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I am just curious here if those of us who are depressed were depressed before getting sick? Or was it being sick that depressed you? The chicken or egg thing: which came first?
My GP had a replacement guy in for the day and asked me a whole bunch of questions including about depression. I said that I am not 'depressed' in general but when my body gives out on me or refuses to cooperate then I can get angry and depressed about it. He kind of scratched his head at that one and said, so are you depressed or not?
I tried to explain that the 'depression' was not constant but situational. He didn't seem to get it...for him it is an either/or.
So I am curious, when you are sick, do you get depressed and when you are better (or healed...I hope) does that depression go away?
Thanks guys
Sharon
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I think it depends on the kind of depression we are talking about. My paternal Grandmother was a manic-depressive; in fact back in the 1950s they gave her shock therapy. I spent much of my childhood in her care, not fully understanding what was wrong with her, except that I knew something was wrong with her. She was a women without any health issues until the end of her life, yet her moods would swing from happy and manic to sad and crying. She would burst out crying for no apparent rationale reason, and even as a child I could recognize that something was not right in her head. She would say to me, in the last year of her life, "God is going to take me!!!!", almost constantly, while crying. This is not the kind of thing a Grandmother of sound mind says to her 12 year old Grandson. However, despite her intensely sad moods, she was at other times a frenetic, driven woman. She was a masterful cook and was always immaculately groomed and dressed. She always had mint candies for my sister and me.

Sadly, her statements would prove prophetic. In February of 1975, after many months of these statements but only 2 weeks of symptoms, she was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. She died in May of 1975.

My Grandmother's depression is not like any illness related depression I have ever seen. It was somehow in her genes, in her bones, despite not having any chronic illness or seemingly any cognizable real life worries. She lived a good life, had a husband and children and Grandchildren who loved her, had a lovely house, had no financial worries or anything else that should have been a rationale reason for her depression.

I contrast that situation with depression from the hopelessness of chronic illness. In the case of depression from chronic illness, it is the chicken giving birth to the egg. Although if you have always had a chronic illness and always been depressed, I suppose it would be hard to prove that you are someone like my Grandmother, for whom depression was part of who she was.
Last edited by CTBarrister
I don't have personal experience with depression, as I am one of those lucky ones that does not seem susceptible to depression; at least not so far.

However, situational depression, or adjustment disorder is fairly common. So, I am unclear why your doctor was perplexed by your description, as it was spot on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjustment_disorder
I suppose, like IBD, you have an innate susceptibility and when the right triggers are present, then it manifests. That is why all of us do not get it. Of course Sharon, you were exposed to a very high level of medical traumas at an early age, so I have no doubt that is a factor. I was in high school before my initial UC flare, so that probably worked in my favor.

Jan Smiler
I say this all the damn time to doctors when they ask. My mother is bi-polar so trust me I know the difference. I know it is my issues and pain that causes depression because when I have a good pouch day I am dancing and on top of the world with a bright outlook on my future. Give me a bad day, like today, and I want to just die in my house.

Cleveland Clinic gets it when I tell them. The pain management and neurology dept has a whole program that treats just this. They help with group therapy instead of shoving drugs down your throat, ways to help you cope over all. I am not into that sort of treatment so I passed.
Sharon I believe there are several reasons those of us without our colons can be and are depressed. I've been in weekly therapy for 2 years.

I was on a lower dose antidepressant before the surgeries. I was put on this when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It is the first thing they did when I was diagnosed with it. I was depressed before the surgeries too because I was so sick. My first surgery was around 3 years ago.

There are several good books and articles about the mind and gut connection. There are chemicals produced in the colon that are used in the brain that affect depression.

We can become depressed by the situation we are in, especially when we have no control over it. When an illness becomes chronic it adds to the depression. It is not something that you can will yourself out of. You can not just decide not to be depressed. It can be situational but it can be chemical too and it can be situational and chemical both.

I'm diagnosed as having major depressive disorder. My Internist changed my medications recently and had me coming in to see her every 2 weeks to monitor the transition. I see a therapist too.

You can inherit depression problems, you can develop depression and you can inherit and develop depression. Whatever happened, if you are suffering it is important to recognize you are depressed and receive treatment. That can be therapy, medication or both.

It's not just our medical problems that can be causing depression, personal relationships and other life problems add to depression as well.

