full emotions, and full positive emotions at that, and being overtaken by the beauty in nature, the blue sky, a random tree I passed on my way to class... That day is more important to me memory-wise than most of my major life milestones. I'd forgotten what it felt like to be happy. Truly, deeply happy. Developed severe depression so young that went untreated from at least 13-19. That day happened after I'd turned 20. Colors were brighter. Food tasted better. When I'm not on depression medication at an appropriate dose, I'm not capable of those experiences. Then, with depression out of the way in 2018, anxiety and OCD revealed themselves. I stayed up late and got up multiple times a night without provocation, plus with every sound or perceived light or movement. Terrified of a home invasion that would never happen. Moving the furniture to block off my front door nightly, and then putting it back so I could go to class was exhausting. I already wasn't sleeping. Eventually realized how bad the problem had become. Turns out, on appropriate medication, I can get those monsters beaten back to a point where they're manageable. The first time I realized I'd slept through the night, and the first time I slept through the night without barricading my front door?!?! Talk therapy alone didn't do that (still in therapy six years later, still working through similar themes). Medication enabled me to do that. 2019 was the year I was diagnosed with autism, big year for talk therapy that year, 2020 was... 2020. 2021? I discovered Adderall. Clarification: I was diagnosed with ADHD by a licensed mental health professional and it was determined that treating that ADHD would be the best path toward me being able to stay in grad school and my dream career. That... didn't work out... but my first week on ADHD meds, I learned "wait it doesn't have to be this hard?!?!" And that wasn't even the most effective dose for me! Overcome with joy and excited at the prospect that the rest of my adulthood didn't have to be as hard as the first few years had been (with an extremely simple treatment, mind you), I got caught up on my assignments, worked ahead, cooked my own food, and my apartment sparkled where previously there had been the same dishes in the sink for weeks, the bathroom was lucky to be cleaned once every three months, as I was always tripping on clutter. Laundry was fine, since I couldn't go to the laundromat naked. Everything else was a mess. Always behind on assignments, struggling to keep up (exacerbated by a nasty breakup earlier that year, but that was merely a catalyst that made these events happen faster). My filter (the one that keeps you from saying everything you think) becomes functional enough that I can largely control it with other strategies again. That was all it took?!?! I'm ecstatic because my life got so much easier, but mad because I struggled unnecessarily for so long. I also celebrated my academic accommodations when I was in college (the accommodations I should have had all along). I got good grades, but apparently that's not supposed to take every last shred of energy, willpower, focus, and whatever mental health you have left. I finished each test to the best of my ability, not rushing to try to answer as much as I can before the paper is taken off my desk by the teacher/professor. Not making as many "careless mistakes" due to not having enough time to process what's in front of me. Not scribbling and hoping someone will be able to read it, but using my good handwriting, because I have the time to write at the speed my hand goes, not the speed everyone else's hands go. Being separated out from the class meant that I had no idea who was taking how long, when I was running into "extra" time, that I wasn't distracted by every backpack zipper, person climbing over me to turn in their test before mine, every time someone got up to ask the teacher/professor a question, if the breeze changed or the air kicked on, if someone had hiccups or a cold. I had adequate room to put my arms down on the desk, think, and write with the desks in the accessible testing area (white noise machines, larger desks facing walls with little walls between them, comfier, quieter chairs, a smaller room. Just check in, put my head down and work, and check out. Not spending the whole time managing my attention and focus instead of the test. I didn't know what it was like to listen in a relaxed way, knowing that I could circle back later with my audio recording of the lecture and note taking assistance in class. I felt like I was actually learning in the moment, instead of scrambling to hoard all the information to make sense of it later. I even had enough room mentally to raise my hand to answer or ask questions sometimes. The end result of my grades didn't change, but my quality of life did. Which was such a huge deal. I had no idea it WASN'T that hard for my peers. I thought everyone had to work like I did, sacrifice like I did, to get decent grades. When I got to play on a field that was closer to level... oh boy... that changed everything. Meds, accommodations, both are more than welcome, because we can do difficult things, but that doesn't mean we deserve to be forced to do things the hard way all the time. They are tools that make my life easier and help me embrace part of who I am. I also think that part of it has to do with the culture of acceptance that some millennials and Gen Z have toward mental illness. It's so much more common than was expected even a generation ago, and with the internet, we're all more interconnected, support groups abound. I saw the original question and response from the comedian and audience as similar to if she'd asked "any single women here?!" And told a relevant story. Or dog owners, Tauruses, vegetarians... that's how people at live and interactive shows like that express themselves in a way that the person on stage can hear. There's a lot still to learn and I think that the adhd online communities might be a good place to start :)
I’ll never forget, walking into the doctors office, and the nurses assistant did all the usual weight and blood pressure and whatever (this was just a normal check up/physical) and when the doctor came in the first thing she said was, “I don’t want you to worry about your weight.” And I looked at her very confused. Like damn I wasn’t worried but now that you bring it up? Stressed lmfaooo 5:27
I think labels can be really helpful to help you connect with other people who have had similar experiences. ADHD and Autism are ones I have experience with, and getting diagnosed as an adult with them helped me understand why I struggled so much in so many ways growing up. It has also helped me find other folks who have grown up with similar experiences.
Hassan's DO joke is a throwback to a bit he did in his first special. Basically he did a whole bit about how DOs have a lower score on their MCATs then MDs and DOs got PISSED, so in true comedian fashion he revisits that bit in every special.
"Wow, this video is a perfect blend of humor and education! As someone with a background in medicine, I appreciate how the stand-up comedian brilliantly highlights the absurdities and challenges of the healthcare system while also shedding light on the human side of being a doctor. It’s not easy to blend comedy with such sensitive topics, but the way they navigated issues like patient interactions, medical jargon, and the daily struggles of healthcare professionals really resonated. Laughter is so essential in medicine; it helps in dealing with stress and allows doctors and patients to connect on a more personal level. I also love how the doctor in the video reacted-it's refreshing to see a medical professional who can appreciate the humor in their field! It’s a reminder that while medicine is serious business, we shouldn’t forget to laugh at the ridiculous moments that come with it. Comedy has the power to heal as well, and it's great to see it being celebrated in such a unique format. Thanks for sharing; this was both entertaining and insightful!"
My husband went to his doctor for his back pain and doc made some comments about losing weight. When my husband returned a week later the doctor greeted him with “ah, (husband name), I see you haven’t lost any weight. What did you have for breakfast? Was it cake?” And my husbands feelings were a little hurt and he wanted to defend himself. Unfortunately, that was the day after his birthday and he had indeed, eaten carrot cake for breakfast. 😆
I'm sorry - a week?! 🤣 At most, dude would've lost 1-1.5lbs. healthily. I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't lost anything yet. Diet changes takes time.
Just as a proven (by myself) fact, weight varies A LOT during the day. It’s not a reliable indicator of health (now that’s a fact given by my nutritionist who is the best)
@@cmnr8487 As a person who worked in medical claims I will NEVER EVER EVER go to a chiropractor. Don't wanna get paralyzed! There are way more freaky accidents with chiropractors than real doctors and other licensed professionals. Some of the stuff they do is pretty dangerous, and most people who go to them would get just as good or better results from massage therapists without the risk.
I have bipolar 2 and EVERYTHING Taylor said resonated with me and I loved it. It can take years to find the right combo. I can understand Dr. Mike’s comment on not focusing on labels but it was a relief when I finally knew my diagnosis. It was so stressful not knowing what was wrong with me. I still can’t always tell what’s just me and what’s the bipolar which is a whole other issue but I appreciate the “label.”
This is actually something I got really upset about with my therapists. I was diagnosed with a depressive disorder for about 2 years and I had absolutely no idea. The only way I found out was because I was talking to a new therapist and I said I thought I had depression and she asked if I wanted to know my diagnosis. YES! I DO! And also a few months ago I requested my records and found out they had made a treatment plan for me that I was completely unaware of for months. Needless to say I dont go to that place anymore because apparently not telling patients whats going on is the norm
As someone who has been diagnosed with Clinical Depression, Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD, and is currently on at least 4-5 different SSRIs, I like the diagnosis labels. It also took me 2-3 years before I found the right cocktail of medications to take so I could function, with more being added since. For the person going through it, placing a name to it is incredibly validating. Because when it really IS a genuine disorder that you have, it's an intense relief to have an explanation and a tangible name to the hell you're trapped in. I'd had horrible untreated ADHD for YEARS and nearly failed high school despite being one of the smartest kids in my class, until diagnosed and finally treated the summer before my senior year. They can definitely be harmful if you don't go about it the right way, but I think they help more than hurt.
Personally, I wanted a name for what I was dealing with. It made me feel better and helped me figure out how to deal with it. I dealt with everything by myself because I thought I didn't need help.
This is from 3 weeks ago, but I'm disabled (chronic illness, chronic pain, ASD) I had been watching Taylor a lot and a quote from her came up and I haven't stopped thinking about it. "I don't think anyone should feel bad if they get diagnosed with a mental illness, cause it's just information about you that helps you know how to take better care of yourself. Being bipolar, there's nothing wrong with it. Being bipolar is like not knowing how to swim. It might be embarrassing to tell people, and it might be hard to take you certain places, but they have arm floaties! And if you just take your arm floaties you can go wherever the hell you want! And...I know some of you are like "But Taylor, what if people judge me for taking arm floaties?" Well those people don't care if you live or d!e, so, maybe who cares? Maybe f***k those people a little." For me, as someone who does need quite a bit of medication, I think it's a little bit unfair to say that jokes that normalize taking medication are harmful because then people who don't need medication may want them, because the jokes aren't for those people, they're not made to say "Hey, go get some meds!" They're for disabled people who were taught to feel ashamed of their disabilities and mental illness to know they're not alone, they're not weird, it's to tell them, "Go take you meds, hun, because your health is more important than their opinions." But that's just me! 🙃 Edited: Because my grammar was annoying me. 😌
getting a diagnosis was absolutely life changing for me. i’m 27 now, but when i was in middle school i was having severe issues with my mental health. I was having panic attacks every time i stepped out of my house. at the time, nobody was able to recognize that it was panic attacks. my parents took me to specialist after specialist trying to figure out why I was almost passing out every time I left my house. I remember seeing an ENT and him suggesting that he thought I was having panic attacks. once I learned more about it, it all made sense. I would hyperventilate, my palms were shaking and sweaty, I was nauseous, and I’d be so dizzy that I would almost pass out. Looking back, it’s so obvious I was having panic attacks. But at the time, I was so confused and just looking for any explanation. Knowing I have panic disorder has changed my life and allowed me to develop the coping mechanisms and skills that I need. so yes, a diagnosis is very important. without one, I’d be stuck in a terrifying limbo of not knowing what’s wrong with me and how to treat it. I don’t wish that on anyone
Every patient deserves the right to know their diagnosis when it comes to a physical ailment. That should include any regarding their mental health too!
