Heyyyyy...

[novinda]

Hi!  I just registered today.  I've been reading this board for a while, so I decided to bite the bullet and just sign up.  I guess I'm supposed to say something about myself? 

I'm BP II, just diagnosed about a year and a half ago, mostly severe depression.  I've been in psychotherapy for the same amount of time.  I was always a moody kid, and I don't think my parents could think of too many times that I was ever happy.  Um, I had my first severe (i.e., suicidal) depression in college, then a few times after that.  Now I'm on one drug (Lamictal)-- it's working, kinda, but my MD and I are working on that. 

I'm going to med school in the fall, which is exciting but scary at the same time.  I always get more depressed when I'm under stress.  I know that I'll have to get through it though, and I guess posting here will help.  Hmm... what else?  Well, at this point I'm gung-ho about being a research psychiatrist.  I think that it's absurd that so many people-- myself included-- have to ride around on the drug rollercoaster before finding something that *kinda* works. 

But I'll get off the podium now.  Thanks for listening to my babble.

[saltiest]

Welcome!  Glad to see you here.  

[grousemouse]

hiya ex-lurker novinda,

believe me, it is SO much nicer to be a person here than a voiceless, nameless guest. not that there's something inherently wrong with that of course, but i think it is just so much nicer to be part of a community than not.

anyway, hi and welcome. glad you stepped in out of the shadows. i have major depression, general anxiety (self-diagnosed, but with a lot of thought) and a touch of OCD i believe (which i think is from the anxiety).

i thought i was bpII for a while (well, okay, i was CONVINCED that i was bpII for a while) until my pdoc shot that theory down quite nicely. now i think he's correct. i'm on effexor and seroquel and they are FINALLY working pretty well on my depression and are doing something for my anxiety.

so you're going to med school?!? holy crap. that's awesome. in retrospect i think i wish i would have done that, but then again i don't know how i would have handled the load.

but then again maybe I'D be out there saying something USEFUL instead of Dr. Phil spouting off his tough love crap on tv for everyone to believe.

whoops. hey! where'd that soapbox come from? heh, sorry. i'll just push it to the side. tralala.

anyway. good on ya for going to med school. keep working on those meds. i've never been on lamictal. my med cocktail history is effexor with one of: nortriptilyne (a fun word that i spell differently every time), trazodone, seroquel or remeron.

well, i'll shut up now. but welcome here and for goodness sake hang out and say hi!

grouse.

[AirMarshall]

Hi, welcome.

Well, if this trend keeps up we are going to have to start a new forum for Med Students and Residents.  Geeez.

See you.

A.M.