I use to be the life of the party and now I won't even go to the party Confused (The way I describe my depression.)
My pain doc was summing up my last visit and he said I showed depression, but added that in my situation it would be odd if I were not depressed.

I think the term can be a red flag that could cause a doctor to dramatically change how they treat a patient - especially with narcotics, etc.

With bunk malpractice lawsuits as common as parking tickets, one can hardly blame them for wanting to get a good grasp on a patient's mental state while giving them potentially deadly medication.
PDXDavid,
You are right, that's why my Internist is the one that prescribes all of my medications, including pain, depression and anxiety, along with thyroid, GERD etc. My GI and Neurologist prescribe specific meds dealing with their specialties but everything else is through her and she monitors what they prescribe as well. I am fortunate that she knows a lot about IBD and has many IBD patients as well.
Thanks for the insight guys,
It seems to me that our disease is a very depression one...we deal with the physical pain, the amputation of our colons, bags, BB, leakage, dietary restrictions from hell and the total and absolute incomprehension from a lot of our friends and family who cannot 'see' our pain, amputation and humiliation.
Here it seems that the medical world believes if you are depressed, you are depressive. Throw a pill at you and you are done unless you can afford to pay for a psy or better...talk therapy is much less extensive here and even less understood.
We are the country with the most amount of psycotropic meds perscribed per capita and we are still constantly complaining (we also have fully paid healthcare, 6 weeks paid vacation and up to 6 months maternity leave and we only work a 35hr work week...Add to that up to 2yrs unemployment benefits and one wonders why the French are so depressed!)
Anyway, I am having a hard time explainning to my doc that I do Not need to be drugged silly but to be healed...And that I need a response to this permanent pain and not a happy pill.
Maybe the happy pills will help with the pain? I doubt it because the pain is caused by inflamation and happy pills do not cure inflamation.
I am in a chicken-egg situation...I can't seem to get anyone to help me manage the pain but if I shed a tear can get happy pills for life...and opiates too...doesn't seem to bother them to prescibe endless scipts for those either...
So how do we get rid of the pain?
Sharon
TE Marie- "Side Effects" is not a documentary, it is a dramatic film starring Jude Law, Rooney Mara and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I got it on Netflix but it came out in 2012 so it may be in some public libraries by now, although it is an R rated film with some violence and sexual scenes.

Rooney Mara plays the troubled young woman suffering from depression. The movie deals with the issue of prescribing anti-depressent meds that may have serious side effects, although it is much more complex than that simplistic description. It is mostly worth seeing for its entertainment value, but I thought the medical and legal issues raised by the movie were both interesting and troubling.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is a talented actress who in real life has been diagnosed as being bi-polar and suffering from depression. In the movie she plays Rooney Mara's former psychiatrist. I read recently that she is not doing well mentally, and her mother has had to move in with her and take care of her in the aftermath of her marriage breakup from Michael Douglas. Given her background with mental illness, I am not sure whether her agents should not have kept her away from this movie. I understand it is work and an actress needs to work, and Stephen Soderbergh is a great director to work with, but the movie seems likely to have not been good therapy for her. And my psychiatrist friend, the one who recommended the movie to me, agreed with me on this. He also told me that the fictional drug that is prescribed in the movie is based on a real-life anti-depressent drug. He told me the name of it and I do not remember what it is, but he has prescribed it for patients suffering from depression.
Last edited by CTBarrister
Sharon, If you can find a pill to get rid of the inflammation please let me know. I think ibuprofen would be great but it is an NSAID and I believe we are to stay away from them. I had a bad time yesterday, partial blockage I believe, and instead of going to the emergency room took some, a few hours after taking Norco, and emailed my doctor. I figured all they would do in ER was give me IV pain meds and send me home. I wish I had some kind of imaging order so I could just walk-in when this happens and obtain the test.

Back to the subject. I agree with you. Take away the pain so we can get on with our lives and we won't need the "happy" pills.

CTBarrister, I know the movie you are referring to now, thanks. Sorry about Katherine Zeta-Jones. I'm not a professional but know a few people that are bi-polar and think they can't be treated with anti-depressants. I could be wrong but think that's a common mistake that's made. Anyway, that's off subject so I won't wander..... I hope she has saved her $$ as she commands big $$ for her work and I would hope she wouldn't have to work until she is able.

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