I had trouble enjoying the first part of this video when Doctor Mike was talking about drug interactions and relying on doctors knowledge other then your own. My sister sees a Psychiatrist, and has seen a psychiatrist since she was like 16, she's 24 now. For 2 years, 2 entire years, she vomited almost every single day. Her esophagus and stomach are permanently messed up from throwing up almost every day for 2 years. She saw countless doctors during this time, reporting her medication use everytime. It wasn't until her own research 2 years later that she realized 2 of her drugs were interacting with each other causing her to vomit. Not her psychiatrist, not a single doctor she saw in 2 years begging for help, realized the medicine interaction. When all it took was a quick Google search on her own time of her meds. She stopped taking one and she was instantly better. Can you imagine violently vomiting for 2 years straight almost every single day?? She gained almost a hundred pounds because her body went into starvation mode and everytime she ate and was able to keep it down her body held on to that because there were sometimes 3 to 4 days straight she wasn't able to keep anything down. The psychological damage she went through because of this is enough to drive someone to unaliving themselves. So no, I'm sorry. But don't always trust your doctor. ALWAYS do your own research and PRESENT that to your doctor. If your doctor actually cares about your health and wellbeing instead of their ego, they won't be offended by you being a part of your health care regimen conversation.
I would expect her pharmacist to catch that before a doctor did, honestly. My pharmacy is wonderful - I take a drug in an unusual way, and every time there is a new pharmacist they ask a lot of questions when handing it to me. It's like a little light goes off in their head saying "Hey wait this isn't right, we need to make sure she's OK".
I agree. No offense Dr. Mike, but I would suggest never ever entirely trusting your doctor. I have tried to be a part of the conversation with my health care for two decades and I have so rarely come across a doctor whose pride mattered less than my health. Listen to what he has to say, do your own research as well, and make your own choices based off of the information you receive AND that you find because you're only going to hear maybe 3 options from the doctor when there are actually hundreds. And they are likely all going to involve meds with tons of side effects. Honestly this entire video annoyed me because I feel like Dr. Mike has absolutely no clue what his field is actually like. I like Dr. Mike, but he doesn't seem to understand that he works in a field that devastates more than it helps. The likelihood of any of us getting a doctor like him is slim to none. And even though I like him, comments he makes sometimes give me the impression he does not truly understand what it's like to be a patient, which sadly, is going to make it hard for him to truly treat one as a whole.
@@laanaalove You're assuming that on normal days she couldn't keep food down. you can do a lot of digesting in a couple hours, vomiting once a day doesn't prevent you from getting nutrients, especially if you drink a lot of your food (soda, broth, juice) since that passes through your stomach at high speed.
@@AshtonStands4Awesome "he works in a field that devastates more than it helps" that is just blatantly false, I would be dead thrice over if it wasn't for the medical field, and so would a lot of other people. More people are helped by medicine than are hurt. You know this because you keep going to health care professionals, if you truly believed that the medical field did more harm than it helped you would be taking medical advice from your plumber.
I understand what you are getting at when it comes to labels. There was a time when I thought I had depression and that only made me feel more depressed as I was unintentionally trying to force myself to fit that label even though it wasn't accurate. That being said, labels are also super helpful if applied correctly. Like when I learned that I have Social Anxiety, it made everything click into place for me and now I know why the simple thought of talking to a stranger fills me with such immense anxiety. A correct label puts things into perspective and helps you better deal with your issues, and an incorrect label is one that doesn't fit, and can cause you to force yourself to fit that label.
Getting the label for BPD (borderline) helped me a lot just because it meant that I have more context to recognize what was a mood swing and what was a stable emotional response. I learned how to take a moment during a mood swing and ask the questions "why do it feel this way? where is this coming from?" and start back tracking through the past few days until i found the trigger. Sometimes i do it through tears but I find it. Take a few breaths and address the emotions around the trigger: fear, self-loathing, angry, grief, etc... and it helps me to get stable again and identify a trigger. so hopefully if i encounter it again it wont trigger a mood swing or i can better deal with those emotions
1:50 she’s not suggesting trying out a combination of psychoactive medications by yourself like a diy pharmacist. as someone who’s been on a “mental health journey” since i was old enough for independent thought, it takes years and years of trying different medications to find one that works for you. maybe that one doesn’t have a bunch of negative side effects on you and you’ve been more stable, but you’re still just not where you should be. they’ll either switch you to something else entirely, or try adding something. that’s what happened when i was put on lexapro and showed some improvement after like a year. my dr added wellbutrin, and it really helped!! then i finally got real about my adhd so now i’m on two antidepressants and a stimulant. kinda sounds like the medication list of a prescription zombie, but i can’t put into words how much more normal and functional i feel.
4:08 true. I once diagnosed with depression at some points in my college education. I found that cycling is my best coping strategy. Riding myself to the limit or just ride up the mountain really makes me happy.
Dr Mike, I encourage you to watch Taylor Tomlinson’s whole special. She nails it. Just because someone makes a joke about having diabetes doesn’t mean they’re “celebrating it,” as you say. That attitude is a manifestation of bias against mental illness. It’s a brain disease, nothing more, nothing less. Those of us with mental illness and trauma can make jokes about ourselves the same as anyone else. We are real people.
I know what you mean about hating labels, but knowing what you have/ may have, can help you SO much! My undiagnosed adhd lead to really really bad depression, because I constantly felt incredibly incompetent at life. Got the diagnosis, and so many things suddenly made sense. The depression was almost entirely gone, more confidence, and I feel much better about failing, because I don’t suck at life. I just might have to try again for some things, and sometimes figure out slightly different ways that work better for me ❤️
Taylor’s stand-up where she cheers for being on meds helped me be proud of myself for trying meds and taking them regularly as prescribed instead of being ashamed about it. Meds are scary. The idea that accepting my doctor’s recommendation to try anti-depressants was worth celebrating was powerful for me.
As someone with a bipolar disorder, I was so happy to have a diagnosis and name.. before that I was just thinking I was depressed and a shitty person at times.. now knowing what I have I could find the patterns easier and adjust my life.
As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I love this. More people talking about it is what we need. There are far too few resources for mental illness and sometimes it does take a lot of switching and combining to treat the patient. Since covid there has been a huge uptick in people who are actively seeking help for mental health issues. Spread the word!
When I was 15, a doctor prescribed me “water pills” to help me lose weight. It ALSO lowers blood pressure, and I’ve never had BP issues. One morning, I passed out in the shower!
I always write low blood pressure on my paperwork and I still have to double check all medications. I didn’t start checking until after I woke up (sober) on my bathroom floor. I’ve since been prescribed medications that would’ve made me pass out or worse.
As someone with a rare bone condition with a multitude of other health conditions, getting labels for why those are happening gave me so much control over my health. It gave me a reason for why things are happening and helped me immensely. Otherwise I was just living with symptoms and not being able to understand why. Knowledge can definitely be power.
Hey Doc, I'm a Paramedic from Long Island. I thought you'd appreciate this story.. I got interrupted while watching your videos to go help a woman who was likely just having an anxiety attack but during my assessment, her 11 year old son Bryan was super helpful in translating from their native language and obviously comprehended some of the medical questions I was asking. I asked how he got to be so smart and he says "I watch Dr Mike on TH-cam". | promised him I'd message you and ask for you to give him a shout out in a future video if possible.
Thanks for what you're doing. It's super entertaining and you're obviously having a great affect on our youth.
+
This is awesome +++
🤍love that
Blow this up people!
Hope he sees this!
Taylor Tomlinson’s standup on her mental health actually helped me a lot to accepting help that I actually really needed. Of course all with a professional physicians help and advice. But she definitely helped me feel more normal and less ashamed for even asking a doctor for help where a year ago, I wouldn’t be okay with asking for any help.
@user-xw7hs6wq2n I love Taylor Tomlinson, too. In addition to being funny, her bits about mental health struggles are so affirming.
I love her, she's so good at portraying it as a part of life, which it is, just like having a broken leg or a congenital heart problem. We don't feel shame seeking assistance coping with those, and brains and minds are also part of our organism.
An she is always pro "getting professional help" - just Look at the arm floaty bit
Same
I’m right here with you! 2023 was the year of an unexpected diagnosis. Taylor’s standup really makes everything feel normal, and the laughs are a welcome bonus. Cheers to us friend!
He’s like when you show your parents a meme and they turn it into a lecture 😂
They always find a way to make it a lecture 💀
Trueee
@@ingridinge1975 ikr
@@bajqn. fr it's so annoying 💀
im 15 and ive been doing that since i was 8
It's a shame they didn't stick with Taylors full bit she goes on to discuss her arm floaties and them making sure she doesn't drown it's such a great bit
RIIIIGHT like i was waiting for that!
Oh yup totally agree that part of her is just so amazingly, healingly delivered as a former med student and a person who's been having adult ADHD and autism I might say
Legit, the arm floaty bit is what made me decide to go back to therapy and consider taking medicine again. Cuz my brain can accept that arm floaties are ok, but it doesn't like the idea of having to have medicine to live a "normal" life.
Silly brains XD
Her comment about being diagnosed with a mental illness wasn't a bad thing since it was just information to help you take better care of yourself caused a legit paradigm shift in my way of thinking.
The pool floaty reference is spot on
just for the record: taylor wasn't saying she was giving herself medications based on google searches. she said she googled the medications her doctor had prescribed her that were working, noticed they were all mostly used for bipolar, and then asked her doctor about that. she wasn't self medicating, she (and her doctor) just thought she had depression and anxiety, and noticing that the meds that worked were primarily used for bipolar prompted them to realize that she was actually bipolar.
This is actually how I've heard a lot of psych doctors figure out the diagnosis for the patient. It makes sense given that there's no blood test for specific mental illnesses, and applying an external factor to the body and seeing what changes is a good way to probe how the brain/body is functioning. Good ole isolating variables, changing one, science etc
It's very smart to research your medication yourself, as well as asking your prescriber for that information.
She also doesn't name any specific medications, so it's unlikely someone is going to their doctor and saying "Taylor takes this, please prescribe it to me"
You were mostly correct. The doctor " already" knew she was bipolar and that's why she was given that combo of drugs. She was the one who just realized, not both of them
@@kristennations8516I haven't seen the whole thing for context, so you may be correct; but the surprised voice she used for the doctor sounded like it was a revelation for both of them.
To be fair: Hasan Minhaj is incredibly good at bringing his bits full circle and the entire special was about him learning humility and restraint. Even though his DO-bashing was light-hearted punching-bag-humor, he kinda walked it back a bit in the end and at some point he expresses sincere gratitute towards the Doctor who helped him conceive. The entire special is well worth a watch.
That's useful context.
I'd add that in his career Hasan Minhaj has talked quite a bit about status associated with test scores and with specific degrees. As someone with a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz, I had to reflect for a minute about his comments about my degree being lower status than some of the other UC schools before I realized that I and my D.O. specifically chose lower-status degrees partly because our parents didn't prioritize impressing strangers with our H.S. test scores...
I haven't watched his most recent special. But the one from a few years ago is one of my favorite stand up specials of all time. It was sooooo good!
True it was a good stand up special.
Whats yhe name of the special?
