Invisible Illness

Found this wonderful site, Mad in America (http://www.madinamerica.com/) which is written by medical experts, specifically those in the psychology field, about the misuse of diagnoses and medications. Story after story of how patients' lives were completely altered by the medical community. That is a danger with invisible disabilities- even medical professionals cannot diagnose invisible illnesses with certainty. Face it, even though clinicians use the DSM as guidelines for identifying symptoms, psychology in itself is subjective. Disorders rely on patient's reports, and who can measure one feelings compared to others? How does one even identify the norm? Depression,for instance, is frequently measured by The Beck Depression Inventory, where the individual rates himself on a scale of 1 -10. Questions ask things related to sleep, appetite, happiness and sadness.  At one period of my life, I would go 48 hours without sleep. I remember having a sense of accomplishment when I slept for two hours straight. Lately, I sleep anywhere from ten to twelve hours a night. Eight hours would seem excessive a few years ago, but it is not enough now. How do you measure things like sleep and mood? Results determine diagnosis labels, and ultimately medication. Think about the huge room for error!

This website is an eye opener to the power given to medical professionals.

Do I truly have Depression? Anxiety? PTSD? Attention Deficit Disorder? Agoraphobia?

Do I need to be on medication? Which one(s)? How much?

What if they're wrong? What if I'm wrong?