43 replies to this topic

[dunbar]

I usually walk around in the dark to clear my mind. I need as little sensory input as possible. For example walking around during day would not help at all.
I dont know if I could clear my mind with meditation when there's still light and there are other noises around me.

[Hip]

From my website:

Burnout Syndrome and Nervous Breakdown

Burnout is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest.

In the future, I think it will be discovered that burnout is a variation of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). ME/CFS is linked to viruses such as coxsackievirus B and parvovirus B19. ME/CFS can suddenly appear after a person catches one of these viruses. Burnout is the same: it can suddenly manifest for no apparent reason; but the real cause may be due to contracting a microbial infection that affects the central nervous system, either directly or indirectly.

Nervous breakdowns (which are sudden manifestations of anxiety and/or depression symptoms) are another similar phenomenon that may well be caused by microbial infection. Since many infections can be asymptomatic at the time of contraction, an individual may have no clue at all that he has picked up a new microbial infection, and be unable to explain why all of a sudden he gets terrible anxiety and depression symptoms, when he was perfectly fine just months before. Tragically for the human species, the connection between infection and mental symptoms is usually missed, so that few people even consider it, which in turns means that far too little scientific research is conducted in this area.

For those with high anxiety symptoms: the supplements and medications detailed on this thread may work wonders:

Completely eliminated my severe anxiety symptoms with three supplements!

In particular, many people say that the N-acetyl-glucosamine supplements is very effective for anxiety. I had severe anxiety bordering on psychosis for several years (extreme anxiety is known to precipitate some psychosis), but pretty much eliminated all my anxiety using the supplements listed on the above thread.

[dunbar]

Hello,

can you do blood tests for these viruses or is this not possible or too expensive?

I was thinking about getting tested for a few things but I don't really know what.
I mean testing borreliosis is already totally difficult and the tests aren't reliable this is very discouraging.

[Hip]

You can take tests for many viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa, but if you want to cover a full range of these microbes, the testing can become a little expensive.

And note that most people harbor common viruses in their body, but in a latent, dormant inactive state. However, in testing, we are looking for an active infection. In the case of viruses, the activity of the virus is determined by the result of antibody testing: the more antibodies the body makes to a given virus, the higher the activity of that virus in the body.

An active cytomegalovirus infection can cause anxiety. ¹ Infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori has also been linked to anxiety. ¹

People often experience anxiety as a comorbid symptom when they develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and IBS itself has been linked to Giardia lamblia infection in the intestines, and intestinal infection with pathogenic strains of the protozoan parasite Blastocystis hominis (the latter is hard to test for).

Anxiety can also be a comorbid symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and ME/CFS is linked to may viruses and bacteria. This page of my website lists the viruses and bacteria that are thought to be able to precipitate ME/CFS. The problem is that not all these infections have good treatments, so sometimes even though you may know what infections are causing your symptoms, there may not be much you can do about it.

Edited by Hip, 02 February 2014 - 06:46 AM.

[hathor]

so does anyone else know about this parallel universe where Nintendo bought out Sony in the 80's and Paul Allen runs Microsoft instead of the Sea Hawks and Nintendo and Microsoft are basically the yin~yang for technology for the timeline? Like everything electronics that is produced is by one of those "big two".

How to have a mental breakdown when you start remembering that you work for Nintendo and are trying to help them build their Hyrule MMORPG and then wake up in this shit timeline.

Edited by hathor, 03 February 2014 - 07:36 AM.

[Guardian4981]

I would say most "mental breakdowns" are essentially when the weight of stress (whether percieved or "real") is outweighed by the persons sense of "control."

So say someone is juggling college, work, girlfriend, parental sickness, etc for a while they feel they can "handle" it. But as the stress rises for a variety of reasons it supercedes their ability to handle it so they just snap.

The breakdown is likely natures way of causing those around the person to take note an assist them.

I think we could also view a breakdown as an expanded version of a panic attack. A panic attack is usually more limited in scope to the situation, such as a job interview or what not where as a breakdown covers more if not all areas of the persons life together.

[nowayout]

I'd have to dig it up but I believe there is some research showing that in predisposed people depression or anxiety syndromes tend to develop after about the third episode of major environmental stress (e.g., breakup, bereavement, even exams). Interestingly enough, not usually the first episode. Some people may be predisposed to mental illness but are lucky enough never to develop it because they were not subject to as many major stressors as others.

[Hip]

I would say most "mental breakdowns" are essentially when the weight of stress (whether percieved or "real") is outweighed by the persons sense of "control."

I think that interpretation is the one that most people assume, but I suggest that many cases of mental breakdowns are in fact caused by an individual catching an infectious pathogen that affects the way the brain functions.

