5/14/2011

Can my Mental Health be causing these physical symptoms?

Can my Mental Health be causing these physical symptoms?I went out with a few friends last night and had a few drinks, I have to admit drinking definitely helps take my depression away (I know its not good in the long run that is why I will only have a few drinks once or twice a month). This morning I awoke in a half asleep half awake state and my mind was going in a million different directions at a million miles a minute so I got up and for a good half hour to an hour I had no idea whether or not I was awake or asleep. For the first time in my life I could not interpret reality and started to panic thinking that I was going psychotic. My mind felt real heavy and dull. I managed to fall back asleep and woke up a couple of hours later feeling better but shaken by the whole experience. Never in my life have I ever went longer than 15 seconds without coming back to my senses and realizing that I was not asleep upon waking up. Now all day I have been having stomach pain, nausea, dizziness, feeling as if in a dream like state, depressed, body pain, head pressure, etc. I almost feel like I am really sick but I know I am not. Could have my mental health triggered this mornings episode and that led to all of my physical symptoms following afterward? Anyone think that this morning may have been an acute psychotic episode? What can I do to make myself better? I am terrified because I don't want to lose my sanity, please help. Any advice or relations would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance!
I take no medication and am seeing a therapist once a month for my pre existing depression / anxiety disorder. I rarely drink and last night I would consider myself in between buzzed and drunk.

Answer by Stephanie
You should seek help from a doctor. Disorientation, head pressure, dizziness, all of these things can be serious malfunctions that aren't just "mental health," it could literally be a physically problem in your brain such as brain swelling. If your condition doesn't improve, you should call your doctor and seek advice on whether or not to go to the hospital.

Answer by Kate
No, this was NOT an acute psychotic episode. Psychotic episodes don't last for a matter of seconds, less than a minute - they last for hours, days, or weeks if left untreated. You were disoriented because you were drunk, depressed, and woke up in the middle of the night. Alcohol does crazy things to our brains, especially when our brains are already abnormal due to the chemical imbalances that cause depression. You are not losing your sanity. If you were really losing grip on your sanity, you wouldn't be worried about it it, because you would be unaware of reality. So as long as you can think about and worry about your sanity, you are still very sane.

It sounds much more like you woke up having a panic attack. Panic attacks can make us FEEL like we are losing our minds, like we have no grip on reality, like we're going insane. It makes you lose grip on what's really going on around you, which is terrifying. It makes your mind race with a million thoughts, none of which you feel like you can grasp. That is a panic attack, and they are very scary but they are very brief.

Many people who have panic attacks feel physically ill for hours or even a day or two afterward. They feel almost flu-like - tired, irritable, nauseous, achy, almost hung over. This is totally normal of a panic attack. Everything you describe sounds like you woke up having a panic attack in the middle of the night, and now you're feeling the fallout of that. Alcohol is notorious for causing panic attacks, especially in already depressed or anxious people.

Lay off the alcohol in the future. If you do drink then only have one or two, don't get drunk. The more you drink, the greater risk you put yourself at to have a panic attack, or worse. I know it makes you feel better but it's not worth it. If you are struggling with your depression then seek real help instead of self medicating - talk to a therapist, see a psychiatrist who can prescribe you antidepressants, make necessary life changes, etc. Self medicating is dangerous and not helpful to you at all.

Take care.

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