I'm cold, you should put on a sweater

[nancylebov]

Yesterday, I felt very emotionally flattened--it was like depression, but a slightly different flavor than I've experienced. Or could it have been that the energy work I got this past Sunday (which felt just fine at the time) was a little off?

dcseain did a very nice job of patching me up over the phone.

And then last night, I realized I needed to drink more water--one
16-ounce glass after another. And I feel a lot better.

I think part of the problem is yesterday was what passes in Philadelphia for a dry heat (40% humidity). I was drinking some water, but it wasn't enough--and thirst wasn't a clear signal.

So I'm nagging everyone else to drink more than usual, probably a lot more.

And a general question: I just read an account by a woman of nearly getting institutionalized when she was a teenager--her emotions were out of control. She'd break into tears if someone said hello to her in the wrong tone, and iirc she was mildly suicidal.

She was in therapy for a while, and finally her mother told the therapist that she (the teenager) was living on popcorn and coffee and hardly sleeping. The teenager agreed to a three-week trial of normal food and sleep, and her mother promised that no matter what, there wouldn't be any demands for the regime to continue.

The girl's emotions steadied, and her mother stuck to the promise even though she (the teenager) went back to her old habits for a while.

Now, this wasn't just a food and sleep issue--there were strong emotional reasons for those self-destructive habits, but I'm left wondering--how often do therapists ask about food and sleep and similar mundane details?

Comments

[fidelioscabinet.livejournal.com]

I suspect some do a better job than others--just as in every other aspect of that process.

The records we get here in Disabilityland from private practitioners, mental health centers, etc. include, in the initial AKA "intake" interview questions about how well the patient is sleeping, appetite, weight loss or gain, and so on. Some will go beyond this to ask specific questions, such as "What did you have to eat today? Yesterday?" "How much sleep do you usually get? Do you take naps?" and so on. (Sometimes the questions also serve as a quick memory check--if you're really in a bad way it can be pretty difficulty to remember the little details like these.) These typically include inquiries into regular medications, alcohol consumption, caffeine intake, and intake of other things, like street drugs. (I remember a case where a woman's anxiety improved greatly when she cut back from 12 cups of coffee a day. She was still anxious, but not frantic anymore)

Appetite and sleep are often regularly monitored throughout the tretment process, as these are often tied to issues with depression and anxiety--depression, especially can affect sleep and appetite either way, and often people in a manic state sleep very little in comparison to their baseline.
I suspect actual, detailed, and continuing inquiry into quality of diet/rest/hydration depends on the individual in charge of treatment, and their own opinions, training and experiences.
It seems like such an obvious thing, that making sure diet etc. were good would at the very least improve response to treatment, but that may be too holistic for some practitioners.

diet and psychology

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

oh yeah, drink more.. the weather here has been *brutal* and no one I know is drinking enough. The weather just sucks the life right out of you.

As a hypoglycemic, I found out the hard way just how much of my psychology is dependant on my diet. I am plain and simply not *sane* if I dont eat well. Most hypoglycemics end up eating carbs, because we have low sugar and its a "quick fix" but it doesnt last and we eat more carbs. basically its legal drugs. Like most drugs, eventually you end up taking it to feel "normal" not good.

I suspect a great deal of your problem is dehydration, and eating things that are not good for you *in this heat*. They may be fine normally, but not in this weather... Have a nice club soda with lime juice and a pinch of cinnimin, (sweeten if needed) you will feel better.....

Re: diet and psychology

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

What foods do you think are a bad idea in this heat? The only thing I can think of is that I may need more salt.

Also, I didn't eat much for most of yesterday--that might have been part of the problem.

Re: diet and psychology

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

Yes, its hard to eat when you are this hot, but you need to eat *something*.
What foods? Well for me I live on cottage cheese and fruit in hot weather, but a *lot* of people say cheese of ANY kind knocks them out in hot weather.

The majority says:
YES to fruit, anything juicy and cool, Citrus fruits especially, coconut, fish, most vegetables, but especially greens, tea.
NO to dairy, (except yogurt), most meats, most grains, most root vegetables.

Basically pretend you are living prior to air travel and serious refrigeration, and eat seasonally.

Now the majority is not always right *for you* and you need to pay attention to your own body. In my case, cheddar cheese (which is normally a good thing) upsets my stomach in high heat, as do most grains... but cottage cheese is fine.. go figure.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

What fidelioscabinet said has been my usual experience. The better doctors I've had usually ask these sorts of things during physicals too.

MKK

[sturgeonslawyer.livejournal.com]

My experience with half a dozen shrinks over the years: all of them have asked me about sleep, roughly half have asked me about eating habits. Purely anecdotal, but there it is.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I'm curious how this correlates with body weight. When I started taking Topamax, I went from moderately depressed to really profoundly depressed. At the same time, I went from fat to medium-sized. (This is not a coincidence. Too depressed to eat, and most of what I used to like tastes weird.) Almost every medical professional I've dealt with thought this was wonderful.

[cleverthylacine]

Topamax is known to have HORRIBLE cognitive side-effects. It's an awful drug imnsho.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Topamax a net win for me, cognitively. It's the only thing I found to help with the chronic daily migraine and absence seizures, and it helps enough to make the difference between being non-functional and being mostly functional. I lost some memory and some processing ability, but it's been worth it. What really scares me, and makes me suspect it might not be worth it, are the depression and anxiety side effects.

And of course it scares me on a different level entirely to see the drug being advocated for weight loss, with articles in the media about it having no side effects. *shudder*

[cleverthylacine]

I dunno. OTOH I'd be really happy if doctors would stop telling me that my insomnia has to do with caffeine when I've drunk the same amount of tea my whole life long and I haven't had insomnia that long!

I don't have three weeks to spend curled up in pain on the couch, which is what I remember from the last time I decided to stop using caffeine over 20 years ago.