ARCHIVES: MENTAL HEALTH : And all I thought was, something is wrong with me
It started with upper back pain. I was 14 years old, in the middle of my first year of high school when this stubborn “knot” appeared beneath my left shoulder blade. I tried massaging it, pressing it against hard surfaces and applying rubbing creams, but it remained there for nine more years.
When grade 11 came around, my academics began slipping. I was in boarding school, not too far from home, but far enough to feel lonely. My concentration levels were declining, I felt constantly tired and my nights were spent in tears. Silent sobs, so no one else could hear. I told myself I was being lazy, that I needed to get myself together. But nothing worked. I was a seemingly productive teenager.
Matric came around and I did well . I had set high expectations for myself, which were impossible to reach, so of course, I felt like I’d failed. That’s the other “symptom” – perfectionism. It didn’t make any sense: my parents clapped hands, my family was proud, but I was so disappointed. I had developed a new “symptom”: blurry vision. I blamed it on the hours I spent staring at computer screens. But when my stress levels were low, my vision would suddenly improve. “What is happening?” I’d think.
I failed my Honours and the next year, I quit my job to redo the degree. Stuck in this weird identity crisis of being a “working woman” and a university student, more symptoms began to show: nausea, insomnia, hypersomnia, nightmares, chest pain, panic attacks and short-term memory loss. I would often plan to do the simplest tasks, then immediately forget. My productivity was slow, I was struggling to string sentences together, my emotions were numb and my back was killing me.
“You have clinical depression and generalised anxiety disorder,” he said. “I’m starting you on medication immediately.”
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Children are facing lasting grief and mental health impacts from Covid-19 lossesMore than 140,000 US children have lost parents to Covid-19, spurring concerns from experts about the long-term impacts to their mental health.
Read more »
Inequalities in education and health sectors exacerbated by COVID-19 - SAHRC
Read more »
DIABETES: SA needs more public health podiatrists to stem diabetes-related amputationsA proper podiatric programme has the potential to reduce the number of diabetic patients who face diabetic ulceration and amputation. However, South Africa currently has a shortage of podiatrists. There are only about 45 such professionals in the country’s public health sector, and only one school of podiatry on the African continent.
Read more »
JONATHAN COOK: Helping one another restore health to our sickly economyThe Covid-19 pandemic taught us how to overcome chronic problems
Read more »
Spotlight Op-ed: Health needed a recovery budget, we got the oppositeFor healthcare, a post-pandemic human rights focused budget would have allocated funding specifically for backlogs in access to health services from the past two years, as well as tackling the present inequities in access to healthcare that characterise the public health system. This year’s budget does not do enough to enable government to realise people’s fundamental human right to access healthcare.
Read more »
Spotlight: How death is handled in health facilities: Can we do better?There is nothing humans can do about the fact that everyone dies eventually, but there may be room to do better when it comes to how some doctors, nurses, and care workers break the news of dying and death, and also how they give practical support to a grieving family. Ufrieda Ho looks at what measures are in place to guide healthcare workers, patients, and their families through this process in health facilities.
Read more »