why does people say fibromyalgia is a mental illness and why does my GP and other caregivers treat me like it mental?
Pushing antidepressants..... Saying I should be able to keep it together ...exercise it away...
also my insurance which has a exception of mental illness wants to put fibromyalgia in that category ....
it makes me wonder if I'm really crazy
Linda - I am having the same battle here in Scotland! having been depressed for a long time - and well for a long time I do not know what his reason for this is. I must make an appointment with him to ask HIM why he keeps saying he is worried about me because i am 'chronically depressed!' YOU ARE NOT CRAZY - if you doubt your sanity - go ask your family and friends and do an online self-assessment. take care, Peta
Bless you Linda, sounds awful. Fibromyalgia is now recognized as a medical condition, not a mental illness, though it can lead to depression. Have a look on the NHS website it tells you.
Antidepressants can help with nerve pain and sleeping, I take two types. They are not only prescribed for depression.
After a year of getting nowhere with x rays etc. I wrote down all the symptoms I experienced and actually saw a different Dr. He recognized straight away that I had fibromyalgia. I also had very low Vitamin D levels requiring meds. Get your Vit D levels checked and if you can, see a younger Dr, they are better informed.
Good luck!
Thank you Denise for replying with such helpful information, I'm currently undiagnosed and only had the trigger point test done which was "boarder line" my old Dr left the surgery I was at before I had fibro looked into so shall do as you say, wrote symptoms down and get someone to do a vitamin D test.
Thank you for your reply my vit D level are abit to low my rheumy said.
I think it's easier to classify it as a mental illness because no one really knows what fibromyalgia really is and all these symptoms with no answers are put in that box. Now the mental part I was told is because the condition itself causes our bodies to be in pain which makes us tired and for many they get depressed. So in theory if they treat the mental part because they can determine what that is it will allow the person to relax be rested in hopes some of the fibromyalgia symptoms will go away. I feel like my house is a pharmacy at times 😕
Large majority of doctors do not recognize fibromyalgia.
It is very hard to get an official diagnosis.
Most of us that do have fibro, suffer day to day and just pray to make it from day to day without a flare up.
When you are feeling good you question if is in your head. On the bad days you
yourself question if will ever end.
It is enough to make you mental and depressed.
All the pain and fatigue, lack of answers and being treated like you're
a) out for drugs
b) making it up crazy
Is option c) actually telling truth and hurting that badge y