Richard Bishop33 said:Thanks a lot. I don't know, it’s just hard to head back home to my dad. All my friends are here, I'm finishing up my degree here... everything I need is right here. But mentally, I think moving on is better. I've decided I'll go see him in three days—settled that part before my finals start. To be honest, though, his presence just gets under my skin. It’s suffocating being around him. He was always the one who had everything handed to him on a silver platter; his parents basically paved every single inch of his path from school straight to his career. Me? Not at all. I was the "perfect" kid. Always respectful, never pushed back, never caused trouble, never even brought a partner home without permission. It was just expected of me. If I ever dared to have an actual opinion, I was labeled "unstable" or told I needed therapy.
Is it the dad that makes you feel heavy, or is it your brother? 😕
Richard Bishop33 said:I have an older brother, three years my senior. He’s 24, unemployed, and living at home with my mom and me. We haven't really grown up together, so we don't have much of a relationship. No talking, no saying hello... nothing. It's just nothing.
But for the last three months, since he hasn't had a job, he just lurks around the house and spends all day online. It drives me insane. His mere presence, his aimlessness, the mindless nonsense he spouts to Mom... it's exhausting. Usually, he's Mom's golden boy—he's great, except for the gambling. He's struggled with a gambling addiction for years and went through rehab. Things seemed fine, but now he's back at it, though he isn't draining the family's bank account yet. What gets to me most is that he spends all day playing poker tournaments on sites like DraftKings. To make matters worse, he hangs out in my room like he owns the place.
To be clear, I don't live with my dad; he lives in another city. It's just me and my mom here. And again, he's Mom's favorite. We just had a massive blowout where he started screaming at me because I suggested he should probably sleep instead of being glued to the internet 24/7. He started yelling at both me and Mom, making these violent threats about "committing a massacre" and other stuff like that.
I don't know what to do. Mom keeps defending him, claiming I'm the one provoking him. I'm weighing two options: either move in with my dad and only come back here for college classes and exams, or just skip coming home tonight and crash at a friend's place for a few days until things cool down. But if I do that, I feel bad for my mom.
If you get along with your dad, just go live with him.
Edward Reed2 said:That was my very first thought when I read the post. Seriously, you've got some guts. 🙂
My suggestion? Start a blog. If you're worried about exposure, just hide behind an anonymous handle—it’s not like anyone's going to figure out it's you anyway. Just see where the writing takes you. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll be watching you become a real journalist or something. 🙂
steelpanther11 said:And that’s it... just a bunch of people read my post and nothing else happens... So what, should I go find a therapist, get some professional help, and just admit I'm being lazy??
Good grief... look, I am not mentally unstable, and I am definitely not too lazy to actually get moving and improve myself... It’s just that I have zero motivation—none at all—to get going. I have the will, I really do, but I’m missing that one crucial push, you know? That validation from the people around me that tells me I can actually become who I want to be. Is it really such a sin—or am I just being an idiot—to ask another human being to help nudge me out of this rut? Because apparently, wanting that immediately means I'm "not normal" and need professional intervention...
No, I don't have anyone I can actually trust with this... maybe that's why I'm like this—because I don't have a single real friend in my life that I can pour my entire soul out to... I just don't...
If people told you to seek professional help, it doesn't mean you're crazy or anything like that. It just means they think you should talk to someone who actually knows how to help you break out of that vicious cycle. Look, perfectly normal people see professionals when they hit a rough patch in life....
Frank Campbell said:I’ve been reading up on this being a next-gen mood stabilizer, and honestly, the way it works sounds fantastic. It targets depression—basically pulling you back from the brink—but unlike an AD, it doesn't send you spiraling into mania. Older stabilizers, like carbamazepine or lithium, are great at tackling mania, but they don't really touch the depressive side, so people usually have to stack them with an AD anyway. For me, the depressive phase of my beloved Bipolar II is a much bigger beast than any manic episode; the only time mania becomes an issue is when I'm actually on an AD. Because of that, this medication feels like it could be the perfect fit for my situation.
I tend to put a lot of faith in pharmaceutical science and the constant leaps forward in modern medicine, so I wouldn't mind playing the "guinea pig" a little bit to see how lamotrigine performs. 🙄
Does anyone here have hands-on experience with it? I know folks like Arvind are familiar with it, and I'm sure others are too... 🤷
If anyone has some insight—whether it's from your own journey or from working with patients—I would love to hear more about this drug. I want to walk into my next psych session sounding like an absolute expert so my doctor thinks I should just take her job! 😉
It’s originally an anti-epileptic, but it doubles as a mood stabilizer. Doctors tried putting me on it twice for epilepsy. Both times, it was over before it even started—ended up in the ER because the side effects were anything but minor. They say most people tolerate it just fine, but my body reacts weirdly to almost everything, so take that with a grain of salt. Just sharing my own experience. 🤷
1. track - absolutely grating. I couldn't even make it past the two-minute mark before I had to shut it off.
2. track - It’s fine, I guess. But it’s too playful for me to actually focus on studying.
3. track - Good for falling asleep, maybe. Not for studying.
4. track - I love this one, really. But honestly? It's a terrible choice for getting work done because it just drags my mind back to old memories of when I used to play... 😬
5. track - Only lasted two minutes. After that, the boredom and the sheer irritation were just too much.
6. track - This works for studying. And look, I’m a huge fan of Bach in general. 😍
7, 8, and 9. tracks - Didn't even get through the first two minutes of the first one. Had to kill the music. Just incredibly annoying and dull.
