What are you looking for?
Featured Topics
Select a topic to start reading.
If you are in crisis and need immediate help, please call 1-800-273-8255 (NSPL) or text TEEN to 839863 (Teen Line). More resources.
I'm pretty sure my spouse has a conversion disorder. She doesn't know it, she thinks she has a undiagnosable medical condition. It involves Stridor (loud, strained breathing both on inhalation and exhalation) which is actually It has been several years that she has this. It involved multiple trips to the ER in the past, almost every night. It terrified me for a long time. She thought death was imminent and I thought she might die also. We both could have died a couple times I sped down the freeway to get her to an ER. It has cost tens of thousands of dollars. Some doctors diagnosed it, and she would become indignant. She has two brothers, one is alcoholic and suicidal at times, the other is an ego-manic with a violent temper. I used to think her parents were wonderful, but now I'm thinking they have severely damaged their children through shaming them. My spouse sometimes does great when she is busy with something she loves doing. I believe she is deeply depressed, but she is paranoid, as is her mother, about taking any medication for a "mental illness." Her parents believe if you're a Christian, you should not be mentally ill. Ironically, my spouse has to take hundreds of thousands of exotic and scary medications (but they are not for depression, so they are "okay.") If I'm home on the weekends and need to crash, she is symptomatic. She has to be doing something she enjoys to not have symptoms. If I put on headphones to avoid the loud, strained breathing sounds, she has to get my attention to ask me a question about something. She needs me to hear how distressed she is by her symptoms. The only psychiatric drug she will take is a benzodiazepine, because she believes it is for esophagus spasming (not a mental illness) so it is okay. We have driven many miles to specialists, who cannot give her a diagnosis. I don't know how to help her. I've tried ignoring when she is symptomatic, and giving her a lot of attention when she is asymptomatic. Does anyone else experience this, and how do you deal? Thanks for any help.
If you see a comment that is unsupportive or unfriendly, please report it using the flag button.
More Posts
-
What it's like
My arms feel brittle. Like my bones are hollow. Like my skin is made of air. But the kind of air that can break and crack under any pressure. My fingers are use...
-
My "new" symptom
I have multiple sclerosis. I'm not fine. Everyone asks how I'm doing. But it's this thing where they aren't asking for me. They are asking for them. So they kno...
Does your spouse want help? will she see a counselor? I have a relative who was a hypochondriac for years, convinced she had any number of different conditions until after a while they sort of just became real. Kinda like she thought her way there. Never sought counseling for her state of mind, just went directly to doctors and meds. I don’t think that this is the same situation as your spouse. I just know that it’s difficult to convince somebody who is mentally unstable to get properly treated.
Your story suggests that your wife may be delusional in some ways.
ReplyThanks. I talked to her tonight. She admitted she is depressed, and thought I was wanting to leave her (which I’m not). So she is thankfully willing to get help. Appreciate your help.
Replyand your qualifications to be diagnosing someone? ... right.
btw benzos are highly addictive and can be quite dangerous. not exactly "ok" for her to not really know her medication, side effects, and risks.
if you would want her properly diagnosed (and you certainly do have some very real reasons for concern), this will require a complete evaluation by a clinical psychologist - including forwarding all medical records for review.
good luck in finding the answers.
ReplyI tend to agree, google diagnosis over what I assume a fully qualified neurologist has diagnosed really holds no comparison. It sounds more like fnd, which has tests to perform diagnose. If she is under a dr or neurologist, let them diagnoses d treat.
ReplyI tend to agree, google diagnosis over what I assume a fully qualified neurologist has diagnosed really holds no comparison. It sounds more like fnd, which has tests to perform diagnose. If she is under a dr or neurologist, let them diagnoses d treat.
Reply