Thank you for your video! It's so educational and comforting to hear you talk about stuff, especially since you relay stuff in a really similar fashion to what I do!
This is interesting. I've always seen disorders like depression being kind of situational (a reaction to someone dying for example) and sometimes physical (the chemical imbalance). It does make sense for the situational one to change up the neurotransmitters and stuff. But if everything is situational, I'm wondering how emotions form. Maybe by thoughts (although I don't know exactly how those work)? What is a reaction if not your brain producing something in response to a stimulus? Maybe it has to do with consciousness which we supposedly know little about? And the difference between feelings and emotions? I hate lobbying.
I personally wouldn't say depression is really mostly situational, but mostly environmental (which has something to do with each other but there are some important differences). There are things that litteraly make us sick. For example when you have toxic people in your life (especially if it goes as far as abuse). Also if you always are under alot of stress -for example because your job sucks, or becuase you try to study but your poor neurodivergent brain was not made for it. Or because you are poor and have no idea how to pay the bills at the end of the month... But there are things that you can change and it is important that you do. Becuase you don't overcome depression by doing everything the same. For example: cutting toxic people out of your life. Moving. Switching your job. Some things you can't change - like you don't magically become rich by magical thinking. The world is unfair and in many many countries unemployment money sucks or doesn't even exist. The other thing that keeps you depressed is learned behaviours of your brain: your brain has been so stressed and abused for so long that it formes toxic habits and often your brains reaction to negative things therefore are very toxic too. Here is where things like cognitive behavioural therapy start: you try to unlearn those toxic reactions, you get to know yourself and how your brain works and how you can heal it, by looking for more positive reactions to toxic situations. just one example is thought spirals: often when I am super stressed I can't sleep becuase my depressed brain keeps me awake by pushing me into depression spirals,where I think about things I have done wrong - and not being able to stop it (reflecting on things you did wrong occasionally is definitely positive, but those thought spirals are not that, they are what your brain forces on you and they don't feel good). so you try to find ways to end those thought spirals before you end up in a deep depression hole again, for example: treating yourself with chocolate or video games (obviously should not be the only thing you try and you should do everytime, just some examples), or try to think "no, this is not true, this is depresion speaking. fuck off depression!" what truly works only you know and you have to find out. my allegory for depression is war: parts of your brain just have been trampled down by enemy knights, your wheat fields have been burned down... to get healthy again, you have to 1 fight off the enemy and 2 rebuild to rebuild you have to revisit the areas that have been burned down. what can happen is that you feel alot better and suddenly alot worse, because, in my metaphor, first you are in an area you already rebuilt but then you walk into one that you still have to fix. there's alot more to it, but those are my thoughts on the matter. I am adhd/autism brain with depression.
Love your channel! This was so so helpful, especially with how funny and easy to follow your script is. Do you have more book/research paper recommendations (especially ND ones)? Thank you for another rad video!
In regards to general ND life things, I have a resource guide in the description somewhere! For this topic I honestly didn't need to find a whole ton of sources because they all said effectively the same thing, but I'm sure a little internet digging will come up with something! Let me know if I can be any more help than that gloriously unhelpful answer lol
RE your migraines and SSRIs: one common migraine medication is Sumatriptan. (or other triptanes) They work by binding to the Serotonin receptors. So basically artificially supplementing the serotonin in your body/brain. SSRIs make your body reapsorb Serotonin slower. So both basically elevate the Serotonin levels in your brain, so it makes sense that the SSRIs help you with your migraines. I could be wrong but I think they are also sometimes used to prevent migraines, you'd have to ask your neurologist about that.
That honestly really checks out! They used a different depression medication initially for my migraines and it did not work and I kinda stopped going back to that neurologist but that would make a lot of sense
i am in awe of your thought processes & wise smarts dear one, thanks for sharing speaking & learning so much so we can too! i love my neurodiverse fam /web. this confirms so much for me... ugh the years of telling docs i don't want any of those psych meds - they are not for me & them looking at me sideways every time. open curious minds people! open curious minds!
