Like I said before, my family has had a history of disabilities, from schizophrenia to leukemia.
My entire family has had varying opinions and reactions when it came to healthcare in general.
In my culture there was a traditional “village doctor” who would some of my family members would go to, but others explicitly rejected or did not think it works. There are also those that only go for “officially sanctioned” religious treatments. Many would visit a standard clinic or hospital as well and sometimes a mixture of all 3.
Our family had cases where one refused to take their prescribed medicines for schizophrenia, or other stuff and it became a whole process to ensure that they start taking it again.
It’s easy to say but the scepticism really just requires a lot of communal and familial involvement at an individual level. People will trust those that they are familiar with. In terms of policy that would mean heavy investment in community-level health clinics and other related policies.
It obviously should bother you, because you are thinking they are not doing what it is in their best interests, but in the end we have to meet them where they are at and slowly chip away at their resistance. It definitely will not be easy.
Both sides of my family have history of disabilities. Some have neurodivergence, some psychiatric and many physical.
So it is almost insane to me when I encounter people with no disability or anything. Not even a single allergy.
I do wonder how much is generational trauma, colonization and the fast transition to industrial capitalism (we come from a place that rapidly transitioned within a few decades). I wonder how all that factors in all this.
I started with 10mg citalopram first few weeks then 20mg, then switched to 10mg escitalopram due to availability issues at the start of the year.
It was for anxiety and depression.
Had severe side-effects first few weeks on citalopram. Mainly lethargy and low mood.
After the initial side-effects, I remember it not really doing much except made it easier to unhook for anxious thoughts and a slightly lower baseline anxiety. I have a chronic physical illness and it often gets worse in periods where I am more anxious and have noticed it has generally gotten better after the anti-depressant.
Currently bumped up to 15mg escitalopram past few months. Had taken it for nearly a year now. The switch from citalo to escitalo wasn’t as bad, side effects were similar but less potent and lasted only a few days.
Libido did not really change, but I started taking Concerta (methylphenidate) for ADHD regularly the past couple months in conjunction which just increased it honestly. The side-effects for Concerta has/is more prominent than escitalopram for me now.
I have to switch back to citalopram again soon because of availability issues… again.
In general I am adverse to medication, and so depending how the next year goes, I am hoping to taper off of the citalopram.
I did a 40km day hike last week, a personal record.
Wasn’t even intentional, but the path I was supposed to take was closed because of a landslip and had to take a detour and just decided to walk back instead of using the bus.
Pretty happy about that.
And I have been managing my anxiety quite well lately too so can’t complain.
Today’s been a good day. I say this with the wholehearted knowledge that my life will be very different and yet all too familiar at the same time.
Finally had a proper conversation with my parents since I was alive.
No more hiding. No more “negative peace”.
I told them how I felt. How they treated me throughout my childhood and teenager years. The religious trauma. The corporal punishments.
My dad’s a tougher nut to crack but I think in the end he understood and respected my feelings. It feels like a whole chapter of my life just closed in an instant. Just from one talk.
I know that may be the optimist in me speaking but I think I can finally slowly move away from the past and look forward to the future.
I can finally be at peace knowing that my relationship with the family is finally moving to something I can be happy with.
13 year old me would have not imagined this day whatsoever.
My friend joked that this isn’t how “normal” Asian parents would have reacted. Well I wouldn’t know, my experience is that everyone’s parents are different. We won’t know until we try.
I guess I did live up to my childhood name after all - “the destroyer”. To ashes the trauma burns, and in the soot a new tree sprouts.
Funny that this had to take place on October 7. I guess I can say many good things have happened on this date.
Just finished playing the main storyline of Hades and it makes me… sad. Because I just relate to the story.
If you talked to my pre-teen self I would have been like a Zagreus copy. I wanted to runaway from home. I thought about it almost everyday.
It became a goal in my mind that guided my entire life choices from middle school to graduation. And when I graduated, and was able to get some independence - nothing seemed better. A lot maybe turned for the worse really.
I was and still am stuck. Always felt like I was never given a choice in my own life.
Some things went on the past couple of years, lead to me formally being diagnosed with ADHD (in addition to my previously known anxiety disorders)… tough luck as they say.
It’s been a short while since the diagnosis. I don’t know how to feel about it still. Explains certain things of course but I don’t even know how to proceed.
The therapist said I exhibit some autistic symptoms too.
And now I am here, learning more about myself and yet at the same time not knowing anything at all. Still feeling like that kid that wanted to run away from home but never managed or was able to.
It’s a complicated question.
Like I said before, my family has had a history of disabilities, from schizophrenia to leukemia.
My entire family has had varying opinions and reactions when it came to healthcare in general.
In my culture there was a traditional “village doctor” who would some of my family members would go to, but others explicitly rejected or did not think it works. There are also those that only go for “officially sanctioned” religious treatments. Many would visit a standard clinic or hospital as well and sometimes a mixture of all 3.
Our family had cases where one refused to take their prescribed medicines for schizophrenia, or other stuff and it became a whole process to ensure that they start taking it again.
It’s easy to say but the scepticism really just requires a lot of communal and familial involvement at an individual level. People will trust those that they are familiar with. In terms of policy that would mean heavy investment in community-level health clinics and other related policies.
It obviously should bother you, because you are thinking they are not doing what it is in their best interests, but in the end we have to meet them where they are at and slowly chip away at their resistance. It definitely will not be easy.