I’ll just lay out some examples from my own life and let you guys be the judge:
1. I once had a doctor who struck me—and this is my honest take—as a total clown. He always had this smug, unprofessional attitude. Then, things went south fast, and I nearly ended up in a casket. Ever since then, I look at expertise first and everything else second. Though, for the record, I absolutely hate being treated like just another number on a chart or something moving along an assembly line. That kind of arrogance gives me the creeps.
2. Using some heavy-duty connections, I managed to get in with a specialist who was supposedly the best in her field. The aftermath? A dentist—who wasn't even involved in the initial issue—ended up saving me from a massive disaster because he caught a mistake with my medications.
3. When I first moved to Chicago without knowing a soul, I went to one specific doctor. He was decent, actually listened, and started pulling me out of the mess I was in. Today, I owe him my life. Despite how much he knows, he isn't arrogant or anything. I tip my hat to him. Plus, while working alongside other specialists here in the States, we uncovered several more issues that needed treating—things I didn't even know existed. All I can say is a massive THANK YOU. Beyond his skill, most importantly, he was a human being and treated me like one.
They told me there’s a good chance about 90% of my seizures are actually psychosomatic 🤷 So, I’ve "prepared" myself by seeing both a therapist and a neurologist, and now I'm just pushing through 👍 They also mentioned my psoriasis is likely rooted in psychosomatics too 🤷
Hey, does anyone know how I can track down hospital records from over twenty years ago? My parents took me in back in the late '80s when I was just a kid. The problem is, the paperwork I actually have in my hands is basically useless—it's literally just one single sentence. It feels like there should be way more detail than that one vague line. Is there any way to get a hold of the actual physician's notes or my full medical file if they even still exist? The doctor passed away a long time ago, so that’s another hurdle. Any advice? Thanks!
Michelle Cox64 said:So, I’m feeling completely wiped today—just a massive headache, zero motivation, and that general sense of physical weakness. Since it can't be anything other than the weather shifting, I was wondering: why are some people so much more sensitive to things like a warm southern breeze, intense humidity, or just general pressure changes? And what can anyone actually do to feel better mentally when this happens? 🙂
When that warm wind blows in from the Gulf, my body aches; I end up leaning heavily on painkillers. When it gets stiflingly humid? I lose all interest in life. My only strategy is to sleep through it, but if I'm stuck at work, I just try to chug endless amounts of ice water to survive...
Hey, I’m not sure if this is the right spot for this, but does anyone know what the bill looks like for foreign nationals hitting the ER for something like epilepsy? Obviously, I'm talking about cases where they don't have any Medicare paperwork ready to go. Thanks!
wiredpanther8 said:Someone actually told me that if both partners have O negative blood, they can't have kids. They even had the nerve to ask rhetorically if those kids would end up with disabilities. So now I'm wondering, can a man and a woman who are both O negative actually have children? And if they can, will the kids be perfectly fine?
Honestly, reading that made me want to cross myself with both hands at once. I’ve never heard such absolute nonsense in my life. You should feel free to call whoever told you that a complete and utter moron. 👍Einstein was right when he said, "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe, but the latter definitely is." In this case, that stupidity is on full display. 🙄
Lisa Nelson70 said:Ugh... here we go again. Every time the weather flips on a dime—like how it was freezing ten days ago and now it’s suddenly warm—my blood pressure spikes. I already deal with high BP, but this? My head is absolutely thumping.
I hate the sun.
The weather was actually decent for two days here. Everything felt fine. I felt fine. Then today, these heavy rain clouds rolled in, making it perfect sleeping weather. But me? I feel like I got hit by a subway train, and then the train decided to reverse just to double-check the damage... 👎 My legs feel so shaky it's almost ridiculous. 🙄 Now I'm just sitting here waiting for an epileptic seizure to strike. I live with epilepsy, and honestly, I haven't had even a minor episode in at least a month, and my Keppra hasn't given me issues in three months. All in all? I'm a total wreck today.👎
Hey, I’m not entirely sure if this thread already exists. If it does, mod, please feel free to move it to the right section. If not... well, you know how it goes—just let me know. 😉 What kind of issues are you guys dealing with as you get older? How are you actually handling it, and how is everyone around you reacting to the changes? 😁
jadetrucker43 said:Your browser is probably just blocking the pop-up.
Alright, how do I fix that? What am I supposed to click? I’m pretty much a total tech illiterate. Usually, if I start poking around my computer settings, I just end up breaking something.☕
Hey, can anyone help me out here? I’m trying to write a "Reply" to a thread, but the extra emoji window just won't pop up. The ones on the right side work fine, but when I click the "more" option, absolutely nothing happens. It works perfectly on my desktop at the office, but for some reason, it’s acting up at home. Any idea why?🤷😕
Nancy Hernandez43 said:It’s so good to see people like you out there, full of faith and staying positive. I really hope you stay brave and don't let fear get the better of you.
Before my mom got sick, my family barely even functioned as a unit. Everyone was just doing their own thing, living separate lives. Then everything changed the moment she fell ill. It was a turning point. We finally stepped up together—for her, and for each other. Now? We actually look out for one another. We talk openly. We lean on each other for strength and support. It’s different now.
I truly believe that you all are her greatest source of strength, especially during those dark moments when your own energy fails and you have to rely on someone else. I really hope everything turns out okay with your mom. Best wishes.👍
Try to stay positive and find some inner peace. It’s also pretty crucial that you talk openly with your family about how everyone is actually feeling regarding this whole situation. Being honest about those emotions can really help pull a family closer together when things get tough. As for finding peace? For me, it comes down to prayer and my faith. I've got two surgeries coming up myself. When I first heard the news, I honestly thought I was going to pass out from the shock and fear. But I managed to shift my perspective, look at the bright side, and suddenly, it didn't feel like such a catastrophe anymore. Hang in there!