Thank you for the educational video! I have gone through periods of my life in which I loose my coping skills and become severely overwhelmed, two of those periods pushing me to get on SSRIs (and therapy), and have helped. I have been told, and have felt, that I am neurodivergent in some way. My triggers have usually been situations in which a person I am linked to (SO, brother, father, etc) display negative behavioral changes consistently and cause me to regress a lot. I felt that the biggest "poisons" in my life has been people and environments that prevent me from gaining my independence and those who create an unhealthy environment (ironically, those people did not have any substance abuse problems, they just have severely unchecked behavioral issues related to their mental illness 🙁)
Hello Sydney!!! I have a question, if you happen to see this! I am not seeking an answer as a substitute for medical advice--however, I would appreciate some input about my predicament that isn't influenced by my doctor's bias. Nonetheless, I promise I will still consult my doctor before making any decisions, and take their advice into account! My psychiatrist has prescribed four medications for me over the past couple years, all of which I am still currently taking. I am on an SSRI, a tricyclic antidepressant, an ADHD stimulant, and an anxiety medication called Buspirone. For context, I am also autistic and ADHD. I've been speaking about these meds with my therapist, and how she thinks they may be doing more harm than good. I've experienced a lot of emotional blunting, which seems like it might be increasing my executive dysfunction, anhedonia, and overall levels of fatigue. These particular meds certainly do not seem to be helping with my "symptoms." Although my first med (Buspirone) helps me cope more efficiently with anxiety attacks and intrusive thoughts... the SSRI and the tricyclic antidepressant have not helped me in any way that I could discern. Whatever the case may be... Can medications like SSRIs & tricyclic antidepressants CAUSE any emotional blunting? Do these medications have harmful side effects, even if they are causing no positive effects? I am very grateful for your videos Sydney, whether or not you read this comment. Thank you for always adding to our base of knowledge about psychology and disability!
Hey! I mean, medications, by definition, are drugs. So they're most likely going to have some sort of side effect. Most medications have their side effects lists for free online (I think cause they need to for legal reasons?) so you might want to check those out! My bad experiences with meds have always been a result of no one telling me the side effects so I didn't know I had them soooo that's probably a good start. Hope that's helpful!
I’m loving every video!!! Your channel is gonna blow up 100% you are amazing! Awesome content, great speed for me hehe and very relatable in numerous ways 🙌
I've said this before, but you have a way of explaining complex subjects in a way that is so digestible while also not overlooking many of the intersections of the subject your talking about- it's such a talent and I know your audience on youtube will continue to grow! I have a very personal question for you and I wasn't sure whether or not to ask...but my therapist thought it was a good idea, so here goes. I want to be clear, I know I'm a stranger and this is an internet forum and I want to be respectful of your boundaries and I do not expect an answer if you are uncomfortable giving me one! My question is, I'm wondering what medication/anti-depressant you are on that has help quell your migraines. I have been suffering with chronic migraines for 5 years and I have /literally/ tried everything except for anti-depressants or anti-seizure meds. I also have undiagnosed disabling chronic pain (confirmed not to be fibromyalgia and I have an assessment for EDS coming up). I was also diagnosed with autism last year (I bring these up because I feel like our stories have some similarities and it's why I felt compelled to ask you this question). I have finally made the decision to try anti-depressants for my migraines, and I'm also curious if it will help with my chronic pain as well, but I'm feeling incredibly nervous and could use some information from someone who's been through it! Thank you for your time!
Of course! To be honest, I don't know how comfy I am just putting that out on the internet, but if you send me a dm on instagram or an email I am happy to tell you :) I understand the medication saga and I got you !!
Happy Austic April! I think it would also interest you to know that Besel Van der Kolk contributed to the very first edition of the DSM and states (I believe in The Body Keeps Score) that it was never meant to be used by insurance companies the way it has been. But the first edition is the only one where this was printed on the first page and I haven't been able to track down a first edition, which I would live to have him sign for this reason. 😁
Love how my community college psych professor literally told us "everything psychological is biological". ☹ Never trust anyone who spends so much time talking about Freud, kids.
HA honestly tho I'm starting to doubt that too cause it could just be, you know, a normal reaction to actual things the majority of the time and the people who see it as "abnormal" are the oppressors who wanna keep power... aNYWAY
@@disabled.autistic.lesbian right? can we talk about how the chemical imbalance myth was literally just perpetuated to sell more zoloft? i recently read this study that explored whether psychiatry is shrinking what is considered "normal" and now im starting to doubt my own existence
Mental Illness is real. They just don't know much about it. The brain is extremely complicated. Scientists don't know much about the brain or genetics. The DSM is just lists of behaviors. Most of it is not based on anything physical. That doesn't mean that mental illness is not physical at all.
@@Catlily5 i have been in mental hospitals too for my own illnesses, this was an interesting video for sure. they tried diagnosing me with ocd when i was in hospital cause i played a lot of mariokart... maybe i was just bored and had nothing do no (not allowed my phone, but could use the ward nintendo switch). some of my experiences were a completely normal reaction to my environment lol
![The Disability Rights Movement [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/M4bmInQBRF4/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Disability Rights Movement [CC]](/img/tr.png)
as a homeless person with neurodivergence and mental illness, thank you!
Thank you for your video! It's so educational and comforting to hear you talk about stuff, especially since you relay stuff in a really similar fashion to what I do!
