Through my years of living with mental health issues, physical health issues, and going through education to understand the what, why, and how, of it all, I have realized that mental health is far more important than any physical health issues I may face. Without my mental health, nothing else matters, not wealth, not family or friends, not where I live or how my life looks to others… with my mental wellbeing, anything that the physical world throws at me can be overcome.
I live with symptoms related to mental and physical health AND also Post Concussion Syndrome Symptoms as the result of a fall in 2021.
I have great insurance coverage for my physical health issus, except not so much for certain impairments caused by the TBI.
And my meds are covered, but not visits to my psychiatrist - because he manages my medications - makes no sense at all. At least I am able to afford to be self pay for those appointmets.
But the therapy that would be so helpful with developing better coping mechanisms for permanent TBI-related issues isn't covered either and is not financially feasible at present.
My insurance company considers mental health care "behavioral care".
Sure I am able to modify my behavior to a degree. The meds help too.
But no matter what I do Bipolar Disorder and OCD, etc are part of my life just like high cholesterol or Type II Diabetes. I'm 5'7" / 135lbs and I STILL take meds to help control those conditions AND high blood pressure.
So many medical professionals aren't all that understanding about Mental Healthcare either.
Add in Post Concussion Syndrome - It's a good thing I'm done with trsts and scans because I was ready to punch someone in the face if they told me "nothing showed up on the CT".
Or the MRI
Like most Mental Health Disorders, Post Concussion Syndrome is diagnosed by the SYMPTOMS. At first the neurologist PA diagnosed me with SLEEP APNEA!
But eventually the diagnosis was corrected - I had 4 pages of detailed notes and I had all but one common symptom lol
It's frustrating to have "invisible" illnesses - and with mental health disorders, lots of people find them difficult to understand and thud quite easy to decide they are completely fake.
At least that's been my experience. With a few medical professionals and with most of my family.
They were never understanding about Type II diabetes much less the mental health diagnoses I FINALLY received in my 30s.
And with my TBI - I'm in the midst of a divorce because now all mental health issues he never tried to learn a thing about to begin with are to blame - I'm just CRAZY.
AND there are symptoms I have NO control over that he finds quite inconvenient.
Like - according to him, I've been faking needing a rolling walker and becoming easily fatigued "to get out of housework".
That's just one of the ridiculous accusations he's made.
Mental health definitely has as much affect on my life as my physical health.
Sorry for the long comment but I want to end on a positive note.
My psychiatrist treats me for my TBI/Post Concussion Syndrome.
First - he was aware of an Alzheimers drug used off label to treat TBI patients. It was amazing. It helped my brain heal so much - when it "kicked in" I saw improvement in so many areas. I still have permanent issues, but my brain sort of rearranged itself and brought some order to the chaos.
Second - While I will always grieve the parts of myself I lost to that damn sidewalk - my mental health improved SO much. No more struggling with DARK thoughts. Social Anxiety was managable.
And found out, at 56, add ADHD to my list of "stuff" - my anxiety was so deep and started being an issue so early in my life - it had masked or controlled ADHD symptoms.
It's REALLY funny trying to learn how to cope with things like time-blindness for the first time EVER.
A lot of my worst Post Concussion Syndrome Symptoms overlap with sensory sensitivities that are ADHD symptoms except they are extremely INTENSE.
Most days - the trade off of having such better mental health and the things I lost to the TBI are actually worth it.
I lost some of my favorite things about myself, but with help from many friends and my few supportive family members, I'll be able to live on my own after the divorce.
So - it's a bit off topic here at the end, but I'm sooooo thankful I have a psychiatrist who always seems to know about new medication available who's helped me understand the reasons WHY my life was so erratic for all those years - before my diagnoses. And we teach each other about "wonky" brains now - another good post TBI thing is that I am able to recognize and express things about my brain, how my mental health affected my life, how events in my childhood affected my mental health, etc.
It sucks to have ALL this clarity while also having a brain that will "lose" days at a time - I function normally according to my friends but will have very few, if any, memories.
Or decides that we are going to sleep round the clock for 4 days. OR not sleep for 3.
That's where my support team comes in - I get calls to make sure I'm getting meals, meds, and hydrating.
Or, when I can't sleep - I have lots of friends who will chat with me & keep me company - it's completely different from insomnia - it's like the sleep switch in my brain has a short in it.
Forgot to say the most impt thing - I was mis diagnosed with Depression until properly diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder- after a complete mental breakdown in my late 30s
I have ADHD and Bipolar Disorder. In late 2023 I was diagnosed with Early onset Dementia - a few months ago I was un-diagnosed as the new Consultant said that I definitely don’t have it. It left me feeling relieved and confused at the same time. I’m past it now, but for over a year I felt like my life was on hold.