@@WinterPains "Homecoming King" is the first and though not the one shown here, I'd recommend watching it first as it's just as good and you get the fuller picture. The second one is "The King's Jester".
Really love Pam being here for this one, because the perspective of a patient and a doctor can be really different on some of these things (like the ''don't celebrate it, ppl are gonna ask for meds'' vs ''no it normalizes it'' thing) and it's super important to have these discussions
i really agree with this comment though
I also have been loving Pam latley as a regular guest on this channel. She is a great combo of information from two different perspectives. Plus these two have real good chemistry together. :D
normalizing isn't always good lol
Also her thirsting over Tommy Buns is fun to watch.
@@danholmesfilm it is when it comes to medication for mental illness. Medication for mental illness saves lives, and people suffer unnecessarily because they are reluctant to take medication, because we get told left and right that you shouldn't want to take medication for mental illness. Most chronic mental illnesses cannot be cured by lifestyle changes, but they can be managed with medication, to the point that people's lives aren't lead by their mental illness anymore. Normalizing medication for mental illness saves lives.
I have a lot of different diagnoses, and people give me a LOT of attitude about “labels”, but having the label is LIFE CHANGING. Finding community of people like you is life changing. Being able to educate yourself and find ways to accommodate yourself is life changing. Being able to know that you’re not alone is life changing.
Yeah this was a very strange take from a Dr who ive normally found to be nuanced and compassionate, I completely agree, having a label has helped me be so much kinder to myself, understanding I'm not just weak but there's actually xyz going on
@@Skylar2037labels can be great but like he mentioned in the video, they can also be a double edged sword, because while you might understand yourself better and feel better it's also possible that you now feel more limited, due to different expectations
@Slackow I agree that people can feel discouraged when they find out they have certain things especially if they're more long term than the person hoped, but that wasn't what Dr Mike was said. He said that they were only for insurance and legal reasons and they become a self fulfilling prophecy eg causing people to act more unwell due to finding out they are unwell which is a pretty problematic take in my opinion. He would never suggest that someone finding out they are diabetic or receiving that label could cause psychosomatic symptoms every time they had a small slice of cake because they now expect to even if they havent gone high yet and shouldn't be having symptoms (its not a great example but I hope it describes enough to communicate what I'm trying to say). We know that psychosomatic symptoms are real but he'd never suggest someone shouldn't be told they have diabetes cause it's life threatening, so is mental health and for me, being diagnosed saved my life and was the only way to get the help I needed to improve as it is for so many people. I honestly have no clue how he could think bipolar is something that shouldn't be diagnosed which js what taylor is talking about. If not managed properly, severe bipolar destroys lives. My aunt has it and if she goes off her meds she goes manic and has lost literally 10s of thousands of dollars, done very risky things and then gone low and nearly ended her life. I agree with your statement but not his, and still believe that even if it can be sad to find out what's wrong, it's still necessary and is the first step to healing/managing. But if people don't like labels then they aren't obliged to go to the Dr to get them. Also the labels can often dictate what treatment you receive and receiving the wrong treatment can be detrimental. For example talk therapy worsens ocd which you need to approach a specific way otherwise the therapy becomes part of the cycle of compulsions lead by obsessions and makes it worse. He as a Dr needs labels to tell him what the grouping of symptoms means and how to approach it given that. That's all a label is, a name given to a specific grouping of symptoms which is what they were saying you should focus on anyway. But I would never invalidate if someone has a negative relationship with labels I just think they are important and if someone doesn't want to know they can tell that to their Dr but that shouldn't be the standard.
I came here to say this. I didn’t get diagnosed with ADHD until I was in my 30s.
That’s a *lot* of years of hating myself for being a failure before getting medicated and realising that a) life *isn’t* meant to be that hard and b) all those things *aren’t* my fault, my brain just works differently.
Also, having labels can help you (and others) understand what you are going through. Even with the regretable and lingering stigmatism around mental health, I find it easier be forgiving of myself if I think, "I was struggling with depression," rather than thinking, "I was struggling to get out of bed after sleeping 12 hours."
2:36 the labels are extremely meaningful to the patient. Being told "Here's what's going on" is comforting, and it can be an identity aspect in some cases like ADHD and ASD. It also makes it feel less like you're fighting the universe and more like you have an actual specific thing to deal with, because you can finally group all the symptoms into a single thing.
Exactly! Finding out I had ASD as an adult made so many things up till then make sense. I thought I was broken basically because I couldn't handle the world like everyone around me did, but having ASD I just process things differently, and that's ok.
I sort of agree. However, I find that instead of getting the name and understanding yourself and your symptoms, we often fall into over identifying with labels and classifying any difference as a part of a diagnosis or as something “wrong.” E.g it’s normal to feel stressed or anxious at times but I have had multiple friends immediately jump to conclusions or blame labels. The fact that everything has a label sort of ends up becoming a personality trait and something that people want to relate to. Instead of just being a part of a much larger human being who now has a better understanding of how to navigating themselves.
@@aristired6252 maybe for some people, but honestly for me, finding out that I have ADHD actually helped me so much. Because not only did so much about me actually make sense, but it also allows me to now find ways around my difficulties and live a better life. There are some people who like to blame things on a diagnosis, and us it to coast through life. But there are also people who can finally get the proper support for issues and have a better life through it
When I gound out my label it devastated me... I got over it
I was diagnosed as an adult with ASD. It explained everything for me too. Sometimes the labels help to explain what we go through.
The correct comeback for "Is that genetic?" is "No, it's contagious."
And then rub the alficted limb on the person.
I knew a guy who had lost a finger, and when he'd met a child, he'd shook their hand and then scream "Where's my finger! Give it back!" and the kids would freak out XD
You're genetic.
@@paolam.p.4075 I GOT YOUR NOSE
ROFLMAO this made me literally laugh out loud.. how is it all the comedians come out in the comments of a video on comedy. No need to watch the video.. just go to the comments.. or atleast wait until the end of the video to read the comments..NOPE not me.. lol very nicely done, well played my friend.
Once I went to my doctor to talk about depression. She walked into the room, looked at me, and said "So you're here to get something for your acne?" All I could say was "well I wasn't before, but now I am..."
Ouch...
Dude what the hell
@@QuackDuck17 what's wrong?
@@sammy6870 Honestly I thought it was hilarious. I didn't even have bad acne at the time 😂
I had a nurse telling me to be straight in the mri machine … I have a very clear case of scoliosis I physically couldn’t be straight for the imaging lol I was like umm I’m trying?
On the labels issue: my husband saw a doctor after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The doctor said he didn’t think that was what my husband had, but when asked what he thought the problem was, said we were too concerned with labels.
And then prescribed him LITHIUM. Sometimes labels are important.
My husband had BPD, by the way.
When it comes to medications labels are very important. Bpd is a whole other thing than BP. I have bipolar disorder and it would be like a doctor prescribing me phenobarbital instead of my lithium.
A lot of doctors are hesitant to tell BPD people that's what they're dealing with. It's such a notoriously difficult, highly stigmatized condition. They want the patient to continue receiving help, and from what I understand BPD folks tend to drop out of therapy when they learn about it.
@@tinygreenpeaI learned this when I had to pry my BPD diagnosis out of my therapist. Fortunately, he knew me well enough to know I saw the label as a map to help for a problem that already existed.
The borderline personality disorder and bipolar confusion is strong in this one: but honestly, huge chance he's actually autistic and ADHD. Very common misdiagnosis either way.
Guys, mental issues are too complex. Yes there are labels. But the labels are like circles, and people might not fit perfectly in a circle, we would maybe have a shoe in a few circles like in venn diagrams - and some parts that can't be diagnosed. It's best to have some guidelines to try to make the best of our lives, but do not let it define you.
As someone who is late diagnosed, labels are SO important. It’s not just for insurance, it really does bring a whole world of self understanding when you finally find the right diagnosis. And I’m fully on board with CELEBRATING mental health medication because it is life saving. Normalizing it isn’t gonna make people wanna try all the drugs on their own, but it will make people able to talk about it.
And, correct me if I'm wrong, it can also bring a sense of comfort knowing what is different about you. What is making you behave in another way than someone else.
It’s over prescribed, having all of Hollywood constantly celebrating having mental illness has been a large part in the overprescribing of these medications.
@@carboncorvidswe I've heard it explained as knowing you are a normal zebra, not a different horse.
I was diagnosed and treated and i wish i didnt get labelled or the meds because now i have an unhealthy relationship with both those things. i think mental health care should be more personalised and accomodating than it is (this coming from someone studying to be a psychologist).
I struggled to find the diagnosis on Meniere’s - in retrospect it seems so obvious since my symptoms are a textbook example of the condition now. Thankfully the standard treatments, as problematic as they are, have worked for me.
Being able to name my personal demon is so helpful in being able to explain it. People are either fascinated and have lots of questions or they glaze over and want to move on, but those are much easier conversations than the shallow concern or condescending pity.
Taylor Tomlinson, and this routine was insanely helpful when I was diagnosed with bipolar. Celebrating being okay, after endless internalization was life changing.
Honestly I shudder at the thought of having bipolar disorder and not knowing it. It must be TERRIFYING.
Pam makes a joke, DoctorMike doesn’t get it, and Pam’s smile just radiates.
Perfection ❤
Her smile & energy is infectious & she's funny, which I why I love her so much.
nice profile pic you have there
He doesn't get anything..even the milk
He is definitely smart...so smart that sarcasm frequently escapes him.
They're together right?
I love that Taylor celebrated being adequately medicated! It’s so nice to finally not be fighting your own mind and body to function normally!
She's a comedian. Not everything she says is true to life
@@dovie2blueBut real life is mostly the basis for those jokes :)
@dovie2blue This one definitely is, though. Boy is it ever.
Adequately medicated is such a modern thing to say😂. It's just so wild that it's a normalized thing to say and be applauded👀
There is a problem in the western world where doctors prescribe antidepressants to people for no reason to make more money, there are lots of studies that show that only 10% of those who take antidepressants need them and benefit, at the same time other studies show us that only people with severe depression benefit from antidepressant pills and only a psychiatrist and psychologists should prescribe these pills for general people Doctors are not competent enough to make the right diagnosis and because of that, more people on antidepressant pills commit suicide and it is the GP and Big Pharma's fault.
As someone who recently received an adult diagnosis for ASD as well as ADHD I will tell you that finally getting that label has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I was being treated for anxiety and depression since about the age of 12, and while different types of therapies and medications helped manage some of the things I struggle with it was mostly just a bandaid effect for over a decade. Lots of “let’s give this medication a try and check back in about a month or two to adjust.” Like Taylor, it wasn’t until after doing tons of my own research and taking it to my doctors that they finally went “huh you might actually be on to something”.
Also chances are you won’t even get to request medications you might not need because most GP’s will probably just start throwing pills at you until they settle on a combination that even remotely works.
