Psychological Disorders Exist and People can Function with Them

It's not uncommon knowledge that people think psychological disorders are too common and are over-diagnosed. I fell victim to hearing people say how fake ADD/ADHD was and how doctors are just pushing pills.

My outlook on psychological disorders is that they do exist. The thing is that so many people have them now that they are more normalized. So many people have these disorders that it is just a common everyday thing. They don't even necessarily needed to be stopped.

Let me tell you about the time I thought that ADD/ADHD was fake.

My mom used to talk about how doctors were just pushing pills and ADD/ADHD was over-diagnosed. My mom would also say that ADHD was a result of poor parenting. Nope. I doubt this to high hell, especially now that I am a psych major.
 
Sure, some people have ADHD a lot stronger than others. Okay. Everybody experiences their disorder differently from someone else who has the same disorder.

When did I realized ADHD was really a thing? When I was peer tutoring in high school I helped this one girl in particular. I became aware of her ADHD when the teacher showed me everyone's IEPs (individualized education plans, given to people with special requirements for learning). I was skeptical, which is a good thing. But I really noticed her ADHD when I worked with her one-on-one. When I was working in a group with her I just figured it was her being bubbly and social with the group and the whole group getting off task. I was alone with her while she was writing a test and she literally just stopped writing and stared off into the distance. She started playing with her belly-button ring and just stopped focusing.

I talked to her more about her ADHD and she basically used it as an excuse to not do work. Nope. Just nope. That was not okay with me. I told her that so many people with ADHD and other learning disorders are highly successful. I taught her how to love school. This isn't my point.

My point was I soon learned that ADHD is real. Even pills don't help too much.

I think that the major thing with all disorders is not curing them but ensuring that people get treatment if they want it or require it but also showing them how people are successful in life with that disability.

I am sure the internet is filled with highly successful individuals that have learning and other psychological disabilities.

So many people do have them. I think it is fine to be skeptical about certain diagnoses. There is a high comorbidity of anxiety and depression as a diagnosis. I think this is something to be skeptical of. But maybe not being skeptical of the disorder being diagnosed at a high rate, but being skeptical of the society in which people are being diagnosed. If so many people are being diagnosed with this, maybe we need to look at the environmental factors to see why. I doubt that it is purely biological for most people.

Anxiety and depression, as an example, can be caused by stress, hormones... basically the entire time people are in middle school until university/college graduation.

Why is this on my mind? I have a friend who has a diagnosis and her "friend" was basically disbelieving her. It was just frustrating her more.

It is also on my mind because I was just diagnosed with dysthymia. Don't worry about me though. Dysthymia is a moderate form of depression that is long-lasting, perhaps life-long. I am not being treated for it at all. Why? Well. The psychiatrist and I traced dysthymia back to grade 10. I have had it for 3 years already and the diagnoses is to have had it for 2+ years. I have lived successfully. Certainly, dysthymia definitely gives me a unique perspective on things. I am negative. I am skeptical. I don't see this as a disadvantage though. Besides my university files being marked with having a "permanent disability", I feel the same I was before the diagnosis. I don't know anything different.

The only thing I hate about dysthymia is that I do have pointless crying bouts about stupid things or even absolutely nothing. I don't even personally hate it too much. I just hate how it affects relationships with people around me. I am more depressed. People call me out on it. I cry sometimes and bring down the people around me. I don't like how it does this to other people. It's also not good to keep it in.

Although I am choosing not to start treatments.

This is besides the point. My point of even sharing that I have a disorder is to show you that I am a functioning individual. I have a job, I go to school, I have a boyfriend and an apartment with him. My life is heading in society's dictated direction. Bleh. I hate that it is though.

I HAVE A LEARNING DISORDER!?

Last week I went to my family doctor for a couple of things, one thing was asking her about testing and/or medication for ADD (Attention deficit disorder). She informed me that I would need to go through testing. She prodded me more on possible symptoms that could signal that I have may have a learning disability. I pointed out that I approached her about my poor memory back in grade 10.

I have frequently complained about my poor memory on my blog and I've noticed it since grade 10.

I also realized another symptom I have been having other than poor memory and lack of ability to concentrate. I don't speak clearly sometimes. You can probably find hundreds of confusing sentences I have written on my blog posts before. My blogs aren't the worst, the worst is my handwriting because it is slower than my typing. Quite often I go on and on in a sentence and then I will actually switch the focus of the sentence halfway through because my memory has failed me halfway through and I will switch tenses and such. My memory fails me and I write confusing sentences.

My friends have also informed me they have "No idea what I am talking about" or texting about.

This is kind of a shock to me that I MIGHT have a learning disability/disorder.

I have received high grades ever since grade 2. I was at the top of the class until around grade 6 then I was just really good until grade 9. In high school (Depending on the subject) I was generally anywhere between having one of the top 5 marks to being just above average (except in science, math and french). I had a 92% average in my final year of high school, qualifying me for full tuition at my school, my first year.

I know that marks are supposed to drop in your first year, but I am having difficulty retaining and learning mass amounts of information at once. It is a lot more information thrown at you at one time and my brain just can't handle it. University is different.

I hate thinking that I may need assistance because I am an extremely independent person who hates relying on other people. In another way, I think that I could use the help. I really just wanted meds to be able to allow me to focus on my textbook readings, mostly. But now I have to go through this whole process.

I am going through for testing (hopefully). I have a meeting within the next week with the person who schedules and screens people for learning disability testing. It can cost me up to $1000 but it may be covered by OSAP (Ontario education funding assistance program, for those who do not know). I have to be approved to actually receive the testing first. If they don't sense anything before testing, I won't get any done.

Then I will just be back to square one, not knowing what is wrong with my mind.

In other news, I am getting really into writing poetry. I find inspiration everywhere, now. It's just a matter of finding the time to write it all down...

Oh well.

I don't want your pity or luck. I'm just writing this to inform the public about what I am going through, I suppose. Maybe looking for some insight from experts or people with experience with this sort of thing. I don't know.

Poopsocks.