How many of us have had our care providers suggest we have a mental health concern?

OK, I am a research freak, and though I know this type of polling holds very little scientific merit, I still find these type of polls helpful to many people.

Here is poll number two.

Please feel free to discuss the topic once you have voted.

My new neuro asked if I'd seen a therapist at our first meeting. Pissed me off!! The next appt I had a migraine with all the assorted neuro effects, so she saw that I was NOT crazy and did have wierd things happening to me including ridiculous facial pain. She hasn't suggested that since.

I do have clinical depression so see a thereapist off and on depending on my mental state.
Alli

None of the doctors in my neuro's practice have ever addressed my mental health.

I understand there are a lot of links with anxiety and migraines as well as depression and migraines.

One of the reasons this comes up is because it is frequently reported by actual migrainers.

Another reason is because seritonin is known to be a factor in migraines.

Seritonin is also a factor in depression and anxiety.

A good doctor will question you on anxiety and depressive symptoms if they are doing a full assessment about your migraines.

A good doctor won't "suggest" you have these things though simply because you have migraines, but he or she should assess for symptoms.

How a doctors asks you about these things tends to make all the difference, as asking the wrong way may trigger the stigma that is sadly attached to mental health concerns.

If a doc says to "try this medicine because it may help as a preventative", one may say yes.

If he or she says to "take this antidepressant to see if depression is causing your headcahe", one may just say "no" simply because they do not feel they have depression or they do not wish to admit that they may.

When I have more time to write I will share my horror story of two years with the mental health profession. Risa was the only one I shared the story with at the time, because on the other forum I had made my identity to well known. Now that I'm "Charlotte", I'm a little more willing to share.

I'll try to post it later this afternoon.

Charlotte

Here's the horror story.

Three years ago I started taking Topamax. I was put on 400 mg which I have since found out is a very high dose. After about six months, I had a meltdown...uncontrollable sobbing, suicidal thoughts. I was sent to a psychiatrist. He told me I was bi-polar. He put me on Geodon, a anti-psychotic. I continued to get worse. So instead of taking me off the Geodon he kept adding med's.

At the end of two years I was on Topamax, Geodon, 2000 mg of Depakote, Xanax, Lunesta, Vicoprofen, and Seroquel, another antipsychotic. I was trembling so badly from the depakote I could not bring a fork or cup to my mouth with one hand. The Geodon caused tightness in all my muscles to the point where I could not speak above a whisper. I also got a frozen shoulder from hugging myself constantly. I could not go to the bank or the grocery store by myself because the panic was so bad. I fell down our stairs several times. I could not function for over year, yet when I went to therapy he would just add another drug to the mix.

Last February I came to work and my partner and five of my employees were waiting for me a quiet room. It was a intervention. I was told to do something or I would lose my job.

The next day I went to new psychriatrist. I was a mess. He wanted me off all the med's and in order to do it safely I ended up in a locked psych. ward for five days. Luckily, I had no problems coming off the med's. They were watching for seizures and suicide.

A locked psych. ward is a very scary place to be. Males and females, no doors, some in there for violence. I'm a strong woman, a former police officer, and I was scared to death (One little FYI, don't go into a psych. ward over Valentine's Day. Very depressed people are not fond of that holiday).

The new psych. says I was not bi-polar at all, just having a reaction to the Topamax. I lost two years of my life to an over-prescribing quack. Plus, I now have to confront the people who thought I was in there for prescription drug abuse. It's a small town and I find that hard to handle.

When I was driving home after being released I had the radio playing. I started singing, and my voice was back. It brought me to tears knowing that the drugs had robbed me of even the simplest pleasures like singing to the radio.

It's so nice to have my life back. To be able to concentrate, play spoons with relatives, be happy to go into work.

I now am rather fearful of the mental health profession.

Phew, that was a load to get off. Thanks for listening, Friends.

Charlotte

Thank you for sharing.

I have had depression off and on. My neurologist says that's very often the case for people with severe migraines. That's one of the reasons she's trying Wellbutrin as a preventive.

I have decided to vote 'yes' because I didn't see any better option, but technically it is incorrect.
Doctors didn't tell me I have a "mental problem" in terms of psychiatric problem - they told me for example "it's in my head",
or my migraines would go away if I had some aim in my life i.e went back to work or had some involving hobby, or didn't worry so much about upcoming episode or some crap like that.

Which or course I strongly vehemently disagree with because primo the M started while I had job I loved most, I had many hobbies I loved, I was at the happiest time of my life,
and no matter how much you worry you will break your knee it WON'T break just by you thinking it will break.

Risa

Hi all,

I have been told I have had a mental health problem twice by doctors. I did not agree with either one. Both events stemmed from some differences of opinion and the fact that I stood up to the dr.