Hey! I wasn't necessarily an adult but I got mine around 16-17 and my dyslexia at this year at 20, labels are wonderful things! (as long as you don't have impostor syndrome like me and became the prime example of autism and ADD for over a year because I thought I needed to prove it was correct)
I've got a few drug combos myself and for me I know that here in Sweden doctors will do whatever they can to avoid giving you medications of any kind so I had to insist for over a year that I needed just simply mood stabilising meds and anxiety meds. Took until I was in the ER for attempting that something actually happened, now I've got more for like adhd issues and such. So the US may have some problems in wanting to medicate their patients but at least those who need it can get the ball rolling years before us.
Yup, I have ADHD and spent over a decade of my adult life being told it was anxiety. Some of the anxiety treatments help with symptoms, but not the cause. Some of the anxiety treatments actually made the ADHD worse and I was left feeling like I was just "bad' at having anxiety bc I would do the work and see no gains/be even further behind.
After pushing for an assessment, meeting the diagnostic criteria, being told by a doctor that despite meeting the criteria he felt maybe my decades of complicated issues would go away if I just "slept better", I was FINALLY given proper treatment and my life completely changed. I always felt frustrated bc it seemed like my brain just didn't work like everyone else's and having the label of "neuro-divergent" has been significant in improving my self-image. Instead of beating myself up for not meeting neuro-typical standards, I'm learning how my brain does work so I can adjust the things I do have control over to get more desirable results.
I'm trying to get diagnosed now - have been on and off anxiety and depression meds for my "depression, anxiety, social phobia and PTSD" last 10 years while I can recall neurodivergent traits as far back as kindergarten.. I think I have developed most of the depression and anxiety due to always being the odd one out and failing miserably even minor life tasks while excelling at most school subjects. For now I have signed up for a PTSD treatment and found a doc who's kind and listening, so hopefully it'll lead to something... Fingers crossed for some explanation and solutions to the house keys in the trash can! XD
YES! I just got diagnosed with ADHD at 28, and the label has been so validating. Instead of feeling like I'm a failure at being a human being, I feel like I've done a pretty good job and managing an undiagnosed disorder with no treatment or support for my whole life. It feels very validating, and now I know where to look for more information about ways that I can work with my brain instead of beating myself up all the time.
SAME!!! Thank you for sharing!
When you have a chronic disorder and you go through tons of tests and it goes on and on for years, and you finally get a diagnosis, it means the world! Just having an idea of what is wrong and that you aren't just crazy and suffering and everyone keeps telling you that they have no idea what is wrong with you, or even doubt there is anything wrong. Having that diagnosis, no matter how bad, is a relief.
Especially a definitive one because on top of everything else you may be worried; "what if it's cancer or something big being missed?"
And usually a diagnosis comes with treatment and support options if not a straight cure, which is great unless you have something less common.
Exactly! When I finally got diagnosed for Borderline personality disorder after 4 years I was finally able to understand a bunch of behavioral issues I was having. It helped me start correcting the ones I could and developing coping mechanisms for the ones that I can't work out on my own
Plus you can finally know what to ask for in terms of accommodations!
I hope to someday get that relief!!
Well taking drugs from big pharma is a band aid at best. The medical system is good for trauma but any chronic issues you are retarded to trust them. Big phRma doesn't care about fixing your problems
Name a better duo 😂
First reply! Why are there only 5 likes? I love your videos so much
We need u, Dr Mike, and Pam to do regular videos together. Y’all are all amazing and I loved that one video I did with all three of y’all!
love your vids
Grilled cheese and jalapeños.
@@mrbrianandrewsmith bruh
2:36 i know i dont speak for everyone when i say this, but as someone who has GAD and some kind of depression disorder, as well as undiagnosed adhd and maybe autism (my mom is a psyc nurse for children and has seen the signs) , having the specific names for these things rather than just wondering what's "wrong" with me makes me feel just a bit better. it gives me a kind of explanation, plus I get to then know what I should expect in the future with that disorder.
After thinking I just sucked as a person for half my life, having a label is absolutely beneficial for patients. It’s soooooo nice to finally know what’s going on. Not to mention getting a diagnosis/labels leads to getting correct treatment (which can sometimes be medication) which can be 100% life changing. I celebrated the hell out of my diagnosis 😂
Completely agree. 'Labels' provide us with the knowledge that can empower us.
Exactly, giving a name to overcome is great in itself
I always thought I sucked as a person too. I thought I had mood swings, or depression as I lacked motivation. Turns out I have Dyslexia which means I don't process Dopamine and lack Executive Skills.
And to add on, you absolutely need to know your diagnosis when it comes to filing for insurance, job applications, driver's license renewal, etc. etc. literally SO many things require medical disclosure and it's negligent to not give your patient that ability. You don't tell your patient about their diagnosis, they don't list it as a diagnosis on medical insurance, and suddenly it's an issue and insurance fraud.
@@karla.karla. Well obviously. But the issue is not with the label it’s their reaction to it. And that’s not what we’re talking about in this thread. We’re talking about how using a blanket statement like “I don’t like labels” as a doctor is a little strange. Because it’s incredible beneficial to a lot of people. Getting a diagnosis can be devastating as well. But it’s part of the healing process for many of us.
Taylor Tomlinson is an AMAZING comedian (she’s the first one).❤
That’s not correct lmao
I love Taylor! So happy to see her on this channel
Yes, I love Taylor!
Ikr I love her
@@mackenziebarefoot1913 Salute! Fellow traveler lol
That Taylor Tomlinson bit is so true to life. People want diagnoses, it gives them a sense of closure. "Oh, of course I x, I have y." It feels good to have an answer. And yet, every disease and disorder present differently in different people. We're likely better off treating symptoms, like she said.
thats why its usually "you have bipolar sympthoms" and not "you are bipolar". it gives you an umbrella to work with, because, as you just said, everyone is different
Yes and no - we should tailor treatment to each individual patients needs, but those diagnosis/labels are often hugely empowering. You can find additional information, benefit from shared experiences and resources and find support groups, etc.
But even just for the fact of knowing you're not alone in being the way you are, that has been an massive deal for me personally, with both physical and mental health conditions that weren't diagnosed for years. (am now 42 and still trying to get any formal advice/testing for possible ADHD/ADD, in addition to physical health stuff diagnosed in mid30s and anxiety disorder in my late 20s)
A diagnosis was life changing to me. Struggling with tremors ever since I can remember, my parents weren't concerned about it at all but all that time I felt so alone dealing with it. Once I am an adult, I tried looking it up and knew it right away it is essential tremor disorder, later on a neurologist confirmed it and I never felt more free and seen.
I know someone that may have this! She's an older woman now, I don't think she ever got the diagnosis, I was wondering what she had.
me too! i thought i was having episodes of high/low blood sugar for years. i was recently diagnosed with ET. walmrt recently stopped me for 'suspicion of shoplifting' because my hands were shaking during checkout.....man!! i need a card to carry or something!
You two are the best duo 😂😂 the natural chemistry of your friendship is so apparent and it's clear you're comfortable with one another and have the kind of brains that just click together! GIVE US MORE PAM ❤️
Agreed. I thought they were married!
You can really tell truly love each other as people!
right
I'm Starting to think that they are more than just friends.
@@shawandrew is that because of the general vibe or the comment pam made about the fact that he can tell when she's faking, just curious
As someone who got diagnosed with ADHD in my 40's, the diagnosis was hugely impactful. It took a lot of my past "failures" from something that was a character flaw (it happened because I'm lazy, careless, disrespectful, rude, over-bearing, or any of the other things I was told from the time I was a child) to something that happened because I was undiagnosed ADHD and was doing my best at bare-knuckling my way through this neuro-typical world.
Same! I was diagnosed at 32 and it was a revalation for me!
Ditto this for me but narcolepsy diagnosis
Absolutely!
I got diagnosed last week
I'm 25
Thank you for saying this
Same, I was diagnosed at 32 after being treated for depression for years (and then I had to fight for a few years to get an assessment, even though it was my GP who originally thought of ADHD, not me)
I was so relieved & thankful when I got a diagnosis. 3 months after a traumatic brain injury, my doctor told me I couldn’t still be experiencing symptoms because “concussions don’t last that long.” She told me all my symptoms were in my head even though I couldn’t walk normally or look down without losing balance. I left feeling completely defeated & crazy. A couple months later I saw another doctor who diagnosed me with post concussion syndrome & prescribed occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy & cognitive therapy. Sometimes diagnosis can be self fulfilling prophecies, but they can also normalize & validate what a person is experiencing.
Also, love it when you collaborate with Pam!!
Same deal with me, I got assaulted and had a midline shift, subdural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, post traumatic hygroma, atrophy, etc. Lots of seizures, passing out, amnesia, migraines, photophobia, emotional and personality changes etc. I'm doing alright now but my neurologist says it could be about a year long healing process before its fully done "recovering" but all the places that bleed out will likely atrophy. Brain injuries suck and now I'm effectively in a semi confused state, in pain, and afraid of lights. Wear your helmets and protect your head, it won't worth it lmfao
Technically, concussion is all in your head! 🤣
To be super-technical, it was "all in your head" but it was also real.
edit: I am happy for you that you finally got a doctor to recognize and help with your problems!
@@MonkeyJedi99 hahahaha yes 😂😂😂
Look into hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Getting medicated is something to celebrate. Because you aren't celebrating needing the medicine. You are celebrating getting the help to improve your life❤
Same with the labels.
It's celebrating knowing what's up ❤
She didn’t say she was “trying combos herself” she said she’s GOOGLING what the combos mean herself.
Google isn't enough education to mix medicines at home
@@mspotato1354 Okay why are you people not understanding this 🤣 her DOCTOR prescribed the combination. She was just GOOGLING it. She was not self medicating. She was not creating her own drug combinations. Learn comprehension skills please.
@@vinchinzo594 and @slideshowgurl the thing is... she said " *_I_* finally found a combo that worked for me" (1:31), so that's ambiguous. :-|
Also, the issue isn't really about what _she_ did, but about how people will _interpret_ what they hear.
@@irrelevant_noob It's only ambiguous if you didn't hear the rest of what she said, about her doctor 🙄 And if people interpret what she said as "feel free to experiment on yourself with random drugs" then they were too stupid for a simple change of phrasing to help them anyway. Let's keep it real...
@@irrelevant_noob Guys, no. The doctor prescribed different medications until something worked and helped stabilize her mental health. It's notoriously difficult to stabilize bipolar disorder and every patient is different and one combination may work for one person but not another. So there's always a bit of trial and error that goes into treating the disorder.
And NO she was not making these concoctions herself. Bipolar disorder treatment often comes with powerful mood stabilizers that would wreak havoc on a neurotypical mind and are only available through prescription and extensive therapy. Taylor is not a healthcare professional so she would not be able to prescribe herself the medications and no psychiatrist would offer them unless they were sure the patient needed them.
That was so sweet that he said to her _"You should've called me, I would've held your hand."_ It was so quick, but yeah, that was a nice thing from a friend to say.
I assume they're friends with how they interact. We all need a friend who would hold our hand during a frightening procedure.
they are friends and i’m now realizing that i’ve never really had a friend like this
But then she tried to explain that it wouldn't help. And he just doubled down on the joke. You could see it on her face, what he said was pretty insensitive.
