The first two chapters have shown some of the frustrations doctors face when trying to treat patients. Some topics are easy for Rich to delve into, while others are off the table. Rich also gets tired and irritable much more quickly during certain parts of the session. He’s really quite unpredictable.
Still, these conversations are crucial during the process of managing depression and/or PTSD.
The exact diagnosis to date for Rich is PTSD w/situational depression. In other words, things in his past were so tramatic that dreams are even affected. Another issue created due to his delay in treatment is the presentation of Partial Seizures. It’s a frontal lobe, focal seizure, with altered sense of hearing, smelling, tasting, seeing, and tactile perception (sensory illusions), or feeling as though the environment is not real (derealization) or dissociation from the environment or self (depersonalization).
In the case of our patient, Rich, his experience begins with an aura, or odd smell. Soon after he is finding himself in a different place with people he doesn’t know. The activity seems real, but Rich is aware it is not. When Rich is in this state, the people who see him in the real existence think he’s in deep thought, staring straight ahead. The activity can last 3 – 5 minutes and after he may feel no real problems. Other times he has vomited and has been exhausted. Time is probably the factor in how he feels after the conclusion.
Currently Rich is taking a medication that has stopped the seizures all together. Additionally the nightmares have ceased. A major advantage with this medication is how dose increases are not necessary. One pill, every evening.
This information is important for the topic of chapter four, which will be the cause. Finally.
So there is no confusion, the title character is indeed me. This was mentioned prior but a reminder can’t hurt. – Thanks.
Mental Illness Is A Real Illness 