The first experience occured at one of the headache clinics. I had just finished my junior year of college and went to the headache clinic right at the beginning of summer break. My mother, who is an MD, went with me. When I was talking to the the psychologist, I got sort of fed up with the questions, especially since he was implying that school was causing them. I finally said, "No, I enjoy college. However, I have just finished finals, had to participate in several debutante balls ( which i did even though I was not crazy about the idea), and managed to complete the year with good grades despite this." Then he told me that my mom was responsible. I also wanted someone with me during rounds as they gave me some medication that made me sleepy at the time. All of a suddent, the doctor told me that my Mother was causing the headaches- until they looked at my neck, did an ablation, and hat to eat their words. I hated being treated as if I were making it up when I wa not.

The other incident occured last year. The fainting had increased so I called my doctor to get checked out. She then sent me to a neurologist, even though I told hr that I wa seeing a different dr, she insisted, so I went. Once I explained the fainting situation, he immediately told me it was psychological and that I was addiccted to pain meds and needed to be in rehab. I left the office absolutely furuious, notified my regular neuro and asked for a new PCP.

Fortunately, I am not prone to depression or anything, just migraine, which is enough.

Pain free day,
sailingm

SailingMuffin,

No matter who writes it, and no matter where it takes place- throughout mine and other people's histories of M
I have never ever met one doctor - ONE - who at one point wouldn't try for some unexplicable reason push the headaches on psychological origins. The only difference is the degree they will push it to and the time in therapy.
Even the neurologist will do that.
This is so infuriating, that even if my reason is telling me it's just like that and I should NOT get upset over it I still am hopping mad. Machine gun hopping mad. Postal hopping mad.

Why it's only us being treated like that? The bio-chemical nature of M was proved beyond slightest doubt once the MRI and other high-tech stuff like that was invented. So what the .... ?!?!?

Risa

it's common for neuros, and quite a few other professions to always try and cite a pyschological cause. one neuro tried to blame my education as a reason why i had migraines....idiots. so what, i'm task oriented and orderly, and have an iq a bit higher than a fly.

sometimes you battle back.

one of the best ways is to get the opinion of a very, very good psychiatrist (this can get expensive, like Rolex expensive) to do an official evaluation. if you come out with a problem...well, you get treated. if you come out ok, you get the formal opinion of high flyer that you are normal, but with substantiated medical problems.

arrgh.

one neuro tried to blame my education as a reason why i had migraines


oh really? then wouldn't all educated people get migraines???
hmph.

Risa

I don't really fit into any of those categories, but I tried to pick the one that fit best.

I had my GP diagnose depression and put me on antidepressants. I agreed somewhat with her, but didn't see any real benefit from the anti-d's. I never had a nuerologist diagnose mental problems, but one of them put me on Cymbalta (low dose) as a migraine preventative and he did make the comment that it would "help me with my other problems too." Hmmm.
I didn't see him beyond the 3rd or 4th visit, though I did take the Cymbalta for a couple months. I didn't notice it doing anything for my migraines (or for depression, for that matter).

Coincidentally, I did see a therapist for about 3 years. I had migraines for years before then, and still have them now. Being in therapy was a good thing for me, but it didn't help my migraines.

I am very grateful my doctors understood the comorbity between the disease of migraine and depression. They recognized my depression before I did and referred me to counseling. Best thing in the world for me.

Going to the Jefferson Headache Center was the real turning point in my gaining better control of my Migraines.

EVERY patient who goes there fills out a mental health inventory and sees a psychiatrist or psychologist at their first appointment. I went into that psych appointment with a huge chip on my shoulder, and they knew it. Dr. Tramuta, the psychiatrist, explained that they had two main purposes for that part of the appointment:

1. To see if their new patients do have a comorbid mental health disorder such as depression, anxiety, etc. and, if so, that they're receiving adequate treatment.
   
2. To ensure that all patients have good coping skills for living with Migraine disease and / or other headache disorders.
   

When approached that way, IMO, mentioning possible mental health issues and a mental health evaluation is an excellent idea, and I'd love to see every Migraineur given that kind of comprehensive treatment.

Teri

I just got my HA specialists dictation and she indicated "depressive symptoms". The five million questions I filled out at the beginning asked about hope and future and I was honest about feeling very little hope during a mojor exacerbation.

I was honest about wanting to end my life DURING an exacerbation. When the episode stops, I'm me....and all those thought are barely a memory.

nudge

I don't really fit into just one of the categories. Many years ago I was depressed along side the migraines, and was treated and worked through that (I believe the cause of this depression was being so worried about losing my job and losing 'me' when my health deteriorated quickly when M first became chronic).

I was seen by an occupational health dr a couple of years after that who was very uninformed on migraine. He had never heard of mood changes before and after migraine as a symptom and quite emphatically tried to diagnose me as bipolar. As many drs had previously known about my symptoms, the fact that it all relates to pre- and post- migraine episodes and when my migraines are under control (or when they are constant) I don't have mood swings I knew he was wrong.