@@elysenardick I think she was just looking down recalling what was going on. I didn't see that she appeared to be in discomfort. That's my take anyway. But yeah, it was a terrible joke on his part, lol.
@@davidbetancourt4028 If you've experienced a continued joke about something you experienced then you'd spot it easily. She was visibly uncomfortable with a lot of his statements and had worse looks when she realised he was doubling down on the joke, missing what it was she was trying to impart. Like she was trying to say she was in so much pain and he just went "you didn't need pain relief you needed a hand to hold" and she tried to explain again that no, she really was in pain, a hand wouldn't have taken the pain away. And he still thought it appropriate to joke about. And he's a doctor! He's the one who will be treating actual patients with that "you don't need pain relief, I'm here!" attitude.
@@AlexaFaiei find that he has a crush on her or something. It is obvious
I love how dr Mike and Pam can disagree, have a normal conversation about it. And find a middle ground. It feels like these days you don’t see that much
You mean like basic human interactions? That's what impresses you?
@@KingKsEDC Yes, because those "basic" interactions are getting rare. The flippant tone of your reply seems to prove the point well.
It's nice to see people actually be able to agree to disagree instead of turning a conversation into a 2am Denny's brawl.
@@KingKsEDCgiven the state of society at this point, people actually being decent is like seeing a unicorn.
@@blusafe1Human history demonstrates that heated debate is not new, nor is it more common. Arguably it just gets more coverage.
2:29 A lot of therapists won't tell you what they observe if they think you aren't ready to handle it. This is mostly done because you'll reject/deny the observations if you aren't ready and it can get in the way of progress. A much better strategy that therapists use is seeding these observations in subtly to make you draw your own conclusions.
I love when Pam is on your channel. She’s freaking hysterical.
She's honestly my favorite guest of his. I'm always like, "Yay! Pam's in this one!" When I see the thumbnail.
Y’all are the best. ❤
I love Pam, she's hilarious. I hope we'll see her interact with Bear in the next video.
The collaborations with Pam are phenomenal!
My psychiatrist for about 2 years also never told me what I had. She just prescribed Lamictal and Lexapro. She only explicitly said I was bipolar II when I asked her, "What do I have?" TWO years later. The entire time, I just thought I had depression, or that she was just treating symptoms but not an actual condition.
I'm personally glad to have the "label" of bipolar because, ever since I was a young teenager (like 13 or 14), my way of coping was to read about things I could relate to. So I did a lot of Googling about depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, etc. And it really helped me feel better about myself because I understood what was going on with me on a more objective level. So being able to read up on bipolar disorder is also quite therapeutic for me.
Same here with my diagnoses. It helps tremendously to be able to seek knowledge and tools about how to cope or improve my behavior, and understand the patterns and causes.
"But really, a person is not a diagnosis" SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! I'm autistic and this is how I feel when people use autism as an insult. We are more than a diagnosis. We still have souls, we still have feelings, and we are still human. That being said, you and Pamela are such a dynamic duo.
I hate it when people view others with autism as being lesser or having serious limitations. Like...okay, maybe they do things differently than YOU. But there is NO reason they can't lead perfectly wonderful and fulfilling lives, thank you very much.
i feel this 🥺
Same
While I do agree with you on that, being diagnosed with Autism changed my life and made everything fall into place. My whole life I thought everyone else had the same struggles as me but was just coping better so to know I was facing more was life changing. The same with the physical conditions I’ve been diagnosed with. The symptoms weren’t just in my head and I wasn’t lazy and those diagnoses proved that for me and others in my life
Endometriosis, depression, EDs, anxiety, etc. big issues that WE didn’t create ourselves, so please be respectful.
Me immediately: "YOU TELL HIM, PAMELA!!!!!!!!!!"
Honestly, a few of Dr. Mike's comments during Taylor Tomlinson's set - about people cheering when she said she was on medication, labels - it was obvious that he has so much to learn about the mental health community. It was frustrating and I'm so glad Pamela was there to set him straight.
@user-wh5ir4fo4rOhh! I don’t know about opioids but I’m on ADHD meds. That’s another common “Oh what if you get addicted?!” medication. The thing is, the way ADHD works is it doesn’t go away. So addicted or not I’m taking it forever 😅
Mental health issues shouldn't be glorified. They shouldn't be a permanent state of being. You should be working to get past it through medication and psychotherapy. Why does everyone need to be celebrated for every little aspect of their lives? It's so backwards. Dr. Mike responded that way because it's obviously not desirable to suffer from those issues
@@NadiaSeesItit’s not glorified, it’s finally something one can be open about without the huge stigma of the past attached to it so you feel less alone in your experience. There are certain things you can do therapy alone to improve upon, most treatments are better supported by combining meds with therapy, but you can’t exactly talk your way through ADHD or bipolar or a major depressive episode. Medications help you to stabilize to a certain degree and yes there are people who stop there but most will choose therapy first before medications and that’s also not always effective by itself.
@NadiaSeesIt "mental health issues" can most certainly be permanent and not able to be "worked through". It's attitudes like yours that reinforce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
@@grrrlgeek2536the stigma exists through reinforcement, for better or worse. Both sides contribute in an unhealthy way. There are legitimate issues but we’ve vastly exacerbated them, labeling anything and everything as a disorder and, this is the for worse part, people end up claiming them and placing them as their entire identity because it earns them social credit. A holistic analysis of the issue through a psychological AND philosophical lens is necessary here. However, most people ignore the philosophical side of things which has lead to a lot of ignorance surrounding psychology and science. Keeping in mind that psychology is still a soft science and we know very little about the brain.
My husband was suddenly becoming very angry/yelling after several years of marriage and I couldn’t understand what was going on. Turns out it was indeed depression. As a female with depression/anxiety that stems from loss of parents, a mild form of PTSD, and then PPD, I felt really dumb not recognizing it in him. Now, he’s seeing therapist and doing absolutely fantastic. But it was scary how different it was for him versus me. We’re both very happy now 😊❤
That the help helped is a real blessing.
I’ve struggled with major depressive disorder since the age of 12. I know coping strategies (most based in CBT) and they’ve let me have a normal-ish life, but medications and therapy don’t really have much effect.
Treatment-resistant depression is not something I’d wish on anyone.
Reality is, though, I’m the lucky winner of another potentially lifelong crippling chronic disease and several of my doctors are amazed at how well I’ve handled that diagnosis emotionally. All I can say is… I was ready?
Maybe your own condition was a blessing in itself - it allowed you to intervene successfully in someone else’s suffering. Hard to find the silver lining, sometimes, and it’s still a cloud, but it’s often there.
That's such a great thing to hear 🥰
Don't beat yourself, my hubby didn't recognized my postpartum depression and it was baaad.
We are all good now
Not down playing his issues, but my husband went through depression too, and to be honest, his depression was a symptom of an underlying health issue. He had low testosterone, like his body quit making it. Depression went away after a time w hormone replacement. Doctors are quick to call everything depression, it gets you out of their office, a rx for a pill and they bill you. Insist on finding out why and fixing that, drs are lazy and quite frankly most of them don't care.
@@cmnr8487 depression is almost always a symptom of something. Sometimes it's hormones like with your husband (possible side effect of the pill is also depression for example). But it can also be caused by emotional trauma or of a wrong environment etc. The last is also not "just depression" and if OP's husband is going to therapy, that's also digging further.
But I agree, just taking pills and stopping there is probably a waste in most cases, because it's just symptom management and not a cure.
Being given a Diagnosis actually was a huge relief for me. It's a label, but its my correct label and helps me forgive myself for a lot of things. Also depressed people humor is usually pretty dark.
Agree and disagree with the whole not liking labels in mental illness.
I have diagnosed depression, anxiety, ocd and Trichotillomania.
I find that being able to put a name to things and look up information and see that other people suffer the same things brings me a lot of comfort.
Mental illness is a very lonely thing to suffer with, it’s not just about “labels” a diagnosis can be incredibly helpful to people.
As a person on the Autism Spectrum who takes antidepressants for the anxiety related to it, I agree
I think you are actually in agreement with Mike. The labels are not the problem, it's things that they are used for. This example is one of the great benefits, in being able to find people in a similar situation to you. But labels are also used in very pointless and counter-productive ways, especially in the medical field. Especially since a lot of things aren't as clearly defined. And even when it is, it's way more of a spectrum and can differ vastly from person to person, even within a 'label'
I agree! I see his point, especially since it's what my husband brings up the most, but learning why I'm the way I am actually helped me feel like I could work on it. Instead of just being confused as to why it's happening at all.
How can people be so open about their mental illness? When my friends (that I've known since early childhood two decades ago) learned of my bi-polar disorder, they abandoned me thinking I was a threat to their safety or treated me like I'm in special education.
Don't any of you patronize me with your "praise" or encouragement. Lend me your ears and minds and understand that I'm human like the rest of you.
👏👏👏👏 so agree. So nice to know wtf is up and realize "oh, it's not just me being weird. This is a thing."
After my diagnosis of adhd, my new label as you wish to fall it, I am actually so much more accepting myself than before. Give myself more grace.
And also big fan of my meds. Make me go through the day in such a better way.
"we shouldn't focus on labels" you're a DOCTOR you should know how helpful they are for people who have spent years looking for the right diagnosis and have gotten the wrong one so many times. Getting a correct diagnosis is an amazing feeling
Yes exactly! And it allows you to find others who are going through the same thing, it also gives you a quick shorthand to explain your behavior to others.
I've had severe adhd all my life and wasn't diagnosed until I was almost 30 and it was vindicating. I'm not lazy, I don't just not care about appointments or other people or my assignments, I'm not just not trying hard enough or not listening, I have a legitimate issue and I don't have to punish myself for failure that is beyond my control anymore.
I agree, but I think Mike evades labels because in his eyes he limits that person permanently. As a person who has never been diagnosed he probably sees it the equivalent as setting a barrier from other people, when in reality it's almost the opposite
A big question is whether or not a person feels empowered by having a diagnosis.
Some people don't agree with their diagnosis or have been given a wrong diagnosis. Some people suffer stigma as a result of a diagnosis.
It's very much a matter of what it means to the individual person.
Even in a more general sense, labeling can help Autistic people parse and process things in the world around them a little better.
personally taylor tomlinson's stand up helped me cope a lot better with my BPD. funny (and lucky) i came across it the day i got diagnosed. i was kinda freaking out internally because i've struggled with mental illness for so long and now that, but upon hearing her i was like hey, at least now i have diagnosis and medication. i can finally help myself and get better. why am i even upset? it's not like being diagnosed is gonna add more misery, the condition has always been there. now i can better manage it! i'm forever thankful to her lol. it's been a few weeks since this all happen and i'm coping much better than i thought i would.
I also got diagnosed with BPD about a year ago, and that stand up also helped me sooo much when I found it a few months ago.
And, from one person to BPD to another, I just wanted to tell you to not give up on yourself; with the right medication and therapists, you WILL thrive. 100%. You are so much more than your diagnosis and what others say about BPD; I think it’s such a misunderstood diagnosis that people talk about it out of ignorance and negative experiences.
