Do you have a diagnosed physical or mental disability?

[Bibliophile]

Do you have a diagnosed physical or mental disability? If so what is the disability that you have, how does it affect you, and how do you cope with it?

Thank you in advance.
Rie.

Oh good I have a lot of mental ones:
ADHD- I am on meds even though its still hard to concentrate I just have to try harder then most people

Depresion-On pills its hard but I cope

Bi-polar-On pills

Anxiety- Just have to calm myself down

Insomia-On meds

There is probley more but those are the only ones I can think of right now.

[Ashlii]

I have diabetes it affects me because when people ask to go to the movies or out top dinner or something, I can't eat anything, and I constantly have to carry my medicine w/ me and at parties I can't eat anything due to the lack of sugar free stuff. Thats about it though

[Music]

I could have sworn there was a thread like this before but I can't find it

I have Bipolar I Disorder (Taking Depakote twice a day)
I also have Social Anxiety Disorder

Sometimes it doesn't affect me at all, I have periods of time where I'm totally symptom free. But then there are periods of time where I can't live my life like a normal person, and I sometimes need to go to the hospital during these times. I just started this medication yesterday actually, so hopefully it'll keep it from happening too often.

[Doodle.]

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (classical) - I get tired easily, can't walk around a lot/do too much exercise, get partial subluxations (I'll probably get full subluxations when I'm older), I bruise easily etc. :|

Wouldn't shock me if I had some form of depression either.

[i_am_me_again]

I have Borderline Personality Disorder. And Paranoid Schizophrenia.

I also have PCOS.

On the following meds;

- Abilify
- Depokate
- Clozaril
- Clonazepam
- Prozac
- Metformin
- The Mini Pill

A few more, which I dont know.

I struggle....a lot......these few years have been aweful with my mental and physically health.

[BabyIndia]

I've got some form of depression, not sure what kind yet.

I also have a weird body lol, my spine is out of line with my hips, and my hips are out of line with my knees, i also have flat feet, Dropped shoulder and arthritis in several joints.


Doesn't really affect me much, well apart from I can't work in places where im constantly walking or standing. I also can't drive for long distances, or walk for long distances. In the cold I ache like an elderly person.

[Crescendo]

My "Disability":
I live in the US and am classified by my state as being "Severely Emotionally Disturbed" meaning I have mental health issues (Major Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, OCD, ADHD) so serious they interfere with my school performance/ability to attend school.

My "Disability"s Impact:
I've missed 11 of the last 17 months of school for mental health reasons (Being hospitalized/being in residential/being too anxious to go to school) I go to a Therapeutic School that is paid for by the state and is able to provide me with much smaller classes, more individual attention, more flexibility in due dates, and more emotional support. My mental health issues make it hard for me to focus for long periods of time, anxious when i have my back to people, anxious when anything related to sex or sexual violence comes up, anxious being alone with males, etc. Those issues sometimes lead to me dissociating or numbing out. I cut and consider suicide. I've gained a ridiculous amount of weight. When I was still in public school I would cry in class sometimes and constantly be in the school counselor's office. I also have frequent mood swings, low self esteem, and trouble keeping friends which can occupy my mind and make it hard to find the motivation to do school work. I used to be a striaght A student who hardly ever missed school. Now i'm barely passing.

How I Cope:
Go to therapy (although my therapist doesn't think I'm improving and I think is going to not see much longer), try to take advantage of my bursts of energy/determination, try to focus on my goals so life seems more meaningful, take medication, try to get out into the sun & take care of myself as much as possible, and when I go out bring lots of little stress relievers with me (clay, journal, mp3 player, colored pencils, hand lotion, book, small stuffed key chain are always in my school bag for example)

I'm going to add another question.

My Outlook On How My Disability Will Affect Me In The Future:
Unsure. I'm nervous about college, because i'm afraid if i go away from home i wont have as much support, and i'm afraid i would fail out if i don't get my life together because I would have so many absences. If i manage to force myself to stay in school, I expect I could graduate from highschool, college, and grad school, pursue my desired perfession, and become a foster parent, as i want to. I expect that I will be depressed much of my life, and that if i get married it would end in bitter divorce, if i manage to not off myself before that point. It's touch and go lately, but i'm trying to hold on to hope.


Megan

[WashoutThePain]

Mentally, nothing diagnosed, but a few counselors and therapists have said I am definitely depressed.

Physically:
I have a hiatal hernia. Basically, my stomach pushed into my esophagus so a lot a lot a lot of the acid comes back up into my mouth after I eat. I used to throw up a crap load, but I've been able to change my diet enough to fix this. I used to take medication for years, but now I live on the edge and go without it. Granted, it's really weird when I go back on the pills occasionally. I find that it is really numbing because I am so used to tasting acid 24/7. I am pretty good at gageing how much I can eat/ what I can eat. I must take pills with me to different environments though seeing as I don't know the food as well. I got this apparently from stress, says my doctor. The average age for this "problem" is like 60 xD
I figured this falls under a disability because it ruins my ability to eat normally. I cope with it... by trying to manage my meals and such.