This happened to me: I was fine one minute, and in fact relishing all my professional and personal activities — I had a great job and a great set of friends. But then I caught some type of bowel infection that caused me to get IBS, and along with this bowel infection, I suddenly out of the blue started to experience very high anxiety in all the professional and personal activities I had previously found really interesting and absorbing. And my job was not at all a stressful sort of job (computer programing).

For example, when I would meet friends whose company I had previously found very enjoyable, and who were relaxing to be with, all of a sudden, after catching this infection, being in their company seemed to trigger very high anxiety states in my mind, even though these friends were just as pleasant as they always had been.

Infections in the body can dramatically alter the way the central nervous system functions.

The trouble is that infections are often caught unknowingly (there may be no initial symptoms when you catch a pathogen), and so nobody makes the link between the sudden arrival of high anxiety symptoms and an infectious agent that they may have caught s few weeks or months ago.

This is why people fall back to psychological explanations of burnout or nervous breakdowns. But to reiterate, I suggest that in most cases, these breakdowns have an infectious etiology.

The interesting thing is that many people with anxiety disorders do have additional physical symptoms, and these additional symptoms indicate that there is more to it than just a psychological problem. For example, people with anxiety disorders may have bowel symptoms like IBS, or sinus infections/inflammations, which are most likely caused by the same infectious pathogen that is causing the anxiety symptoms in their brain.

Edited by Hip, 03 February 2014 - 09:15 PM.

[hathor]

I would say most "mental breakdowns" are essentially when the weight of stress (whether percieved or "real") is outweighed by the persons sense of "control."

I think that interpretation is the one that most people assume, but I suggest that many cases of mental breakdowns are in fact caused by an individual catching an infectious pathogen that affects the way the brain functions.

Having had a breakdown in December and again in January I think it's a combination of factors, but stress is the primary issue and infections and medications are one of the most stressful things someone can deal with.

In December I had some kind of flu that induced rhabdomyolysis and was off my Rx meds for a week...and then I had trouble filling my medications and just as I got stable physically again I had an emotional breakdown and ended up back in the hospital again but this time in the psych ward for a couple weeks (what a waste of time that was) and they think that I had valley fever which is some kind of fungas that causes issues.

[dunbar]

Does this mean that you'd have to test for 100s of viruses and bacteria to see if you have them?
I mean is there no option where you first start broad and then narrow it in like for example when you do
allergy testing and also start broad and then if you react to something you try to find out more precisely what it could
be?
I doubt that any doctor would be willing to screen me for 100s of possible viruses,bacteria etc which could cause depression
and anxiety. :(

[Hip]

@dunbar
Yes, it would be very expensive to test for all the viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa that an individual may have. Each infectious pathogen requires its own test.

Though there is a new technology called DNA microarrays which detect infectious pathogens by their genetic fingerprints. DNA microarrays will actually test for all the infectious pathogens you may have in one go. However, unfortunately DNA microarrays are not as yet available to the general public.

And even if you did find that you had one or more active infections in your body, there may not necessarily be any treatment for them. The medical armory of antivirals and antibiotics is still limited. Though some infections are treatable.



However, sometimes it is not the infectious pathogen itself that causes anxiety or depression symptoms, but the inflammation in the body that results from these infections. Inflammation is just the immune system fighting the infection. There is growing evidence that excessive inflammation in the brain can cause symptoms of anxiety and depression. This is analogous to excessive inflammation in the joints causing the pain of arthritis.

I have found that the best approach to treating my anxiety disorder is to use supplements that reduce inflammation in the brain. I detail the anti-anxiety supplements that worked very well for me in my thread here:

Completely eliminated my severe anxiety symptoms with three supplements!

Many of these anti-anxiety supplements I list have anti-inflammatory effects, and this is I think the reason they work.

In other words, inflammation in the brain may be the root cause of the anxiety and/or depression symptoms in many cases, and treatment of this brain inflammation with the right type of anti-inflammatories thus leads to amelioration or elimination of anxiety or depression.

[Missjess]

A mental break down is caused by a number of stressful life situations hitting u at the same time and also ur emotional threshold has been reached, if u are using drugs frequently aswel this will do it. It's basically burnout...I wouldn't even see a psychiatrist for this. Go to a natropath and get ur hormones tested, u should get treated for adrenal fatigue. Take it easy and don't put stress on the body, eat healthy and get lots of sleep until ur body recovers. Reasses ur life and see if u can find what triggered u into a point of mental breakdown...failed relationships, family problems, self abuse and low self esteem, constant partying, being on the go all the time etc



Meditation once a day and also yoga

[dunbar]

Hi,
I had a ACTH test last year and the results were normal. I was assuming I could have adrenal issues.
My endocrinologist sucks he's not a big help at all. He also refused to treat my low T levels.

I can't really escape the stress I wish I could. I have been under lots of stress for years.

Edited by dunbar, 06 February 2014 - 03:28 AM.

[ben951]

Try listen to with guy on youtube: Eckhart Tolle

Edited by ben951, 06 February 2014 - 10:41 AM.