Please don’t give up on yourself and on your therapist/psychiatrist, you’re so much more than a label. Take care 🤍
In the stand up, she wondered "Am I hot enough to be an inspiration ?". Guess we have an answer now Taylor ;)
my therapist was super into avoiding diagnosis...when I finally insisted and got diagnosed w autism and ADHD it allowed me to manage my symptoms and actually function. Sure, we are not a symptom, but if we have an invisible disability, knowing about it is super helpful in learning how to acomidate ourselves and work with it.
And also having the community and knowing there are other people with the same neurological spices that you have sometimes makes it easier to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
I call it being "NeuroSpicy"
Aw man y’all need to watch Taylor Tomlinson more! The way she uses her life experience and then joking about as something somewhat relatable breaks my mind they’re hilarious!
I want Dr Mike to think about the fact that a lot of rare disease patients get ridiculed about wanting a diagnosis. It can be framed as the person being a hypochondriac or the person just wanting to Google it. But with all the people I've worked with, it has mostly been to try and get some security and self-determination back.
If you have no idea what's happening to you, that's scary af.
Thank you for saying this. I know that he’s a good guy, but his attitude here came off very ableist. It’s clear he’s never been in the position of seeking treatment for a problem and being dismissed by, sometimes, multiple doctors until someone FINALLY connects all your symptoms with a diagnosis. You can feel like you’re losing your mind. And the feeling of your pain or distress not being taken seriously can be so dehumanizing.
Absolutely agree!
For years I had an inkling something wasn’t right with my treatment…
So like Taylor I looked it up and low and behold I was right and am living my best life
@@nurseratchet9974 no one is suggesting that a doctor should not practice responsibly. However, your response highlights the very real stigma that exists surrounding the use of psychiatric medications. Telling a person with a mental health disorder to just get therapy is like telling a diabetic to just change their diet. Without using both tools, medicine and lifestyle changes (like those learned in therapy), neither patient would get better. And the results of not receiving both treatments can be just as detrimental.
@@lowbatterylifestyle7025 Screw you, absolutely pathetic.
My psychologist forgot to tell me about my autism diagnosis. I'd brought it up before and she'd decided that I had some traits of autism but not actual autism. Then I had a terrible burn out episode at college. I didn't find out until 1 year later when I was in voc-rehab and the dude there thought I might be bipolar or something because I clearly had more than just depression and anxiety going on. I brought it up to my psychologist and she said, "Oh no, you're not bipolar. That's just the autism." The burnout was apparently enough to make her realize I had just been really good at unconsciously masking, but she forgot to inform me. I felt vindicated though. I had suspected I might be autistic since I was 10.
what a thing to forget to tell someone omg
I'm not a doctor, I'm just another person who can't discuss mental illness with her family. Seeing Taylor Tomlinson discuss her own journey was really impactful and uplifting for me. There's a line in "The History Boys" about how [consuming media] is the most wonderful when it feels like some you have never met before, never will meet, someone who may no longer be alive, it feels like they have reached out their hand and taken yours. And when you're in isolated from the people you love because they can't understand what you're moving through, those kinds of experiences are invaluable. It's good that she's sharing her own experience in a positive light.
I have Tourette’s syndrome, and seeing this video was so AWESOME, and that last clip, when Pam said that, now seeing that guy doing or talking about tics, that would start up hers, and that happens for me too!!! I started ticing up with her !😂
okay, wait, so i also have Tourette's and Pam said something about not hitting REM sleep because of her TS, and because of that, she often wakes up unrested. is that a thing?? like is that why i never sleep well?
We either need more Pam on this channel or a spinoff channel with the two of you. Absolute gold!
This!!!
We need more Pam!!
I’d honestly love a podcast. It would be so great.
You can tell he doesn't have any conditions or chronic illnesses. Diagnoses ABSOLUTELY benefit the patient. Knowing I'm Autistic, have ADHD, depression, anxiety, POTS, etc. Has made a HUGE difference in my life. It gives me community, helps me learn to accommodate myself, know my limits, etc. Yes, we're more than our diagnoses, but they ARE a part of who we are and what we deal with.
I’m ASD and ADHD too and I really think that I *am* the diagnoses because my brain is wired differently. It affects the way that I think. I think therefore I am, as Descartes put it. And I *think* autistically (and adhd but that doesn’t make a very good adverb)
This is very subjective
@@Tiffany-ov2jf What is?
Agree 100%. I wish I had gotten my diagnoses much much sooner
Yeah, knowing I’m autistic made a difference with what was just social anxiety and what was me legitimately being awful at socializing and the social consequences of that! It’s also nice to know that I’m not over dramatic when some smells and textures make me vomit, it explains a lottt. Wish I had known earlier, I think I that may have had a much different experience at school as a kid if I had gotten that diagnosis when I was younger.
No no, Dr. Mike. No no. They will write "gay?" On it.
I was a medical technician in the Air Force. The doctor I worked with not only assumed a patient was gay, but ordered labs based on that assumption and documented that assumption in the record. Which the patient later saw because he was applying for disability and was not thrilled about, given that he was not gay.
If it can help your overall health if guessed correctly, and not be counted against you for disability, I'd give it a pass.
@@KaizerKilborn I mean, the doctor ordered several unnecessary blood tests based on the assumption.
@@ladyofrillwater I hate giving blood for tests, so I see it would be troublesome with that happening.
What "labs" would tell you anything about sexual preference, and what would be the purpose of proving or disproving gayness anyway? Expulsion from the Air Force?
@@diane9247 No, so, the doctor assumed the patient was gay, and based on that assumption he ordered an STD panel because obviously this married USAF officer is having unprotected gay sex.
Man I tell ya, (it took a few years but) I finally landed on a prescription for SSRI's that changed my life. The last 20 years have been the happiest of my life. Every day is a great day. I meet so many people who are ashamed at the thought of medication for depression. I am happy to preach to them that they should explore that option if recommended by a physician. People really do need to see that bad mental health may not be their fault and that there may be a solution to it.
I love how you don’t introduce pam by her tourette’s, it really helps break the stigma and normalize being different. As you said in the video, “a person is more then their diagnosis”! Thank You doctor mike !
I mean... the thumbnail of the first Doctor Mike video she was on said "Meet Pam. She barks." So...
@@IceMetalPunk i dont think that has anything to do with her having tourettes, more so just a joke about a comedian
@@wqfled Barking is one of her tics...
I felt the anesthesia thing so much! I went to the dentist to get a couple of fillings and they had to inject the anesthesia at the top of my mouth. So, after stabbing me THREE times in my upper pallet they took my blood pressure and said
"Hmm...you're blood pressure is a little high."
🙃
Oh-💀
I love that they do all the stabby stabby and it doesn't freaking WORK! Plus, i'm at the DENTIST! OF COURSE my BP is high!
i always had the experience of the dentist stabbing my gums with that metal hook and then going "hrmm your gums are bleeding" like i don't want to meet the person who gets stabbed in the gums with a fishhook and DOESN'T bleed
@@dietotaku people that wash their teeth
I woulda said something along the line of "stab me once more without it working and your blood pressure will be REALLY LOW after I murder you" :p
My psychiatrist diagnosed me with BPD traits and never told me. I found out myself doing tests online and went to my therapist and asked her: 'do I have BPD?' And she said 'I thought you knew, it's in your file'. So it's possible.
That’s such an easily misunderstood condition that I can understand why they wouldn’t be eager to share the label.
That said, if you had to change therapists and didn’t know your own medical history would be really bad news.
so i’ve been prescribed adderall for adhd but i haven’t gone to get an official diagnosis yet?
but i thought you have to be diagnosed to get medication
(the adderall helps me so much tho it’s insane)
It’s especially common with BPD. There’s some really unfortunate “best” practices around not telling people right away and things like that. And some psychiatrists won’t treat it at all. It really needs to be better understood, and doctors need to be more sympathetic and willing to help folks who need it. I’ve known a couple people with BPD, one of whom wasn’t told for ages, and she felt so betrayed she didn’t want to go to therapy anymore. It has real consequences.
@@EmmaJohnsonShenanigans they probably diagnosed you without officially telling you. Some old school doctors think that if the meds work for you then you definitely have it but there are so many different meds nowadays that that's a dangerous way to diagnosis bc it could cause someone to be missed if adderall doesn't work for them. It didn't work for me. I take vyvanse now which is an adderall derivative. I'm glad the meds work for you!
@@gloriawatson8258 the doctor i talked to was pretty young but it’s definitely possible, thank you
He really touched his head on the side and said “Unagi” 🤣 _a superior state of mind_
I came looking for this comment. 😆🤣
Deadass walked into my psych's office when the antidepressants were making things worse and the intrusive thoughts started creeping in and said, basically, "Hey, let's talk about the possibility of me being bipolar." And it was a good thing that I was willing to advocate for myself at only 19 years old, because now at 26 I'm very well medicated for the disorders I actually do have
Psychiatrists are always saying we need to end the stigma in MH yet I feel like they have definite biases about MH disorders. Like I’ll treat you for disorder X becayse disorder A has so much more stigma and the label will be a burden. Like 19 years of treating the wrong illness and not treating the actual illness doesn’t ruin the quality of people’s lives or lead to tragic consequences?
Thats amazing on your part almost all suffering wit g bipolar wont admit an issue or take meds. Good job honestly
A label was really important for me as someone with EDS. I was ignored and dismissed and made to doubt my own perception of the world. Having a name gave me a place to start researching and understanding what I was going through and finding other people who have had the same experiences. EDS took zebras as their mascots because when you hear hoofprints, think horses, not zebras. Sometimes it is a zebra, though, and each zebra has different stripes. Different presentations, different systems effected.
Dude, going from having depression to being on anti-depressants and feeling genuinely happy and chill again was and is a cause to celebrate. I will cheer every time it comes up. (To anyone who's wondering if they should be medicated, just talk to a family doctor and be honest. They've heard weirder and dumber than anything you've got.)
Love to see Pam on here! She is so funny and the chemistry between you two as a performing pair is off the charts (and we know how much Dr Mike absolutely LOVES charts... right?) 😜
My little sister got diagnosed with autism very recently and she is so glad to know it. It’s explained a lot and makes her feel less like a mistake
I had a roommate whose boyfriend was a sleepwalker. One night, he completely disassembled one of our toilets and then methodically put it back together. Another night, he walked into the living room and peed on the vacuum cleaner. And yet another time, he jumped out of the second story window and fractured both of his feet. I was the only one awake at that time and so I was the one that heard it go down. It was wild. Oh, and he was butt naked.
That is insane 😳
Sleep walkers... Maybe don't sleep in the nude
My mom sleep EATS. She once ate a handful of onions. I’m going to send her your story so she knows how good she has it
You just brought back some childhood memories of my brother sleepwalking.