My other disability is my Auditory Processing Disorder. While I was learning how to speak and understand words, I used to replace a lot of words for those that rhyme. For instance, if my mom told me we were going to make an arts and crafts project when we get home from the store, I heard it as we were going to sake a arts and crafts project when we get lone from the core or something A lot of what I hear are sounds, but nothing sensical. Basically, I learned how to lip-read a little and use context clues to make sure I wasn't saying something dumb! I was tested at age 3, and retested about 3 years ago. I don't remember exactly, but my ear-brain connection thing on my left ear can process like 40% of what is being said, while my right ear can process about 60%. Which is why I sit sideways to the TV usually xDD Some of the bad parts besides the obvious ones are dealing with crowds. I get really nervous and terrified of crowds because I can basically hear nothing and everything is moving and it's just impossible for me to understand anything unless someone is screaming in my ear (repeated twice at least). How I cope: I refuse to get hearing aids, although I could really use some. But I do have a pretty good sense with lip reading as well as context clues. Also, I say, "What!?" a whole lot, and my friends are always supportive of me and repeat things to no end

[Stardaze]

I have this.
(GAD) Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

https://health.google.com/health/ref...xiety+disorder

I'm on Xanax.

Physically- I have severe Scoliosis. Which is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side.

[♥Bliz]

Well for me mainly ADHD, that I just try to focus, use to be on meds but they sucked, it's not that bad.
I also have Autism but just a bit. I don't even remember the side affects of that..... well I pretty much pass by without making much of my disabilities. Sadly though i'm in a slightly specail class for it, one hour a day at school. used to be in for the whole day. It's so lame. With saying that though, i have to say it has helped me, but I think it can't do shit now. (it's impossible to get out all hours, without parents consent.) so I'm not completely fine, but I'm pretty cool with it.

[fallen fairy]

So i have severe dyspraxia and scotopic sensitivity syndrome and with these i have low muscel tone, ligament laxity and chronic ankle instability although i don't consider any of the last 3 an actual disabilty or really to be honest scotopic sensitivity syndrome and most of the time i barely consider my dyspraxia a disability lol

But what all this actually means is as far as dyspraxia goes, i have very very bad hand-eye cooridnation, bad balance, bad spacial awareness i find organisation hard i have to like be overly organised or i get nothing done hmmmm i find social signals difficult to detect which is fine as everyone knows it.

Scotipic sensitvity sydnrome just means i have to wear funky coloured glasses when i'm reading mine are teal because i have a hyperactive optical nerve that processes too much light, it's actually kinda cool cos when i wear my glasses the world is just less bright but for my friends it's green which i always found super intresting

and the rest of it just means that my joints hate me and pop in and out of place at will and i have lots and lots of physio lol

over all to be honest i'm of the opinion things like that make you, you and i get extra time in exams and laptops and i deal pretty good

[Magical Forest.]

I don't know if it's a disability or not, but I have been diagnosed with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome which is most commonly known as being 'double jointed'.
I hate it, everyone says it's 'cool' what I can do with my fingers, but it then means that my joints dislocate easier and my knees constantly ache and click all of the time.

I don't think I'd count mental illnesses as a 'mental disabilty'.
But I'll just say anyway.
Been diagnosed with Severe Clinical Depression and Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder.

[Alex xox]

hmm well I have
Trichotillomania (spelling)
Clinical Depression
Mild OCD
and dyslexia

I also think that I have insomonia

I can generally cope quite and just put a face on in the morning to cover up any insecurities i may have

I think it's going to impact me more when I go to sixth form because I already know I won't be able to go to the local college because it'll be way too big and the same problem will probably reocour with going to university

[Dawn.]

I've been diagnosed with OCD and Depression.

I'm taking Lovan which helps with not only the Depression but actually helps with OCD symptoms as well.

Since I've started taking Lovan and gone to see a councillor I've improved DRAMATICALLY. I've been able to return to work, been able to touch things without having the need to wash my hands, been able to drive a lot more, eat things I've never eaten before when I was diagnosed with OCD, allow more people to touch me and to go out more often.

[JonahIzPotato]

Severe depression, on meds, they used to work but then they stopped working so now I feel awful.
Also social anxiety disorder. I hate it. Taking pills, but they're temporary so I'm only taking them for like a month because this is a hard time of year for me.
And my mom thinks I have bipolar or something of that sort.