This is interesting. I've always seen disorders like depression being kind of situational (a reaction to someone dying for example) and sometimes physical (the chemical imbalance). It does make sense for the situational one to change up the neurotransmitters and stuff. But if everything is situational, I'm wondering how emotions form. Maybe by thoughts (although I don't know exactly how those work)? What is a reaction if not your brain producing something in response to a stimulus? Maybe it has to do with consciousness which we supposedly know little about? And the difference between feelings and emotions? I hate lobbying.
I personally wouldn't say depression is really mostly situational, but mostly environmental (which has something to do with each other but there are some important differences).
There are things that litteraly make us sick. For example when you have toxic people in your life (especially if it goes as far as abuse).
Also if you always are under alot of stress -for example because your job sucks, or becuase you try to study but your poor neurodivergent brain was not made for it.
Or because you are poor and have no idea how to pay the bills at the end of the month...
But there are things that you can change and it is important that you do. Becuase you don't overcome depression by doing everything the same.
For example: cutting toxic people out of your life. Moving. Switching your job. Some things you can't change - like you don't magically become rich by magical thinking. The world is unfair and in many many countries unemployment money sucks or doesn't even exist.
The other thing that keeps you depressed is learned behaviours of your brain: your brain has been so stressed and abused for so long that it formes toxic habits and often your brains reaction to negative things therefore are very toxic too.
Here is where things like cognitive behavioural therapy start: you try to unlearn those toxic reactions, you get to know yourself and how your brain works and how you can heal it, by looking for more positive reactions to toxic situations.
just one example is thought spirals: often when I am super stressed I can't sleep becuase my depressed brain keeps me awake by pushing me into depression spirals,where I think about things I have done wrong - and not being able to stop it (reflecting on things you did wrong occasionally is definitely positive, but those thought spirals are not that, they are what your brain forces on you and they don't feel good).
so you try to find ways to end those thought spirals before you end up in a deep depression hole again, for example:
treating yourself with chocolate or video games (obviously should not be the only thing you try and you should do everytime, just some examples), or try to think "no, this is not true, this is depresion speaking. fuck off depression!"
what truly works only you know and you have to find out.
my allegory for depression is war:
parts of your brain just have been trampled down by enemy knights, your wheat fields have been burned down...
to get healthy again, you have to
1 fight off the enemy and
2 rebuild
to rebuild you have to revisit the areas that have been burned down.
what can happen is that you feel alot better and suddenly alot worse, because, in my metaphor, first you are in an area you already rebuilt but then you walk into one that you still have to fix.
there's alot more to it, but those are my thoughts on the matter.
I am adhd/autism brain with depression.
Love your channel! This was so so helpful, especially with how funny and easy to follow your script is. Do you have more book/research paper recommendations (especially ND ones)? Thank you for another rad video!
In regards to general ND life things, I have a resource guide in the description somewhere! For this topic I honestly didn't need to find a whole ton of sources because they all said effectively the same thing, but I'm sure a little internet digging will come up with something! Let me know if I can be any more help than that gloriously unhelpful answer lol
RE your migraines and SSRIs:
one common migraine medication is Sumatriptan. (or other triptanes)
They work by binding to the Serotonin receptors. So basically artificially supplementing the serotonin in your body/brain.
SSRIs make your body reapsorb Serotonin slower.
So both basically elevate the Serotonin levels in your brain, so it makes sense that the SSRIs help you with your migraines.
I could be wrong but I think they are also sometimes used to prevent migraines, you'd have to ask your neurologist about that.
That honestly really checks out! They used a different depression medication initially for my migraines and it did not work and I kinda stopped going back to that neurologist but that would make a lot of sense
i am in awe of your thought processes & wise smarts dear one, thanks for sharing speaking & learning so much so we can too! i love my neurodiverse fam /web. this confirms so much for me... ugh the years of telling docs i don't want any of those psych meds - they are not for me & them looking at me sideways every time. open curious minds people! open curious minds!
Thank you for the educational video! I have gone through periods of my life in which I loose my coping skills and become severely overwhelmed, two of those periods pushing me to get on SSRIs (and therapy), and have helped. I have been told, and have felt, that I am neurodivergent in some way. My triggers have usually been situations in which a person I am linked to (SO, brother, father, etc) display negative behavioral changes consistently and cause me to regress a lot. I felt that the biggest "poisons" in my life has been people and environments that prevent me from gaining my independence and those who create an unhealthy environment (ironically, those people did not have any substance abuse problems, they just have severely unchecked behavioral issues related to their mental illness 🙁)
Hello Sydney!!! I have a question, if you happen to see this! I am not seeking an answer as a substitute for medical advice--however, I would appreciate some input about my predicament that isn't influenced by my doctor's bias. Nonetheless, I promise I will still consult my doctor before making any decisions, and take their advice into account!