One time he got up out of bed and walked into the bathroom and opened the cupboard under the sink and peed in the waste basket. 😂
@@RaquelSantos-hj1mq One of my aunts, as a teen, woke us all up by screaming in the middle of the night. She was sleepwalking and said she was dreaming that she was opening a door. It turns out she reached out, firmly gripped one lobe of a potted cactus with huge, sharp terrifying needles, and just wrenched it right off the plant. She was seriously injured, it was crazy
Can I just say how much I love these talks? The mix of comedy & facts (w/a bit of debate) is an entertaining way to learn.
I swear Mike turns everything into a comedy and teaches us stuff at the same time 💀
👋Jus wanted to say I love your name n pumpkin ☺️
@@amandaphillips4344 thanks 😀✌🏼
Talking as someone who's on four different meds for my chronic depression, at least one of which is originally meant for epilepsy (and sometimes on an additional med that's totally off-label), I'd like to say that finding this combo happened over the course of two years with my psychiatrist - I didn't just randomly start combining pills. I suspect that's what that first comedian was talking about, too. So I very much related to that sketch, I'll need to look her up.
Taylor Tomlinson :)
@@kptrynasurvive Be aware that she is very NSFW and hilarious.
@@MonkeyJedi99 huh
Yeah. My psychiatrist did the same. Wellbutrin controlled my depression better than anything else I tried (under her guidance) but did nothing for the anxiety and OCD that made me get up multiple times a night to check for signs of a home invasion (which became dominant once my depression was under control). So we trialed additions to target that. Eventually we settled on Prozac and Wellbutrin, which have kept the trio manageable for a few years, but we are starting to need to make adjustments again. It's like my health is an onion and every time we get one problem under control, another one has the opportunity to be dominant and I get to have the opportunity to find out what it does on its own without the previous layer. I think the layer after OCD was undiagnosed ADHD, which was hiding beside my adult-diagnosed autism (yay for being AFAB and autistic..., let alone AFAB and AuDHD).
We celebrate being on medications because of how greatly our quality of life has improved on them. I got on ADHD meds for the first time recently at 41. The first day was literally the first time I can remember feeling like I wanted to get out of bed to do things, instead of just feeling that I SHOULD get up. I absolutely celebrate that, but it doesn’t mean everyone should be on them.
Exactly. I initially realized my depression medication was working because after about twenty minutes of confusion, I realized what I was feeling was happiness for the first time in close to five years. This was maybe 2017. I cried in the middle of a parking lot at my university, overwhelmed by the experience of full emotions, and full positive emotions at that, and being overtaken by the beauty in nature, the blue sky, a random tree I passed on my way to class... That day is more important to me memory-wise than most of my major life milestones. I'd forgotten what it felt like to be happy. Truly, deeply happy. Developed severe depression so young that went untreated from at least 13-19. That day happened after I'd turned 20. Colors were brighter. Food tasted better. When I'm not on depression medication at an appropriate dose, I'm not capable of those experiences.
Then, with depression out of the way in 2018, anxiety and OCD revealed themselves. I stayed up late and got up multiple times a night without provocation, plus with every sound or perceived light or movement. Terrified of a home invasion that would never happen. Moving the furniture to block off my front door nightly, and then putting it back so I could go to class was exhausting. I already wasn't sleeping. Eventually realized how bad the problem had become. Turns out, on appropriate medication, I can get those monsters beaten back to a point where they're manageable. The first time I realized I'd slept through the night, and the first time I slept through the night without barricading my front door?!?! Talk therapy alone didn't do that (still in therapy six years later, still working through similar themes). Medication enabled me to do that.
2019 was the year I was diagnosed with autism, big year for talk therapy that year, 2020 was... 2020. 2021? I discovered Adderall. Clarification: I was diagnosed with ADHD by a licensed mental health professional and it was determined that treating that ADHD would be the best path toward me being able to stay in grad school and my dream career. That... didn't work out... but my first week on ADHD meds, I learned "wait it doesn't have to be this hard?!?!" And that wasn't even the most effective dose for me! Overcome with joy and excited at the prospect that the rest of my adulthood didn't have to be as hard as the first few years had been (with an extremely simple treatment, mind you), I got caught up on my assignments, worked ahead, cooked my own food, and my apartment sparkled where previously there had been the same dishes in the sink for weeks, the bathroom was lucky to be cleaned once every three months, as I was always tripping on clutter. Laundry was fine, since I couldn't go to the laundromat naked. Everything else was a mess. Always behind on assignments, struggling to keep up (exacerbated by a nasty breakup earlier that year, but that was merely a catalyst that made these events happen faster). My filter (the one that keeps you from saying everything you think) becomes functional enough that I can largely control it with other strategies again. That was all it took?!?! I'm ecstatic because my life got so much easier, but mad because I struggled unnecessarily for so long.
I also celebrated my academic accommodations when I was in college (the accommodations I should have had all along). I got good grades, but apparently that's not supposed to take every last shred of energy, willpower, focus, and whatever mental health you have left. I finished each test to the best of my ability, not rushing to try to answer as much as I can before the paper is taken off my desk by the teacher/professor. Not making as many "careless mistakes" due to not having enough time to process what's in front of me. Not scribbling and hoping someone will be able to read it, but using my good handwriting, because I have the time to write at the speed my hand goes, not the speed everyone else's hands go. Being separated out from the class meant that I had no idea who was taking how long, when I was running into "extra" time, that I wasn't distracted by every backpack zipper, person climbing over me to turn in their test before mine, every time someone got up to ask the teacher/professor a question, if the breeze changed or the air kicked on, if someone had hiccups or a cold. I had adequate room to put my arms down on the desk, think, and write with the desks in the accessible testing area (white noise machines, larger desks facing walls with little walls between them, comfier, quieter chairs, a smaller room. Just check in, put my head down and work, and check out. Not spending the whole time managing my attention and focus instead of the test. I didn't know what it was like to listen in a relaxed way, knowing that I could circle back later with my audio recording of the lecture and note taking assistance in class. I felt like I was actually learning in the moment, instead of scrambling to hoard all the information to make sense of it later. I even had enough room mentally to raise my hand to answer or ask questions sometimes. The end result of my grades didn't change, but my quality of life did. Which was such a huge deal. I had no idea it WASN'T that hard for my peers. I thought everyone had to work like I did, sacrifice like I did, to get decent grades. When I got to play on a field that was closer to level... oh boy... that changed everything.
Meds, accommodations, both are more than welcome, because we can do difficult things, but that doesn't mean we deserve to be forced to do things the hard way all the time. They are tools that make my life easier and help me embrace part of who I am.
I also think that part of it has to do with the culture of acceptance that some millennials and Gen Z have toward mental illness. It's so much more common than was expected even a generation ago, and with the internet, we're all more interconnected, support groups abound. I saw the original question and response from the comedian and audience as similar to if she'd asked "any single women here?!" And told a relevant story. Or dog owners, Tauruses, vegetarians... that's how people at live and interactive shows like that express themselves in a way that the person on stage can hear.
There's a lot still to learn and I think that the adhd online communities might be a good place to start :)
I’ll never forget, walking into the doctors office, and the nurses assistant did all the usual weight and blood pressure and whatever (this was just a normal check up/physical) and when the doctor came in the first thing she said was, “I don’t want you to worry about your weight.” And I looked at her very confused. Like damn I wasn’t worried but now that you bring it up? Stressed lmfaooo 5:27
I think labels can be really helpful to help you connect with other people who have had similar experiences. ADHD and Autism are ones I have experience with, and getting diagnosed as an adult with them helped me understand why I struggled so much in so many ways growing up. It has also helped me find other folks who have grown up with similar experiences.
I love Taylor Tomlinson. Her newest standup special was memorable for me when it comes to mental health.
Hassan's DO joke is a throwback to a bit he did in his first special. Basically he did a whole bit about how DOs have a lower score on their MCATs then MDs and DOs got PISSED, so in true comedian fashion he revisits that bit in every special.
Q: What do you call the DO who finished last in his class?
A: Doctor.
What's a DO?
@@martinegriffiths1941 doctor of osteopathy
DOs are insecure because few would choose to be a DO rather than an MD. Doctor Mike here is displaying that.
Ok but the DO complex he’s showing here being so defensive is INSANE
"Wow, this video is a perfect blend of humor and education! As someone with a background in medicine, I appreciate how the stand-up comedian brilliantly highlights the absurdities and challenges of the healthcare system while also shedding light on the human side of being a doctor. It’s not easy to blend comedy with such sensitive topics, but the way they navigated issues like patient interactions, medical jargon, and the daily struggles of healthcare professionals really resonated. Laughter is so essential in medicine; it helps in dealing with stress and allows doctors and patients to connect on a more personal level. I also love how the doctor in the video reacted-it's refreshing to see a medical professional who can appreciate the humor in their field! It’s a reminder that while medicine is serious business, we shouldn’t forget to laugh at the ridiculous moments that come with it. Comedy has the power to heal as well, and it's great to see it being celebrated in such a unique format. Thanks for sharing; this was both entertaining and insightful!"
My husband went to his doctor for his back pain and doc made some comments about losing weight. When my husband returned a week later the doctor greeted him with “ah, (husband name), I see you haven’t lost any weight. What did you have for breakfast? Was it cake?” And my husbands feelings were a little hurt and he wanted to defend himself. Unfortunately, that was the day after his birthday and he had indeed, eaten carrot cake for breakfast. 😆
I'm sorry - a week?! 🤣 At most, dude would've lost 1-1.5lbs. healthily. I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't lost anything yet. Diet changes takes time.
Chiropractor, cheaper and great results, regular dr do nothing for back pain in my experience. A waste of money for me.
Just as a proven (by myself) fact, weight varies A LOT during the day. It’s not a reliable indicator of health (now that’s a fact given by my nutritionist who is the best)
@@cmnr8487 As a person who worked in medical claims I will NEVER EVER EVER go to a chiropractor. Don't wanna get paralyzed! There are way more freaky accidents with chiropractors than real doctors and other licensed professionals. Some of the stuff they do is pretty dangerous, and most people who go to them would get just as good or better results from massage therapists without the risk.
I have bipolar 2 and EVERYTHING Taylor said resonated with me and I loved it. It can take years to find the right combo. I can understand Dr. Mike’s comment on not focusing on labels but it was a relief when I finally knew my diagnosis. It was so stressful not knowing what was wrong with me. I still can’t always tell what’s just me and what’s the bipolar which is a whole other issue but I appreciate the “label.”
This is actually something I got really upset about with my therapists. I was diagnosed with a depressive disorder for about 2 years and I had absolutely no idea. The only way I found out was because I was talking to a new therapist and I said I thought I had depression and she asked if I wanted to know my diagnosis. YES! I DO!
And also a few months ago I requested my records and found out they had made a treatment plan for me that I was completely unaware of for months.
Needless to say I dont go to that place anymore because apparently not telling patients whats going on is the norm
WTH were they doing??? The patient should always be informed of what is going on with their health and care.
UK?