[JonahIzPotato]

well, social anxiety and just regular anxiety

[lilangel!]

Physical disability - Systemic onset chronic ideopathic juvinile rheumatoid arthritis.
it affects my whole body, legs and back more than anything, i have to use a wheelchair outside because my legs cant support my upper body and my upper body cant support my legs on my crutches for more than a few steps.
i take a big cocktail of medication everyday to keep me alive and out of hospital and chances are ill never be taken off them and will need a liver transplant at around 30 and am not expected to live past 55, but im supposed to be dead 5 times over so im good at defying the odds lol.
the doctors have no idea whats going on with me, im the complete opposite of a textbook case and there pretty much guessing what there doing with me, trial and error sort of thing.
i think i cope pretty well to be honest, i get on with my life and do the sorts of things 'normal' teenahers do, i just do it in my wheelchair. and my friends are awesome at helping me out, pushing me when i need it, opening stuff if i cant that day etc.
i have my days when i hate everything about my disability and stuff, but there not as often as they used to be.

and as for the mental disability, i have never been diagnosed because my psychologist didnt know how to word it haha. but pretty much it was to do with anger/stress/depression/OCD all rolled into one haha, really confusing, but i never took anything for it, just had therapy and went through a lot of different techniques.
long i know, but thats me lol

feel free to message me if i can help anyone with anything

-Hannah xx

[MadPoet]

I have depression, which I take medication for.

I haven't been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, because it's hard to diagnose in teens, but my psychiatrist put me on mood stabilizers to help with mood swings and violent thoughts. From five years old I've matched almost all the symptoms of bipolar disorder.

I also have social anxiety, and panic attacks due to this.

[losing touch.]

i have a prosthetic bone in my thigh because i had to have my whole thigh bone and most of the muscle in my thigh cut out. i had/have bone cancer [which is now in remission.] i'm going to have a muscle graft to help with my walking because i can't walk without a crutch for more than about 5 minutes or so. i should be able to walk near perfect again at some point in the future though. i also have a minor heart problem now because of the chemotherapy and my heart function is not great. i had a large piece of my left lung removed to remove some tumours that were there so i'm on anti-biotics that i'll be on for a few years to prevent infection and pneumonia type symptoms. i'm still having chemotherapy at the moment but if all goes well i'll be given the all clear in a few years after lots of check ups. -sigh- apart from that i'm in great health!!

[Ngikhona]

As far as physical disabilities go, I have kyphosis, scoliosis, and asthma. My kyphosis and scoliosis combined totally kill my posture, and I tend to have a decent amount of back pain if I have to sit or lay still for a long period of time. The diagnosis of my kyphosis caused my medical insurance to drop me because they thought I was more or less a liability, so I also had to change my medical insurance because of it. I used to be in physical therapy to cope with this, but I've been out of it for a while and probably need to go back and possibly get a brace. My asthma interferes with my life by making physical activities much harder to do, but I have an inhaler and it helps.

Mentally I have major depression, GAD, ADD, and some mild OCD and dyslexia. The depression and anxiety make it hard for me to get up in the morning and go to school and social events, the ADD makes it hard for me to concentrate once I get there, the OCD makes people think I'm insane when I'm running around straightening things up and tidying things when I'm not even in my own house, and the dyslexia causes me to write sentences like "the penguin slid" into "the denguin slip" since I mix up my Bs, Ps, and Ds. For the depression, GAD, ADD, and OCD I'm taking Sertraline and will be prescribed another medication in the near future since my GAD isn't being helped much. For dyslexia, I'm not getting any treatment as it's not technically diagnosed, so I just compensate for it with my intelligence.

[emma01]

I know this is a waste of a post, but since it does say "Do you ..." not "What is your..." I guess I can say that No i do not have a diagnosed disability! And im thankful for that!

[WhisperingSilence]

i have ADHD afects my concentration and i can be very hyper at time and talkative and people find it hard to get me to be quiet at times, this means i am very senstive to e numbers and additives that are in food some drinks like oasis i cannot have because of all the colorings and e numbers in the drink, as pergers (form of autisim which affects how i understand how people feel, how i see thing i.e. if someone says to me oh look theres a flying pig i will look around expecting to see a flying pig, and it also makes socialising hard as i cannot tell when someone is being carcastic or serious, i cannot read body language or understand body language), i also have dyspraxia which means that im clumsy and am un co ordinated it also means that i get my left and right mixed up alot and it also means i find it hard to judge spaces and have poor spacial awarness and it also means i have slight lisp i have trouble with my w's and r's (if im on the phone to someone rocky comes out as wocky, and worry comes out as wowwy, it also means i am known to stumble over my words and talk really fast. and i have math dyslexia (dyscalculia) which means that i read some numbers back to front, have trouble setting out sums, drawing bar graphs on graph paper, can't make sense of long number sequnces or short number sequences, when counting i miss numbers out or start to count backwords, i have trouble memorising numbers and phone numbers, and the numbers move about the page. i have been diagnosed - with anixeiy, low self esteem, depression, low self confidence. i have been on ritalin and concerta and fish oils tablets for the ADHD but i am no longer on them and am not taking any medication of any sort at the moment.