After endless questioning and mood questionairres didn't help his cause, and I gave him some research mentioning mood swings around migraine episodes, he finally conceded and is now, I hope, a bit better educated.

Similarly a GP I saw a few times when I moved to this area only ever seemed to see me in my post migraine low phase and was convinced I was depressed. I tried explaining it all to him to little avail, not helped by the fact that I find mirtazapine (an antidepressant) helps balance out the mood swings when my migraines are about twice a week, as they were at the time, and was requesting a repeat prescription for this.

I finally saw him when I was having a superwoman high as part of my prodrome, and as he could see the difference he finally understood a bit.

But most of my drs have understood that with migraine comes good and bad days, mood swings etc. Pain itself can affect a persons mood dramatically and I think most get that. It's just a very big battle when they don't

Amy

In regards to Charlotte being diagnosed for bi-polar but turned out to be the Topamax she was taking: Topamax did the same thing to me, although I didn't go back to the doctor. I just quit cold turkey from taking it. Maybe it works for some people but it is a drug to be wary of and to be informed of the side effects before taking. It turned me into an entirely different person and produced the scariest most painful migraine I have ever had. If a doctor is concerned about mental issues, he should ask first what crazy drugs you are on.

estre004 wrote:In regards to Charlotte being diagnosed for bi-polar but turned out to be the Topamax she was taking: Topamax did the same thing to me, although I didn't go back to the doctor. I just quit cold turkey from taking it. Maybe it works for some people but it is a drug to be wary of and to be informed of the side effects before taking. It turned me into an entirely different person and produced the scariest most painful migraine I have ever had. If a doctor is concerned about mental issues, he should ask first what crazy drugs you are on.

Me Too!!!
My husband and I discussed divorce....seriousely....not in fits of anger...but a real possibility....while on Topomax. He said he did not know me anymore. in fact, I didn't know me anymore.

I hate to sound like a Topomax BASHER....lol. Especially if it is helping some of you w/o the awful s/e. I just always have to chime in b/c that drug was THE WORST experience I think I have ever been through. It did awful awful things to me...physically, cognitively and emotionally.

Stillhurtin - We sound like we respond exactly the same to drugs. I also feel like I am "bashing" when Topamax is brought up but it was so horrible I feel I have to. But when it comes to hydrocodone, "a narcotic, ooohh", that I feel entirely normal on (not high--I also take a small dose like you and no more than 3 times a week), I feel like I can't promote it, although it is a huge help in letting me live a normal life. Glad to hear someone is on my side.

Estre and Still hurtin'

Thank you so much for sharing your Topamax experience. It was very difficult for me to tell my story...I still get emotional when I think of all that I went through and all the time that I lost.

Several months after I got out of the psych. ward I talked to my neuro about the fact that I was not bi-polar, that it was the Topamax. He nonchalantly said "Oh, I've had a couple patients react that way". Hello? He knew all the med's I was on, and I was very disappointed that he had never raised that as a possibility.

Referring to a post that Marc has on the side, I think it brings home to us how much WE need to be aware of how every drug affects us and potential side effects. We have a complex disease and need to be our own advocates.

Charlotte

No kidding, we have to be our own advocates. If I didn't do my own research on the drugs prescribed to me, I could have ended up in serious trouble also. I listen to my doctors but use that only as one tool to go by. I do my own reading, listen to people on this forum and come to my own conclusions as to what is best for me.

Charlotte - I can't believe they had you on that many drugs. The Topamax alone was enough to make me "bi-polar" and whatever other diagnoses there are out there these days. I understood the part about you actually discussing divorce. That is how bad it effected me also. My boyfriend didn't know I was on Topamax but commented a lot on "what is wrong with you?". I got off of it before it caused us any damage, but i could see that happening. My doctor didn't give me any warnings either. It has actually scared me off of all preventatives. I just deal with abortives as needed. That makes for a lot less drugs in my system. I would rather take 1 or 2 drugs as needed instead of a host of them to "possibly" prevent migraine and then having to take pain meds and abortives anyway. You end up taking so much stuff you have no idea what is really working.
I'm glad you got out of that mess!!

Topamax made me wonky for sure! And it made me not like the taste of so many things...and tingle everywhere...and not in a good way.

So far we have had 22 people respond to the poll.

Of that 22, only nine have not had their care provider mention or diagnose a mental health issue. That leaves 13 of us who have had our docs either suggest or diagnose a mental health issue.

I think it sounds fairly accurate, as so many practitioners have no clue what they are dealing with, and the migraines can cause some pretty severe emotional symptoms.

I hope we keep this poll and discussion going so noone gets caught too off guard when their practitioner brings up the topic.