My psychiatrist has prescribed four medications for me over the past couple years, all of which I am still currently taking. I am on an SSRI, a tricyclic antidepressant, an ADHD stimulant, and an anxiety medication called Buspirone.
For context, I am also autistic and ADHD.
I've been speaking about these meds with my therapist, and how she thinks they may be doing more harm than good. I've experienced a lot of emotional blunting, which seems like it might be increasing my executive dysfunction, anhedonia, and overall levels of fatigue.
These particular meds certainly do not seem to be helping with my "symptoms." Although my first med (Buspirone) helps me cope more efficiently with anxiety attacks and intrusive thoughts... the SSRI and the tricyclic antidepressant have not helped me in any way that I could discern.
Whatever the case may be...
Can medications like SSRIs & tricyclic antidepressants CAUSE any emotional blunting? Do these medications have harmful side effects, even if they are causing no positive effects?
I am very grateful for your videos Sydney, whether or not you read this comment. Thank you for always adding to our base of knowledge about psychology and disability!
Hey! I mean, medications, by definition, are drugs. So they're most likely going to have some sort of side effect. Most medications have their side effects lists for free online (I think cause they need to for legal reasons?) so you might want to check those out! My bad experiences with meds have always been a result of no one telling me the side effects so I didn't know I had them soooo that's probably a good start. Hope that's helpful!
I’m loving every video!!! Your channel is gonna blow up 100% you are amazing! Awesome content, great speed for me hehe and very relatable in numerous ways 🙌
I've said this before, but you have a way of explaining complex subjects in a way that is so digestible while also not overlooking many of the intersections of the subject your talking about- it's such a talent and I know your audience on youtube will continue to grow!
I have a very personal question for you and I wasn't sure whether or not to ask...but my therapist thought it was a good idea, so here goes. I want to be clear, I know I'm a stranger and this is an internet forum and I want to be respectful of your boundaries and I do not expect an answer if you are uncomfortable giving me one!
My question is, I'm wondering what medication/anti-depressant you are on that has help quell your migraines. I have been suffering with chronic migraines for 5 years and I have /literally/ tried everything except for anti-depressants or anti-seizure meds. I also have undiagnosed disabling chronic pain (confirmed not to be fibromyalgia and I have an assessment for EDS coming up). I was also diagnosed with autism last year (I bring these up because I feel like our stories have some similarities and it's why I felt compelled to ask you this question). I have finally made the decision to try anti-depressants for my migraines, and I'm also curious if it will help with my chronic pain as well, but I'm feeling incredibly nervous and could use some information from someone who's been through it! Thank you for your time!
Of course! To be honest, I don't know how comfy I am just putting that out on the internet, but if you send me a dm on instagram or an email I am happy to tell you :) I understand the medication saga and I got you !!
@@disabled.autistic.lesbian Hey, thank you! I don't have an Instragram currently so I will email you!
Happy Austic April! I think it would also interest you to know that Besel Van der Kolk contributed to the very first edition of the DSM and states (I believe in The Body Keeps Score) that it was never meant to be used by insurance companies the way it has been. But the first edition is the only one where this was printed on the first page and I haven't been able to track down a first edition, which I would live to have him sign for this reason. 😁
Oh incredible!! That does bring me... not joy or hope? But like? Something in that category?
I love your video! Oh you are a darling. I love your personality too. I'm sharing your video
Thanks for sharing! :)
Love how my community college psych professor literally told us "everything psychological is biological". ☹ Never trust anyone who spends so much time talking about Freud, kids.
the amount of Freud-worshiping professors I've had is truly frightening lol
👍🌟
I knew it was a hoax the first time I heard that myth…
brb gonna ask my therapist if mental illness is even real
HA honestly tho I'm starting to doubt that too cause it could just be, you know, a normal reaction to actual things the majority of the time and the people who see it as "abnormal" are the oppressors who wanna keep power... aNYWAY
@@disabled.autistic.lesbian right? can we talk about how the chemical imbalance myth was literally just perpetuated to sell more zoloft? i recently read this study that explored whether psychiatry is shrinking what is considered "normal" and now im starting to doubt my own existence
Mental Illness is real. They just don't know much about it. The brain is extremely complicated. Scientists don't know much about the brain or genetics. The DSM is just lists of behaviors. Most of it is not based on anything physical. That doesn't mean that mental illness is not physical at all.
The DSM is just their best guess. I am sure it will change a lot as they learn more. I have been in mental hospitals and mental illness is real.
@@Catlily5 i have been in mental hospitals too for my own illnesses, this was an interesting video for sure. they tried diagnosing me with ocd when i was in hospital cause i played a lot of mariokart... maybe i was just bored and had nothing do no (not allowed my phone, but could use the ward nintendo switch). some of my experiences were a completely normal reaction to my environment lol