[xxxAJxxx]

ADHD
Social Anxiety disorder
and Depression.

all of which I find it impossible to deal with.

[forfrosne]

Well there's a special thing that leads to bad handwriting, TERRIBLE MEMORY/ORGANIZATION, and clumsiness. I forget the name, but I have that

[Briana]

I have:

Scoliosis. I had the surgery for it December 2008, but I still have a curve in my lower back. It is hard to deal with, I usually get pain in my back, but I am slowly coping with the surgery and not being able to bend well.

LD-- Learning Disabilities. I learn a bit slower but learn easier with patterns and images. If that makes sense.

Anxiety-- I can't be in large groups without feeling overwhelmed and panicked. But not doing anything to help it at the moment.

Heart deffects-- a vsd and asd....aka holes in my heart. I have to be careful when I go to the dentist and doctors. I also take pills all the time for it.

[i_am_me_again]

Went to docs yesterday, to basically ask about my illness, coz they keep changing it.

Turns out I have PCOS, Bordliner PD, Paranoid Schizophrenia AND Phobic Anxiety


It just keeps getting worse.

[Feather]

I figured I would finally say something on this thread.

The doctors all agree that I do have a physical disability but none of them know what to call it. I have seen so many specialists and still there is no name.

But it affects my ability to walk and do anything with my legs really. I get tired easily and if I walk/stand for long periods of time or if I run for longer than about 5 minutes my legs start to ache so much. It's like shin splints (I'm told) but different. It is because my legs are 'built' differently.

It affects me more than just every day... it means that I can't go into certain careers that otherwise I would be a part of. Such as the military or the police force or RCMP (because I can't and never will be able to pass the physical). It really bothers me sometimes because I can't do things other people can, and people don't understand why I can't just get up and go for a run or walk around the city. It is one of my bigger reasons (definetely not the biggest) for being depressed at times.

So I have thought up more that I have.

Learning Disabilities- It's not to the point where I'm in a special ed class it's just that I learn a lot slower and diffrently then other people. I am in rescourse and have an IEP which lets me have accomidations such as: More time on test, extra day to turn homework/classwork in..teachers actually giving me the notes instead of taking them myself.

PTSD-They think I have this but there not positive. It's probaly true considering I went through a fase where I would get flash back of stuff and they would go away and freak the shit out of me and I couldn't cope

OC It's not as bad as some people my OCD is mainly just asking the same question over and over....Or repeating myself like saying sorry all the time even when I don't need to.

[.Brittany.]

Dyslexia.
Anxiety Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Arthritis
Asthma

[Briana]

I forgot one:
Reynauds-- I can't go out into freezing weather because my fingers would turn white. There is medicine for it, but I dont want take it. They also think, it is why I have a weird reaction to the sun's heat. I am just a mess. xD

[her_beautiful_mistake]

Originally Posted by Matthew

Well there's a special thing that leads to bad handwriting, TERRIBLE MEMORY/ORGANIZATION, and clumsiness. I forget the name, but I have that

dyspraxia? or something like that?

[Brighter.than.sun]

i have bi polar, depression, and anxiety. I cope with them by taking meds

[SubFocus]

Asthma
Anxiety Disorder
Cold Urticaria (allergic to the cold, lol )

[Just Peachy.]

ADHD --On Meds
Anxiety-- Trying to decide if I want to be on meds
PTSD--No Meds
On the edge of depression.

[Emzy]

anxiety
depression
insomnia

on tablets for them.

[honeycake]

When i was 2 i was diagnosed with CP (Cerebral Palsy) a mild form down my left side the doctors also call it Hemiplegia when i was born i had water on the brain and wasn't drained, I do wear glasses for eye problems but not much now. The doctors are sending me to a shoemaker specialist to help with my hammer toes because they've got bad and they can't guantee the shoes will work and there is some complications with the operation it can lead to downsides and me hardly walking again so yeah but apart from that i'm fine little blance issues but ok

[emma01]

Well, actualy take back my last post, I have since then been diagnosed with an Eating Disorder...how do I deal with it, well...I dont really know. Its hell especially at school when people comment on either weight loss or my lack of lunch...um I guess I just try and get rid of the feelings and try and allow myself to eat but it is very hard to eat, very hard. I never thought it would be. Im seeing a dietician about it though!