What Triggers Your Mental Illness Symptoms?
For this week’s Saturday Sanity, I want to take a different approach.
Rather than provide you with a plethora of links to interesting and thought-provoking news and other psychological-related happenings and tools, I’m going to ask you a simple question and hope you respond honestly as I’d love to hear about your experiences concerning this…this thing that’s been whirling around in my mind. This idea, or thought, or question.
Do mental health-related topics act as triggers for you?
Consider the following:
- A book about a woman’s struggle with schizophrenia.
- A commercial for a new antidepressant.
- A music magazine’s article about a rock star with bipolar disorder.
- A news report about soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.
- A phone call from a friend who’s just been diagnosed with depression.
Would any of those trigger your own mental illness symptoms?
When I was designing my personal recovery plan, I listed my triggers. They were pretty ordinary. A conversation about my lack of health insurance that my mother insists on having every other day. Thinking about a past situation I can’t change. Being in the presence of habitually negative people.
What wasn’t ordinary was anything included in the above list; however, I’m finding some - if not all - have acted as triggers for me lately.
Case in point: I fell asleep last night at around…oh, 10-ish or so. Woke up at 1:30 a.m. Tossed and turned for about an hour before I finally decided to start a new chapter in the book I’m reading about a woman with schizophrenia. Spent a few chapters learning of this woman’s inability to sleep before I suddenly realized my own inability to sleep. Got up, made a pot of coffee (yes, at 3:30 a.m.), and decided there was no other time as perfect as the wee hours of the morning to get on the computer and start working.
I can’t really explain why reading about the woman’s inability to sleep was a trigger for me, but I truly believe it was.
Before I started reading the book I thought, Man, it’s 1:30 a.m. What if I can’t get back to sleep? If I just lie here really still and try to clear my mind… Once I’d invested some time in the book, not going back to sleep didn’t seem so bad. I began to see my decision to avoid sleep as admirable. Why waste time with sleep when I could work? Work is productive and rewarding. Sleep is neither.
So, here I sit drinking the last cup of an entire pot of coffee, contemplating on making another and trying to decide what project to start on now.
Had I just stayed in bed, I would probably still be sleeping right now instead of working entirely too early on a Saturday morning and trying to fight off sudden, random, and unexplainable moments of anger and frustration - moments I’m entirely positive are due to my measly three hours of sleep.
Have any of you experienced triggers like this? Have you ever read, seen, or heard something related to mental health and found yourself acting in the manner that was described?
POSTED IN: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Enviromental Factors, Everyday Stress, Men, Mind Mysteries, Personal Recovery Plan, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Saturday Sanity, Schizophrenia, Side Effects, Sites of Interest, Sleep Disorders, Women
4 opinions for What Triggers Your Mental Illness Symptoms?
Kiri
Aug 27, 2007 at 5:27 pm
I love reading this blog because I feel like I finally have someone I can relate to in a way. I am not trigger by reading about mental illnesses. I actually find some comfort in it. I will go to book stores and buy psych book after psych book (currently reading about MPD) My enviroment triggers me, in fact my and my therapist have discussed that my bipolar is more of an influenceed now by outside “elements” then a chemical inbalance now (because I have my meds). I’m not in the happiest relationship right now so my manic episodes are especially triggered by an argument with my hubby. In fact most of this leads to him, unfortunatley. As of now we are working it out with my therapist. Authorities have been called in because of a “episode” and that was basically the straw that broke the camels back. I sucked it up and admitted I need to get medication and see a therapist. It took a lot to do that. Anways sorry I ramble in my posts, like I said I love your blog.
Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader
Aug 28, 2007 at 5:14 am
Feel free to ramble away, I don’t mind at all. I know that’s what we all need sometimes.
I, too, find that many outside factors are triggers for me now, too. It could be something as small as being surprised with an unexpected expense (little stuff like needing to get more gas before I thought I would, running out of cat food before pay day - that sort of thing - as well as bigger stuff like an argument - I have a knack for taking disagreements and turning them into all-out wars).
I know that’s what I need to work on, too, but my psych seems to think counting my blessings and reading books about being happy are enough. I know deep down I need to start seeing the therapist I was given last year, but she’s my age or a bit older and I just feel more comfortable with older counselors. *sigh*
I hope you have a great day Kiri :)
Kiri
Aug 28, 2007 at 1:18 pm
I’ve been told before “you have a good life so why are you so unhappy”…yeah didnt talk to them anymore. I’m sorry but “counting my blessings” and reading “happy” books just do not work for me anyways. I am a huge pessimist. I feel you on the little things that trigger stuff (I have 2 kids under the age of 2) so that is a whole new stress level of remembering to get things I need (diapers, etc.)
I am pretty open minded with my therapist choice, I also feel comfortable talking to someone who is older then me, which is not hard to do (I’m only 20)
I remember being younger and getting dragged into therapy by family and doing the whole silent treatment because at that time I was so stubborn about going and felt I didnt need too (this was when I was 14, so of course as a teen I though I was right and adults were wrong, lol)
Hope you have a great day also…I’m back do my school work (psychology course right now, how ironic)
GlamSpirit :: If You Dream It, It Will Come
Sep 12, 2007 at 2:20 pm
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