Through my years of living with mental health issues, physical health issues, and going through education to understand the what, why, and how, of it all, I have realized that mental health is far more important than any physical health issues I may face. Without my mental health, nothing else matters, not wealth, not family or friends, not where I live or how my life looks to others… with my mental wellbeing, anything that the physical world throws at me can be overcome.
I live with symptoms related to mental and physical health AND also Post Concussion Syndrome Symptoms as the result of a fall in 2021.
I have great insurance coverage for my physical health issus, except not so much for certain impairments caused by the TBI.
And my meds are covered, but not visits to my psychiatrist - because he manages my medications - makes no sense at all. At least I am able to afford to be self pay for those appointmets.
But the therapy that would be so helpful with developing better coping mechanisms for permanent TBI-related issues isn't covered either and is not financially feasible at present.
My insurance company considers mental health care "behavioral care".
Sure I am able to modify my behavior to a degree. The meds help too.
But no matter what I do Bipolar Disorder and OCD, etc are part of my life just like high cholesterol or Type II Diabetes. I'm 5'7" / 135lbs and I STILL take meds to help control those conditions AND high blood pressure.
So many medical professionals aren't all that understanding about Mental Healthcare either.
Add in Post Concussion Syndrome - It's a good thing I'm done with trsts and scans because I was ready to punch someone in the face if they told me "nothing showed up on the CT".
Or the MRI
Like most Mental Health Disorders, Post Concussion Syndrome is diagnosed by the SYMPTOMS. At first the neurologist PA diagnosed me with SLEEP APNEA!
But eventually the diagnosis was corrected - I had 4 pages of detailed notes and I had all but one common symptom lol
It's frustrating to have "invisible" illnesses - and with mental health disorders, lots of people find them difficult to understand and thud quite easy to decide they are completely fake.
At least that's been my experience. With a few medical professionals and with most of my family.
They were never understanding about Type II diabetes much less the mental health diagnoses I FINALLY received in my 30s.
And with my TBI - I'm in the midst of a divorce because now all mental health issues he never tried to learn a thing about to begin with are to blame - I'm just CRAZY.
AND there are symptoms I have NO control over that he finds quite inconvenient.
Like - according to him, I've been faking needing a rolling walker and becoming easily fatigued "to get out of housework".
That's just one of the ridiculous accusations he's made.
Mental health definitely has as much affect on my life as my physical health.
Sorry for the long comment but I want to end on a positive note.
My psychiatrist treats me for my TBI/Post Concussion Syndrome.
First - he was aware of an Alzheimers drug used off label to treat TBI patients. It was amazing. It helped my brain heal so much - when it "kicked in" I saw improvement in so many areas. I still have permanent issues, but my brain sort of rearranged itself and brought some order to the chaos.
Second - While I will always grieve the parts of myself I lost to that damn sidewalk - my mental health improved SO much. No more struggling with DARK thoughts. Social Anxiety was managable.
And found out, at 56, add ADHD to my list of "stuff" - my anxiety was so deep and started being an issue so early in my life - it had masked or controlled ADHD symptoms.
It's REALLY funny trying to learn how to cope with things like time-blindness for the first time EVER.
A lot of my worst Post Concussion Syndrome Symptoms overlap with sensory sensitivities that are ADHD symptoms except they are extremely INTENSE.
Most days - the trade off of having such better mental health and the things I lost to the TBI are actually worth it.
I lost some of my favorite things about myself, but with help from many friends and my few supportive family members, I'll be able to live on my own after the divorce.
So - it's a bit off topic here at the end, but I'm sooooo thankful I have a psychiatrist who always seems to know about new medication available who's helped me understand the reasons WHY my life was so erratic for all those years - before my diagnoses. And we teach each other about "wonky" brains now - another good post TBI thing is that I am able to recognize and express things about my brain, how my mental health affected my life, how events in my childhood affected my mental health, etc.
It sucks to have ALL this clarity while also having a brain that will "lose" days at a time - I function normally according to my friends but will have very few, if any, memories.
Or decides that we are going to sleep round the clock for 4 days. OR not sleep for 3.
That's where my support team comes in - I get calls to make sure I'm getting meals, meds, and hydrating.
Or, when I can't sleep - I have lots of friends who will chat with me & keep me company - it's completely different from insomnia - it's like the sleep switch in my brain has a short in it.
Forgot to say the most impt thing - I was mis diagnosed with Depression until properly diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder- after a complete mental breakdown in my late 30s
Absolutely 💯
I have ADHD and Bipolar Disorder. In late 2023 I was diagnosed with Early onset Dementia - a few months ago I was un-diagnosed as the new Consultant said that I definitely don’t have it. It left me feeling relieved and confused at the same time. I’m past it now, but for over a year I felt like my life was on hold.
Thank you for your article, very well written.
BW
Paul