I think that one reason it took so long for my depression to be diagnosed is that depression symptoms lists suck. Seriously. I can look at them now and see why nothing clicked with me. Appetite problems? Nope. Sleeping problems? Nope. Suicidal thoughts? Nope. Loss of interest in things previously enjoyed? Well, when you’ve been depressed since childhood, that’s kind of hard to say.
And the lists leave a lot of real-life depression symptoms out. What about “don’t like to be around other people”? Or “read way too many romance novels/play too much Dungeons and Dragons.” And where was “wear dark clothes most of the time”? (Actually, if you live in a major city, wearing dark colors doesn’t necessarily mean you’re depressed. It just makes sense, since otherwise your clothes always look grimy).
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Many, if not most, aspects of my life are digitized. My photos are online in albums in Picasa. My favorite recipes are entered into recipe software. I use Google Calendar for my appointments and Remember the Milk for my to-do list. Even my knitting projects, yarn stash and needles are cataloged online in Ravelry, a knitting and crochet community site.
So, let’s face it – I’m a computer geek. I strongly believe, that for me at least, it’s the best way to stay organized and share things. Given that, you would think that I would be jumping for joy at the news that President-elect Obama is going to push for digitization of all medical records.
Not exactly. I’m of two minds about it.
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For much of my childhood and young adulthood, I suffered from depression. Although I did have some periods of major depression, the bulk of the time my depression was a type called dysthymia.
Dysthymia is a low-grade form of depression that lasts at least two years, with symptom free periods lasting no longer than two months.
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