I'm sorry you had this experience. xx
Is the whole “NEVER tell your patients their issues or treatment” some weird outdated school of thought? I see it around a lot and can’t fathom why
As someone who has been diagnosed with Clinical Depression, Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD, and is currently on at least 4-5 different SSRIs, I like the diagnosis labels. It also took me 2-3 years before I found the right cocktail of medications to take so I could function, with more being added since. For the person going through it, placing a name to it is incredibly validating. Because when it really IS a genuine disorder that you have, it's an intense relief to have an explanation and a tangible name to the hell you're trapped in. I'd had horrible untreated ADHD for YEARS and nearly failed high school despite being one of the smartest kids in my class, until diagnosed and finally treated the summer before my senior year. They can definitely be harmful if you don't go about it the right way, but I think they help more than hurt.
I love how Dr.Mike feels comfortable enough to state that he has insomnia due to anxiety in front of the camera. 💗
Personally, I wanted a name for what I was dealing with. It made me feel better and helped me figure out how to deal with it. I dealt with everything by myself because I thought I didn't need help.
Totally agree. I recently found out I have ADHD and it's honestly such a relief to have something to help explain the symptoms.
@@lilliank3542, an ADHD label is amazingly life-changing :) Better than the other labels that can pop up in its place.
This is from 3 weeks ago, but I'm disabled (chronic illness, chronic pain, ASD) I had been watching Taylor a lot and a quote from her came up and I haven't stopped thinking about it.
"I don't think anyone should feel bad if they get diagnosed with a mental illness, cause it's just information about you that helps you know how to take better care of yourself. Being bipolar, there's nothing wrong with it. Being bipolar is like not knowing how to swim. It might be embarrassing to tell people, and it might be hard to take you certain places, but they have arm floaties! And if you just take your arm floaties you can go wherever the hell you want! And...I know some of you are like "But Taylor, what if people judge me for taking arm floaties?" Well those people don't care if you live or d!e, so, maybe who cares? Maybe f***k those people a little."
For me, as someone who does need quite a bit of medication, I think it's a little bit unfair to say that jokes that normalize taking medication are harmful because then people who don't need medication may want them, because the jokes aren't for those people, they're not made to say "Hey, go get some meds!" They're for disabled people who were taught to feel ashamed of their disabilities and mental illness to know they're not alone, they're not weird, it's to tell them, "Go take you meds, hun, because your health is more important than their opinions." But that's just me! 🙃
Edited: Because my grammar was annoying me. 😌
getting a diagnosis was absolutely life changing for me. i’m 27 now, but when i was in middle school i was having severe issues with my mental health. I was having panic attacks every time i stepped out of my house. at the time, nobody was able to recognize that it was panic attacks. my parents took me to specialist after specialist trying to figure out why I was almost passing out every time I left my house. I remember seeing an ENT and him suggesting that he thought I was having panic attacks. once I learned more about it, it all made sense. I would hyperventilate, my palms were shaking and sweaty, I was nauseous, and I’d be so dizzy that I would almost pass out. Looking back, it’s so obvious I was having panic attacks. But at the time, I was so confused and just looking for any explanation. Knowing I have panic disorder has changed my life and allowed me to develop the coping mechanisms and skills that I need. so yes, a diagnosis is very important. without one, I’d be stuck in a terrifying limbo of not knowing what’s wrong with me and how to treat it. I don’t wish that on anyone
I am obsessed with Taylor. Netflix need to give her more deals and have a category specifically for Taylor content 😄
I know!
I agree
Every patient deserves the right to know their diagnosis when it comes to a physical ailment. That should include any regarding their mental health too!
I had trouble enjoying the first part of this video when Doctor Mike was talking about drug interactions and relying on doctors knowledge other then your own. My sister sees a Psychiatrist, and has seen a psychiatrist since she was like 16, she's 24 now. For 2 years, 2 entire years, she vomited almost every single day. Her esophagus and stomach are permanently messed up from throwing up almost every day for 2 years. She saw countless doctors during this time, reporting her medication use everytime. It wasn't until her own research 2 years later that she realized 2 of her drugs were interacting with each other causing her to vomit. Not her psychiatrist, not a single doctor she saw in 2 years begging for help, realized the medicine interaction. When all it took was a quick Google search on her own time of her meds. She stopped taking one and she was instantly better. Can you imagine violently vomiting for 2 years straight almost every single day?? She gained almost a hundred pounds because her body went into starvation mode and everytime she ate and was able to keep it down her body held on to that because there were sometimes 3 to 4 days straight she wasn't able to keep anything down. The psychological damage she went through because of this is enough to drive someone to unaliving themselves. So no, I'm sorry. But don't always trust your doctor. ALWAYS do your own research and PRESENT that to your doctor. If your doctor actually cares about your health and wellbeing instead of their ego, they won't be offended by you being a part of your health care regimen conversation.
I would expect her pharmacist to catch that before a doctor did, honestly. My pharmacy is wonderful - I take a drug in an unusual way, and every time there is a new pharmacist they ask a lot of questions when handing it to me. It's like a little light goes off in their head saying "Hey wait this isn't right, we need to make sure she's OK".
I agree. No offense Dr. Mike, but I would suggest never ever entirely trusting your doctor. I have tried to be a part of the conversation with my health care for two decades and I have so rarely come across a doctor whose pride mattered less than my health. Listen to what he has to say, do your own research as well, and make your own choices based off of the information you receive AND that you find because you're only going to hear maybe 3 options from the doctor when there are actually hundreds. And they are likely all going to involve meds with tons of side effects. Honestly this entire video annoyed me because I feel like Dr. Mike has absolutely no clue what his field is actually like. I like Dr. Mike, but he doesn't seem to understand that he works in a field that devastates more than it helps. The likelihood of any of us getting a doctor like him is slim to none. And even though I like him, comments he makes sometimes give me the impression he does not truly understand what it's like to be a patient, which sadly, is going to make it hard for him to truly treat one as a whole.
Was one Trintrellix? I had the exact same thing happen to me! A year of vomiting because of that stupid medication!
@@laanaalove You're assuming that on normal days she couldn't keep food down. you can do a lot of digesting in a couple hours, vomiting once a day doesn't prevent you from getting nutrients, especially if you drink a lot of your food (soda, broth, juice) since that passes through your stomach at high speed.
@@AshtonStands4Awesome "he works in a field that devastates more than it helps" that is just blatantly false, I would be dead thrice over if it wasn't for the medical field, and so would a lot of other people. More people are helped by medicine than are hurt. You know this because you keep going to health care professionals, if you truly believed that the medical field did more harm than it helped you would be taking medical advice from your plumber.
I understand what you are getting at when it comes to labels. There was a time when I thought I had depression and that only made me feel more depressed as I was unintentionally trying to force myself to fit that label even though it wasn't accurate.
That being said, labels are also super helpful if applied correctly. Like when I learned that I have Social Anxiety, it made everything click into place for me and now I know why the simple thought of talking to a stranger fills me with such immense anxiety.
A correct label puts things into perspective and helps you better deal with your issues, and an incorrect label is one that doesn't fit, and can cause you to force yourself to fit that label.
Getting the label for BPD (borderline) helped me a lot just because it meant that I have more context to recognize what was a mood swing and what was a stable emotional response. I learned how to take a moment during a mood swing and ask the questions "why do it feel this way? where is this coming from?" and start back tracking through the past few days until i found the trigger. Sometimes i do it through tears but I find it. Take a few breaths and address the emotions around the trigger: fear, self-loathing, angry, grief, etc... and it helps me to get stable again and identify a trigger. so hopefully if i encounter it again it wont trigger a mood swing or i can better deal with those emotions
4:30 that "yeh" is the most addorable thing I have heard
Taylor Tomlinson is the best comedian alive. Love her!
1:50 she’s not suggesting trying out a combination of psychoactive medications by yourself like a diy pharmacist. as someone who’s been on a “mental health journey” since i was old enough for independent thought, it takes years and years of trying different medications to find one that works for you. maybe that one doesn’t have a bunch of negative side effects on you and you’ve been more stable, but you’re still just not where you should be. they’ll either switch you to something else entirely, or try adding something. that’s what happened when i was put on lexapro and showed some improvement after like a year. my dr added wellbutrin, and it really helped!! then i finally got real about my adhd so now i’m on two antidepressants and a stimulant. kinda sounds like the medication list of a prescription zombie, but i can’t put into words how much more normal and functional i feel.
4:08 true. I once diagnosed with depression at some points in my college education. I found that cycling is my best coping strategy. Riding myself to the limit or just ride up the mountain really makes me happy.
Dr Mike, I encourage you to watch Taylor Tomlinson’s whole special. She nails it. Just because someone makes a joke about having diabetes doesn’t mean they’re “celebrating it,” as you say. That attitude is a manifestation of bias against mental illness. It’s a brain disease, nothing more, nothing less. Those of us with mental illness and trauma can make jokes about ourselves the same as anyone else. We are real people.
I love when he's got Pam on. She's got a killer sense of humor and is beyond charismatic
I know what you mean about hating labels, but knowing what you have/ may have, can help you SO much! My undiagnosed adhd lead to really really bad depression, because I constantly felt incredibly incompetent at life. Got the diagnosis, and so many things suddenly made sense. The depression was almost entirely gone, more confidence, and I feel much better about failing, because I don’t suck at life. I just might have to try again for some things, and sometimes figure out slightly different ways that work better for me ❤️
Every video with Pam on your channel is a home run, that woman is a national treasure.
I love Taylor Tomlinson. She's brilliant!
Pam and Dr. Mike is the best combo, more of this, please. I seriously went from a -5 to a 10 on the happy scale.
Taylor’s stand-up where she cheers for being on meds helped me be proud of myself for trying meds and taking them regularly as prescribed instead of being ashamed about it. Meds are scary. The idea that accepting my doctor’s recommendation to try anti-depressants was worth celebrating was powerful for me.
As someone with a bipolar disorder, I was so happy to have a diagnosis and name.. before that I was just thinking I was depressed and a shitty person at times.. now knowing what I have I could find the patterns easier and adjust my life.
As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I love this. More people talking about it is what we need. There are far too few resources for mental illness and sometimes it does take a lot of switching and combining to treat the patient. Since covid there has been a huge uptick in people who are actively seeking help for mental health issues. Spread the word!
When I was 15, a doctor prescribed me “water pills” to help me lose weight. It ALSO lowers blood pressure, and I’ve never had BP issues. One morning, I passed out in the shower!
I always write low blood pressure on my paperwork and I still have to double check all medications. I didn’t start checking until after I woke up (sober) on my bathroom floor. I’ve since been prescribed medications that would’ve made me pass out or worse.
@@midsyntax my passing out was blamed on being fat. It was actually low blood sugar (which can kill you) and low blood pressure from low body salt.
As someone with a rare bone condition with a multitude of other health conditions, getting labels for why those are happening gave me so much control over my health. It gave me a reason for why things are happening and helped me immensely. Otherwise I was just living with symptoms and not being able to understand why. Knowledge can definitely be power.
17:43 That moment when the baby raised its tiny arms is SO CUTE! I've never seen a baby do that before.
That's called the Moro reflex and is present in newborns up until week 8 or so of life.