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submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

I get disability for Major Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Without something like Lexapro I can turn into kind of a wreck. Even suicidal or suffering from panic attacks.

Does anyone ever feel like this isn't a real disability? I mean, it's not like I'm in a wheelchair. Sometimes I feel like I am cheating.

But there are others out there like myself. There has to be.

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[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

We are the ones with 'invisible illnesses'. They are every bit as real as a physical disability, or other organs/body systems not working.

You don't tell someone to 'man up' when they have diabetes, so why say it to someone who has a mood disorder?

I feel your pain! Sometimes I feel like I'm 'unworthy' of being helped. I try to remind myself that it's not my fault my brain doesn't work right, and there are tons of people out there who have no issue helping people like me, like us.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

Thank you. It's glad to know I'm not alone.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Without Olanzapine, I turn into a fucking wreck. I'm still not particularly capable with it, but I'm a LOT worse without it. I get panicky, depressed, etc. I can't be without it.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Is that an opiate?

Thank you for sharing.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

nah, it's an atypical antipsychotic. I use it for sleep and anxiety management and some other stuff.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago
[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

i love it. Before i was on AT AP's, i was sleeping literally 30-60 minutes a night. i did that shit for 10+ years. But now I am on olanzapine, I sleep 10+ hours a night. Another drawback is the insatiable hunger. Holy shit, I can eat like there's no tomorrow.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

I wasn't aware you could even get disability for those.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Most can't. It is very much covered by the rules, when the effects are severe. But those with these disabilities have the least ability to stand up for themselves, when bullied by DWPs privrate contractors.

Most of the worst cases can only get it with huge help. Help that has been cut to non existant levels over the last 14 years.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

it's been a while since I've been here but I saw this post (and am very late to it) but just wanted to also voice that I'm disabled for mental health reasons. I've always struggled with viewing my own personal state as being disabled. but when I look back on times where my anxiety made me so physically ill that I couldn't go to work without having to find ways to hide it (or I had to call in a lot), I realize how hard it is for me to function like a "normal person." which is the biggest thing I struggle with. my partner has to remind me that what I think is "normal" is a weird idealized version of something that doesn't really exist. everyone has issues, I just happen to need more help than others.

I'm on quite the cocktail of medications for a variety of things. some are physical issues but there's mental health stuff there too. without them I really can't function, and as it is I need help from the person I live with sometimes to do everyday things. I've been getting better, but it's been a long road.

what I'm saying is, you're absolutely not alone. I'm one of the many people here with you.

this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2025
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